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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
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_NLydHsxn-mw/TFw-AnYOMVI/AAAAAAAABQ0/LfHW7UTRsYs/s400/st.+peter+basilica.jpg)
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: ansel12
161
posted on
08/07/2010 8:25:04 PM PDT
by
RedMDer
(Throw them all out in 2010... Forward with Confidence! Forward!)
To: rwilson99
162
posted on
08/07/2010 8:25:50 PM PDT
by
Quix
(THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: rwilson99
To: vladimir998
The arrogance and meanspiritedness of anti-Catholicism is once again revealed for all to see.It's not mean spirited...It's intellectual and spiritual reasoning...
Why would a person who is saved, has a personal relationship with Jesus, move on to the Catholic church where a personal relationship with Jesus is mocked in the Catholic religion??? What person who is led by the Holy Spirit would give that up to be led by your magisterium??? And what born again, saved Christian would give up that salvation for the insecurity of, we won't know if we are saved' til we get there???
I doubt that anyone who moved from a non Catholic church to the Catholic religion has had a salvation experience, thus making them Christian in name only...
164
posted on
08/07/2010 8:31:14 PM PDT
by
Iscool
(I don't understand all that I know...)
To: LiteKeeper
How do you go from a system of salvation by Grace, to a system of salvation by works?The only way is that you never accepted the 'free gift' in the first place...
165
posted on
08/07/2010 8:33:47 PM PDT
by
Iscool
(I don't understand all that I know...)
To: ansel12
“Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.
166
posted on
08/07/2010 8:34:28 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Iscool
Oh my goodness!!! You certainly are lacking in knowledge of what the Catholic church is all about.
I find it disgusting that people post opinions based on such ignorance. You are entitled to your opinion but not to your own facts. Where do you get the idea that a personal relationship with Jesus is mocked? And that we are led by the magisterium & not by the Holy Spirit? Please get some info before spreading such nonsense.
Further, you should also try reading some conversion stories since you seem to doubt that newly minted Catholics have ever had a salavtion experience. Sheesh!! What unadulterated ignorance!!!!
To: vladimir998
Many more Protestants voted for Obama than Catholics. Will you deny that? Of course I don't deny it, a minority of Protestants voted Democrat and there are many more Protestants here than Catholics of course, this being America, but the majority of them voted Republican, and that is true in every election.
What is more important and needs to be revealed in light of millions of Catholics coming here from Mexico and other violent Latin countries, is that Catholicism causes the majority of it's Catholics to vote liberal and pro-abortion for some reason, and we need American Catholics to fix that, but first they have to know that it is happening.
What makes the majority of Catholics, liberal, pro-abortion, Democrat voters and how do conservative Catholics bring change in that area?
168
posted on
08/07/2010 8:38:26 PM PDT
by
ansel12
(Mitt: "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush")
To: LiteKeeper
What is the purpose of the Mass? Why must you attend each week? What is the means of salvation in the Roman Catholic Church? The finished work of Christ on the Cross 2000 years ago, or the work of Christ in the Mass each week?It's going to take a few...They'll have to google those questions up and post a link to the answers...
169
posted on
08/07/2010 8:40:49 PM PDT
by
Iscool
(I don't understand all that I know...)
To: ansel12
You really don’t know much about Catholicism do you?
For example:
You are not aware that by voting for ANY dimocrat — they excommunicate themselves.
Have you ever looked up how grave a sin abortion and helping anyone seek abortions is? And all the dimocrats, including the CINOs who support the dimocrat platform support abortion.
It’s not a matter of not liking them. It’s a matter of re-educating them — the CINOs, that is.
And you can’t tell me that every evangelical voted against Obrotion O either. There had to be people of various denominations who voted for him.
My theory is that people wanted to elect a black man and so they voted for him. How many are sorry about that right now — LOTS. Watch the upcoming elections!
And remember that we are on the same side — the conservative side!
NO need to slam the REAL Catholics on this forum at all. Do you agree with that?
170
posted on
08/07/2010 8:42:47 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: vladimir998; MamaB; RnMomof7; Quix; LiteKeeper
...sectarians who started their sect to uphold slavery and racism - dont have a church. Opinions like these and the almost daily posts here on Free Republic about "Crossing the Tiber" and the supposed superiority of The Catholic Church makes me wonder what is really the most important thing here? Which is preferred, that a person comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ or they put "Catholic" as their religion on a form? Really, that some seek formality and ritual in their worship and some prefer a less rigid, informal form of worship is what drives many in their preferences in church choice today. Such alternatives were not available in years past but that doesn't make one "better" than another.
