Paula sez: "All your
base are belong to us!" So,
there, Mr. Pope Man!
Posted on 06/01/2005 6:29:39 AM PDT by murphE
Editor's Note: Statements by Pope Benedict XVI and the appointment of San Francisco Archbishop William Levada signal a Holy See ready to counteract the expansion of evangelical groups worldwide.
SAN FRANCISCO--On the day before the conclave to choose a new pope began, future pontiff Joseph Ratzinger led a liturgy that reassured the church's believers that the Holy See was not giving up on them and was prepared to fight for the salvation of their souls. He surely meant to allude to the fight against moral relativism, but he also had his sights set on evangelicalism.
Indeed, during the first mass held by Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI, he strongly implied that the Catholic church is the rightful House of Christ, and said that his first commitment was toward "the full and visible unity of Christ's followers."
Today, to regain ground in the first world and continue to expand in the Third World, the Roman Catholic Church, more than fighting secularism, must counteract the expansion of evangelical groups. It is a silent clash that could be compared to the protracted, mostly slow-burning feud between capitalism and communism during the Cold War.
According to some researchers, evangelical Christianity is expanding three times faster than the world population and is the only existing religious group showing a significant growth through conversion. By contrast, the Roman Catholic Church is expanding at a slower pace than the population, which will mean an overall decrease in the number of Catholics worldwide.
In addition, the dissolution of the Berlin Wall not only reinvigorated the Orthodox church, but also saw huge numbers of believers from the former Socialist bloc -- where the church had been persecuted -- move into evangelical groups.
There are currently more evangelicals in Asia than in North America. Singapore's churches are among the most active in the world, sending one missionary abroad per every 1,000 members. Seven of the world's 10 largest evangelical churches can be found in Seoul alone, a city in which 110 years ago there was none.
In Latin America, a mostly Catholic region for the past 500 years, the number of evangelicals has grown from under 250,000 in 1900 to over 60 million in 2000. Critics of the Vatican say the vacuum left by Pope John Paul II's disavowal of the "basic Christian communities" movement has been filled by the evangelicals.
In 1960, the number of evangelicals living in the developing countries were one-half of those in the West; in the year 2000 they were four times more and in 2010 they will be seven times as numerous.
In America, where even Protestant groups have lost 5.4 million members over the last decade, evangelicals have enjoyed a growth rate of 40 percent. They have become the largest religious force in the United States, with 26 percent of all believers -- and they wield undeniable political clout.
"The current pope is a renovator. But there cannot be renovation without tradition," says Father Joseph Fazio, founder of St. Ignatius Press and Chancellor of Ave Maria University in Florida. "I don't have any doubt that he'll realize the full spirit of Vatican II, of unifying all of Christ's believers under the benevolent care of the Holy See.
"He has already laid the doctrinal ground for the renaissance of the church -- he did it when he was at the helm of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Under Benedict XVI the world will know that the Roman Catholic Church has Christ's message at its core and follows his teachings closely," adds Fr. Fazio.
The battle for the soul of believers in developed countries, particularly the United States, is also critical -- most of the funds used by alternative evangelical churches to send missionaries and proselytize in the poorer countries come from there.
The appointment of San Francisco Archbishop William Levada to the previous position held by Pope Benedict XVI himself can be better appreciated in this light.
Levada's appointment sends the message that the church entrusts its doctrines to a prelate who had led a diocese in America's most secular humanist and morally relativistic city. Levada has dealt firsthand with the legacies of free love, feminism, the gay movement and the evangelical juggernaut.
"Benedict XVI has chosen Levada specifically because he knows how to face these challenges," says Father Labib Kobti, pastor at St. Thomas More in San Francisco and U.S. Representative for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
"When Levada expressed his surprise at his appointment, the Pope responded that he was in fact the right man for the task because he came from a world where evangelical groups were a challenge, where the message of Christ was being distorted, and that he had provided a compassionate but firm rebuttal to the many assaults that the church of San Francisco had faced during his years as head of the diocese."
