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Magazine: Growing Trend--Evangelicals ‘Crossing the Tiber’ to Catholicism
TheSacredPage.com ^
| August 6, 2010
| Michael Barber
Posted on 08/07/2010 3:38:50 PM PDT by Salvation
The magazine Religion Dispatches has a new piece up by Jonathan Fitzgerald, entitled, "Evangelicals Crossing the Tiber to Catholicism: Under the radar of most observers a trend is emerging of evangelicals converting to Catholicism."
As he points out, there are an increasing number Evangelicals coming into the Catholic Church. In fact, while my wife and I were at Fuller we witnessed this phenomenon firsthand. Indeed, students would come up and ask us if they could follow us to daily Mass (which was celebrated at a Catholic Church down the street). I went to Mass with many fellow students who had never experienced a Eucharistic liturgy. . . and, for many of them, once they started attending they couldn't stop.
Here's the story as Fitzgerald
reports it:
In the fall of 1999, I was a freshman at Gordon College, an evangelical liberal arts school in Massachusetts. There, fifteen years earlier, a professor named Thomas Howard resigned from the English department when he felt his beliefs were no longer in line with the colleges statement of faith. Despite all those intervening years, during my time at Gordon the specter of Thomas Howard loomed large on campus. The story of his resignation captured my imagination; it came about, ultimately, because he converted to Roman Catholicism. Though his reasons for converting were unclear and perhaps unimaginable to me at the time (they are actually well-documented in his book Evangelical is Not Enough which, back then, I had not yet read), his reasons seemed less important than the knowledge that it could happen. I had never heard of such a thing. . .
. . . [M]y parents never spoke ill of the Catholic Church; though the pastors and congregants of our non-denominational, charismatic church-that-met-in-a-warehouse, often did. Despite my firsthand experience with the Church, between the legend of my parents conversion (anything that happens in a childs life before he is born is the stuff of legends) and the portrait of the Catholic Church as an oppressive institution that took all the fun out of being saved, I understood Catholicism as a religion that a person leaves when she becomes serious about her faith.
And yet, Thomas Howard is only the tip of the iceberg of a hastening trend of evangelicals converting to Catholicism. North Park University professor of religious studies Scot McKnight documented some of the reasons behind this trend in his important 2002 essay entitled From Wheaton to Rome: Why Evangelicals become Roman Catholic. The essay was originally published in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, and was later included in a collection of conversion stories he co-edited with Hauna Ondrey entitled Finding Faith, Losing Faith: Stories of Conversion and Apostasy.
Thomas Howard comes in at number five on McKnights list of significant conversions, behind former Presbyterian pastor and author of Rome Sweet Home, Scott Hahn, and Marcus Grodi founder of The Coming Home Network International, an organization that provides fellowship, encouragement and support for Protestant pastors and laymen who are somewhere along the journey or have already been received into the Catholic Church, according to their Web site. Other featured converts include singer-songwriter John Michael Talbot and Patrick Madrid, editor of the Surprised by Truth books, which showcase conversion stories.
Would Saint Augustine Go to a Southern Baptist Church in Houston?
McKnight first identified these converts eight years ago, and the trend has continued to grow in the intervening years. It shows up in a variety of places, in the musings of the late Michael Spencer (the Internet Monk) about his wifes conversion and his decision not to follow, as well as at the Evangelical Theological Society where the former President and Baylor University professor Francis J. Beckwith made a well-documented return to Rome. Additionally, the conversion trend is once again picking up steam as the Millennial generation, the first to be born and raised in the contemporary brand of evangelicalism, comes of age. Though perhaps an unlikely setting, The Kings College, an evangelical Christian college in New York City, provides an excellent case study for the way this phenomenon is manifesting itself among young evangelicals.
The Kings College campus is comprised of two floors in the Empire State Building and some office space in a neighboring building on Fifth Avenue. The approximately 300 students who attend Kings are thoughtful, considerate and serious. They are also intellectually curious. This combination of traits, it turns out, makes the college a ripe breeding ground for interest in Roman Catholicism. Among the traits of the Catholic Church that attract TKC studentsand indeed many young evangelicals at largeare its history, emphasis on liturgy, and tradition of intellectualism.
Lucas Croslow was one such student to whom these and other attributes of Catholicism appealed. This past spring, graduating from The Kings College was not the only major change in Croslows life, he was also confirmed into the Catholic Church.
Croslows interest in Catholicism began over six years ago when he was a sophomore in high school. At the time, Croslows Midwestern evangelical church experienced a crisis that is all too common among evangelical churches: what he describes as a crisis of spiritual authority. As a result of experiencing disappointment in his pastor, Croslow began to question everything he had learned from him. This questioning led him to study the historical origins of scripture and then of the Christian church itself. Eventually he concluded that Catholicism in its current form is the closest iteration of the early church fathers intentions. He asks, If Saint Augustine showed up today, could we seriously think that hed attend a Southern Baptist church in Houston? The answer, to Croslow, is a resounding No.
. . .
You can read the rest
here.
TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; converts; evangelical; freformed
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To: metmom
I said "IF Peter is the ...."
In another metaphor the rules will be different. They're metaphors.
1,061
posted on
08/10/2010 8:29:26 AM PDT
by
Mad Dawg
(Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.)
To: verga
You don't want to pinged on "religious" topics Read the post again, I said religious arguments, as a conservative my interest is in figuring out a way to turn Catholics into conservative, pro-life voters, it is not in the depths of their theology or the arguments over theology that you guys have.
1,062
posted on
08/10/2010 8:58:08 AM PDT
by
ansel12
(Mitt: "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush")
To: smvoice
1,063
posted on
08/10/2010 9:09:44 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: Dutchboy88
If they want to claim a 2000 year old group, fine. They can own the heretics from Rome that built their own man-made organization, full of ceremony, tradition, and errant doctrine. They are welcome to create this fiction in their minds and doggedly cling to themselves as the center of the universe...well themselves and Mary.
We claim a 5000 year old group that clings only to the God-given faith bestowed as a gift, through no merit of our own exactly the way Abraham did. Our Assembly includes members like Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, and Paul. Our faith now centers on the Savior of men, Jesus Christ, alone. Here is the Assembly that Jesus spoke of and the one to which all rescued Christians and those Jews who anticipated Messiah belong.
GREAT POINTS. THX.
1,064
posted on
08/10/2010 9:11:27 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: papertyger
Do you know why you have thirty thousand sects?
Do you also know the source for the so called 30,000 denoms also lists the RCC as having been responsible for 5 million deaths. AND also lists the RCC as being 245 denominations.
Do you also stand by those numbers?
To: Dutchboy88; Amityschild; Brad's Gramma; Captain Beyond; Cvengr; DvdMom; firebrand; ...
FROM:
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/10/2948424/poll-young-hispanics-less-likely.html
THIS PARAGRAPH IS PARTICULARLY TELLING . . . AND SHOWS THE HOT AIR BLOWN BY SO MANY RABID RC'S ON FR ABOUT THE AVERAGE RC'S PRIORITY FOR GOD'S WORD TO BE JUST THAT--HOT AIR.
[Quixicated emphases below]:
Protestants are twice as likely to attend weekly services, according to the poll, also sponsored by The Nielsen Company and Stanford University. Many worship in evangelical or Pentecostal churches.
They tend to be more conservative than Catholics on matters of religious doctrine and social morality.
Seventy percent (70%) of Hispanic Protestants said the Bible is the actual word of God, to be taken literally, compared with 46 percent of Hispanic Catholics. Just 26 percent of Protestants said abortion should be mostly legal, compared with 41 percent of Catholics. And 59 percent of Protestants said same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry, compared with 29 percent of Catholics.
"What does it mean to be a Latino Catholic?" asked Robert P. Jones, founder of the Public Religion Research Institute, a Washington think tank. . . .
1,066
posted on
08/10/2010 9:33:15 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: bkaycee
Please ping me if you ever get a rational, reasonable, convincing answer . . . or any serious answer, for that matter.
1,067
posted on
08/10/2010 9:34:34 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: Quix; bkaycee
ping to the above referent post
1,068
posted on
08/10/2010 9:35:18 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: Amityschild; Brad's Gramma; Captain Beyond; Cvengr; DvdMom; firebrand; GiovannaNicoletta; ...
SORRY, GROUP
I FAILED TO
POST A WARNING
REGARDING THE
VIRTUALLY
INEVITABLE
ONSLAUGHT,
AVALANCHE
OF
WEASEL WORDS
TO BE TRIGGERED
BY THE REFERENT POST.
You may want to don a rain slicker
to shed the slimey rationalizations.
1,069
posted on
08/10/2010 9:38:28 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: ansel12
Read the post again, I said religious arguments, as a conservative my interest is in figuring out a way to turn Catholics
in name only into conservative, pro-life voters, it is not in the depths of their theology or the arguments over theology that you guys have.
There fixed it for you, as I told you, Catholics are all pro-life, anti abortion, it is the CINO's that you need to preach toand you won't find here.
1,070
posted on
08/10/2010 10:09:51 AM PDT
by
verga
(I am not an apologist, I just play one on Television)
To: verga; Amityschild; Brad's Gramma; Captain Beyond; Cvengr; DvdMom; firebrand; GiovannaNicoletta; ...
RIGHT . . .
THE 20% OF THE 1.2 BILLION = 300 MILLION.
THAT relatively small group . . . are the only
NON-RCINO Roman Catholics!
1,071
posted on
08/10/2010 10:13:40 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: verga
However, one of the stats on post 1066 could be construed to indicate that 29% were more authentic in their beliefs and practices . . .
so, let’s say 300 to 360 million globally may be more or less authentic RC’s.
That still doesn’t ferret out what percentage of them are
BIBLICAL CHRISTIANS with ABSOLUTELY NO MARYOLATRY etc. etc. etc.
1,072
posted on
08/10/2010 10:17:16 AM PDT
by
Quix
(C THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: bkaycee
The informed source which lists the 30,000+ protestant cults is a book of statistics devoid of any political agendas just facts.Nice try.
