Weekend Reads: Catholic critique and arming ourselves

Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment

By Gregg R. Allison

You won’t find the pope labeled the “antichrist” here; in fact, pejorative language has been carefully banished from Gregg Allison’s Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment (Crossway, 2014). So has theological jargon. Allison’s method is simply to walk through the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, summarize its teaching, and then evaluate it. Surprisingly, this method fills a major hole in scholarly literature. While many anti-Catholic polemical works exist, Allison says they only evaluate isolated notions or practices. The key idea of Roman Catholic Theology and Practice is to evaluate Catholicism as a system grounded on two axioms: the nature-grace interdependence and the church as the continuing Incarnation of Christ.

Evangelicals perceive history in terms of nature as fallen and then redeemed. In other words, sin represents a disordering of nature so radical that only a new creation can ultimately fix the problem. But Catholics perceive nature as being good as far as it goes, but nonetheless needing to be elevated and perfected by grace. Sin is a secondary element, a disturbance within nature but not a complete devastation of nature. Nature retains a capacity for grace. In fact, grace must be “incarnated” in nature. This is why water can be “holy water,” or a priest can receive an “indelible mark” at ordination. Grace has entered into the created object and elevated it. This is seen most clearly in the Church itself, which is the body of Christ. The whole Christ, head and members, is present in the Roman Catholic Church.

Allison relates every Catholic doctrine back to these two axioms, both of which he critiques strongly. But Catholic theology is not all wrong, and Allison deftly distinguishes truth from error. For Catholics and evangelicals who want to know where they differ, this book is a helpful read.

Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical and Balanced Perspective

By Brian Borgman and Rob Ventura

The subtitle of Spiritual Warfare (Reformation Heritage Books, 2014)—A Biblical and Balanced Perspective—sounds a little boastful. Isn’t that the kind of evaluation you’re supposed to leave to the reviewers (Proverbs 27:2)? But assuming that the authors wrote the title (not a likely event, actually), I can’t disagree with them. Pastors Brian Borgman from Nevada and Rob Ventura of Rhode Island have written a fine exposition of Ephesians 6:10-20. They simply, clearly, and pointedly explain what it is to battle evil by putting on the armor of God.

The armor of God is not a technique or a ritual. The helmet of salvation is not a tinfoil hat; a robot could not wear this armor. One wears it by “taking what God so richly supplied in His Son and appropriating it personally each day.” The book never loses this personal touch. Ultimately, spiritual warfare collapses back into knowing Christ and remembering who He is and what He has done. Thus the focus on the belt of truth—the first piece of the armor—and the weapon of prayer.

Borgman and Ventura spend much less time on the Old Testament background of the armor of God than I think they should have. They mention that in the prophecy of Isaiah, God appears wearing these same pieces of armor because He is the Divine Warrior fighting for His people. In other words, the armor is not just “from” God; it is His armor. He wore it first.

Spiritual Warfare contains nothing to appeal to prurient interest. You will not find mystical information about demons; you will not read thrilling stories of exorcisms. If you’ve read and understood Ephesians 6, then you already know in seed form everything that Borgman and Ventura say. But they will help you understand it better.