The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism: The Converts

Catholic Exchange ^ | July 2, 2007 | David Hartline

[NYer]

It started with Scott Hahn and it is still going strong.  The number of prominent Protestant clergy and theologians coming to the Catholic Church has been nothing short of remarkable.  Priests like Father Dwight Longenecker and Father Alvin Kimel are new to the Church and they bring a lot of enthusiasm, scholarship and wit and humor with them.  Father Longenecker might be the only priest who is a graduate of the admittedly anti-Catholic institute of higher learning, Bob Jones University.  Deacon Alex Jones, a former pastor in a prominent African-American Pentacostalist Church in Detroit left behind a vibrant, growing congregation.  However, the pull of Catholicism's 2,000 year-old history and her ability to weather many storms was too much for Deacon Jones.  He now travels around the country telling his conversion story.  In addition, there have been prominent theologians and university scholars like Dr Francis Beckwith, who very recently was the head of the Evangelical Theological Society.  He came home to the Church in April.  The aftershocks from his reversion to Catholicism (he was born into the faith but later left the Church for Evangelicalism during his teenage years in the heyday of the "Jesus Movement,") still are being felt.  He followed Joshua Hochschild who surprised many in the theological world when he recently converted to Catholicism.

In my book The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism, I note that while many in the media, even some Catholics, are focused on those who have left the Church, few have noticed the significance of so many prominent members of other faiths who have come home to Rome.  It should be noted that many who left the Catholic Faith, usually for a non-denominational mega church, often can't give a theological reason.  They can only say that they enjoy the liveliness and entertainment that a mega church often provides.  It is most encouraging that Catholicism is getting the crème of the crop from other churches.  Entry into the Church for these converts is usually made after a long, difficult journey to come to terms with something that they never thought possible.  For some, like Scott Hahn and Father Dwight Longenecker, the Faith they once mocked is the Faith they have changed their lives and alienated family and friends to join, a decision not taken lightly. 

Often, it is an attempt to better understand Catholicism in order to disprove it that leads to conversion, when they simply could not come up with anything to dispute the key tenets of Catholicism: Scripture and Tradition, the Sacraments, Apostolic Tradition and the role of Mary.  They found themselves falling into the trap that the eminent Pharisee Gamaliel warned about in Acts 5:33-39. They might be fighting against God.

Many of the former converts, some of whom were admitted anti-Catholics, have now become prominent defenders of the faith.  Dr. Scott Hahn is a mainstay at Franciscan University and is often seen on EWTN.  As a matter of fact there are so many converts and reverts coming home to the Church that one of the most popular shows on EWTN is The Journey Home, hosted by Marcus Grodi.  Besides clergy and scholars there are hundreds of thousands who have entered the Church in recent years. This past Easter, it was announced that over 100,000 people came into the Church, just in the United States.  While bloggers and Catholic apologists Mark Shea and Jimmy Akin came into the Church some time ago, Aimee Milburn and Gerald Augustinus along with twin brothers David Bennett and Jonathan Bennett have chronicled their recent journeys into the Church via their blogs.  It is a truly remarkable story that often gets little media attention.  If the converts keep coming, the Tiber is going to get mighty crowded.  Indeed, the tide is turning!

[NYer]

I could have written most of that article from personal experience. It defines my journey fairly well and why I love my faith as a Catholic and will be eternally thankful to have finally ended up home.

Welcome Home!

I maintain a Catholic ping list. Please freepmail me if you would like to be added to it.

[NYer]

We both felt better after that, and we've since left the good-time, rock-and-roll church (and have heard since that many others have done likewise).

We live in a society that actively promotes "me, myself and I". It's all about feelings and not infrequently, Catholics grow 'bored' with their Sunday liturgy and seek something livelier. Yet another aspect of introspective feelings.

Those Evangelical pastors who take their faith seriously, occasionally end up discovering the Truth. One such pastor was Alex Jones. In his attempt to deliver to his congregation a Sunday celebration resembling the one celebrated by the early christians, dug deeper and into the Early Church Fathers. The result? Read his story below.

Pastor and Flock Convert to Catholicism

[NYer]

I left for purely doctrinal reasons.

Care to enumerate them? We would all be most appreciative. Thank you!

[NYer]

a handful of scholars converting to RCC does not a movement make

The influx of Protestants into the Catholic Church goes well beyond handful. The majority of them are highly educated theologians and pastors.

I can assure you that I have personally led many of yours to a personal relationship with Christ. All I do is read them the scriptures. The words of grace spoken of by Paul do more than remove the barnacles of “tradition,” they convert the soul.

