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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: smvoice
Let me explain the metaphor to you; The Train is God’s Church. the Catholic Church is anti abortion, anti ABC, etc....every prto Church supports ABC (or at best is not opposed to it) You can have a dozen abortions and still be a member of any Prot church.
Now which group is off the tracks?
461
posted on
08/08/2010 3:12:40 PM PDT
by
verga
(I am not an apologist, I just play one on Television)
To: Cronos
Is it daily or weekly “once and for all time sacrifice” that is performed? And just how are you more perfected tomorrow than you were today? Or yesterday? Or next year?
462
posted on
08/08/2010 3:17:03 PM PDT
by
smvoice
(smvoice- formally known as small voice in the wilderness. Easier on the typing!)
To: presently no screen name; Iscool
Being so excited that you didnt KNOW Iscool already mentioned his baptism by fire! Baptism is by water and the Holy Spirit. And it is Trinitarian. Anything short of that is not baptism. For a sacrament to be valid, three things have to be present: the correct form, the correct matter, and the correct intention. With baptism, the correct intention is to do what the Church does, the correct matter is water, and the correct form is the baptizing "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).
463
posted on
08/08/2010 3:22:00 PM PDT
by
NYer
("God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." St. Maximilian Kolbe)
To: ansel12
464
posted on
08/08/2010 3:22:59 PM PDT
by
Quix
(THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
To: verga
Since your original post said nothing about abortion..
I like my metaphor better. It best describes the problem with the train, the engineer, and the people on board..And yes, I know the train is the Catholic Church. The engineer is the pope, the ticket takers and porters are the magisterium, the priests, the bishops, the people on board are the members, and the tracks are the doctrines and traditions of men.
465
posted on
08/08/2010 3:25:24 PM PDT
by
smvoice
(smvoice- formally known as small voice in the wilderness. Easier on the typing!)
Comment #466 Removed by Moderator
To: smvoice
Christ died once and for all in space-time for our sins. Its a common mistake to 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?
467
posted on
08/08/2010 3:26:34 PM PDT
by
Cronos
(Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
Comment #468 Removed by Moderator
To: NYer; presently no screen name; Iscool
and the correct form is the baptizing "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19).Then how do you explain Acts 2:38?
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Did Peter not know the correct form in baptizing?
469
posted on
08/08/2010 3:32:03 PM PDT
by
smvoice
(smvoice- formally known as small voice in the wilderness. Easier on the typing!)
To: vladimir998
The arrogance and meanspiritedness of anti-Catholicism is once again revealed for all to see.
&&
Sadly, so true. It’s all over this thread.
We must pray for the Catholic haters that God will heal their hearts.
470
posted on
08/08/2010 3:32:42 PM PDT
by
Bigg Red
(Palin/Hunter 2012 -- Bolton their Secretary of State)
To: AnneM62
He told me that the Gospels were for the Jews only and didn't apply to Christians. (ultra or hyper dispensationalism, I believe) I asked him about the prayer that Our Lord taught us. He grinned and shook his head NO, NO, NO...not a Christian prayer. Oddly enough though, I did convince him of works. Go figure. Thank you for the post and ping! Sadly, many Evangelical congregations focus solely on the works of St. Paul who was not a witness to the actual events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ. Hence, they adopt the attitude you mentioned.
471
posted on
08/08/2010 3:36:23 PM PDT
by
NYer
("God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." St. Maximilian Kolbe)
To: smvoice
Of course you like yours better since it has nothing to do witht he topic, mine is correct and valid in any and ALL cases. Prot churches teach heresies, ergo they are off the tracks, The Catholic Church teaches the Truth, if people want to listen great, if not it is off the racks for them as well.
472
posted on
08/08/2010 3:48:25 PM PDT
by
verga
(I am not an apologist, I just play one on Television)
To: NYer
CLUE: Don’t tell a Christian about Baptism or Salvation.
To: NYer; smvoice
was not a witness to the actual events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ
Paul spent 3.5 years - solo - learning one-on-one from God. And you think he has to witness it - otherwise he doesn't know it?
That mindset could only come from one who does not have a personal relationship with God. They are only 'church taught'.
To: NYer; AnneM62
“Lovie, come quickly. The riff-raff are gathering in the streets again, saying something about it not being a question of personalities but of a message and a program..committed by the glorified Lord..to ONE MAN...Paul...for us..They are saying, dear, that we fail to recognize Paul’s God-given authority..that this message was given..sit down dear..to Paul from the Glorified Christ...in revelations directly from Him to Paul..I know..it cannot be true..where are the red words that make it so..why oh why must they continue to read for themselves?..I’m certain Paul did not mean all the things he actually said..he would have to be some kind of KOOK to ask us to follow him as he followed Christ..yes, dear, I think I remember reading that somewhere..but who knows..it’s nothing to worry your pretty little head over..close the drapes dear, and we will light a candle and pray the riff-raff will tire of Paul’s writings and stay in the safe books..with all the red words..it’s just so much easier..and safer for our well-being..blast those who would ask us to read further, ah-heheheeh..I made a funny... why read when we have someone to tell us what it says...?...”
475
posted on
08/08/2010 4:05:32 PM PDT
by
smvoice
(smvoice- formally known as small voice in the wilderness. Easier on the typing!)
To: ansel12
There are lots of conservative Catholics. My parish church is full of them. In fact, it is hard to find an Obama supporter among the practicing Catholics, although the pastor appears to be a closet Obama supporter, but that is the least of his problems.
476
posted on
08/08/2010 4:25:23 PM PDT
by
CdMGuy
To: Bigg Red
You’re right. We need to pray more.
477
posted on
08/08/2010 4:31:54 PM PDT
by
vladimir998
(Part of the Vast Catholic Conspiracy (hat tip to Kells))
To: Cronos
But remember, you can still come to Christ and worship Christ in fullness in His Church, the One Catholic and Apostolic CHurch. hallelujah! Worship Christ??? You mean eat the little cracker that you claim is Jesus but it's still really a little cracker???
It reminds me of going to the circus watching a magician....
The magician crumples up a piece of paper and covers it with his hands, says abba cadabbra and as he opens his hands, a dove flies out between his hands...And the kiddies go oooohhh and aaahhhhh...
But you all go watch the guy who crumples up the paper, says his abba caddabra, opens his hands and the crumpled piece of paper falls to the ground...And some of you guys go ooohhh and aaahhh...There's the dove...Ain't he pretty???
No thanks...God gave us more sense than that...
478
posted on
08/08/2010 4:36:21 PM PDT
by
Iscool
(I don't understand all that I know...)
To: Salvation
Magazine: Growing Trend--Evangelicals Crossing the Tiber to CatholicismI can't stand those cutesy terms, or when I mention that I'm a convert and they tell me, "welcome home". Or correct me and say I'm a "revert."
To: CdMGuy
There are lots of conservative Catholics. I believe that, actually I know that, but if you read this thread you won't find many of them here.
You may notice the lack of political interest in Catholic voting and Catholic immigration that many of the supposed political conservatives have on this thread. You may notice the Catholics here who treat this political issue as something to bury and conceal and absolutely deny, rather than fix.
I hope that you will share some of this voting information that I have posted with your fellow conservative Catholics, and discuss some ways to move the percentage of consistent, conservative Catholic voters up by ten points or so, and in a way that would be effective with Hispanic Catholics also.
480
posted on
08/08/2010 4:39:29 PM PDT
by
ansel12
(Mitt: "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush")
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