Was Rod Dreher Right to Leave the Catholic Church?
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Part of being a Protestant is not submitting to a hierarchy that is directly from Jesus and not accepting the succession of Bishops from the apostles. They may be a self-appointed hierarchy, or just a single pastor to maintain doctrine, but not a hierarchy with apostolic succession right back to the apostles and to Jesus, a hierarchy we must submit to for Christian unity and which maintains doctrine. Their hierarchy won't go back more than 500 years. Protestants claim Jesus did not establish a Church with a hierarchy because they do not accept the apostolic succession of Bishops which exists.
I will show why Jesus had to intend a hierarchy in His Church in order to protect unity of doctrine (True teaching).
Most Christians would agree that Jesus certainly intended unity for His flock. A prayer of Jesus comes from John 17:21 -
20 “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
Would anyone argue that Jesus intended DISUNITY for His followers?
Jesus also intended a united body of teaching for the Church, not a Church that would contradict herself or change teachings - St. Paul reminds us what is the pillar and bulwark of truth- 1 Timothy 3:15
15 if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
Would anyone argue that Jesus intended SELF-CONTRADICTION for His Church and her teachings?
Now, with these in mind, we have to agree that Jesus did establish a visible Church with a hierarchy. Why?
Because human history and experience proves over and over again that there can never be an organization of human beings with unity and united beliefs/values and WITHOUT a hierarchy! Such a thing has never existed!
And Jesus certainly had the insight into human nature to know that if He wanted Unity and an unchanging body of teaching in His Church then the Church needed to have a human hierarchy as well.
Even an independent protestant congregation proves the same point! The congregation is united around a certain pastor with certain teachings. That is the hierarchy. If someone, a new self-appointed teacher, asserts a different teaching, then they either back down and submit to the pastor or they SPLIT and leave the congregation, breaking unity! (Protestant history shows this with 30,000 denominations)
Thus, united doctrine and a united congregation are ONLY PROTECTED by a hierarchy. Jesus knew this and did indeed establish a hierarchy for His HOLY CHURCH!
If Jesus established a Church with a hierarchy, and Protestantism rejects this, then Protestantism is AGAINST JESUS and His most holy will for His people!
To oppose this is to say either He does not intend unity, or intends unity without a hierarchy which would imply He is ignorant of human nature which can never maintain integrity of teaching without a hierarchy. Think about it- if there is no hierarchy, and someone challenges the teaching, what can maintain the original teaching intact? Nothing.
The history of Church councils teaches us that the hierarchy has combated heresy and novel teachings time and again with ecumenical councils. And Protestants generally accept the council of Nicea in 325 AD.
On top of this, we actually have historical letters from men taught by the apostles and they explicitly acknowledge hierarchy in the Church and Bishops, and that it is from God! See the epistle of Clement to Corinth from THE FIRST CENTURY WHILE ST. JOHN WAS ALIVE, 96 AD -
The apostles have preached the gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ [has done so] from God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the apostles by Christ. Both these appointments, then, were made in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and established in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And thus preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first fruits [of their labours], having first proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe.
The Protestant is trapped again. The invisible view of the Church tends only toward disunity, into 30,000 pieces called denominations all teaching doctrines that contradict each other on baptism and many other topics. And it is shown false by the history of the apostolic Church.
Jesus had to intend a hierarchy in His Church in order to protect unity of doctrine (True teaching).
