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Indeed, the whole Reformation legacy hinges on the doctrine of the church. Protestants have seen schism as necessary to the church's purification. But Catholics, since Christ and the church are supposedly one, have viewed the Reformation as, in the words of Noll and Nystrom, an "attack on Christ himself."

Is the Reformation Over? assumes that evangelical-Catholic rapprochement is good. So by the time Noll and Nystrom critique Catholic ecclesiology, Marian devotion, and toleration of nominal belief, their concerns are credible. At a time when Time magazine named two Catholics as among America's most influential evangelicals, we need to remember why unity remains elusive.

Evangelism is one perennial sticking point. Catholics have for years decried evangelical "sheep stealing" in Latin America. Evangelicals, in turn, say nominal and syncretistic Catholicism justifies their outreach. ECT stepped in and called for an end to proselytizing among "active adherents of another Christian community."

Noll and Nystrom examine official ecumenical dialogues on proselytism, especially between Catholics and Baptists. However, this academic analysis is inherently limited because many evangelicals care less about what the Catholic church teaches than about how Catholics act. Nominal, disaffected Catholics have been among evangelicalism's most fruitful mission fields. Going forward, evangelicals will watch closely to see if Pope Benedict XVI can encourage deeper discipleship and piety among Catholics.

As in international diplomacy, common enemies can make for potent allies in religion. Noll and Nystrom write, "Differences on basic Christian convictions between Catholics and evangelicals fade away as if to nothing when compared to secular affirmations about the nature of humanity and the world." No one illustrates their point better than Pope John Paul II, who died shortly after they finished the book. His advocacy for democracy, orthodox theology, and the "culture of life" won many evangelical admirers. His personal integrity built a new level of trust among evangelicals staunchly opposed to his office.

One wonders, though, how much the common opposition to secularism and theological liberalism can conceal. John Paul II also practiced intense Marian devotion. And it is tough to square Pope Benedict XVI's recent offer of indulgences with the statements on justification that Catholics agreed to with the Lutheran World Federation and in ECT.

The uproar a decade ago over ECT was significant, but not new. "We should confront each other not as representatives of the same faith, but as representatives of quite different faiths," Methodist minister C. Stanley Lowell wrote in CT in 1960. "Protestants should confront Roman Catholics in dialogue much as they would confront Jews."

That's why Noll and Nystrom argue that the visible theological and political cooperation of leading evangelicals and Catholics shows that times have changed. "The growing recognition of how deep and firm such common doctrinal affirmations are represents a great historical reversal," Noll and Nystrom write. They cite shared doctrines including the Trinity, original sin, and the Holy Spirit's power to transform. "Although agreement on foundational Christian teachings has always been present … only in recent decades have the depth and significance of these doctrinal affirmations been visible. This alteration of perspective should indicate to anyone of a historical cast of mind that we still live in the age of miracles."

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December 2005, Vol. 49, No. 12