I guess that means no.
Engage your brain, and think again.
I think you are jesting, right?
Dear P-Marlowe,
"'When asked if he was a Christian, Clark said he was a Catholic'
"I guess that means no."
Perhaps that was the interpretation of the Salvation Army fellow speaking to the Catholic employee.
However, that likely isn't what the Catholic employee meant by his words.
If someone asked me whether I'm a Christian, I might answer with as short an answer as, "I'm a Catholic."
The long version (which I'd be intending fully with the short answer) would be, "Of course I'm a Christian, I'm a Catholic."
An even longer version might be, "Of course I'm a Christian, after all, I'm a Catholic, a member of the True Church of Christ, the Church with the fullness of faith of Jesus Christ, apart from which there is no salvation."
It's quite possible that the Salvation Army guy didn't pick up these meanings, and it would have been incumbent on the Catholic employee to make them clearer as the conversation went on.
However, I suspect that perhaps the Salvation Army fellow might have taken the answer, "I'm a Catholic," as a "No, I'm not a Christian," because the Salvation Army fellow's theology might exclude Catholicism as a legitimate expression of Christianity.
That all being said, I don't think that the Catholic employee's case should even be considered.
If the Salvation Army prefers to promote evangelical Protestants ahead of Catholics, I just don't have any problem with that whatsoever.
sitetest
Having attended seminary with many Salvation Army adherents at Asbury Seminary, a methodistic seminary in central Kentucky near Lexington, I can authoritatively state that the Salvation Army, in terms of their religion, is a separate, evangelical, methodistic denomination. It is a matter of history that the Salvation Army is out of the traditional methodist movement.
However one might desire to understand this is of no significance. We might like to view the SA as a charitable organization. It is but it isn't solely that. We might like to view it as one of many local, social service agencies. It performs in that capacity, but only because of proximate interests.
The SA is a conservative, evangelical, protestant Christian movement.
If a conservative, evangelical protestant Christian wants to know if you are a "Christian," he is actually trying to be pretty broad-minded. He doesn't want to hear that you are episcopalian, presbyterian, assemblies of God, OR....CATHOLIC.
He wants to hear: "Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ."
Others can kick at that all they want, but in doing so, they simply highlight their inadequate understanding of conservative, evangelical Christian denominations.
If the priest asks me, "Are you Catholic?" he doesn't accept Episcopal as an answer.