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A Protestant Historian Discovers the Catholic Church – Conversion Story of A. David Anders, Ph.D.
chnetwork ^ | February 05, 2015 | A. David Anders

Posted on 02/07/2015 9:35:40 PM PST by Steelfish

A Protestant Historian Discovers the Catholic Church – Conversion Story of A. David Anders, Ph.D. February 13, 2012

A Protestant Historian Discovers the Catholic Church by A. David Anders, Ph.D.

I grew up an Evangelical Protestant in Birmingham, Alabama. My parents were loving and devoted, sincere in their faith, and deeply involved in our church. They instilled in me a respect for the Bible as the Word of God, and a desire for a living faith in Christ. Missionaries frequented our home and brought their enthusiasm for their work. Bookshelves in our house were filled with theology and apologetics. From an early age, I absorbed the notion that the highest possible calling was to teach the Christian faith. I suppose it is no surprise that I became a Church historian, but becoming a Catholic was the last thing I expected.

My family’s church was nominally Presbyterian, but denominational differences meant very little to us. I frequently heard that disagreements over baptism, the Lord’s Supper, or church government were unimportant as long as one believed the Gospel. By this we meant that one should be “born again,” that salvation is by faith alone, and that the Bible is the sole authority for Christian faith. Our church supported the ministries of many different Protestant denominations, but the one group we certainly opposed was the Catholic Church.

(Excerpt) Read more at chnetwork.org ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; christians; convert; spiritualjourney
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To: elhombrelibre
Sine then, sadly, and this thread shows it, the schism continues with some who would rather divide Christ’s Church into a thousand churches than to accept that one or two passages they interpret wrongly makes a poor foundation bound only for more schisms.

Ok; how do we get ROME to NOT interpret them wrongly??

101 posted on 02/09/2015 2:44:21 AM PST by Elsie ( Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: elhombrelibre; CynicalBear
Your nasty know-nothing posts are perfect examples of why the Reformation harmed Christianity and led to secularism today.

Dude!

You've just been called ugly by a TOAD!!

102 posted on 02/09/2015 2:45:20 AM PST by Elsie ( Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie; Steelfish

30 And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

The angel said what was GOING to happen; period.

There was NO saying yes or no on Mary’s part: it was a done deal.


103 posted on 02/09/2015 2:47:42 AM PST by Elsie ( Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Elsie

Ok; how do we get ROME to NOT interpret them wrongly??


How do we get those who don’t agree with Rome to stop being so obsessed with Rome?

Anders and Swaggart both said that they were taught as children to strongly oppose the Catholic Church. They experienced this attitude throughout their theological training. Anders talked about the anti-Catholic attitudes of his professors at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Tim Staples says that Jimmy Swaggert made him Catholic. It wasn’t the only reason, but it deeply bothered him that Catholics were bashed in every class he took at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College (now World Evangelism Bible College).

Why is there this perceived need to tear down another’s beliefs? Isn’t it enough to build one’s own faith and not be concerned with what others believe?


104 posted on 02/09/2015 4:35:40 AM PST by rwa265
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To: elhombrelibre
Yes, the Counter Reformation was led by Catholics. And it’s maintained the Church for nearly 600 years since the beginning of the Reformation. Sine then, sadly, and this thread shows it, the schism continues with some who would rather divide Christ’s Church into a thousand churches than to accept that one or two passages they interpret wrongly makes a poor foundation bound only for more schisms.

It's far more than just a couple of scriptures...And obviously you are not reading the scriptures being posted...Your religion is NOT the church of the scriptures...We post tons of scriptures proving that...

We and you, if you are a Christian are commanded by God to post these scriptures...We are not creating the schism...God is, with the scriptures...

105 posted on 02/09/2015 6:07:39 AM PST by Iscool
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To: NYer

Thanks for posting.


106 posted on 02/09/2015 6:19:09 AM PST by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
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To: tbpiper
"For evangelical Christians, what one believes is more important than how one lives."

That's an out-and-out lie.

When it was said before (by some anti-Catholic around here) that "Catholic priests are child molesters" when Catholics here gave the same kind of objection you just did, saying "It's a lie to say that!" the "explanation" given was that the previous sentence (Catholic priests are child molesters) doesn't say "ALL Catholic priests are child molesters" it was just "Catholic priests are child molesters" so one can't necessarily infer that it meant "ALL" are child molesters.

