Was the Reformation a Mistake?: Why Catholic Doctrine Is Not Unbiblical

by Matthew Levering, Kevin J. Vanhoozer (With)

Overview

Was the Reformation a mistake?

In its actual historical context, it hardly seems fair to call the Reformation a "mistake." In 1517, the Church was in need of a spiritual and theological reform. The issues raised by Renaissance humanism - and by the profound corruption of the Church's leaders, the Avignon papacy, and the Great Schism in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries - lingered unresolved. What were key theological problems that led to the Reformation?

Theologian Matthew Levering helps readers see these questions from a Catholic perspective. Surveying nine key themes - Scripture, Mary, the Eucharist, the Seven Sacraments, monasticism, justification and merit, purgatory, saints, and papacy - he examines the positions of Martin Luther and makes a case that the Catholic position is biblically defensible once one allows for the variety of biblically warranted modes of interpreting Scripture. At the same time, Levering makes clear that he cannot "prove" the Catholic case.

The book concludes with a spirited response by "mere Protestant" theologian Kevin J. Vanhoozer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310530718
Publisher:	Zondervan Academic
Publication date:	09/26/2017
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Matthew Levering (Ph D, Boston College) is Perry Family Foundation Professor of Theology at Mundelein Seminary, University of Saint Mary of the Lake, in Mundelein, Illinois. He previously taught at the University of Dayton. Levering is the author of numerous books, including Engaging the Doctrine of Revelation, The Proofs of God, The Theology of Augustine, and Ezra & Nehemiah in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible, and is the coauthor of Holy People, Holy Land. He serves as coeditor of the journals Nova et Vetera and the International Journal of Systematic Theology and has served as Chair of the Board of the Academy of Catholic Theology since 2007.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Ph D, Cambridge University) is Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Before that he was Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the author or editor of over twenty books, including Is There a Meaning in this Text?, First Theology, The Drama of Doctrine, and Remythologizing Theology. He serves as theological mentor for the Augustine Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians, and is a member of the Lausanne theology working group on hermeneutics for Seoul 2024.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 11

Introduction 15

Chapter 1 Scripture 35

Chapter 2 Mary 53

Chapter 3 The Eucharist 74

Chapter 4 The Seven Sacraments 90

Chapter 5 Monasticism 111

Chapter 6 Justification and Merit 122

Chapter 7 Purgatory 141

Chapter 8 Saints 157

Chapter 9 Papacy 172

Conclusion 187

A Mere Protestant Response Kevin J. Vanhoozer 191

Subject Index 233

Scripture Index 235