Human and Divine...

Finally, for the church to speak with authority it must be both human and divine. An authority that speaks only with a divine voice lacks the authenticity that comes with human experience. So Islam and Mormonism, which are both based on a book supposedly dictated by angels, are unsatisfactory because their authority is supernaturally imposed on humanity.

On the other hand, a religion that is purely a construct of the human condition is merely a system of good works, religious techniques, or good ideas. Christian Science or Unitarianism, for example, is developed from human understandings and natural goodness. As such, both lack a supernatural voice of authority.

As Catholics we understand that God’s Word as Scripture was written by human authors and divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. Christ was the divine embodied in humanity.  And lastly, we have the Church preserved by laity and clergy, and by divine guidance. Human and Divine…

Intellectually Challenging, yet Accessible

Intellectually Challenging . . .

If an authority system is to speak to the complexities of the human situation, then it must be able to hold its own with the philosophical and intellectual experts in every field of human endeavor. What other ecclesial system can marshal experts from every area of human expertise to speak authoritatively in matters of faith and morals?  Time and again, the Catholic Church has been able to speak with authority about the spiritual dimension of economics, ethics, politics, diplomacy, the arts, and philosophy.

… Accessible

Nonetheless, while the authority system must be intellectually vigorous, it must also be accessible to peasants and the illiterate without being in any way condescending. Some denominations appeal to the simple and unlearned, but have trouble keeping the top minds. Others appeal to the educated elite, but lose the masses. Catholicism, on the other hand, is a religion of the greatest minds of history and the religion of illiterate peasants. It is a religion that is complex enough for St. Thomas Aquinas and simple enough for St. Joseph Cupertino. It has room at the manger for both the magi and the shepherds.

Universal and Local

Universal…

The source of authority needs to be universal not only geographically, but also chronologically. In other words, it transcends the cultural trends and intellectual fashions of any particular time. Every church or ecclesial structure other than the Catholic Church is limited, either by its historical foundations or by its cultural and national identity.

For example, Russian Orthodox, The Church of England and the Southern Baptist Convention find it hard to transcend their national identity while the churches of the Protestant Reformed tradition struggle to transcend the particular cultural issues that surround their foundation. When they do move away from their foundations they usually find themselves at sea amidst the fashions and trends of the present day.  Often the result is yet one more division in the Body of Christ.

… Local

For a universal authority system to be valid, it also must be expressed locally. Catholicism speaks with a universal voice, but it is also as local as St. Patrick’s Church and Fr. Magee on the corner of Chestnut Street. Not only does the universal Church have a local outlet, but also that outlet has a certain autonomy that allows it to be flexible in its application of the universal authority.

Often a church’s universal reach will be hampered by its originating cultural context. The center and majority of Islam’s population is still in the place of its origin—the Middle East. The original lands that have been the demographic centers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism have remained so.

By contrast, Catholicism has adopted culturally diverse forms coupled with insights from the Hebrew, Greek, and European cultures, and over the next hundred years will be further shaped by Africa, Latin America, and Asia.