1,073
posted on
08/10/2010 10:20:11 AM PDT
by
bronx2
(while Jesus is the Alpha /Omega He has given us rituals which you reject to obtain the graces as to)
To: Deo volente; Quix; John Leland 1789
"I'm Sister Aimee, and I don't approve of that post! It's ghastly and horrific, indeed!"
Is that Sister Aimee? Was she an ex-nun?
1,074
posted on
08/10/2010 10:21:57 AM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
To: Deo volente; Quix; John Leland 1789
"I'm Sister Aimee, and I don't approve of that post! It's ghastly and horrific, indeed!"
Is that Sister Aimee? Was she an ex-nun?
I guess not. It's no wonder that ex-Ewangelicos say that they look for certainty in the Church. This desire for full knowledge of truth spurs many converts to The Church to reject what they consider to be the "doctrinal mayhem" and "choose-your-own-church syndrome". They have a desire for knowledge that they believe is possible within Catholicism but not within Protestantism.
1,075
posted on
08/10/2010 10:23:20 AM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
To: Deo volente
Jesus does not die all over again.OK...So Jesus continues to die instead of dying again, right???
1,076
posted on
08/10/2010 10:26:04 AM PDT
by
Iscool
(I don't understand all that I know...)
To: RnMomof7; Deo volente; wmfights
As I said before in post #467 which you did not read:. Christ is the victor over death. We worship Christ who lived, died and rose from the dead for us. Here's the post for your edification once more
Christ died once and for all in space-time for our sins. Its a common mistake to always equate sacrifice with death. To understand the sacrifice of the Mass, it is essential that one understand the biblical picture of a sacrifice: It is always a gift; it is not always a killing. This is why Scripture can speak of a sacrifice of praise (Hos. 4:12) and the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps. 50:14).
Christs bloody sacrifice on Calvary took place once, and it will never be repeated. To repeat his sacrifice would be to imply that the original offering was defective or insufficient, like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament that could never take away sins. Jesus offering was perfect, efficacious, and eternal.
Jesus is eternally a priest, and a priests very nature is to offer sacrifice. In the case of Christ, the eternal sacrifice that he offers is himself. This is why he appears in the book of Revelation as a lamb, standing as though he had been slain (Rev. 5:6). He appears in heaven in the state of a victim not because he still needs to suffer but because for all eternity he re-presents himself to God appealing to the work of the cross, interceding for us (Rom 8:34), and bringing the graces of Calvary to us.
The Mass is a participation in this one heavenly offering. The risen Christ becomes present on the altar and offers himself to God as a living sacrifice. Like the Mass, Christ words at the Last Supper are words of sacrifice, "This is my body . . . this is my blood . . . given up for you." So, the Mass is not repeating the murder of Jesus, but is taking part in what never ends: the offering of Christ to the Father for our sake (Heb 7:25, 9:24). After all, if Calvary didnt get the job done, then the Mass wont help. It is precisely because the death of Christ was sufficient that the Mass is celebrated. It does not add to or take away from the work of Christit is the work of Christ.
Isnt it glorious the Sacrifice is done, once and for all, the Eucharist is where we experience this once and for all time sacrifice. Its the Real Presence! Where you experience the personal relationship with Christ in the Eucharist! Beautiful isnt it, being in communion with the Lord in the Lords One Holy Apostolic Catholic Church?
in Christ's One Holy Apostolic Catholic Church, we experience Christ, the Risen Lord who conquered death.
It's great to experience Christ who carried out His ONE-TIME sacrifice in the Mass and the Eucharist where we have the TRUE PRESENCE of Christ. It's great thanks to the Holy SPirit who blesses and in whose presence we have the celebration of the mass. We read from the OT, Gospels, Psalms, Epistles and Revelation, leaving nothing out.
In The Church we celebrate Christ's life, death and resurrection in the mass where we see how Christ lived, preached, died and rose from the dead for us and our salvation
Leave behind the Presbyterian nonsensicals and come to Christ's One Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church
1,077
posted on
08/10/2010 10:29:21 AM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
To: metmom; papertyger; Deo volente; wmfights
Metmom:
Why would your snippet taken out of context be more valid/trustworthy/correct/whatever than mine?
Because, to quote wmfights in post #890
I see in Scripture that the Holy Spirit indwells believers and will be with them to the end to guide and direct them.
1,078
posted on
08/10/2010 10:38:45 AM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
To: John Leland 1789
You do realise that The Church was founded by Christ, so is 2000 years old. QUite unlike Foursquare which was formed in the 1920s....
1,079
posted on
08/10/2010 10:39:58 AM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
To: ansel12; verga
Ok, good point. The way to do that is to make the non-Republican voting Catholics believe that Republicans are not like the anti-Catholics on this board. Don’t attack our religion, attack the voting. You are arguing with conservative, REpublican voting Catholics here, so even if you are sincere in what you are trying to do, you’re preaching to the choir.
1,080
posted on
08/10/2010 10:43:04 AM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
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