Despite what you may believe, "ours" already have a personal relationship with Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. If anything, you are leading them into fallacy. Then again, you would not be the first one to do so.

How I Solved the Catholic Problem

[markomalley]

1Cr 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

And that's why I have given up participating in the mega threads (the ones that end up with a couple of proddies arguing with a couple of Catholics). I realize that if the proddies' eyes aren't opened by the Holy Spirit, they will never understand the truth. Far better to pray for them than to waste time arguing with them.

[VeritatisSplendor]

I thought I could reconcile my new faith in Christ as my Savior with Catholicism .
___________________________
“Born again” was my starting point that led to my becoming Catholic. It hasn’t gone away because I became Catholic. Even in the worst Catholic parish I’ve been in, we were still taught that we were saved by Christ - the atoning death of God’s Son on the cross.

I understand that people do have doctrinal differences with the RC church, but I have never seen anything to back up Protestant or Evangelical assertions that churces teach we are saved by works or by confession and absolution.

Mrs VS

[Jaded]

So which is it? Theological reasons or because of inadequacies in the local church? Many people go church shopping these days, often times they leave to find a church that fits their worldview instead of living up to God’s law, to have their ears tickled.

[Jaded]

Amen to that brother!

[Running On Empty]

dittos

[highlander_UW]

I noticed since I worked from the botton up that this is a Protestant group. Not funny that you did not mention it in your reply. Honesty, honesty, honesty.

How dare you suggest I was dishonest! You post like a liberal. You misunderstand my post, you accuse me of lying. I stated nothing but facts and did not intend the truth to be understood as anything other than that.

Sorry about my mistaken post.

That would be this most recent post of yours.

Hopefully everyone knows that they can return to the Catholic Church at any time. All they need to do is find a priest they can talk with and make an appointment for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)

My devotion is to Jesus, not the catholic church. Although I'm sure all the men in the group I mentioned grasp that they could return to catholic church I'm quite certain that none would wish to do so. A number of still trying to overcome problems experienced in the catholic church. In following back the roots of the various problems is how we learned that every one had been raised in the catholic church.

It would also be helpful to them if they were to attend a class for Returning Catholics. The one at our church is entitled, “Catholics Can Come Home Again.” Hoever, there are several with different names.

I'm sure you mean well. You won't be seeing any of this group attending that class...none see the catholic church as home, all have their eyes on Jesus.

[RichardMoore]

I was raised a Protestant and was taught that communion was symbolic only. Then eventhough I stopped going to church I continued to read the Bible and read about many other religions.

Then I heard about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and everything suddenly made sense. I've been a convert since 1982.

[RichardMoore]

What don’t you agree with in Catholicism?

[AnAmericanMother]

Interesting. Do you think that Catholics don’t read Scripture?

[AnAmericanMother]

Maybe he meant recently.

We could have said it started with the Ethiopian eunuch . . . .

[xzins]

I was raised a Protestant and was taught that communion was symbolic only.

Jesus said very clearly, "These words are spirit and they are life."

Jesus truly is present, however, the notion that the bread is flesh is belied by the fact that our pre-crucifixion Jesus was holding the bread that He had broken when He said, "This is my body broken for you."

The "presence" must be interpreted as spiritual and not as transsubstantial.

"But spiritual is not 'real'." some will say. However, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth."

For those who believe "spiritual" is not real, I suppose they're saying that God, who is Spirit, is not real.

[franky1]

<<<”Every single person I know who left the Roman Catholic Church did so for theological reasons,...”>>>

You are correct. They could not follow the Magestirum of the Church. They needed contraception and most importantly, the divorce and remarriage direction was to tough too follow. They would rather “think” for themselves rather than obey. It is why they search for years finding those Churches that are “permissive” or at the very least undefined in their actual teachings. The easy way out should I say? Easy way out for those who have no discipline or have never been directed in discipline.

[ventana]

I think you may be right. But the “theological reasons” may be due to lack of poor formation. Just a thought. V’s wife.

[Tax-chick]

Yeah, well. The first one who made the news since this fella graduated high school, maybe.

[AnAmericanMother]

There DOES seem to have been a rash particularly of Protestant ministers/theologians/professors over the last 5-10 years, however.

Maybe it's just that we hear about them on EWTN though . . .

[Tax-chick]

Maybe it's just that we hear about them on EWTN though

I think it's partly that, and also the fact that a greater Catholic emphasis on apologetics has exposed Protestants to knowledge of Catholicism (and Eastern Orthodoxy) that they might not have encountered in the past.

There's also simply the ease of finding information - a person with a question about Catholicism, or wanting to read the Church Fathers (Greek or Latin) just needs a computer.