Dominus Iesus A Pentecostal Perspective

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Editorial

Dominus Iesus: A Pentecostal

Frank D. Macchia

Last

September,

the Vatican’s Doctrine of the Faith released porting

the

“Unicity

and Salvific and the Church.” The Declaration Christ and the church are

utterly ating

salvation to the world. unicity (or uniqueness)

Perspective

Many

welcome

and salvific

the “and the church ” that occasions

that talk of salvific

Congregation

for the Dominus

Iesus,

a statement

sup-

Universality

of Jesus Christ

supports

the belief that

decisive and

unique

in medi-

support

of the

universality

of Christ. It is

the moment of hesitation

universality

for within a medieval worldview

context of cultural and

religious referred to Dominus Jesus as

represent-

backwardness” and Vatican

way

in which Dominus

“megalo-

we need to listen

carefully

Jesus,

consistent with statements, develops

the Roman

of the church. We also need to note

look, however,

this Declaration lives and

vantage

I want to

explain point

from which I

Pentecostals claimed to

within

for

many

of us.

Assuming the church nests more

naturally than in the

contemporary

diversity,

Hans

Kfng

ing

a case of “medieval

mania.” But before we

over-react, to the nuanced

Vatican II and other doctrinal Catholic

understanding

carefully

the witness from which draws its

strength.

Before we take a closer briefly

the

particular

Pentecostal approach

a declaration

ning

of the Pentecostal

establish no church

a

missionary

world for Christ. Of

course, simply

a

“missionary fellowship” found churches and church other Pietistic Movements

like Dominus Iesus. From the

begin-

Movement,

or creed but to unite all Christians force fired

by

flames of revival to reach the

Pentecostalism did not remain

denominations.

(e.g.,

Zinzendorf’s Moravian

in its

identity

but came to

But like certain

169

1

Movement), many

Pentecostals

to refer to

themselves as a “church.”

the

major theological

the Assemblies

have

historically

been hesitant

It is not

coincidental,

for three-volume

Systematic

textbook of

my

of

God,

does not

develop

a doctrine its charismatic

example,

that E. S. Williams’s Theology,

for decades

Pentecostal denomination, have a

chapter

on the church.

Though

of the church,

especially structure and

missionary claim to the

designation

orientation

Perhaps

this orientation

explains graduate

student to the German and his

son, Christoph.

by

the

younger

Blumhardt’s his

corresponding

the context of secular

of me was

falling

tradition,”

a different

it is

high

time that Pentecostals

one that

highlights

goal,

our historic hesitance to

lay

“church” reveals a certain that is critical of

any

hint of ecclesiocentrism.

Kingdom

I was

especially

sharp rejection

desire to serve the

Kingdom

movements of liberation.

in love with the church

part

was

seeking

nificance of those like Blumhardt who swam

against

and who

were for

for

example,

that the Landeskirche of which he was a

part

was as lifeless a tree frozen in the dead of

winter,

ecclesiastical

being against

stream it.

When,

way

that tends to characterize ic

message

took his “turn to the world” a socialist

politician. church

in

part my

attraction as a Pietists,

Johann Blumhardt

struck in

my

research

of the church and

of God from

Though

a

part

and with “Catholic

to understand the

sig-

the

the church

precisely by

the elder Blumhardt said

as

he was one-sided but in a prophetic speech.

This

prophet-

Blumhardt,

who

for work as

because the churches had

into

boundary

stripped

Kingdom

markers

God’s

grace.

ment, but,

as a

Pentecostal, protest.

There is no

question

was

sharpened by

the

younger

and left the

pastorate

He wrote that the sacraments of the lost their

redemptive power

them of their function as

signs

of the

coming

of God and had turned them instead

that tell us who is “inside” and who is “outside” of

I knew that he was

terribly

I felt moved

but that some of the most influ-

one-sided in his

judg- by

the

power

of his

170

2

ential

theological

Paul

Tillich,

Dietrich

Bonhoeffer, Moltmann,

to name

several, Blumhardt

years

before

voices of the twentieth

Declaration,

Harvey

century,

Karl

Barth, Cox,

and

Jfrgen

of this at its refusal to allow

I

against

those who

orientation to for others”

(19).

But a

.

were

inspired by Christoph

I ever discovered him.

