The Christian Tradition is contained in early Church history, in the decrees of early councils, in primitive liturgies, in the acts of the martyrs, in the books of the early Fathers and Doctors and ecclesiastical writers, in inscriptions in the catacombs and Christian archeological monuments.
The Catholic Church gives to men in Scripture and Tradition the whole of God's teaching, its meaning and a guarantee of its authenticity. 32
And from Charles Swindoll's opus, Dropping Your Guard:
I have been absorbing the teachings of Scripture every year of my adult life since the late 1950's, and I have been communicating those principles every week, often several times a week, since that time. The lens through which I filter my perceptions and my convictions is, therefore, the Bible. Its relevance and its wisdom will be seen as each chapter of this book develops. Hopefully, you will discover that God's Word is both timely and true, able to release you from the thick cocoon of fear and give you wings to fly free of all masks. Contrary to popular opinion, God gave us His Book to release us to reach our full potential . . . not to push us into a corner and watch us squirm! 33
It is necessary to understand these differences and to recognize the dangers and pitfalls that they inherently bring to faith. If we rely too much on Tradition or what the early Fathers say (and, yes, the danger can come from relying on Lutheran church Fathers as well), then our worship is just "going through the motions."
Yet we must also look out for the Reason that creeps in with the Reformed teachings. Here lies an even greater danger. More and more the Evangelical literature (and with it the mindset) is entering the homes of our people, the libraries of our pastors and the policies of our church. The Church Growth Movement, a Reason-based offshoot from Reformed circles, concentrates on making churches grow. A church needs to experience growth in order to display its "rightness" and this growth comes about by following the "paths of least resistance." When I did canvass work in Alpharetta, GA, one could not help but notice that many churches in the Reformed fold were more than churches - they were country clubs, health spas, centers of aerobics, lifestyle planning stations and the like. In a very real sense these churches have become malls where the Word of God is an added dimension and not the primary and dominant focus.
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