9.25.2026
In recent years I have often thought that the Protestant church could use a little more Catholic influence, a little more tradition. I look around and see a landscape of shattered churches that are quick to split. It disheartens me. But as I read about the spark of these denominations in the United States, I can’t help but root for them. They were formed on core principles that feel so natural and right to me: the idea that “common” people can think for themselves, the belief that every Christian can and should interpret Scripture without the need for an official minister, and the conviction that a calling doesn’t require a theology degree. Yet here I am, a few hundred years later, wondering if we swung too far against the establishment.
Daily thoughts on The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch.
