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Randy_Carson
Guest
I can’t think of any theological contributions that Protestants have made to Christianity as a whole.
Can you?
If true, then why is this the case?
Can you?
If true, then why is this the case?
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Newbie2
Guest
If you consider biblical research a “theological contribution”, then many biblical scholar protestants have contributed much.
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Randy_Carson
Guest
Wow. Dead silence…what conclusions should be drawn from this?
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Darron_Steele
Guest
That many of us who are not Catholics do not see any point of trying to dispute the conclusion you already had in posting this.
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KathleenGee
Guest
How about ‘The Rapture’…
or if you say you believe in Jesus Christ, you are saved…and you can sin lustily…Martin Luther…that is what I heard…but is it true?
There is no purgatory, Mary has no place, no communion of saints, books of the Bible deleted, no Mass, no need for other sacraments…
or if you say you believe in Jesus Christ, you are saved…and you can sin lustily…Martin Luther…that is what I heard…but is it true?
There is no purgatory, Mary has no place, no communion of saints, books of the Bible deleted, no Mass, no need for other sacraments…
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Jordan_Francis
Guest
Actually, the Protestant emphasis on the Scriptures, even with the lobsided view afforded by sola scriptura, was certainly one of the forces contributing to the Catholic re-emphasis on the sacred written word, especially after Vatican II.
I attended services as a Protestant for a number of years in my earlier youth. Even though I certainly no longer believe as a Protestant, I can not say that those experiences were all together theologically impoverished.
I was taught a love for the Scriptures and was pointed towards a centrality of the Cross which was in some measure lacking in my Catholic upbringing. That remains with me today and has helped enrich my Catholic theology.
I attended services as a Protestant for a number of years in my earlier youth. Even though I certainly no longer believe as a Protestant, I can not say that those experiences were all together theologically impoverished.
I was taught a love for the Scriptures and was pointed towards a centrality of the Cross which was in some measure lacking in my Catholic upbringing. That remains with me today and has helped enrich my Catholic theology.
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jpk1313
Guest
Protestants in general are very good at contributing to things like biblical history, archeology, stuff like that. But in terms of theology protestants are in my readings very slothful. They tend to throw out 2000 years of Christian theology and start over from scratch. Just go look at a protestant book store and pretty much every book is the same. it amounts to “jesus died for your sins and rose from the grave” and that is pretty much it. it has no depth. the only modern contribution (if you can call it that) is the idea of the rapture (made up in the 1800’s) which is an american thing and virtualy unknown in europ. and the prosperity gosple which has turned jesus from saviour to magick wish genii. This lack of depth in theology among protestant is what really drove me to the catholic church.
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KathleenGee
Guest
I went to a dynamic Protestant evangelical church while in college…and some others…they tended to focus on the Old Testament for faith lessons as they had no saints for the past 2,000 years as good witnesses of the Gospel…
Pretty much alone with the Bible.
Pretty much alone with the Bible.
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AJTheMan
Guest
Here are a few Theological contributions over the centuries:
Sola Fide - Salvation by faith alone, not by good works or deeds
Sola Scriptura - The Bible is the only doctrinal authority in Christianity
Solus Christus - Jesus is the only mediator between god and man
Decision Theology - Man must make a conscious decision of accepting Jesus as their personal lord and savior.
Unconditional Election - Some people were saved by God’s grace even before the world was created
These are really only a few. Quite a few theological contributions have come from Protestants.
Sola Fide - Salvation by faith alone, not by good works or deeds
Sola Scriptura - The Bible is the only doctrinal authority in Christianity
Solus Christus - Jesus is the only mediator between god and man
Decision Theology - Man must make a conscious decision of accepting Jesus as their personal lord and savior.
Unconditional Election - Some people were saved by God’s grace even before the world was created
These are really only a few. Quite a few theological contributions have come from Protestants.
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aspirant
Guest
All of these are rooted in prior Catholic thought. The only things Protestants added to them, from a Catholic perspective, are some late medieval philosophical presuppositions that tend to twist them into errors.
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schaick
Guest
Why the silence? Well, there is a flaw in the question for what I see as a huge contributions might not seem ones by others.
I don’t think you can argue with these though:
Probably the most important was to put a Holy Bible in everyone’s hands. Which spurred literacy for the common people.
Showed how slavery was against the teachings of Jesus-William Wilberforce.
I don’t think you can argue with these though:
Probably the most important was to put a Holy Bible in everyone’s hands. Which spurred literacy for the common people.
Showed how slavery was against the teachings of Jesus-William Wilberforce.
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AJTheMan
Guest
I don’t understand. Catholicism is in opposition to many of these principles. How are they rooted in the faith?
Sola Fide - RCC teaches faith and good works.
Sola Scriptura - RCC teaches sacred magisterium.
Solus Christus - RCC teaches saintly intercession
Decision Theology - RCC practices infant baptism, though Confirmation could be a process of decision theology so I understand.
Unconditional Election - Catholicism does not mention this as central to their faith.
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aspirant
Guest
As they are now formulated by most Protestants. Not in their origins.
