Heroes or Heretics?
J. Daryl Charles
January 1, 1995
Observing reaction to the document "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" (ect) since its release in late March 1994 has been high drama and is worthy of commentary in and of itself. By and large, response to ect has been quite affirmative, indicating a fairly broad acceptance of the authors' vision across the body of Christ. The primary ranks of dissent have been somewhat as expected: theological liberals—both mainline Protestants and disaffected Romans Catholics—in addition to fundamentalists and some Protestant evangelicals—mainly from dispensationalist and strongly "Reformed" camps. On the one hand, some of a theologically liberal bent no longer confess the "non-negotiables" of classic Christian orthodoxy that ect affirms; on the other hand, some religious conservatives believe that ect compromises what the Protestant Reformation set about to restore—the primacy of Scripture and sola fide.
But among Southern Baptists, most Pentecostals, Wesleyans and Nazarenes, Anabaptists, and more ecumenically minded evangelicals, reaction to ect has been highly favorable. Those having the greatest difficulty with the statement—whether dispensationalist or Reformed in theological orientation—tend to view themselves as the gatekeepers of biblical orthodoxy within the broader evangelical community.
Three common objections
In considering various responses by critics to ect, the objections coming from Protestant evangelicals fall within three main categories: first, those isolating particular statements in ect from their intended context; second, those missing the intended thrust of ect; and third, those concerned that the doctrine of justification by faith was either jettisoned, softened, or ignored in the interest of forging unity.
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