Gregg Allison and Chris Castaldo, The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants After 500 Years (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 171 Pps., $16.99.
Gregg Allison is Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky where he teaches systematic theology. He previously served on staff at the University of Notre Dame and overseas in Italy and the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. He is a pastor of Sojourn Community Church, and is the theological strategist for Sojourn Network, a church planting network of about thirty churches. Allison is the author of Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine; Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church; and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment. Chris Castaldo was raised on Long Island, New York, as a Roman Catholic and worked full-time in the Catholic Church for several years. After eight years as pastor of outreach and church planting at College Church (Wheaton, Ill.), followed by three years as Director of the Ministry of Gospel Renewal at Wheaton College, Chris currently serves as Lead Pastor of New Covenant Church in Naperville, IL. He is the author of Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic and Talking with Catholics about the Gospel: A Guide for Evangelicals. In this text, they write to encourage fruitful dialogue about the key theological and sociological differences between the two largest branches of Christianity: Catholicism and Protestant.
It is well known that five hundred years ago, a Catholic monk named Luther nailed a list of grievances on the door of a church in Germany and launched a revolution in the history of Christianity. At the center of his debate with Catholics in his time period was who had the authority to define the Christian faith. Did it belong to the institution of the Roman Catholic Church, or did it belong to scripture as its own interpreter? The issues that defined the Protestant Reformation are as relevant today as ever before. Indeed, today there continues to be a number of unresolved issues between the Protestant and Catholic churches, and many people experience this ongoing division within their family and among friends. Despite good intentions, for example, many conversations between Catholics and Protestants often crash and burn due to stereotypes, misunderstandings, and polemics. However, the person of Pope Francis is an appealing figure to both Protestants and Catholics. People seemingly flock to Francis because his approach to theology is more piestic than doctrinal. Conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism is yet another reason why the issues that defined the Protestant Reformation are relevant today. According to recent studies, there are at least seven million people who were raised Protestant but have converted to Catholicism. In what follows, I will delineate, briefly, the entailments of the text under review.
The text is divided into seven succinct chapters: the first explores how the fundamental commitments of Catholics and Protestants differ. The second covers areas in which both Protestants and Catholic stand together, that is, their commonalities. Chapter three transitions to explicate the key differences between these two Christian bodies, focusing primarily upon scripture, tradition, and interpretation. Chapter four further explores the key differences between Protestants and Catholics by focusing upon the image of God, sin, and Mary. Chapter five yet further explicates key differences between Protestants and Catholics by keying in on the topics of the Church and the sacraments. The sixth chapter finalizes Allison and Castaldo’s exploration of the differences between Catholics and Protestants by mentioning their views on salvation. The final chapter, the seventh, contends that the gospel of Jesus Christ is hope for both Protestants and Catholics. A conclusion then explores whether the Reformation is truly finished.
In sum, this text is written in an accessible and informative style, and Allison and Castaldo provide a brief but clear guide to the key points of unity and divergence between Protestants and Catholics today. From the revolutionary events 500 years ago that sparked the Reformation to today, Unfinished Reformation takes a nuanced and thoughtful look at doctrine, practice, and how Protestants and Catholics can have fruitful discussions about the gospel of Jesus Christ.