Is “Orthodox” Catholicism Semi-Pelagian?
Nowadays, no one is questioning the fact that the doctrine of justification was in a sorry state when Luther began his Reformation. Protestants have been saying this for years. Now Catholic scholars are simply admitting what they cannot deny. Hans Kung, an expert in historical theology, confirms that the pre- Reformation church was dominated by “decadent” and “muddle headed late medieval theology.”23 The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits that Martin Luther came upon the scene at a time when the doctrine of justification was “obscured” with ambiguities.24 What about the suggestion from the Catholic side that this “muddle headed” theology is not to be taken as representative of genuine and traditional Catholic belief? This suggestion appears to be very true. Much evidence indicates that the semi-Pelagianism which Luther opposed was also condemned by the better Catholic theologians and eventually corrected by the Council of Trent. Hans Kung has amassed a tremendous quantity of material in
