In Augustine’s time, after a period of persecution against the church, a sect of Catholics known as Donatists held a grudge against the Catholics who had appeased their persecutors rather than refused to comply. This grudge led them to deny the sacramental authority of priests who had succumbed to fear, and to reject the baptismal bonds of those they deemed unworthy.
The Donatists rejected the inclusion of sinners in the church, and maintained that the church was only for the just and the good. By separating themselves from their counterparts, who they felt had defiled the church and impeded access to the sacraments, the Donatists sought to protect their own purity and ensure their own salvation. Often, this led them to violence in defense of their faith.
The Donatist controversy was one of the focus areas of Augustine’s thought. He deeply desired unity and maintained the integration of the just and unjust as members of the visible church. Still, he grappled with what it meant to belong to the same church as those who were destroying its unity and seeking to do violence against people like himself.
In this, I see echoes of our current moment. It is easy to look at those using the faith to further an ideology we oppose and label them as heretical or schismatic. It is easy to decide that the church would be better without them. But how do we know whether it is us or they who are today’s Donatists? How do we speak against those we see as defiling the church, while holding space for their belonging?
As I reflect on this apparent impasse and what it means to belong to the church in this moment, Augustine’s defense of the church against the Donatist schism offers guidance through three criteria for discernment.
First, make sure grievances are rooted in fact and responses emerge from a desire to follow the spirit of the greatest commandment, to love God and love your neighbor. “The story you tell,” Augustine accuses the Donatists, “is not from the Law, not from the prophets, not from the psalms, not from the apostle, not from the gospel, but from your own hearts and the false accusations of your ancestors.” Because the Donatist’s theology is rooted in unfounded claims—this was actually ascertained in court—Augustine is confident that they are in the wrong.
Today, when misinformation is prevalent, this criterion serves a helpful reminder to check our own blind spots. It is incumbent upon Catholics to educate themselves about recognizing mis- and disinformation, and to give due diligence to considering other perspectives and ensuring opinions are rooted in fact.
A further check is the introspection required to ensure your heart is aligned with the spirit of the gospels. If the information you consume impedes your ability to love your neighbor or recognize their dignity, it may lack context. A heart formed by the law of the gospels will be vigilant about avoiding propaganda used to dehumanize or villainize others, especially those who are vulnerable and historically marginalized.
Second, avoid adopting a false sense of victimhood. As Augustine asks the Donatists, “What madness is this? You are living wickedly and acting as bandits; yet when you are punished justly, you demand the glory of the martyrs?” Augustine points to the violence of the Donatists and its roots in contrived grievance, reminding them of the foolishness of fomenting violence and then claiming persecution when it comes back against you.
While this could easily be construed as a retaliatory dynamic, Augustine maintains that responding to grievance is only acceptable when it is done “out of care, not cruelty” (Ep. 104.7), and with no sense of pride, self-righteousness or lust for domination. In other words, if a response to a perceived harm is rooted in cruelty or in a desire to be righteous or acquire power, it is unjust. Augustine offers this qualification: “You can see that the violence you arouse against us is contrary to the law of Christ, and that you are not suffering for his sake, but because of your unjust behavior.”
Third, and most crucially, seek unity. For Augustine, the reason Donatists had to be overcome was because they were breaking the bonds of charity that united the church as the Body of Christ. For him, the unity of the church is salvific grace, and those who try to deny the belonging of others indicate their own separation from it. He writes in Letter 204, “Our hope would be that all those who carry the standard of Christ against Christ, or who boast against the gospel using the very words of the gospel (which they fail to understand), should abandon their misguided ways and celebrate sharing his unity with us.” He exemplified this desire by taking up the cause of Donatists who had been arrested, and advocating for humane treatment.
Today, there are Catholics using the name of Jesus in ways I find abhorrent and theologically dubious—ways that perpetuate the kind of theological distortions found in the ash-heap of history. But they would say the same about me and the way I understand the same faith. So, we must examine whether our understanding of the church leads us to violate this principle of unity. Can I accept the imperfect nature of the visible church, knowing we are all sinners? At the same time, seeking unity does not demand that I accept sin or acquiesce to injustice. Indeed, challenging interpretations of the faith that seem to lead to othering or to violence is compatible with the pursuit of unity. Augustine writes, “A master both punishes thieves, if he hasn’t reformed them, and also calls sheep back to his flock when they wander, without erasing his mark on them.”
What I learn from Augustine’s treatment of the Donatist controversy is we are each responsible for continuously questioning our motivations and our responses. What is the evidence for my grievance? Is it rooted in empirical data and experience, or could it have been manipulated? Am I responding to the persecution I am sensing with care, not cruelty? Is it possible that the persecution I am sensing is actually a reaction to my own violent or dominative initiatives? Am I willing to speak out for justice even when it is my opponent being harmed? Is my theology inviting me to view all people with love, rather than animosity?
These questions can help generate self-reflection rather than accusations as we discern what it means to build a world together as the Body of Christ. Ultimately, recommitting ourselves to the radical love of the gospels is the way forward, and the only way to truly stand up for the faith.
Image: St Augustine arguing with Donatists, Wikimedia Commons
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