Catholic - Lutheran - Methodist
Joint Declaration on Justification

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Irreconcilable Differences?:

Lutherans, Methodist, Roman Catholics, and most other Christians, agree that:

The beliefs of the Roman Catholic church and of historic Protestantism agree that when a person is "justified,"  "they are brought into right standing and into a right relationship with" God. ₃ Lutherans "refer to justification as 'the chief doctrine upon which the church stands or falls'." ₃ Martin Luther considered justification to be the "first and chief article" of belief, ₇ and the the "ruler and judge over all other Christian doctrines." ₈

But beliefs about the precise mechanism of justification is perhaps the most difficult to attempt to harmonize between Protestants and Roman Catholics. It was one of the most important theological disputes of the Reformation. It is also difficult to harmonize the beliefs of various Protestant denominations as they have evolved. All Christian faith groups use the same terms (baptism, grace,  justification, sacrament, salvation, sanctification, etc.) but they often assign different meanings to the words. However, with a great deal of effort, and some creative editing, it is possible for two faith groups create a single document that they can both agree on. However, the words themselves will often mean quite different things to followers of the two groups. This appears to have happened in the case of a joint effort by Lutherans and Roman Catholics, later joined by the Methodists

Impact of the Joint Declaration

Disagreements over the nature of Justification were "in the 16th century, a principal cause of the division of the Western Church" ₁ into Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. At the time of the Reformation, both Protestants and Catholics condemned each other in the most vicious terms over their disagreements in the doctrines of justification. These conflicts were published in a number of Lutheran Confessions and other documents during the 16th century. They also appeared in the statements issued by the Roman Catholic Council of Trent. These remained valid church teachings up to the time of the Joint Declaration.

The Joint Declaration was able to resolve some differences. They agreed that the remaining differences were not sufficiently substantial for the 16th century condemnations to continue in force.

The Joint Declaration:

Largely as a result of the changes brought about by Vatican II, ecumenical dialog has permeated much of Christendom in recent decades. This includes various Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialog groups which have tackled the justification question since the early 1970's. The 1998 Joint Declaration was largely based on the efforts of those groups.

Partial agreement was jointly reached between the Lutheran World Federation (ILWF) and the Roman Catholic Church. The Joint Declaration had been circulated among the 124 Lutheran denominations who formed the Federation; a significant majority approved the document. In 1998-JUN, the Lutheran World federation Council unanimously approved the Joint Declaration.

Also in 1998-JUN,  Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, responded on behalf of the Vatican. He said: "I wish to stress that the consensus reached on the doctrine of justification, despite its limitations, virtually resolves a long disputed question at the close of the 20th century, on the eve of the new millennium."

In 2006-JUL, at its general assembly in Seoul, South Korea, the World Methodist Council added its approval. The assembly consists of representatives of 76 different Methodist communities worldwide, and is held every 5 years. ₁₃

Some of the important points mentioned in the Joint Declaration are: ₁

Response to the Joint Declaration:

The declaration has received negative reviews among some religious conservatives. ₅

According to a news item circulated by Ecumenical News International on 1998-NOV-16:

"The Lutheran World Federation - which represents the majority of the world's Lutheran churches - has said that 'further consultation' with the Vatican is needed before it can sign a major doctrinal statement drawn up by representatives of the two communions. The 'joint declaration on justification' aims to resolve a four-centuries-old theological dispute dating from the time of the Reformation. [ENI-98-0515]"

The Roman Catholic church announced that they would sign the document, but the Vatican was ambiguous on whether it would lift its condemnations of Lutheran teaching. Joint meetings finally led to a resolution:

"The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Roman Catholic Church have reached agreement on an historic document which aims to resolve a theological controversy dating back to the 16th-century split between Martin Luther and the papacy. The two communions are to declare officially on 31 October [1999] that mutual doctrinal condemnations pronounced at the time of the Reformation no longer apply. It is believed to be the first time that the Vatican has ever declared that Catholic doctrinal condemnations no longer apply to a Protestant communion." ₉

Negative responses to the Declaration by conservative Lutherans:

In 1997-SEP, the Department of Systematic Theology of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO issued an analysis of the Joint Declaration, in response to a request by the President of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. ₁₁ They made a number of points in their review:

By 1999-OCT, a group of more than 240 Protestant German theologians had signed a petition which criticized the agreement. ₁₂

Additional negative comments in 2006:

At the time of the Methodists' agreement, some Catholic World News subscribers sounded off:

"Those who seem to think the document is doing anything other than offering a most simplistic kind of agreement aren't getting it. Has anyone EVER disputed the FACT that without God's Grace we can never be justified? no matter what we do? Its so bottom line basic, an attempt to find common ground & a snippet of unity. It does not attempt to address the multitude of issues that distinguish & save, like belief, obedience, the Sacraments. Although true, its only a fragment of the Catholic truth."

"Yes, I read it; I read it when it was initially promulgated a couple of years ago as a joint Catholic-Lutheran statement....As I wrote, this is a repudiation of Trent. Shame on the Vatican, shame on Kasper, and shame on the Fathers of Vatican I!."