Back to Dominus Iesus. In

my

first

reading

I found

myself wincing

many

of our communities of faith to be called “churches.” also chafed under its words of

judgment

in favor of a

Kingdom

a “church

of this criticism revealed that its

guns

were

those who wish to remove

from

ecclesiology

theocenteredness that dissolves the church’s

religious

the

in favor of a

witness consciousness and

protest

ecclesiocentrism

ecclesiology

that advocates careful

reading

mainly

aimed

against

Christological

concentration pluralistic

into the

general

stream of human symbolism.

In

fact,

Dominus the source of the church’s in Christ and his

Kingdom. salvific

universality

channel of

grace

to others. then in this context of

dependence

Jesus takes

great pains

to locate

uniqueness

It is from Christ’s

that the church

According

and salvific

universality

uniqueness

and draws its

uniqueness

as a

to Dominus Jesus, it is on Christ that the church

end.

united to Christ and

Dominus

to his

Kingdom,

the church the

Kingdom ( 1 8). ‘

Before

concentration

may

be said to function as a means toward a

greater

Iesus is

quite

clear:

inseparably

is not an end in itself but serves ‘

‘

I was

compelled by

this

to the intent and

word here as

passion

I could react in

judgment,

on Christ to listen

carefully

of this Declaration. There is a

prophetic

well,

and one not

very

different from Blumhardt’s. At the base

into a

general

truth that

prevents

the

religious aspira- Word,

is not “one of the

(9) but,

as the fullness of

and

of this Declaration is an

important gospel

from

being

dissolved tion. Jesus Christ, as the incarnate many

faces the

Logos

. the Word of God incarnate, absolute” source of salvation

has assumed”

is the

“exclusive, universal,

for the world

(15).

Christ is not

171

3

others in

humanity’s quest

for

spir- but is “the

key,

the

center,

simply

one

symbol among itual and

religious meaning purpose

of the whole of man’s II,

Christ

human

history,

and civilization,

as the new creation is described

the focal

point

of the desires

the center of

mankind, and the fulfillment of all

aspirations”

and the history” (13). Quoting

Vatican

as “the

goal

of

of human

history

the

joy

of all

hearts,

(15).

of the

Christological

concentra-

Jesus seems clear to me: if God is

decisively with

eschatological finality

of the

world,

that God’s love and

justice

in the darkest moments.

focus means that we are not lost in the vast

ambiguity

The

prophetic significance tion of Dominus

revealed

the resurrection of an

oppressed his life for the atonement all of creation

its

consequences

gious passions

and

aspirations covery

history

that is

ambiguous

dition that lacks

clarity Dominus

promise

for all times and

places

in and murdered Jew who

gave

then there is

hope

for

can

conquer

evil and

This

Christological

of reli- to find our own

way

in the dis-

with

nothing

but the

a wisdom

To be left in

represent

a human con-

present

entire

peoples through religions

the

emphasis

on the

unicity understanding

of God’s many

Pentecostals

the inclusiveness

regards

and ecclesial communities only

from Christ’s

of

truth, hope,

and

redemption,

of our accumulated wisdom for

guidance,

and

potentially bewildering.

this

way

to our own resources would

and direction. It is for this reason that

Jesus

expresses gratitude

the world in Christ and

firmly protects

which

might eclipse any aspect

Dominus Jesus does not

deny

tha1 God

makes

“in

many ways,

not

only

to individuals,

their

spiritual

are the main and essential

of Christ

grace

in the world that would

uncomfortable. But those ill at ease with

of this Declaration should realize

means of

grace

outside of the mission

as

acquiring

own mediation”

for what God has done for

this

gospel

from com-

of it.

Godself

but also to

riches,

of which their expression” (8).

After

all,

points

to an inclusive

make

that it

of the churches

“meaning

and value (14).

Those outside of the

172

4

deficient” in their

expe-

Christian

rience of

grace

because faith,”

that God has revealed” in Christ need to be

qualified by

a careful

faith are said to be

“gravely

in their belief

they

lack

“theological which is defined as a “free assent to the whole truth

Christian

what the

Spirit

of God can do

among

faith who

respond favorably

of God in the world outside

Iesus, however,

those who do not

explicitly

Jesus as Lord of creation and salvation.

Christians are not to feel

superior

faith,

since all that we have comes as a free

gift

from

Christ

and is available

Kingdom

sion of the Church. Dominus sider what is

lacking among ognize

such a consideration,

those outside of the Christian

to this

grace. Any theological Christ as the Lord of creation

(7).