The Catholic Church teaches that faith informed by love justifies, and that faith is necessary for justification. Pope Benedict reiterated what Catholics have always believed when he said “Luther’s phrase: ‘faith alone’ is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love.” What the Catholic Church rejects are later understandings of sola fide that claim faith does not need to be informed by charity, that faith without love can justify.
If you really want to dig deeper into this, I would heartily recommend the articles and blog posts by Bryan Cross on Called to Communion (e.g. here and here), and the lovely book The Spirit & Forms of Protestantism by Louis Bouyer.
We do not accept formulations of sola scriptura which overtly deny sacred tradition and the authority of the magisterium, but we do believe that scripture is divinely inspired in a way that the magisterium is not. Many Catholics accept a kind of prima scriptura position, and it is acceptable within Catholicism to believe in the material sufficiency of scripture. This is the original root of the Reformers’ sola scriptura, as Louis Bouyer aptly points out: “Luther’s insistence on the Bible and its supreme authority did not… signify to him or to [contemporary] Protestants in general a denial of tradition or of the authority of the Church.” It is later formulations that become increasingly problematic, not the root.
From a Catholic perspective, this is a false dichotomy: the saints are living members of Jesus’ own Body. Even Protestants do not interpret this doctrine to mean that they cannot pray for one another.
The Catholic Church also teaches that we have a responsibility to receive and live according to God’s grace inasmuch as we are able. A Catholic adult cannot say “Well, I was baptized as an infant, so I do not have to be faithful now.” Every moment is a moment in which we are called to conversion, every moment is an opportunity to say “yes” to God.
It is, actually, we just believe differently about it than do Calvinists. We believe that all humans are created in, by, and for life in Jesus Christ, that all human beings are unconditionally chosen by God for participation by grace in the life of the holy Trinity. Calvinists believe only a few are so chosen and that it is impossible for the elect not to be saved; that’s where we differ with them.
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AJTheMan
Guest
So the areas in which Catholicism differs with Protestants(Faith without works, unconditional election)…would these areas not be considered Protestant contributions to theology?As they are now formulated by most Protestants. Not in their origins.
The Catholic Church teaches that faith informed by love justifies, and that faith is necessary for justification. Pope Benedict reiterated what Catholics have always believed when he said “Luther’s phrase: ‘faith alone’ is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love.” What the Catholic Church rejects are later understandings of sola fide that claim faith does not need to be informed by charity, that faith without love can justify.
If you really want to dig deeper into this, I would heartily recommend the articles and blog posts by Bryan Cross on Called to Communion (e.g. here and here), and the lovely book The Spirit & Forms of Protestantism by Louis Bouyer.
We do not accept formulations of sola scriptura which overtly deny sacred tradition and the authority of the magisterium, but we do believe that scripture is divinely inspired in a way that the magisterium is not. Many Catholics accept a kind of prima scriptura position, and it is acceptable within Catholicism to believe in the material sufficiency of scripture. This is the original root of the Reformers’ sola scriptura, as Louis Bouyer aptly points out: “Luther’s insistence on the Bible and its supreme authority did not… signify to him or to [contemporary] Protestants in general a denial of tradition or of the authority of the Church.” It is later formulations that become increasingly problematic, not the root.
From a Catholic perspective, this is a false dichotomy: the saints are living members of Jesus’ own Body. Even Protestants do not interpret this doctrine to mean that they cannot pray for one another.
The Catholic Church also teaches that we have a responsibility to receive and live according to God’s grace inasmuch as we are able. A Catholic adult cannot say “Well, I was baptized as an infant, so I do not have to be faithful now.” Every moment is a moment in which we are called to conversion, every moment is an opportunity to say “yes” to God.
It is, actually, we just believe differently about it than do Calvinists. We believe that all humans are created in, by, and for life in Jesus Christ, that all human beings are unconditionally chosen by God for participation by grace in the life of the holy Trinity. Calvinists believe only a few are so chosen and that it is impossible for the elect not to be saved; that’s where we differ with them.
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youngsaint
Guest
They can’t, every thing they do attempt to bring up, we shoot down here 
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Justy90
Guest
That your thread is pointless and a farse not worthy of responding to.
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Justy90
Guest
Did you take Religion 101? Just wondering.
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MyRdmrLvs
Guest
Maybe our contribution is to make you be a better Catholic.
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aspirant
Guest
From a Catholic perspective, it’s not so much bringing something new to the table as taking something from the table and twisting it. (I don’t mean to imply that this is done maliciously, however.)
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firstmode
Guest
The baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second act after salvation.
The modern resurgance of the spiritual gifts which were common in the early church.
Protestants have also developed many methodologies about God’s promises in his word for his children (All of God’s promises are YES in Christ Jesus…).
Protestants have also developed many methodoligies on devotionalism, prayer, fasting, descipleship, youth groups/youth ministry, etc.
Protestants have also developed many methodologies on the study and exegis of the word of God.
The modern resurgance of the spiritual gifts which were common in the early church.
Protestants have also developed many methodologies about God’s promises in his word for his children (All of God’s promises are YES in Christ Jesus…).
Protestants have also developed many methodoligies on devotionalism, prayer, fasting, descipleship, youth groups/youth ministry, etc.
Protestants have also developed many methodologies on the study and exegis of the word of God.
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