Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Remarkable - Protestant reaction to Benedict XVI

NRO's The Corner has a couple of fascinating posts about B16; essentially Protestants seem much more thrilled than some Catholics at Ratzinger's elevation.

"I think conservative/orthodox/confessing Protestants are all bubbly today about Benedict XVI because our Catholics brothers are showing the mainline Protestant denominations what it means to be faithful. It is now the so-called "moderates" of these churches who have long been victorious in forcing the relaxation of doctrine and church teachings under the banner of modernization who look "behind the times." They now seem like an old pair of marbled bell-bottoms rather than the cutting edge of the future of Christianity they thought they were. For some denominations, it may be too late, but there are pockets of orthodoxy that are thriving even in these dying denominations. They are celebrating with conservative Catholics this week.

As a Confessional Lutheran in one of those pockets of orthodoxy, I must confess to being enchanted by this new GERMAN Pope. What would Martin Luther say?"


and

"The funny thing around my office yesterday was that the Catholics were dejected by Josef Ratzinger's election, but we non-Catholic evangelicals were high-fiving each other (at least figuratively). What a bizarre state of affairs. Though we Lutherans reformed ourselves right out of the Catholic Church a few hundred years ago, I like seeing people stick to their religious guns. If you don't believe it, don't defend it, but if you believe it, defend it to the death."


I also saw an interview with Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League (who was interestingly raised as a Catholic by a Polish nanny during WWII) who endorsed Ratzinger's selection.

Remarkable.

No comments: