Innocent III. Mover, Shaker and Entrencher of the Papacy

Posted on by kevinjandt

Introduction

The Medieval Church may be the least understood of those in church history. In today’s world, it seems to carry little significance or value. It was a world in tremendous flux and upheaval as Christianity sought to find itself. The Medieval Church is precariously situated between the Early Church and the Protestant Reformation. Even in the turmoil of the time and an uncertain future, the Sovereign Hand of God was at work.

Roman Catholicism had a stranglehold on Christianity, but more specifically on the people of Christianity. The abuses were abundant, and the characters animated. Among them comes a man that would work toward addressing the abuses and begin his version of a reformation. Innocent III was this man.

This paper seeks to address Innocent III’s practical and doctrinal advance of the Papacy and to gain a deeper understanding of how Innocent III has shaped modern-day Catholicism for the better or, the worse, depending on one’s view. No matter the view, without a doubt, this man impacted the Medieval world and those that would follow in his footsteps.

Background

Tumultuous times often bring forth visionary rulers, and Innocent III was such a man. He is often and regularly regarded as the most influential Pope of the Medieval period. Born Lotario de’ Conti in 1160 or 1161, he was the son of Count Trasimund and the nephew of Clement III. He received his early education in Rome and studied law at Bologna. Lotario also had a keen interest in theology and studied in Paris, where he proved himself well-respected in the discipline of theology.

 Lotario obtained various positions within the church after his return to Rome in 1181, including the role of sub-deacon and later Cardinal-Deacon of St. George in 1190. On January 8, 1198, Pope Celestine II died, and Lotario de’ Conti was elected the next Pope, he was only thirty-seven years of age at the time. Reluctantly, he accepted and was named Innocent III. Innocent would not allow his reluctance to become timidity. He quickly began to implement changes to the Empire. Changes that were necessary and would change the Empire’s course of history.

            Mark Galli and Ted Olsen commenting on Innocent:

Innocent was born to rule; he was exceptionally gifted in intellect, will, and leadership. He was the foremost church lawyer of the age. Still, he had a combative spirit and was prone to fits of depression. He began his reign by purging church officials not loyal to him and by curbing excesses of his own household. Plates of gold were exchanged for wood, and nobles from royal families were replaced by monks. He reasserted control over the papal estates, though after an attempt on his life, he gave his family charge of key cities.[1]

A Vision for the Empire

Innocent III had an extremely high view of his office, shaping his leadership style and vision for the Empire. He believed himself as the successor of Peter, a direct representative of Christ. Innocent III exclusively took on the title Vicar of Christ, and according to Catholic Answers, “Innocent III appeals for his power to remove bishops to the fact that he is Vicar of Christ (cap. “Inter corporalia”, 2, “De trans. ep.”).”[1] Innocent’s vision for the Empire was complete control and expansion beyond Rome.

He believed his office that of a semi-Divine status, and he said, “Verily the representative of Christ, the successor of Peter, the anointed of the Lord, the God of Pharaoh set midway between God and man, below God but above man, less than God but more than man, judging all other men, but himself judged by none.”[2] Innocent’s thinking, leadership skill, and desire to control set the stage for a spiritual conquest while providing for and showing respect for the authority of kings and rulers. Innocent III was a unique and exciting ruler and largely considered his time the height of the Papacy.

Initial Conquest

In 1197 Henry VI died, and there was no immediate successor. Innocent III took this opportunity to restore papal power in Rome and the States of the Church, representing the lands and revenues associated with those lands. Given that the rest of Italy had grown weary of German invasions, Innocent quickly extended his power over all of Italy.

It was not long before Germany became an area of interest as there were two claimants to the German throne, and Innocent sided with Otto IV. The Catholic Encyclopedia provides more details:

Offended at what they considered an unjust interference on the part of the Pope, the adherents of Philip sent a letter to him in which they protested against his interference in the imperial affairs of Germany. In his answer Innocent stated that he had no intention of encroaching upon the rights of the princes, but insisted upon the rights of the Church in this matter. He emphasized especially that the conferring of the imperial crown belonged to the Pope alone.[1]

Innocent was also active in France and England. He considered one of his duties to rule not only the church but the entire world. In today’s vernacular, he might be regarded as not only a Christian Nationalist but a Christian Internationalist. Innocent continued to expand his influence over nations and princes. He was determined to know and investigate whether a king was worthy of his crown, and his office would oversee the installment to these offices.

Innocent affected nearly every country in Europe. His authority extended far and wide:

There was scarcely a country in Europe over which Innocent III did not in some way or other assert the supremacy which he claimed for the Papacy. He excommunicated Alfonso IX of Leon, for marrying a near relative, Berengaria, a daughter of Alfonso VIII, contrary to the laws of the Church, and effected their separation in 1204. For similar reasons he annulled, in 1208, the marriage of the crown-prince, Alfonso of Portugal, with Urraca, daughter of Alfonso of Castile.[2]

In November of 1209, Innocent III excommunicated King John of England. The excommunication came over a dispute regarding the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. John was upset that he had not been consulted, and the controversy lasted for over four years. Ultimately, John went to Rome to bow at the feet of Innocent III, and Innocent showed his power, and the expansion of papal influence grew.

World Domination

Pope Innocent III also viewed his role as a defender of the Catholic faith and a fighter against heresy. The Albigenses were also referred to as the Cathari or the Cathars. The Albigenses despised Roman Catholicism and saw the church as immoral and corrupt. Due to their promotion of itinerant preachers, the Roman Church saw this as a threat to their power and authority, and Innocent took up the charge to rid the world of the Cathar heresy. Not only was it one of the bloodiest of Innocent’s Crusades it eventually led to The Inquisition, which oversaw the death and torture of many. Countless Albigenses were killed for their faith in these crusades, “More than 15,000 peasants were slaughtered in one town alone.”[1]

Innocent III also sought to restore the Holy Land. The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “Innocent had at heart the recovery of the Holy Land, and for this end undertook the Fourth Crusade.”[2] The Holy Land’s conquest and restoration were a high priority during Innocent’s tenure as Pope. Despite his great efforts, The Fourth Crusade fell short of its fund-raising goals, and the crusade suffered, never making its destination. The crusade turned to Constantinople, much to Innocent III’s dissatisfaction, and rather than strengthening Christianity, the Eastern Church was left vulnerable and further divided from the West.

Church Reformation

Innocent III desired to reform the church at a time when it saw the eruption of sects and schisms due to church corruption. Innocent recognized the need to change and implemented it on a massive scale. He saw the excesses in luxurious living and drunken carousing and promoted honesty in the church’s practices.

During his reign, he recognized and gave patronage to two newly established reform groups, the Franciscans and the Dominicans. He issued over 6,000 decrees and formalized many of his reforms with the Fourth Lateran Council—where the term “transubstantiate” (meaning, the bread of Communion becomes the real body of Christ) was first officially used.[1]   

Whether Innocent’s reforms are considered a success today is often in the eye of the beholder, but history reveals there is little doubt he was one of the most significant figures in Medieval Church, and Roman Catholic History. Innocent III sought to make changes and changes he did make.

Conclusion

In a modern context, it is often difficult to reconcile the practices of the day that occurred in a time such as Medieval History. Innocent III sought to grow the Christian Empire, which came at a price for many. He also sought to gain not only ecclesiastical power but political power, bringing much-needed reform to the church. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, “The labours of Innocent in the inner government of the Church appear to be of a very subordinate character when they are put beside his great politico-ecclesiastical achievements which brought the papacy to the zenith of its power.”[1] Innocent III was a power broker in almost every sense of the concept. He sought to expand and reform the Catholic Church and snuff out what he deemed heretical movements. Innocent III was a mover, a shaker, and an entrencher of the Papacy in every real sense of the phrase.

Bibliography

Catholic Answers. “Vicar of Christ.” Accessed April 13, 2023, Catholic Answers. Catholic Answers, September 11, 2020. https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/vicar-of-christ.

Galli, Mark, and Ted Olsen. 131 Christians Everyone Should Know. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2000.

Ott, Michael, “Pope Innocent III,” in The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, ed. Charles G. Herbermann et al. (New York: The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1907–1913.

[1] Ott, “Pope Innocent III.”

[1] Ibid, 325.

[1] Galli and Olsen, “Introduction,” in 131 Christians Everyone Should Know, 324.

[2] Ott, “Pope Innocent III.

[1] Michael Ott, “Pope Innocent III,” in The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church, ed. Charles G. Herbermann et al. (New York: The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1907–1913).

[2] Ott, “Pope Innocent III.”

[1] Catholic Answers, “Vicar of Christ,” Catholic Answers (Catholic Answers, September 11, 2020), https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/vicar-of-christ.

[2] Galli and Olsen, “Introduction,” in 131 Christians Everyone Should Know, 324.

[1] Mark Galli and Ted Olsen, “Introduction,” in 131 Christians Everyone Should Know Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 324.

What Happened to Grace?

Posted on by kevinjandt

I am a self-avowed Calvinist. Not only a Calvinist, but I consider myself fully and completely Reformed. I appreciate and have a deep love for the pursuit of God. I love working to understand Him to the best of my ability by diving deep into the Scriptures and knowing doctrinal and theological positions. It is fun for me to do this. I enjoy learning at the feet of those brilliant theologians of years gone by.

Another phrase utilized for Reformed/Calvinistic teaching is called the “Doctrines of Grace.” I think it’s a good term. All of God’s dealings with man are by His grace, but particularly salvation. We often know and recite this all-familiar text, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

I’m not sure it can be made any clearer than this.

The troublesome part for me is that if we have been saved by grace, transformed by grace, sanctified by grace, and will ultimately be glorified by grace, why are so many in the Reformed Camp that I happily reside, so lacking in grace?

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term cage stage. That means when someone comes to understand the doctrines of grace, they need to stay in a cage until they settle down. New Calvinists, are, shall we say, “zealous” for the truth, and eager to tell everyone about it. I sure did, and I was incredibly un-gracious in my approach. I turned many people off with my good intentions.

It wasn’t until we had been abused by “grace” that I truly understood the need for God’s people to practice living out a gracious spirit. We can argue our theological differences, and to some degree, we should, but must it be at the expense of love? If we truly understand what God has done for us shouldn’t we be the most loving people on the planet? I say yes, but often the answer is no, we are not.

I have no need to rebuke anyone, for I have often been the one needing rebuke. I need to catch myself sometimes because I’m not so great at it all the time. In all honesty, I need to read a lot more Newton. I need to read a lot more of Ichabod Spencer. I need to learn from those men that I know, and those that I observe from a distance, those of a meek and humble spirit.

I’ll leave off with how John Newton dealt with controversy.

As to your opponent, I wish, that before you set pen to paper against him, and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord’s teaching and blessing.  This practice will have a direct tendency to conciliate your heart to love and pity him; and such a disposition will have a good influence upon every page you write.  If you account him a believer, though greatly mistaken in the subject of debate between you, the words of David to Joab, concerning Absalom, are very applicable: “Deal gently with him for my sake,” The Lord loves him and bears with him; therefore, you must not despise him, or treat him harshly.  The Lord bears with you likewise, and expects that you should show tenderness to others, from a sense of the much forgiveness you need yourself.  In a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now.  Anticipate that period in your thoughts; and though you may find it necessary to oppose his errors, view him personally as a kindred soul, with whom you are to be happy in Christ forever.  But if you look upon him as an unconverted person, in a state of enmity against God and his grace, (a supposition which, without good evidence, you should be very unwilling to admit,) he is a more proper object of your compassion than your anger.  Alas! “he knows not what he does.”  But you know who has made you to differ.  If God, in his sovereign pleasure, had so appointed, you might have been as he is now; and he, instead of you, might have been set for the defense of the gospel.  You were both equally blind by nature.  If you attend to this, you will not reproach or hate him, because the Lord has been pleased to open your eyes, and not his. 

Lord help us be more gracious!

Kevin

Jesus Revolution – And Why You Should See It

Posted on by kevinjandt

We did the unthinkable this past weekend, and we went to see Jesus Revolution. The warnings were abundant. If we went to see it, we would probably turn from being orthodox to whatever kind of loosey, goosey theological mumblings the movie had to offer. Despite the doom and gloom, I came out unscathed and I hope a touch better for it.

I am offering some reasons why I think you should also see it. If you know what you believe and you can defend your belief system, why would you be afraid to see something with a different theological bent than yourself? It reminded me, as we watched the movie, of the two or three families that left the church in the beginning when Chuck Smith was wrestling with whether he should allow hippies into the church. Such a bizarre concept for me. Wasn’t Jesus the one that received sinners? (My Sermon from Luke 15).

There are some theological weaknesses to the movie, for sure. I have a different take on the “healing” ministry that Lonnie Frisbee purported to have. I also don’t believe he or anyone else has obtained “prophet” status today. I firmly believe those have ceased. Although, I do believe God can and will heal if it is His prerogative to do so.

However, there were many great and encouraging elements to the movie. How often do we neglect those that need Christ’s love because of our theological insecurities? Yes, I call them insecurities because we would rather fight over our sound doctrine than accept someone for their changed life even if it does not follow the prescribed method we believe.

Disclaimer: The sinner’s prayer is not found in the Bible, but I think countless people have been saved by reciting the sinner’s prayer despite bad theology, and then they grow as the Lord sanctifies them.

Was the Jesus Revolution real? I think it was authentic, and I believe there are many saved people today because of it. Do I think all of them were truly saved? No, I think there were probably many false converts. I also think there are many false converts in Biblically sound churches today. Those that grew up in orthodox or fundamentalist churches, as I wrote about in this article.

I’m all for sound theology. I think it’s essential. I think great preaching with precise accuracy is fundamental. I have no doubts the Calvary and Vineyard movements have lots of bad theology and bad teaching, but it’s funny because I know of orthodox churches that have done more than their fair share of damage to people despite claiming good theology.

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved….So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:13, 17).

I heard much of the word of God spoken in this movie. It was even, primarily correctly interpreted. Yes, there are issues. But what if someone goes to this movie and gets saved? Do you want to be the one that discourages them because you don’t think it’s done to your exacting standards? Are you actually hindering the children from coming to Jesus?

The 2nd London Baptist Confession – Chapter 26, Section 3. “The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error; and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan; nevertheless Christ always has had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him and make profession of his name.

That is a powerful statement we should take seriously rather than looking down our theological noses at those less worthy of the gospel than us. Jesus Revolution may not be up to your standards, but If you can get outside yourself and think about people that were affected and transformed despite bad theology, maybe it humbles us a little. Maybe that’s the point and one of the reasons I recommend you go see it.  

I’ll leave you with a quote from John Newton. One we should all meditate on, deeply.

Whoever is truly humbled — will not be easily angry, nor harsh or critical of others. He will be compassionate and tender to the infirmities of his fellow-sinners, knowing that if there is a difference — it is grace alone which has made it! He knows that he has the seeds of every evil in his own heart. And under all trials and afflictions — he will look to the hand of the Lord, and lay his mouth in the dust, acknowledging that he suffers much less than his iniquities have deserved.

Kevin

Jonestown and Lessons to Learn

Posted on by kevinjandt

“When you come to a fork in the road take it” Yogi Bera

Jonestown or the People’s Temple was the most notorious cult of all time.

It was evil through and through and ended in great tragedy. Could it have been avoided? Hard to say, but one man tried to help and he paid with his life.

Congressman Leo Ryan was part of a delegation to investigate Jonestown along with legal advisor Jackie Speier, who would survive and go on to a career in politics. Reporter Don Harris was slipped a note that was intended for Ryan that said, “Dear Congressman, Vernon Gosney, and Monica Bagby, please help us get out of Jonestown.”

Jackie Speier said this: “So, I was sitting in the back of the pavilion at a picnic table with the bench and both of us had been sitting back there and interviewing members of the People’s Temple who had family members back home and they wanted us to deliver letters or talk to their children or young adults and try and assess whether they were being held there against their will.”

Then Congressman Ryan addressing the group seemed to have the appearance that things were somewhat “okay” but that would change quickly. Here is a short video clip as he was addressing the People’s Temple.

Speier in an interview with Brian Lamb of C-Span had this to say: “That particular clip that you just showed, the pandemonium that kind of broke out in terms of fervor of the applause was unnatural, and it was alarming to me.” She went on to say that “it went on for an uncomfortable period of time.”

Once Ryan received the note he made an announcement that if others wanted to leave they would be allowing them to fly home. This is when things began to spin out of control for Jones. The departure or intended departure of some emboldened others and as others revealed that it wasn’t quite as great as it had previously appeared, many intended to leave. Jones, ordered the mass suicide and the murder of Ryan and those attempting to leave ensued.

And here is where I want to make my point. I don’t say every church has the potential to become a People’s Temple or end like Jonestown. There is a time to leave a church and the reactions from others and from leaders can tell you a great deal about how they view the topic. I’ve written extensively on the abusive church and most pointedly the topic of the “Painful Exit Process” many forks in the road take you back to exactly the same place. But to break free from abusive churches and cultic churches will take you back to Christ.

There is evil in the world and it often exists where it is described as religion.

Kevin

A Guaranteed Way to Raise Christian Children

Posted on by kevinjandt

Congratulation mom and dad, you’ve brought home your child from the hospital…. Sorry, you had your first child, via home birth. Whew, we almost missed that one. It would have been off to a very poor start. Now that your new little precious is safely, still, at home, let’s get started on doing it right. You must also keep in mind it is your Christian duty to have as many of these little darlings as possible, that’s the only way to ensure a future Christian nation. (I’m not against having lots of children by the way, just an observation of certain fundamentalist tribes).

The next step is you need to get that baby on a strict schedule. After all, you need your sleep, and your baby can sleep if you follow the proper protocols. For one, it all needs to be timed out. If they cry because they are hungry…. Ooops, hahaha, I almost missed that one as well, they aren’t hungry, they are little sinners. Silly me. As I was saying, they need to be on a strict schedule. Sleep, eat, poop, and plenty of forced awake time, so they get used to being awake. You can train them to follow this routine and you, and your husband will be back to the regularly scheduled program in almost no time. I mean, you want to get to work on that next one as soon as possible.

Okay, let’s fast forward a little bit, that little darling is now old enough to understand some things, so don’t delay in catechizing them. This is incredibly important. Along with catechism, they should be working on scripture memorization. Did you know that by the time they were twelve, most Hebrew children had the entire law of Moses memorized? That’s a high bar, and you don’t want your budding scholar to get behind. It’s also important to ensure you do family worship before you do anything else. I mean, if you are planning a trip to the park, it would be sinful to NOT have worship first. Satan is lurking around the corner and your children are in his immediate sight.

You’ve done well dear brother and sister; your little guy or girl has grown quickly. They are ready for “school” and that, of course, means there is no other option but homeschool. After all, they aren’t ready for the mission field just yet. A Christian school is out of the question, I mean what if their doctrine is not up to your level? They need to be trained at home thoroughly, and that means Greek, Latin, and Hebrew training in addition to Bible. If you have time, toss in a little math and history. Make sure the history is from the Creation Museum, we can’t let anything sneak in that might corrupt their impressionable, little minds.

School is going well, and you’ve got three others’ now in addition to that first little beauty you brought home from the hospital, oh darn, I did it again. Those home births are going incredibly well, and imagine the money you are saving, not to mention that you avoid any potentially dangerous vaccines or eye drops that could cause serious long-term effects. You’ve done the right thing. I’m proud of you.  

Along with all that is going on I’m certain you aren’t skipping any church gatherings, because you shouldn’t be forsaking the assembling as is the manner of some, don’t forget that. Your little ones are doing great, they are faithful to hit the streets with you when you evangelize, that little Jr. is one of the best tract hander outers I’ve seen in a long time. That kid is awesome. Oops, only God is awesome, I’m sorry for such a silly faux pas. It won’t be long, and he will be heading into his teenage years, but not to worry, if you’ve trained him right, and you certainly have, there is no concern for teenage rebellion. He’s wired tight. You’ve crossed every T and dotted every I, some of them twice, so you got this. 

Well, those teenage years have turned out to be a little bit more challenging than you first anticipated, you would have thought all those spankings through the years would have beat the rebellion out of him, but he sure does seem to have a mind of his own. Oh well, we are trusting the Lord, and where we fail there is grace….  Hahaha, I slipped up again, none of this really is dependent on grace, it’s really how you’ve done.

Now he’s 21 and my things have gotten a whole lot out of control. It seems he’s rejected the faith he once professed, and he’s gone wild. What will become of his soul? Was he never truly converted? You did all the right things. I just don’t know, the other kids are still doing well, they are following the protocols, and surely do love going to the abortion clinic with you, so I’m sure they will turn out the way we want God to turn them out…. Won’t they?

On a serious note:

I trust you caught the sarcasm, and for the record, I’m not against training our children, we need to train them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. But the attitude that this strict regime produces godly children is called idolatry. You must depend on God’s grace every step of the way, seek Him in all you do, and He will direct your paths. Raising children is hard work, and it doesn’t always go the way you plan. They do have minds of their own no matter how hard you’ve tried to train it out of them, and I’m not sure you’d really want it any other way.

May the Lord help us as we endeavor to raise a godly generation for the glory of Christ.

Kevin