An off-blog discussion made me look a little more closely at the three (or, depending on where you come from, five) solas of reformed theology: sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura. I found an interesting summary of the original reformatory movements and their different stances on several topics at the University of Münster and am taking the liberty to translate and summarize their tables here. If you want to see where you fall, note your stances, and then check which Reformer you side with!
I’ll always first post the title in bold and then a couple stances denoted with letters.
1. Understanding of Revelation: How does God reveal himself to us and how, therefore, can we make founded theological arguments?
(A) Revelation comes through the letter of Holy Scripture and the tradited interpretation of the Church.
(B) Revelation comes through the letter of Holy Scripture.
(C) Revelation comes, unmediated, from the Holy Spirit to the individual.
2. Understanding of Communion / Eucharist
(A) In and through the Eucharist the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ (transsubstantiation).
(B) The body and blood of Christ is present in the Eucharist in a real, genuine sense (consubstantiation).
(C) There is no transformation of bread and wine in the Eucharist, but the elements have the strengthening effect of the body and blood of Christ for the believer.
(D) Communion is a mere remembrance.
(E) Communion is a re-enactment of Christ’s passion, and the elements mediators of his Spirit.
3. Understanding of the Church: what is she and how can she be recognized?
(A) The true and visible church is the fellowship of the believers of the church of Rome, guaranteed through the mediation of the priesthood.
(B) There exists the visible church of the baptized and the true but invisible church as the community of all believers.
(C) The church is a corporate fellowship around the Eucharist, as identical to the political community as possible.
(D) The church is a spiritual church of the volunteers and the chosen.
4. Understanding of political powers: How does church government relate to worldly government?
(A) Two Swords: the worldly authority holds a divinely appointed office, but the church authority in the person of the Pope stands above it.
(B) Two Domains (inner conscience and outer force): the worldly authority holds a divinely appointed office, restraining the godless by the sword; this force ends at the individual conscience, which is not under the sway of worldly authority; the believer must passively endure all external misuse of authority.
(C) The spiritual authority lies with the political rulers; the world order must correspond to the gospel; if not, the believers have a right to resist it.
(D) Rejection of all church authority casting off of all worldly ties, rejecting military service, oaths, and taxation; usually together with a readiness to passive suffering but sometimes reverting to active, violent struggle for Christ’s Kingdom to come.
So, where is your reformatory home?
The answer key is here:
1. (A) Catholics (B) Luther, Calvin, Zwingli (C) (Ana-)Baptists, Müntzer
2. (A) Catholics (B) Luther (C) Calvin (D) Zwingli, (Ana-)Baptists (E) Müntzer
3. (A) Catholics (B) Luther (C) Calvin, Zwingli (D) (Ana-)Baptists, Müntzer
4. (A) Catholics (B) Luther (C) Calvin, Zwingli (D) (Ana-)Baptists, Müntzer
Overall, I’m surprised at what a good Lutheran I seem to be!
definitely calvin… since we have been going to a presbyterian church for the past five years… it’s been rubbing off on us… (presbyterian founded by John knox who studied under calvin)
i’m surprised you’re a luther… i always thought you were zwingli… i guess alex has been rubbing off on you 😉
Well, I’m a little all over, as I can’t pick any one answer as the exact and perfect representation of what I believe. (It’s worst for the communionn question, where my tradition would be with Zwingli, but I wonder if there isn’t something more.) I’m most clearly with Luther on the third and fourth questions; Zwingli and Calvin are a bit too theocratic for me.
Or maybe it’s just all Alex’s fault. 😉