Had the Protestant *revolt* happened over1,000 years ago, it would have been more beneficial to all. Keeping in mind that these former Catholics only wanted to reform their church, had the Catholic hierarchy recognized their need for reform, then everything would have worked out nicely. But since they mounted a Counter-Reformation, it was clear that they simply wanted to entrench their false beliefs more firmly. Hence the Council of Trent.
The Church is in constant reform, that's why we have councils.
Francis Beckwith spent 32 years in the evangelical world, serving as president of the Evangelical Theological Society. He was asked, "What could Catholics learn from evangelicals? His answer:
In terms of expository preaching, as well as teaching the laity, Protestant evangelicals are without peers in the Christian world.
For instance, it is not unusual for evangelical churches to host major conferences on theological issues in which leading scholars address lay audiences in order to equip them to share their faith with their neighbors, friends, etc. Works by evangelical philosophers and theologians such as [J.P.] Moreland, [Paul] Copan, and William Lane Craig, should be in the library of any serious Catholic who wants to be equipped to respond to contemporary challenges to the Christian faith.
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Then I read the Council of Trent, which some Protestant friends had suggested I do. What I found was shocking. I found a document that had been nearly
universally misrepresented by many Protestants, including some friends.
I do not believe, however, that the misrepresentation is the result of purposeful deception. But rather, it is the result of reading Trent with Protestant assumptions and without a charitable disposition.
For example, Trent talks about the four causes of justification, which correspond somewhat to Aristotle’s four causes. None of these causes is the work of the individual Christian. For, according to Trent, God’s grace does all the work. However, Trent does condemn “faith alone,” but what it means is mere intellectual assent without allowing God’s grace to be manifested in one’s actions and communion with the Church. This is why Trent also condemns justification by works.
I am convinced that the typical “Council of Trent” rant found on anti-Catholic websites is the Protestant equivalent of the secular urban legend that everyone prior to Columbus believed in a flat earth.
Francis Beckwith Interview – Jimmy Akin
