A Matter of Theology: Protestant Defections
Dr. Francis Beckwith, the president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), has converted to Catholicism. ETS was founded as an academic professional organization for conservative Protestant scholars, although the doctrinal statement is arguably broad enough to include Catholics. Beckwith explains his conversion here. Although his decision was no doubt a complex one, the following reasoning appears to have played a part:
I became convinced that the Early Church is more Catholic than Protestant and that the Catholic view of justification, correctly understood, is biblically and historically defensible. Even though I also believe that the Reformed view is biblically and historically defensible, I think the Catholic view has more explanatory power to account for both all the biblical texts on justification as well as the church’s historical understanding of salvation prior to the Reformation all the way back to the ancient church of the first few centuries. . . Given these considerations, I thought it wise for me to err on the side of the Church with historical and theological continuity with the first generations of Christians that followed Christ’s Apostles.
Beckwith considered keeping his conversion quiet until his term as president had ended, but James White, a relatively prominent theologian, broke the story on his ministry’s website. Beckwith decided to step down, although apparently on his own volition. White’s take on the conversion was not exactly supportive:
Now that just such a high-profile conversion has taken place, prepare yourself for the flood of substance-less “Come Home to Rome” articles. Let me make a prediction: as is so often the case, the very act of conversion, not the reasons for so doing, will be the primary focus. “He’s so brilliant, if he converts, he must have a brilliant reason!” There are very few “new” reasons for conversion that have not been fully addressed in the past, and Rome’s modern apologists have learned that it is never to their advantage to give air to the replies offered by the most careful of their critics. As any review of the current body of Roman Catholic “conversion stories” will bear out, fair, balanced, insightful representation of the facts related to sola scriptura, Papal primacy, the Mass, the Marian dogmas, purgatory, etc., is utterly lacking. Emotional appeals to “the ancient church,” mythical references to the “unity” of Rome (those actually inside the communion and familiar with its rancorous disputes cannot help but chuckle at those blissfully naive, breathless commentaries), and the warm feeling of “coming home” to the Church (almost never anything about conversion to Christ) are the keys to successful conversioneering.
Jimmy Akin, another Catholic convert whose work apparently played some role in Beckwith’s conversion, has more on it all here.
6 Responses to “A Matter of Theology: Protestant Defections”
James White a “prominent theologian?”
Anyway – very good news. God bless him.
Thanks, Josh. A penultimate exam kept me from posting something on Beckwith’s return.
In many ways I think that Beckwith’s return was occasioned by antecedents lacking in White’s theology – some appreciation of natural law and philosophical inquiry, and how these two subjects figured into the development of doctrine during the patristic era. White’s limited engagement of this area of theology and his myopic vision of what it means to be ekklesia, while at the same time dismissing “conversion stories” of prominent Protestants, gives ample evidence of why White will remain “relatively prominent” as a theologian. Not to mention that Beckwith had already swam the Tiber once before as a teen.
I do agree with White, however, that typical conversion stories are essentially emotional these days – read everything by Scott Hahn or ask your classmate in law school why he converted and you’ll discover its because of Rome’s sweetness or because his fiancee sits in a pew at St. Clement Catholic Church. Any substantive discussion of theology – any attempt to work out the distinction between a view of grace imputed vs. a grace infused, soteriology, Marian dogma – is missing. When I began to discern entry into the Church I found Newman, Gregory of Nanzianzus, Basil, and Irenaeus of Lyon more convincing than Hahn and other prominent apologists.
But White’s insouciant dismissal of the Church’s unity (”mythical reference”) belies an ecclesiology that is troubling. Are we the Body of Christ on Earth or a group of believers that agrees with Brother Jim’s hermeneutics of Romans 9? I cannot help but to see how the unity of Church on Earth is nothing less than mythical.
And that White would assume that such “conversion stories” require discussion of “conversion to Christ” evinces a profound ignorance of why one is received into the Roman or Orthodox Churches. Jaroslav Pelikan was not received into the Orthodox Church because he found Jesus hiding behind the iconostasis. Peek a boo, I save you! Like so many others he had found Christ years before, only to experience Him more fully in the Orthodox Church.
This year we also see RR Reno of Crighton University and Steve Webb of Wabash College coming into full communion with Rome as well. And don’t forget Russell Hittinger.
Posts (and comments) like these are the reason ITA is one of my favorite sites on the web. And that we find links to weird maps, stories of the French being sad, and dog movies. Good work, ITA. I’ve been a fan since late 2004 or so.
Seth rightly points out that the conversion here wasn’t all due to the ‘pull’ of Rome. Protestantism is rather lacking in substance these days, and among evangelicals has, frankly, some disdain for points of theology most edifying to the Christian Life.
And yet, I’m not sure that Rome is the necessary home for the ready convert; the Eastern Churches, the Book of Concord, and (some of) the Anglican Communion are other alternatives. Just to lob a bomb, here’s the Pirate at Boar’s Head Tavern:
More rabble-rousing here.
I really like the use of the phrase “lob a bomb,” and I think I’m going to try to incorporate it into my blogging lexicon more often.
And thanks for the kind words, George.
Looks like Zach beat me to posting the Boars Head Tavern quote. That’s one of my favorite group blogs.