The Reformanda Initiative 17. An interview with Dr. Michael Reeves on The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ)
An interview with Prof. Michael Reeves, President and Professor of Theology at Union School of Theology, UK. Author of books such as The Unquenchable Flame. Discovering the Heart of the Reformation (2010) and (with Tim Chester), Why The Reformation Still Matters (2016).
On October 31, 1999, the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed ‘The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification’ (JDDJ), claiming that they were ‘now able to articulate a common understanding of our justification by God’s grace through faith in Christ.’ This has led many since to think that the fundamental theological differences of the Reformation have now been resolved, and that there remains little or nothing of real theological substance to prevent evangelical-Catholic unity. Professor Mark Noll, for instance, boldly declared,
If it is true, as once was repeated frequently by Protestants conscious of their anchorage in Martin Luther or John Calvin that iustificatio articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesiae (justification is the article on which the church stands or falls), then the Reformation is over.
Is the Reformation indeed, over? Listen as Dr. Reeves helps us make sense of the JDDJ.
Episode Resources
- Learn more about Dr. Reeves and his ministry, Union Mission, at www.union-mission.org
- Read a similar interview with Dr. Reeves
- Read the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
- Read and sign the statement: "Is the Reformation Over? A Statement of Evangelical Convictions"