Schism in the Church has happened. This is an undeniable reality. Even if you are Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, claiming to be the one true Church, you recognize the tragedy of schism that has ripped East from East, East from West, and West from West. The question that must be entertained, but often isn’t is this: “why did God allow for schism to take place?” A further question still: if the Church is Christ’s body, led by the Spirit into all truth, how can part of her defect? How can part of her “go out” in such a large group (I.E the major schisms).
I have personally wrestled with these questions. I have also failed to answer them with perfect clarity. I don’t know if I ever will - the secret things belong to God after all, right?
However, I think there are a few reasons why schism might be allowed by God in his grand plan of redemption.
1. To keep our object of faith in Christ alone.
Often I see people speak of their church (mainly those Roman or Eastern) as though the Church is their primary object of faith. Now of course, if they mean by this that Christ is their object of faith, visibly manifested in the Church; I have no problem. But often I see people speak of the Church in a way that would seem to be looking to her RATHER than Christ. It would seem to me that schism is a reality that demonstrates the sinfulness of even those who made up the body of Christ. It is a reality that encourages Christians to place their faith in Christ alone, found in the Church; not as a replacement of Christ, but as a manifestation of him, growing into the perfection he calls her towards.
2. It is evidence that we are likely still in the early Church.
This one shows my postmillennialism and the Theopolis influence in my thinking. Schism, corruption, and all of the like shows the Church to be in her early stages of regeneration—a point alluded to by one of our community members yesterday. As she is sanctified, her ability to manifest her ontological unity will grow. Think about this in terms of a marriage. As soon as the sacrament is administered, the two become ontologically ONE. However, perhaps they are new Christians, just baptized out of a sinful past. This means that the manifestation of their unity—their oneness—will grow and mature with the passage of TIME. As time progresses, so will the visibility of their sanctification. If this true on a more individual level, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be on a corporate level.
3. God has His reasons.
This one is a bit of a cop out, but I do believe it to be obviously true. God has a good, right, just, and perfect reason for allowing fracture and schism within the visible Church. Knowing that he knows, even when we don’t, calls us into greater faith in his promise that the one who began a good work will bring it to completion. We can trust that the Church began will be the Church complete, even if she looks beat up, bruised, and hopeless at times. The Lord is more powerful than human sin, and that is the fundamental reason that she has survived 2,000 years.
My apologies for any typos. I write these quite early and don’t have a lot of time for editing.
This is the first video reflection for the Great Fast.
Welcome to the Mere Catholicity Locals Community! Here, you will find like-minded Christians with a desire to live ecumenically and pursue Christ in all things.
The Mere Catholicity movement runs only through listener support. The work that I (Jonah) do requires time and money. Without the financial support of my Locals community, I would not be able to continue making content. Simple as that. It is only thanks to this group that I can continue providing you with content that (hopefully) both edifies and challenges!
The good news for you is that joining the community itself is completely FREE! Once you sign up, you will be able to see most posts, live streams, and even content posted by other users. However, you will only be able to observe. You will not be able to comment, post, or see any exclusive content. This might be a good way to see if you want to support later down the line. So please join! Even if you cannot afford to give at this time!
Now, for those who do wish to give ...
Friends - as I consider the various platforms that I operate, I find Substack to the most conducive to the model of online ministry that I am aiming for. Though I still plan to post here, as many of you still support me through this platform, Substack is where I will be focusing the majority of my time. If some of you wish to move your subscription from here to Substack, you are welcome to do that. Those who continue to support here, I will continue to post here — mostly the stuff that is behind the paywall on Substack so that you are getting the exclusive content regardless of where you are subscribed.
Hope you all are doing well. Lord bless you.
- Rev. Jonah
I've been gone again for a time preparing for my ordination. I was ordained a Deacon in the Holy Catholic Church on March 8th, 2025.
It was a joy beyond words. I am now back in full swing with ministry, media, and work.
I hope you all have been doing well. More to come soon.
Good morning everyone. I wanted to quickly update you on the Mere Catholicity Podcast. I’ve been posting videos on my channel, but it has been quite sometime since my channel has had a podcast episode release.
With my new job as a classical teacher, scheduling interviews has been a challenge. However, my plan is to use my summer breaks as time to double down on planning and recording new podcasts. The idea will be to record a ton of interviews that will then slowly release throughout the school year, expiring around the time the following summer arrives. This will ultimately result in a consistent once a month interview.
All that to say, the podcast will resume here in May or June of 2025 with some excellent interviews lined up!
Blessings on your Sunday!
