Protestant Saints

[Dorothea]

Are there any? I mean, they probably aren't called "Saints," but rather people who are gifted with healing people. I know the Catholics have Saints and miracles that have happened in their Church, and of course, we do. Just wondering about the Protestants. Anybody know?

 

[-Kyriaki-]

The idea of 'Saints' goes against everything most Protestants hold dear.

At the same time, there are historical figures who they honour and respect and name their children after (not to mention their theology/denomination/whatever).

I'd get told off by those I know for not mentioning that the Lutherans and the Anglicans honour Saints, but except for 'high' Anglicans/Episcopalians they don't see them anything like what we do.

 

[Kassiana]

Protestants believe that all Christians are saints.

 

[Chesterton]

I'm not sure they hold any definition or doctrine about the title, but most Protestants refer to the apostles and New Testament writers as Saints, and they limit the word to them. I think there are a minorty of modern Protestants who intentionally avoid using the title Saint at all. Some preachers, during the course of a sermon, might refer to "Paul" one time, then a minute later say "St. Paul". Some might speak of St. Ignatius or St. Augustine, but I think it just rolls off the tounge because we've all heard it so often.

 

[Dorothea]

So, they don't think there are certain gifted or special people out there in Protestant circles that are extremely pious who have worked miracles by God working through them?

 

[All4Christ]

So, they don't think there are certain gifted or special people out there in Protestant circles that are extremely pious who have worked miracles by God working through them?

There are people in Protestant circles who are gifted as being pious - or working miracles. One of the biggest people who are considered to be pious - or a Christian to live up to - in the modern Protestant world - would be Billy Graham. There are museums about Billy Graham - there are tons of people who went to revival services with him...and honestly - he was a very pious man.

As far as healing...in the Pentecostal circles - there are many healing services...I think that Benny Hinn is one of the more well-known - yet pretty radical / fanatical in my opinion. Even as a Pentecostal (previously) I always looked at him with suspicion. Nonetheless - there are many people in the Pentecostal circles who consider him to be gifted as a healer...if that makes sense.

I read a book awhile ago talking about 'Giants of the Faith'. Basically - it referred to the people who shaped the faith most - going all the way from the apostolic time - to modern times. In this book - they included people from Paul to St Augustine to Luther to Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Billy Graham, etc.

So - would there be a specific person considered a 'saint'? Well - we all would be considered the saints of God (little 's'). But the 'giants' of the faith - are not necessarily considered saints - just pious Godly people who we can look up to - or who may be gifted in certain gifts of the Spirit.

 

[All4Christ]

So, they don't think there are certain gifted or special people out there in Protestant circles that are extremely pious who have worked miracles by God working through them?

Oh - and as far as the miracles go...at least from the experience I had as a Pentecostal - miracles wouldn't really go into the realm of incorruptible relics of saints or miracle working icons / statues (or whatever the equivalent Protestant symbol - which honestly I don't think there is one). I don't think there really would be visions either - though there have been some revelations. A lot of times - though - those revelations end up leading to a split - such as Mormons - or other sects that originally come from Christianity. It is mainly limited to healings (physical and spiritual), deliverance from trying circumstances, prophecy, etc.

 

[rainbowbright]

I know a lot of evangelicals who honor Sts Francis and especially Augustine.

 

[All4Christ]

Honor them - yes....however - to consider them to be saints in the same sense of the way the Orthodox and Catholic Church do isn't very common...

 

[Monica child of God 1]

They have people that they honor above others, like Lottie Moon, Luther Rice, Charles and John Wesley, their mother Susanna. These people have churches and funds named in their memory like the Lottie Moon missions offering and Luther Rice Memorial Church. Martin Luther also has churches named after him and is remembered every year on October 31 on Reformation Day.

But protestant "saints" are remembered more for theology or missions than healings and miracles. I have only heard of healings and miracles as important among charismatic protestants. And as someone else said, they tend to believe all christians are saints since the word literally means "holy ones." In a sense, we are all holy because God sent His son for us, made it possible for us to be baptised into Christ, etc. We Orthodox tend to see ultimate holiness--finishing the race--as the sign of sainthood.

M.