So the same "logic" can and does apply to your objection. The sentence you object to doesn't say "For ALL evangelical Christians, what one believes is more important than how one lives.", it only says ""For evangelical Christians, what one believes is more important than how one lives." That doesn't necessarily mean "ALL" Evangelical Christians are like that.

So I say, "Enjoy the fruits of your fellow non-Catholics on FR".

107 posted on 02/09/2015 7:07:36 AM PST by FourtySeven (47)
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To: elhombrelibre
>>You’re never going to win converts<<

We don't "win converts". It's God who does the calling and it's God who changes hearts. We simply preach the true words of God.

>>but you will continue to split Christianity<<

There is no "splitting Christianity". There is only exposing false teaching that calls itself Christianity. The mixing of paganism and Christianity in Catholicism is not true Christianity.

>>Your nasty know-nothing posts are perfect examples of why the Reformation harmed Christianity and led to secularism today.<<

LOL Yeah, we can see that with this pope Francis guy and their followers Pelosi and Biden.

108 posted on 02/09/2015 7:10:27 AM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: Iscool

“Prove it...Anamnesis is never connected with sacrifice...It is only connected with remembrance, recollection...”

I already posted the evidence. Go back and look at it.


109 posted on 02/09/2015 7:23:26 AM PST by vladimir998
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To: Iscool

Did.


110 posted on 02/09/2015 7:24:00 AM PST by vladimir998
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To: elhombrelibre

“Cynical’s posts show why so many people get turned off by any religious discussion. He’s the type of obnoxious person that cannot even discuss Christ and not be an arrogant Pharisee.”

True enough.


111 posted on 02/09/2015 7:28:33 AM PST by vladimir998
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To: Elsie

“And we ALL know that not ALL of Jesus’ words were recorded; so we can put anything into His mouth and it ‘could’ be true!”

Protestants put words in Jesus’ mouth on a fairly regular basis.

“(Bein’ Catholic is GREAT!!!)”

It sure is.


112 posted on 02/09/2015 7:37:49 AM PST by vladimir998
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To: Iscool
"He admits he wasn't saved...Didn't you read the article???

That's kind of my point...usually non-Catholics are quick with the snap judgment regarding others salvation.
113 posted on 02/09/2015 7:41:33 AM PST by Carpe Cerevisi
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To: Iscool
Sola scriptura works as long as you're not in disagreement with some other autodidact with his own sola scriptura quotes. Then, you're not a church. You're just a mob of angry, disjointed, disconnected experts arguing about doctrine. What is it, three or four hundred different churches of scriptural experts?

You may indeed believe that's what Christ wanted his Church to become, a divided, polemical, angry, mess without doctrine or love. I have no problem accepting that that is the message of many of the angry posts here. And by the way, find where the Bible says, "every man for himself." Sola scriptura is just that.

114 posted on 02/09/2015 7:51:55 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: Iscool

If God is creating the schism in your mind, that fight with God. After all, that’s whom you’re truly angry with.


115 posted on 02/09/2015 7:53:47 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: CynicalBear

You’re incoherent and inscrutable. But worse than that you’re a harm to the loving message of Christ. All the Bible has given you is a pedantic feeling of superiority and arrogance. I’ll pray you find a way not to feel so much animus.


116 posted on 02/09/2015 7:56:03 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: Elsie

I don’t think Rome does interpret them wrongly.


117 posted on 02/09/2015 8:03:15 AM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution.)
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To: elhombrelibre

A visit to the mods page would help you with the rules of the forum.


118 posted on 02/09/2015 8:22:28 AM PST by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus)
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To: FourtySeven
Anders did not preface his statement with "In my opinion...". He was speaking as a "Protestant" historian which implies some authority on the subject. Had you said it, I would have just considered the source and moved on.

So I say, "Enjoy the fruits of your fellow non-Catholics on FR".

That statement makes no sense.

119 posted on 02/09/2015 8:36:31 AM PST by tbpiper
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To: tbpiper

Well the fact of the matter is he didn’t say “All Evangelicals..etc” so I don’t know how you can say what he said is “a lie”.

He was an Evangelical, so he knows from personal experience and as you point out, he is an historian so surely he knows what *some* Evangelicals believe and practice.


120 posted on 02/09/2015 9:21:26 AM PST by FourtySeven (47)
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