What really matters, as a Christian, is do the beliefs comply with scripture and the teachings of the head, who is Christ Jesus? As a non-Catholic (not ANTI) I fully accept, as have many expressed here, that it is the heart that determines the relationship, not the labels. Just as a prime example, look at what the very earliest Christians did:
Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
The saved became part of the body, the church, when they believed. They did not have to join the "church" first.
171
posted on
08/07/2010 8:43:08 PM PDT
by
boatbums
(God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to him.)
To: vladimir998
Changes cannot be made until Protestants stop putting people like Obama and Clinton in the White House. Bizarre way to see things, both of those men won the "Catholic vote" and both of them lost the "Protestant vote".
172
posted on
08/07/2010 8:44:18 PM PDT
by
ansel12
(Mitt: "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush")
To: Iscool
You wrote:
“Why would a person who is saved, has a personal relationship with Jesus, move on to the Catholic church where a personal relationship with Jesus is mocked in the Catholic religion??? “
More anti-Catholic mendacity for all to see.
“I doubt that anyone who moved from a non Catholic church to the Catholic religion has had a salvation experience, thus making them Christian in name only...”
And your doubts are ridiculous. Your sort of backward reasoning is necessary, however, for the sectarian to keep up his belief in his sect and heresy.
173
posted on
08/07/2010 8:45:30 PM PDT
by
vladimir998
(Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))
To: ansel12
You wrote:
“Bizarre way to see things, both of those men won the “Catholic vote” and both of them lost the “Protestant vote”.”
Both were elected by Protestants. Many more Protestants voted for them than Catholics. Also, both are Protestants.
174
posted on
08/07/2010 8:47:07 PM PDT
by
vladimir998
(Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))
To: NYer
LOL! I have been saying that for a long time! So true.
175
posted on
08/07/2010 8:48:23 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
You are not aware that by voting for ANY dimocrat they excommunicate themselves. No I was not aware of that, so 54% of Catholic voters of 2008 America are now excommunicated, does the Vatican know this? Are they no longer counted in the figures given out on Catholic membership in America and globally?
How many elections does this go back to?
176
posted on
08/07/2010 8:49:12 PM PDT
by
ansel12
(Mitt: "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush")
To: boatbums
You wrote:
“Opinions like these and the almost daily posts here on Free Republic about “Crossing the Tiber” and the supposed superiority of The Catholic Church makes me wonder what is really the most important thing here?”
It’s not an opinion. It’s a fact - the SBC was started to uphold the life of slavery and racism.
177
posted on
08/07/2010 8:50:28 PM PDT
by
vladimir998
(Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))
To: TheStickman
Btw, I am a Catholic convert. A very thankful, happy & blessed convert. Peace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ be with with you always :)Were you a saved, born again Christian before you converted to Catholicism???
178
posted on
08/07/2010 8:50:33 PM PDT
by
Iscool
(I don't understand all that I know...)
To: ansel12
Try googling the Voters Guide for Serious Catholics. I don’t have the link or else I’d attach it but basically you will see how the FAITH teaches/expects Catholics to vote & how CINOs (which is exactly what they are) screw the whole thing up & give us devout, orthodox Catholics a bad rep at the voting booth. The doctrines & teachings of the Catholic faith are very conservative. Open your mind & you will see that.
I know we all have theological differences (big ones!) but I really wish that Catholics & Protestants could come together on this stuff instead of blaming each other for the disaster we have in DC.
I have a good friend who is orthodox Jew. I’d never lump Elena Kagan or Rham Emmanuel into the same category as him. And likewise he dosen’t hit me over the head with Pelosi, Kennedy, or Kerry. So let’s stop doing that with our fellow FReepers, please. Both sides can be associated with idiots (you guys have Carter & Clinton, don’t forget. I think we’d all agree that those people are not true followers of Christ, right?
To: Salvation
My wife and I both made this journey about 20 years ago.
I was raised in “Church of Christ” she was a former Baptist.
It is encouraging to see others who have done this for theological purity rather than just to get married, which in my experience is the majority of ‘converts’.
180
posted on
08/07/2010 8:55:38 PM PDT
by
ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton
(Standing by the gates of Minas Tirith as Sauron's forces pound the gates...)
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