“…We have the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is called ‘our washing’ (Titus 3:5), and that he is. Now if we think we are cleansed of our filth by the water of baptism, the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ loses the honour which must be attributed to it. Such, therefore, is to pervert completely the use of the sacraments and make idols of them! If we think we are made righteous when we come to the Lord’s Supper, when we take a piece of bread and a drop of wine, what becomes of our Lord Jesus Christ’s passion and death, to which the sacrament refers us?…” John Calvin

The thing I like about my seminary friends Scott Hahn and Marcus Grodi is their honesty. They Poped (converted to Roman Catholicism) and announced it clearly. They continue to announce it to anyone who will listen.

Meanwhile Dr. Peter Leithart hangs around reforming Westminster Confession Presbyterianism into bad Lutheranism, typical Anglo-Catholicism, or timid Roman Catholicism—take your pick. His own denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America, tried him for heresy but he was acquitted. It’s noteworthy the prosecutorial role was filled by a man who Poped himself soon after Dr. Leithart’s acquittal.

Dr. Leithart is putting Reformed church officers on edge but he’s not losing sleep over it. The Presbyterian Church in America doesn’t much matter when you turn to the infinitely larger task of Protestant/Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox reunion. Pontificating on the path to Protestant reunion with Rome has given Dr. Leithart the whole world as his audience. He’s switching venues from Trinity House to Theopolis, from Birmingham, Alabama to the Manhattan of First Things and the Known-Universe of Patheos. Watch a man’s venues and you know his aspirations…

Readers remember that Dr. Leithart posted his “End of Protestantism” project on the website of the Roman Catholic journal First Things where it stewed for a while before reappearing as the lead article in First Things’ print edition retitled “The Future of Protestantism.” A little while ago Dr. Leithart posted a very short announcement on First Things that readers would have to click on over to Patheos to consume the next installment. There on Patheos’s Evangelical channel (they also host a pagan channel), you will see what I’ve included as the screenshot to the right: Dr. Leithart appears at the top with Dr. Peter Enns just below.

Those committed to the bloody work defending Biblical doctrine know Dr. Enns as the former Westminster Seminary (Philly) professor who was fired because of his departure from the Reformed doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. So here in one screenshot is Peter Leithart denying the Reformed doctrine of the sacraments and justification just above Peter Enns who denies the Reformed doctrine of Scripture.

Dr. Leithart’s piece “No Sacraments, No Protestantism” ought rather to be titled by his other statement, “No Baptism, No Justification.” Are there still some deluded souls who are looking to Dr. Leithart to define the boundaries of Protestantism? It’s like looking to Charlie Crist to define the Republican Party or Tim Keller to define Hell.

Nevertheless Dr. Leithart continues to claim subscription to the Westminster Standards and to hold membership in the Presbyterian Church in America. So theoretically, what we have here is Dr. Leithart’s explanation of the Reformed Westminster Presbyterian doctrine of the sacraments and justification.

“Dr. Phillip Cary… has argued, “Protestantism cannot carry through its own deepest intention – to put faith in the word of Christ alone – without a (Roman) Catholic doctrine of sacramental efficacy.” Cary is right… let me narrow and sharpen the point (by saying) “No baptism, No justification.”

Of course, some will say I’m not understanding Dr. Leithart. They’ll assure me there are nuances I’m missing here. Maybe a few verbal infelicities snuck in, but overall he’s firmly Biblical. Orthodox. Reformed. Protestant. Presbyterian. Westminsterian.

No baptism, No justification.

After twisting several Scripture texts, Dr. Leithart turns to a discussion of his readers’ Christian assurance:

Suppose I ask you, “How do you know you are in a right standing with God?” You might say, “Because I feel the relief of forgiveness.” But then I’ll ask, “Do you always feel relief? Do you never feel guilty?” And I suppose you’ll admit that you do feel guilty sometimes.

Even momentary lapses in feelings of relief or momentary recurrences of feelings of guilt amount to utter failure. Dr. Leithart then moves on to this:

You might say, “I know I’m justified because I believe the gospel.” …That sounds a lot like putting faith in your faith, which is putting faith in something you’ve done…

Again, note Dr. Leithart’s rhetoric. “Sounds a lot like” smoothes the path for equating “believe the Gospel” with “putting faith in something you’ve done.” You and I both know that’s what we mean when, with the Apostle Paul, we say we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: we are actually saying we believe in our own works and our own selves.

Not.

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