What is the Protestant principle?

Historically and theologically Christianity tends to get divided into 3 major groups: Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox. There are other ways of conceptualizing all of the Christian groups that have materialized over the centuries, but for the purpose of this article we will stick to these three. I want to reflect on the following quote:

“Christianity is final only in so far as it has the power of criticizing and transforming each of its historical manifestations; and just this power is the Protestant principle.” Paul Tillich, The Protestant Era

Would you agree that this is the “Protestant principle”? Perhaps Tillich is thinking of Martin Luther and his protest and critique of the church of his day with the 95 theses nailed to the door of the monastery in Wittenburg. If so, what is Tillich talking about?

Plainly, since the Protestant Reformation the church has learned to be self-critical in each of its historical manifestations. To be sure, each denomination and religious movement sometimes reaches the point of ceasing to do this. Church history has shown that when the church becomes complacent that is the beginning of its demise.

I am not sure that I would have stated like Tillich that this is “the” Protestant principle. It seems several principles actually converged to produce the Protestant movement. I am listing them below. You may want to add a couple of your own after looking at it.

1. The Bible available in the vernacular and available to every person to read for themselves.
2. The priesthood of all believers.
3. Moved Christianity from the cloisture to the community
4. Believed that everyday work was a divine calling.
5. An emphasis on personal conversion and individual piety
6. Some form of millennialism, Christ’s return for a 1,000 years (or, for non-millennialists, Christ’s Second Coming)

Each of these principles were significant in the Protestant Evangelical movements of the Great Awakening. Interestingly, as contemporary Christianity is being expressed in new and different forms, these 6 principles are still alive and well. Books could be, and have been, written on each of these 6. Suffice it to say, each of these principles are rooted in a biblical world-view that seeks to take faith seriously. Where do you see these principles working in your faith today?

In Christian love, Curtis