Under Levada's almost decade-long tenure, San Francisco's Catholic church regained a religious presence that had been faltered under the more politically adaptable administration of Archbishop John Quinn.
Father Kobti, however, dismisses suggestions that the Vatican is more than alarmed at the growing influence of evangelicalism. "In the past the church has been given for dead more than once," he says. "Take for example the rise of the Baptists and of the Lutherans."
The problem is also that the traditional missionaries have lost their way. The Jesuits, for instance, have a marvelous infrastructure in Latin America. But they have squandered it with programs like the IVP. Instead of having these kids spread the Gospel, they're down there spreading social justice nonsense.
It really sounds similar. Except my wife's group hasn't passed out evaluation forms - that really takes some courage!
Up to you.
Paula sez: "All your
base are belong to us!" So,
there, Mr. Pope Man!
Key words
There are only two passages in the entire New Testament which might seem to contain a prohibition against the ministry of women (1 Corinthians 14:34 and 1 Timothy 2:12). Since these must be placed along side Paul's other statements and practices, they can hardly be absolute, unequivocal prohibitions of the ministry of women. Instead, they seem to be teachings dealing with specific, local problems that needed correction.
There are various interpretations of what Paul was limiting when he said, "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak" (14:34). Options include (1) chatter in public services, (2) ecstatic disruptions, (3) certain authoritative ministries (such as judging prophecies), and (4) asking questions during the service. Yet, Paul does allow women to pray and prophesy in the corporate service (1 Corinthians 11:5).
Although we may not solve all the difficulties of this chapter, we do conclude that this passage does not prohibit female leadership, but like the rest of the chapter, it admonishes that "all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).
I could counter with as many pro-women verses as you can find anti-women. The question is which are "universal truths" and which address "local issues."
Please don't try to tell me what I "should" say.
The Creed of the Catholic Church -- the first Church founded by Christ, sates:
"......We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen."
The Nicene Creed was formulated by the Council of Nicea to counteract many heresies of that day. It still stands to fight those same heresies again and again.
Please check your facts -- the complete facts -- on the Catholic Church.
Dont sidestep like that, exactly what is my error, and be precise this time...
Admittedly, if two people are going to get arrested protesting outside an abortion clinic, it will likely be a Pentecostal and a Catholic priest.....
Very true, good post.
You believe in the rule of law, don't you?
Definitely.
Ah, interpretation! I thought that wasn't allowed! ;-)
A large share of the blame falls on the Jesuits, had they stayed true to their order and not become modernist Marxists, along with the other religious like the Mary Knolls etc, the laity would not be so unprotected against error and this would not be an issue.
But what the heck, we're both Christians.
You claimed Catholicism was watered down. I disabused you of that notion. You replied with a two word nothing.
Your assertion that Catholic dogma forbids the death penalty is false.
So what exactly are you complaining about?
Evangelicals and Pentecostals create and excess of ministers in the established churches and send the extras to the rest of the world to build new churches. Catholicism has a shortage of priests in the established churches and import many from the third world to staff the existing churches.
**It really sounds similar. Except my wife's group hasn't passed out evaluation forms - that really takes some courage!**
But it is an intrical part of the process. How can improvements be made if we don't know what the people like.
We asked for input for next year also and found out that people like our arrangement of
6:00 Mass
6:30 Meal
7:00 Opening Prayer and Activities for all ages and childcare provided
8:15 or 8:30 Final Prayer
They also liked the evening we were having it on, along with the meal -- since families need not cook. We've had sloppy joes, spaghetti, baked potato bar, baked chicken, tacos, salad bar. For next year we are starting off with a pasta bar -- three kinds of pasta with chicken.
The meals were also well received -- we were thinking they might want it dropped.
Not allowed???.....ITS DEMANDED. You just can't outsource it......
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