Saturday, April 09, 2005
On Evangelism
You must have heard by now that the Pope died. My pastor even offered a prayer for the Catholic church as they search for new leadership. I, however want to say what I don't think others else would dare say right now. However great a person he was, and whatever he may have done, the man was crazy. I have no doubt that he did a lot of good things for a lot of people, but he also thought that when he sat in a certain chair, that he spoke directly for God. To be fair, there are a lot of people who seem to feel that they speak directly for God whether they are sitting in a chair or not, but I digress. A long explanation of the differences between Catholics and Protestants is beyond the scope of this post, but briefly, I feel that the main argument for Protestantism can be summed up by Luke 11:27-28:
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
Did the Pope have a relationship with the Lord? I would certainly hope so. Yet the fact remains, from where I stand, he was the world leader for a large group of people who just don't quite get it. Now there lies is the real issue. If Catholics are all wrong, how can I be so sure that the people of my church are right?
I think the greatest hindrance to my spiritual growth is that, having cast aside my former world view, I now lack any tools to properly evaluate "truth." So, while I need no particular convincing that I myself am a wretched sinner, when it comes to declaring to others that they can never earn God's favor on their own merit, (my own mother for example, or say, the Pope) well, that's where I fall short.
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
Did the Pope have a relationship with the Lord? I would certainly hope so. Yet the fact remains, from where I stand, he was the world leader for a large group of people who just don't quite get it. Now there lies is the real issue. If Catholics are all wrong, how can I be so sure that the people of my church are right?
I think the greatest hindrance to my spiritual growth is that, having cast aside my former world view, I now lack any tools to properly evaluate "truth." So, while I need no particular convincing that I myself am a wretched sinner, when it comes to declaring to others that they can never earn God's favor on their own merit, (my own mother for example, or say, the Pope) well, that's where I fall short.
Comments:
I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say that "Catholics are all wrong", whether meaning that the entire set of Catholics are wrong or that Catholics are entirely wrong in their beliefs.
With regards to the first meaning, there are, in fact, some very strong Christians that are members of the Catholic church. G. K. Chesterton was an amazing writer and strong defender of Christianity, and he was also a Catholic. There is also the long history of the church before the rise of Protestantism to consider: I'm not prepared to say that God wasn't working in the thousand-plus years between the early church and then.
With regards to the second meaning, I think a good portion of Catholic beliefs are right, but there are certain areas of belief that I don't accept. The focus on Mary at the expense of Christ seems almost like goddess worship, and the patron saints feels to me like a rationalized pantheism. But I don't know enough about Catholicism to determine if these are fundamentals of Catholicism or superstitions of people groups unfamiliar with their inherited religion, somewhat like Protestants believing in guardian angels and reciting phrases like "God helps those who help themselves" to justify their greed.
As far as determining truth goes, I think I'd do the same as you just did: examine the words of Christ and measure everything against that, including the rest of the Old and New Testament and any teachings claiming to be based on the Bible. Given that, I've found C.S. Lewis, Chesterton, and Philip Yancey helpful in my stumbling (if I may borrow your phrasing). I've heard good things about Francis Schaeffer and A.W. Tozer as well, but I haven't read their works.
I think a study of Catholicism, it fundamental beliefs, and why Protestantism differs from them would be a great subject for an odd group.
With regards to the first meaning, there are, in fact, some very strong Christians that are members of the Catholic church. G. K. Chesterton was an amazing writer and strong defender of Christianity, and he was also a Catholic. There is also the long history of the church before the rise of Protestantism to consider: I'm not prepared to say that God wasn't working in the thousand-plus years between the early church and then.
With regards to the second meaning, I think a good portion of Catholic beliefs are right, but there are certain areas of belief that I don't accept. The focus on Mary at the expense of Christ seems almost like goddess worship, and the patron saints feels to me like a rationalized pantheism. But I don't know enough about Catholicism to determine if these are fundamentals of Catholicism or superstitions of people groups unfamiliar with their inherited religion, somewhat like Protestants believing in guardian angels and reciting phrases like "God helps those who help themselves" to justify their greed.
As far as determining truth goes, I think I'd do the same as you just did: examine the words of Christ and measure everything against that, including the rest of the Old and New Testament and any teachings claiming to be based on the Bible. Given that, I've found C.S. Lewis, Chesterton, and Philip Yancey helpful in my stumbling (if I may borrow your phrasing). I've heard good things about Francis Schaeffer and A.W. Tozer as well, but I haven't read their works.
I think a study of Catholicism, it fundamental beliefs, and why Protestantism differs from them would be a great subject for an odd group.
I had a great idea that I thought you would like, I sent you an e mail, but don't know if you got it. I may not have your most recent info. Find me on airspaceacrobatics.com and send me an email if you're interested. Hope to hear from you,
:::cris
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:::cris
# posted by 
: 4/13/2005 1:54 PM
: 4/13/2005 1:54 PM
