Reformation Day Lament

It's Reformation Day, apparently. Obviously, gains were made, many of them eventually adopted by the Roman Catholic Church in its own reformation at Vatican 2. But there were also huge losses. To my mind, the biggest of these losses was the widespead pre-reformation belief that divine presence and purpose can also be read from the non-human world.

The Lutheran doctrine of 'sola scriptura' posited the idea that neither 'nature' nor 'tradition' could be reliably interpreted without the interpolation of scripture. Why? Because human beings are sinful. Only Scripture, it was argued, could overcome this hermeneutical sinfulness. Over time, the doctrine of sola scriptura turned into a full-blown repression of all things non-human and 'natural'. It also turned into 500 years of colonialism, in which both the non-human world and the indigenous people who tend it, were mercilessly defiled and exploited by Protestant princes.

Theologically, of course, none of this makes any sense whatsover. If the Holy Spirit can help us to read Scripture semi-accurately, then surely the Holy Spirit can help us to read tradition and the non-human world semi-accurately. Indeed, as a trawloolway man, I would argue that unless the protestant churches jetison the doctrine of sola scriptura entirely, they will condemn themselves to an ongoing deafness with regard to all that the divine would say to us in country.

So my celebration of Reformation Day is rather muted.

Garry Worete Deverell

Reformation Day, 2025