jepta 2001 21 - European Pentecostal Theological Association

The Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, Vol. XXI, 2001
of you will know about the recent release of the document titled Dominus Iesus.
It was intended to be an internal document to provide clear boundaries that the
bishops of the Roman Catholic Church could use as they seek to provide
leadership on the important issue of interreligious dialogue. The document
created quite a stir within the broader Protestant community for various
ecumenical reasons. It also raised questions for members of other religions about
the nature of Roman Catholic interests in interreligious dialogue. While we
certainly take issue with the position adopted in the document vis- -vis the
Roman Catholic doctrine of ecclesiology - though that position is consistent with
what was adopted at the Second Vatican Council - the Christology of Dominus
Iesus is clearly consistent with our own. Listen to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith as it speaks of Jesus.
The Church's universal mission is born from the command of
Jesus Christ and is fulfilled in the course of the centuries in the
proclamation of the mystery of God, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, and the mystery of the incarnation of the Son, as saving
event for all humanity.'
As a remedy for this relativistic mentality, which is becoming
ever more common, it is necessary above all to reassert the
definitive and complete character of the revelation of Jesus
Christ. In fact, it must be firmly believed that, in the mystery
of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, who is "the way, the
truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6), the fill revelation of divine truth
is given: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one
knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son
wishes to reveal him" (Mt. 1 1 :27); ''No one has ever seen God;
God the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has
revealed him" (Jn. 1 : 18); "For in Christ the whole fullness of
divinity dwells in bodily form" (Col. 2:9-lo).*
Ecumenical discussion between Roman Catholics and Lutherans over the past
three decades has also led to clarifications on the issue of "justification by faith,"
by which both the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation
arrived at a consensus. While they did not lift the condemnations of earlier
centuries, they did come to the common confession that "By grace alone, in faith
in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted
by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and
calling us to good works."'
Roman Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue:Some Pentecostal Assumptions:
Cecil M. Robeck, Jr.
It is not, therefore, surprising to find that language consistent with this confession
is used in Dominus Iesus,
The proper response to God's revelation is "the obedience of
faith" (Rom. 16:26; cf. Rom. 1:5; 2 Cor. 10:5-6) by which man
freely entrusts his entire self to God, offering "the full.
submission of intellect and will to God who reveals" and freely
assenting to the revelation given by him". Faith is a gift of
grace: "in order to have faith, the grace of God must come first
and give assistance; there must also be the interior helps of the
Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who
opens the eyes of the mind and gives "to everyone joy and ease
in assenting to and believing in the truth'."'
In light of such statements, is there any reason to argue that the Roman Catholic
Church is any less "Christian" than are our Pentecostal churches It may be the
case that there are people who claim to be Roman Catholic who do not adhere to
such statements. But how does that differ from the Pentecostal situation In each
case, the individual needs once again to be confronted with what our churches
understand to be the Gospel. But in no case are we at liberty to argue that our
Pentecostal churches are Christian and the Roman Catholic Church is not. To do
so is to raise grave questions regarding what constitutes Christianity.
ASSUMPTION 6
Dialogue between Christians is something that can enable us to "maintain
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
The International Roman Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue came into being when
David du Plessis contacted John Cardinal Willebrands in 1970 and asked that
such a dialogue be established under the auspices of the then Secretariat (now the
Pontifical Council) for Promoting Christian Unity, of which Cardinal
Willebrands was President. A small, exploratory discussion was held in
September 1970, a second one was held in June 1971 and a third one was
convened in October later that year. The first series of discussions began in
I Dominus lesus, 1 .
' Dominus lesus, 5.
I "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification," IS, in Jeffrey Gros, Harding Meyer, and
William G. Rusch, Eds, Growth in Agreement II: Reports and Agreed Statements of Ecumenical
Conversations on a World Level, 1982-1998, Faith and Order Paper No. 187 (Geneva,
Switzerland: WCC Publications I Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 2000), 568-569.
Dominus lesus, 7. Cf. Verbum Dei [Dogmatic Constitution on the Word of God], 5.