Ecclesiastical Dogma and Practice

There is a distinction between what the Church taught dogmatically and what the Church did practically. The Church spoke clearly on matters of dogma, but the Church has not spoken definitively on matters of practice. In other words, her praxeology may differ externally, but her doctrine is always clear internally.

For example, for centuries, churches met divided between men and women. Men sat on one side and women on the other. The seating arrangement preserved sexual distinctions. The Catholic church ceased such practice in the 20th century.

Women also covered their heads with some cloth/veil, though there were distinctions on how and when they were worn. In fact, the practice among Roman Catholics was not required until 1917.^a The indication is that it was not in any way made law, and when it was, it was quickly removed a few decades later. Many traditions, even those devout to such practices, have ceased these practices individually and corporately in the last 120 years.

These are practices that go through various stages of evolution within the Church. Nevertheless, dogma refers to sound doctrine taught, believed, articulated, and defended in Councils. They should not be treated as mere practices to be renewed at the latest ecclesiastical gathering or to be sources of public dispute in the social media cosmos.

Dogma is settled business! The deity of Jesus is exegetically irrefutable and ought not to be trifled with at any level. There may be textual discussions about which text most clearly testifies to its truth, but the doctrine is dogmatically sound and must be affirmed and confessed when the Church gathers.

The Church may differ in practices, but she cannot be tossed by every wind of doctrine. She must be a refuge in an age of relativism and doctrinal lego-building. She must be the steady voice in a sea of confusion.

1. It seems that “For the first time in history, the Catholic Church required head covering for Catholic women in their 1917 Code of Canon Law.”  (back)