Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley begin a new series on the question of Christian authority, and the role it played in their own journeys to the Catholic faith. In this episode, Matt and Ken look at the classical twofold understanding of how God reveals Himself to us: through creation in General Revelation, and more directly through Divine Revelation. And while Protestants and Catholics differ greatly on how to guard and interpret that knowledge of God, there are some surprising commonalities when it comes to what Christians of all backgrounds believe about the basic foundations of authority.
Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue to look at the question of Christian authority, and the role it played in their own journeys to the Catholic faith. This time around, they look at the way that the Catholic Church understands the role of Sacred Tradition. What is it? How is it different than the "traditions of men" that Scripture condemns? What does the very existence of Sacred Scripture itself tell us about the need for Sacred Tradition? Matt and Ken discuss some of the ways they came to understand what the Catholic Church teaches about the role of tradition in understanding Christian authority.
Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue to discuss how they went from Evangelical Christian understandings of authority to embracing what the Catholic faith teaches about the relationship between Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium. The Catechism tells us that "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other." (CCC 80) Tradition isn't an alternative authority, but an authority that only makes sense in light of Scripture, and vice versa. And without Scripture and Tradition working together, each believer is left to figure out for themselves what it means to be a Christian, and the natural outcome is a deeply divided and individualistic Christianity.
Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their discussion of how they wrestled with the question of Christian authority on their way into the Catholic Church. This time, they look at the kind of Church that Jesus intended to establish, and what St. Paul says about how that Church is supposed to teach, lead, and unite believers with one another and with Christ. As Evangelical Protestants, both Matt and Ken conceived of the church as an invisible reality, made up of all who believed that Jesus is God, and came to save us. But the pages of the New Testament, and especially the teachings of Jesus Himself, show that it was always intended to be much more than that.
Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue their discussion of how they wrestled with the question of Christian authority on their way into the Catholic Church. Moving on from Peter's role in the Gospels, Matt and Ken look at his role in the early Church as detailed especially in the first chapters of the Book of Acts. From his role preaching at Pentecost, to his testifying before Jewish authorities, to healings and miracles, it is clear that Peter is in a role of leadership among the apostles.
Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley continue to discuss how they went from Evangelical Christian understandings of authority to embracing what the Catholic faith teaches about the relationship between Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium. In Matthew 16, when Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter, what is the significance of that moment and what are its implications? Matt and Ken look at how the language used by Jesus in this passage has importance for Peter's role in the early Church, as prophet, patriarch, foundation, steward, rabbi, and even forgiver of sins.
Before moving on to a discussion of Christian authority from a historical perspective in the next episode, Matt Swaim and Ken Hensley bring together some of the most important points about what Scripture tells us in regard to authority, and discuss how those pieces fit together to give us a picture of how the early Church thought about itself. For both Matt and Ken in their Protestant backgrounds, the Bible was considered the sole and sufficient rule of faith, so understanding the overall Scriptural sense of authority was central in their approach to considering the claims of the Catholic Church.
