Protestants Love the Patristics, Saints and Monks

One of the reasons I have remained a Catholic is because I don't see any sense in leaving when everyone else is trying so hard to come back. I say this to joshingly jab at my Protestant friends, but there is some truth to it.

I switched on my radio yesterday, and it was tuned to a conservative Christian station. You know what the sermon was about? A raving and in-depth study and appreciation for . . . guess who? Augustine.

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why an evangelical would find Augustine outrageously appealing. In fact, I'm surprised there hasn't already been a more natural connection with the patristics (early church fathers). The early church writers were powerhouses of spirituality and theology, and you can't help but appreciate them. But it wasn't that long ago where you never would have heard such a thing coming from the conservative evangelical community. Denominational barriers no doubt played a part.

I think the Catholic Church is rooted in good stuff. The traditions--which may be difficult for us all to understand--are there for a reason.

Take the saints, for instance. Many Protestants have been outraged at the Catholic veneration of the saints. How can we pray to dead saints or have statues and relics of them? Isn't that idolatry? But as my college chaplain pointed out, Protestants will complain about this but then talk to their deceased relatives. They keep photographs and relics of their loved ones, too. Well, what do you think the saints are? That's right: Deceased loved ones who we stay in relationship with. Whether we come to know them through personal experience or through the Church does not make for a real difference.

Just the other day, I saw statuettes of angels in someone's car. Protestants usually do not believe that saints are hovering around you and interceding on your behalf. Yet, there is all this talk about angels. Stepping back, it looks awfully familiar.

There are strong new monastic movements drawing in Christians of all faiths. As traditional orders of nuns and monks dwindle in numbers (with great sadness), there are plenty of people from all denominations looking to create something like it anew. Why? Because monasticism is a true calling. People seek it out, they yearn for it, and frankly they just do it. It radically changes form over the years, but it is always there. The early Desert Fathers and Mothers (hermits) were quite different from the Benedictines (monasteries) and the Friars (freelance agents) after that. But monasticism--in some form--has always been around. It speaks to people. It needs to be there. The next wave in monasticism is underway right now. Hint: It looks a lot like the Catholic Worker.

Many monasteries are respectfully being visited today by Protestants. They are hungry for it. And I'm glad--now is the time to learn before the traditional orders wither away.


I've seen a lot of non-liturgical churches that seem awfully . . . liturgical. I've even heard hushed murmurs about a renewed interest in Mary among evangelicals, too.

I think most Protestants have softened their view on religious artwork, as well. In the Reformation, many took pride in destroying paintings, statues and stained glass with wild abandon. Some literally painted over beautiful frescoes with thick, white paint. Imagine taking a paint roller and going to town on the Sistine Chapel. The loss to our heritage is unimaginable. I can appreciate the stark asceticism, but I'm sorry I do not consider it enlightened to destroy art with a . . . passion. However, I do understand why they did it, just like I understand why medieval Catholics burned books or the Spanish Inquisition tortured heretics--I understand, but certainly do not agree nor condone it.

The Reformation was a bit headstrong in removing these traditions--baby out with the bathwater. My biggest criticism of the Reformation was exactly this tendency to be headstrong and sometimes too heady. People got on fire for Jesus and purged themselves of precious traditions without knowing what they were getting rid of. However, those traditions were there for a reason and attempts to squelch them have not lasted. Over time, the Spirit has found a way to work its way through the cracks and crevices and come back to the surface, as you can see in all these examples.

As I said at the beginning, this is in good humor as there is plenty of mutual learning. Catholics have largely reconciled with many of the original complaints of the Reformers. We are moving toward vibrant Bible studies in our parishes, Protestant-influenced scholarship in our universities and so on. We're doing very Protestant-y things. In fact, most Christian denominations are more invested in learning from each other and reconciling differences than maintaining their divisions.

Did we need reform in 1517? You betcha. We can stand to have some more reform right now--and so can the Protestants. But even though Catholics are constantly being told how bad we are, it is refreshing when others are discovering what we already knew--that maybe, just maybe, we aren't all that bad, after all.