Such distinctions will and humble

recognition of

those not of the

to the work of the

of the

worship

and mis-

asks us to con-

rec-

While

making

to

to all

(22).

In in Dominus Jesus in

option

that does not

and salvation and that what God has done for

in Christ needs to be resisted. This

is,

in

large part,

I have been moved

a radicalism and here is where

by

the likes of a

that I find resisted

I must react

negatively. to do with those who have

taken Dominus Jesus to mean that Christians of

.

as noted

above, Jesus to those of

religions

Jesus follows

fact,

there is a

doxological

motive response

glorify

does not

recognize

with

gratitude humanity

the heartthrob of Dominus Iesus.

But,

as a

Pentecostal,

Christoph

Blumhardt toward in Dominus

Iesus,

My negative

reaction has

nothing mistakenly

other denominations are

“gravely ence of

grace (a designation, Dominus

Christianity).

Dominus

Catholic documents to

support and

grace among

of the Roman

the Roman Catholic

Church, Bishop

churches and communities

Catholic Church. The church “subsists”

which is

privileged by having

of Rome and those in

continuity

in direct succession to Peter and the

original

173

deficient” in their

experi-

granted by

outside of world

previously

stated

‘ the fact that there is salvation

of faith outside

within

the

with him who stand

Apostles.

5

honor the

Episcopate,

of

“church” but which

Separated

“Churches” the Eucharist,

Church

Rome.

the elements

necessary are still under the

redemptive to the salvific

ministry mistake about it: for Dominus dance and, as some Catholic fullness,

Church. Other churches

are those which

and other elements essential to the Catholic

but are not in direct communion with the

Bishop

There are other ecclesiastical “communities” that lack

to the

designation

grace

of God and are

important

of the mother church.

Iesus,

theologians

of

grace

and truth subsists in the Roman Catholic

and ecclesiastical communities said to draw from this abundance of

grace

and, therefore,

But,

make no the church in its abun-

maintain,

even in its

whether

are

to they

know it or not.

be tied to the Catholic Church, The

grace

and

Kingdom ders of the Roman Catholic ently

from it.

of God are said to transcend the bor-

Church but not to exist

independ-

With what in the Declaration would I disagree?

reaction?

Where is Though

I

deeply ,

unicity

and regard

this Declaration

implications

of

the focal

point

of

my negative appreciate

the concentration universality

in Dominus

defective in its

understanding Christology

for

ecclesiology. unleashed

through

all is

sovereign

and

eschatologically concerning

even fullness

tension between the “now” rience of

grace

and

grants eage

of the

global

for

apostolic

awarded to Christ’s

Jesus,

I would

of the radical

For the abundance of

grace Christ as the new creation

and as Lord of transcendent.

Language

in abundance and Church dulls the

sharp

expe-

privilege

to one lin-

and historical bases

of

grace

beg many ques-

.

worldwide. the

unicity

the subsistence of this

gtace

in the Roman Catholic

and “not

yet”

of the church’s

an unwarranted

church. The

exegetical

succession and the related subsistence

and truth in the Roman Catholic communion

tions. For

many

of

us,

there is little wonder that these ideas have been

disputed historically by major

Christian bodies

these tenants of belief

concerning

of the church

Consequently, and

universality

174

subsisting

in the

6

Roman Catholic

alongside

the

unicity

two sets of belief are

comparable, ceivable

apart

from each other.

One should not

radically the

Kingdom

and the church centration on Christ

Church cannot in

my

view be confessed

and

universality

break the

relationship

of Christ as

though

the of similar

weight,

or incon-

between as Blumhardt did. But the con-

and,

we should

add,

on

precisely

privileged relationship Catholic Church

and his

Kingdom

the free work of the

Spirit

in the

world,

means for

many

of us

what Dominus lesus

rejects,

between

implies

that we can

rejoice ty

of God’s and offer a

hearty

“amen”

namely,

a break in the Christ and the Roman

on

catholicity

as an eschato-

in the current

experience in

tongues.

It seems to me

and universali-

and an

emphasis

logical reality.

In

my view,

the direction of this

thinking

that no church is

privileged

of

grace,

not even one that

speaks

in the witness to the

unicity

self-disclosure in Christ found in Dominus Iesus

to the

Christological

of this Declaration. Such common

context for further

and Pentecostals about the

Spirit

who blows

freely

wherever

the

only proper

God wills.

gratitude dialogue

concentration and

praise

forms between Catholics

175

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