Doctrinal differences between Catholics and Protestants look permanent and intractable. It looks as if one or the other must simply win the struggle.
But doctrinal impasses aren’t resolved by a death-battle between current options. They’re resolved by fresh formulations that synthesize existing concerns, break new ground, solve some difficulties and marginalize others.
They’re resolved the way Thomas Kuhn said scientific revolutions occur. If you want to call it a “Hegelian” process, fine. But it’s an empirical Hegelianism. Hegelian syntheses happen.
The struggles over Arianism weren’t resolved (contrary to popular mythology) by a strenuous defense of prior Trinitarian dogma. The arguments, terms, conceptual apparatus for orthodox Trinitarian dogma were forged during the struggle, by Athanasius, the Cappadocians and others. Dittos for the Christological debates that issued in Chalcedon.
Protestant soteriology wasn’t a synthesis, but also wasn’t simply a reassertion of what had been said before. The Reformers offered fresh insight into the New Testament.
Why would we think that the Lord of the church no longer lets new light break from the Word? Have five hundred years of study, preaching, debate, battling offered no hints about a way forward? Why would we think we are stuck replaying the same intractable arguments forever and ever, Amen?
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