 

[Chesterton]

I think with miracle workers, Protestants tend to view them not unlike they view the Virgin Mary. That is, if God does special works through any one person, they give the honor to God, and don't really see the person as having much to do with it, other than being a vessel. Since God is all powerful and soveriegn, He could have chosen any one else to work through, perhaps even without regard to their piety or lack of piety. If a village full of Protestants witnessed some great sign or wonder in their midst, performed through someone in the village, they might likely for generations honor and speak of the miracle God did, and never bother to remember the name of the human involved.

But it's hard to say. Any time you ask a specific question about what Protestants do or believe, you could get around 30,000 slightly different answers.

 

[bro_gecko]

May I weigh in with a "protestant" response? Though I have a view, it isn't based on a denominational stand, thus, as you may say, it's just the 30,001st...

Some of you have stated what I believe and know to be true, saints are simply those who are in Christ. But in order to properly respond to the larger question, I need to reflect on how I use the term. It's interesting that I can easily call Paul, Peter, Luke, Mary, Ignatius, Augustine, and many other early church folk Saints (cap S), I rarely view those who've come after (reformation, etc) as Saints. Saying Saint Luther, or Saint Zwingli, or Saint Calvin seems foreign to me.

I believe this stems from those who have been "giants" of the faith refusing to be called Saints because of a perception that the title lifts them above the humble state in Christ we all seek to live in. The simple view that we are all one in Christ with no slave, Greek, Jew, male, female, etc seems to express that we shouldn't seek to identify others as "greater" in the kingdom and should strive to be least.

Yet, I still look up to those who appear to be more grown in the faith than I; a measure of eldership in those who have walked the walk and past through fiery trials ahead of me.

Even if I were to see one as a Saint in the protestant church, those who've lived piously, as you say (Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, A.W. Tozer, Smith Wigglesworth, and others) I would not naturally seek to venerate them or seek out an icon for that purpose. As some here have mentioned, they are instruments of God and have, through their lives, given Him glory. I see their willingness to be humbled before God, letting Him do His work in them, as something to be pursued, not the person themselves. Does this make sense to you all?

Respectfully,

Steve

 

[Orthocat]

Protestants do not believe in those that "heal" people like we do.
There are some groups that do not believe in miracles at all anymore, much less coming through another human, unless you are in charismatic circles.

Unfortunately for Protestants, those "healers" on TV have soured many to the actual healing that can take place.
Now we even see protestant TV persons "exorcising" demons...

As far as Protestant saints....who would come close???

Billy Graham perhaps? I don't know...


Interesting post however...

 

[Chesterton]

In Protestant democracies like America, the idea of Saints may go against the grain of democracy. For people who believe that "all men are created equal" is actually true, instead of the good and useful legal fiction it was intended to be, over time it becomes easier to follow a natural sinful inclination to disrespect, even (or especially) as to the virtuous.

 

[Orthocat]

very true Chesterton!

And unfortunately in the West, we have tendencies to be sceptical of anything "miraculous" and attempt to assign our own small reasoning and logic to it. If it can't be understood, then it doesn't exist...
How do you speak of miracles to a society that no longer believes in them?

How wonderful it is when you can look at anything and see God's Almighty Hand at work!!!

 

[buzuxi02]

ROCOR has glorified as Orthodox Saints, a Lutheran (and one rc). They were servants of the Romanov family and were assasinated together with the rest of the Romaniv family. With ROCOR's union with the MP, they will probably be dropped from the calendar but their names remembered in the hagiographia.

 

[Lukaris]

What is interesting in this topic is that I can think of 2 great Christians who died as martyrs in the struggle against Hitler's 3rd reich. Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Orthodox nun (Saint) Mother Maria Skobtsova. If one ever reads "The Cost of Discipleship" by Bonhoeffer and an essay "Types of Religious Lives" by Mthr Maria the call to die to Christ, if necessary, is so loving and pervasive that the passages from John 15:12-13: (come to mind) "This is my comandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Sometimes I feel all Christians are deprived because sainthood for 2 individuals like this is sensed but cannot be mutually understood.

 

[Dorothea]

Thanks for all your responses. They're truly interesting and some fascinating.

 

[GBTWC]

Im A Saint

 

[Shubunkin]

Umm, Saint Martin Luther?

yea, some protestants think that... :o