What is "Protestant" Theology?

At least once a week or so here you’ll see articles purporting to attempt to educate you about what non-Catholics believe and teach. Many of them will refer to something called “Protestant theology”. The author will say, “The Protestants believe this doctrine” or “The Protestants believe that doctrine.” But is there truly anything called “Protestant Theology’?

We need to consider what the word “theology” means. “Theos” means “God” and “-logy” comes from the Greek word “logos” (word) and when used in such terms it means to study something. “Psychology” for instance, is the study of the mind. “Pharmacology” is the study of drugs. “Theology” then is “the study of God” and generally explains what a group or denomination believes and the Scriptural or historical basis for it.

In each of the secular disciplines mentioned there are branches based on the specialization of the practitioner. For instance, within the field of Psychology there is developmental, forensic (like you see on TV shows like “Criminal Minds”), clinical and so forth. The same hold true in the field of theology as well.

There is Theology Proper, which is statements about the nature of God, under which falls Christology and Pneumatology. The Trinity, of course, falls under this. Then Cosmology, which deals with things created (man, angels, the universe, etc.). Soteriology is the view of salvation and what it entails. Eschatology deals with “the last things” such as the Second Coming and the Judgment. It’s important to look at these areas to get a handle on whether or not the phrase “Protestant Theology” makes any sense since it infers some type of overall agreement in each among Evangelical Christians/Protestants.

Where They Generally Agree

I use the word “generally” because even in these areas there is some minor disagreement. For instance, in Theology Proper the majority would concur with the Apostles’ Creed as it describes the nature of God. One God eternally existent in three co-equal and co-eternal Persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They even have an orthodox definition of the word “Person” in that it refers to each member of the Trinity as being distinct One from Another in that each has mind, will and emotion. It’s not the best term for describing that, but it is the best available to our finite intellect. As I said in the multi-part articles I wrote on The Trinity it does the best job of defining “God” to us without denying any aspect of Each that the Scriptures ascribe to Them.

But even in this basic area there is disagreement. There are some in the Pentecostal ranks and others, for instance, that believe that God is like an actor in an ancient Greek play where He wears different masks in playing different characters. They deny the Personhood aspect of God’s nature. Their theology says that God was, “the Father in Creation, the Son on the Cross and the Holy Spirit indwelling believers today” (paraphrasing here). They don’t believe that the “oneness” of God is “one of unity” but basically a numerical one. By the way, this is a heresy called “Modalism” and was condemned by the Catholic Church almost 1600 years ago.

So, while there is general agreement there is still disunity and so it cannot be said that the agreement can be blanketed over all “Protestants”.

I would include Soteriology under this heading as well in that the majority believe in the literal birth, life, death on the Cross and Resurrection of the Lord. They believe that He came to pay the price for our sins. But I will also list it under the “Where They Disagree” heading because that is about all they agree on in this matter.

Where They Disagree

Since I mentioned Soteriology last let’s start there. Except perhaps in Eschatology no greater gulf exists among those falling under the heading “Protestant”. There are two major divisions in the view of Soteriology: Calvinism and Arminianism. I will, of course, simplify the position of each for comparison purposes here since a thorough comparison would take many articles not merely a paragraph of two. I invite you to Google each term when you have a couple of hours to kill.

Simply put, Calvinism says that there is no free will and that God has created some people to go to Heaven and some to go to Hell. There is nothing the individual can do about it. In other words, no amount of hearing the gospel message will ever penetrate the heart of a “vessel of dishonor” whereas a “vessel of honor” cannot help but respond to it since God’s Grace is “irresistible”.

Arminianism, in contrast, teaches that mankind has free will. The response to the gospel is on a “whosoever will may come” basis. While man’s Imago Dei (image of God in which Adam was created) was damaged in the Fall it is not a matter of “total depravity” incapable of repentance and conversion. As you can imagine, this view leads to much more evangelistic fervor and missionary zeal.

Then within both major divisions there are further factions existing. The major camps of Calvinists are the Neo-Calvinist, the 5 Point Calvinist and the Hyper-Calvinist. Again, Google is your friend to learn more on each. The divisions within Arminianism mostly fall under the heading of “How does one respond to the gospel?”. Some hold with the idea that one must “tarry” and “pray through” for hours to receive salvation. Others believe that simply a “Sinner’s Prayer” is sufficient. Some require joining the sect, but most don’t. Some require baptism by full immersion and others teach that even this is “optional”.

As you can see, there is too much and too disparate opinion in this area to ever be able to settle on one view of Soteriology and call it “Protestant”.

Finally, we come to Eschatology. Here there is a crazy quilt of opinions and each has their camp. Pre-millennial, Post-millennial and A-millennial. Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation Rapture. Eternity in heaven or eternity on earth. Honestly, a chart of the various views on this matter reminds one of the diagram of a play in the National Football League or of a Rube Goldberg contraption.

Obviously, there is far too much division in this area to ever settle on one and call it “Protestant”.

Conclusion

It should be apparent by now that there is just too many theological division within the major categories to ever be able to label any one of them “Protestant Theology”. This is, of course, a direct result of the replacement of the sole Authority of the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ with the man-made doctrine of Sola Scriptura and the private interpretation that flows from that. Since there is no authority higher than the individual and their “feeling” about what the Holy Spirit is supposedly guiding them into there is no one who can say, “That is error!” Thus since 1517 A.D. when Luther started the Protestant Revolt there have come into existence thousands and thousands of denominations, sects and movements… with thousands more just waiting for the right excuse to hatch out. The Scripture says that God is not the author of confusion.

On the other hand, we affirm at every Mass the rest of the Apostle’s Creed where the Protestants leave off… we believe in ONE holy, catholic and apostolic Church. In John 17, in His prayer to the Father on His way to the Garden the Lord prayed that we would be ONE and not “thousands”.