<> Ask the Pastor Pastor Walter Snyder Q: What are the principal differences between mainstream Protestant denominations and the modern Roman Catholic Church? For instance, I understand that Catholics recognize seven sacraments, while most Protestants recognize only two. I ask this because I will be marrying a woman who is a Christian, like myself, but unlike me she is Catholic. I know this is a complex question, but I'm certain you may have addressed it before. A: This is, indeed, a complex question. "Principal differences" alone would fill several pages. Even sacramental theology is fairly involved. For one thing, different churches define "sacrament" differently. Some even reject the use of the word, since it does not appear in Greek or Hebrew Scriptures. However, it was used in many Latin translations for the Greek word *mysterion*, which the King James and RSV translate as "mystery." Another difficulty is that "Protestant" churches are not uniform in their definitions, nor in their numbering. The first appearance of "sacrament" was in relation to the holy rites of the Christian Church. Related words include "sacred." Some Christian writers have called Christ the chief sacrament: "The Sacred writings have only one *sacramentum*, that is, Christ Jesus. (Martin Luther)" However, Luther then goes on to speak of certain rites as being also sacraments: "He descends to us through the Word and the sacraments." Many Western Christian churches speak of Baptism and the Lord's Supper as sacraments. The Roman Catholics and some others also speak of the sacraments of marriage, ordination and entering holy orders, penance, confirmation, and extreme unction (now usually called "the anointing of the sick"). The number of sacraments depends upon either an arbitrary listing or specific definition of the word. My understanding of Catholic Theology is that the sacraments are seen as conduits of divine grace. Grace is further described as a spiritual quality infused by God into the soul. Each of the seven Catholic sacraments in some way imparts grace to those participating in them. I cannot speak for all "Protestants" (or even for all "Lutherans") but I can answer based upon Lutheran teaching: Lutherans define grace as good will and favor shown to one who can plead no merit; particularly, this is the love of God in Christ Jesus for sinful human beings. Grace thus implies mercy or compassion for one who has forfeited his claim on love. Grace is "free" because it is not grounded in human worth. We continue by defining sacraments as "means of grace." This denotes the divinely instituted means by which God offers, bestows, and seals to us forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Ultimately, there is but one means of grace, the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16-17). However, Lutherans say that in the sacraments the Gospel appears as the visible Word, so we normally speak of Gospel and Sacraments as the means of grace. The Apology to the Augsburg Confession, Article XIII, says, "If we define sacraments as 'rites which have the command of God and to which the promise of grace has been added,' we can easily determine which are sacraments in the strict sense.... The genuine sacraments, therefore, are Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and absolution (which is the sacrament of penitence).... If ordination is interpreted in this way, we shall not object either to calling the laying on of hands a sacrament.... Ultimately, if we should list as sacraments all the things that have God's command and a promise added to them, then why not prayer, which can most truly be called a sacrament?" Luther (and later theologians) normally spoke of only Baptism and the Lord's Supper as sacraments. "A sacrament must have two things for sure: God's Word and the external sign [means or element, i.e., water or bread and wine]; these we find only in the two sacraments." At times, we've also included Absolution (the forgiveness of sins, particularly by one's pastor as a rite of the Church). As for other differences between Catholicism and other churches, I will use another column. In it, I will only look at Lutheran-Catholic issues. I suggest you ask your own pastor (if you are non-Lutheran) and your fiance's priest for further opinions. Remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or catch me around town. Pastor Snyder serves St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas, and is the coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1997 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.