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To: fish hawk
On reading Scot McKnight's From Wheaton to Rome: Why Evangelicals Become Roman Catholic." as referenced in this article, he points out trends and patterns among those who have converted from Evangelicalism to Catholicism.

This is a pretty impartial book in the sense that McKnight does not evaluate the validity or give his own opinion on which is better, he just notes down the reasons given, with none of his own opinion added, so it is interesting as a statistician's question WHY?

McKnight points out that the typical convert to The Church goes through an "institutional transition" where they usually do not view themselves as converting to faith in Christ when they become Catholic; rather, they see themselves as transitioning to the fullness of the Christian faith. "In nearly every case, the convert believes that he or she has 'come home' or 'entered the fullness of the faith' or has experienced conversion to the 'truth of the Catholic faith.'"

One of the converts David Currie says
"I see my decision [to convert to RC] as a natural outgrowth of my Evangelical commitment."
or Stephen K Ray, most
"read' my way back to the Catholic Church. When I started reading books about what the church actually taught, I was forced to give up many mischaracterizations of her teachings. Indeed, I was struck by the sheer depths of the historical, and biblical arguments in favor of the Catholic faith.
Most converts from Evangelicalism, according to this book experience "a desire for transcendance"

This desire for transcendence usually takes four forms:
(1) a desire for certainty;
(2) a desire for history;
(3) a desire for unity; and
(4) a desire for authority.

(1) Certainty 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.

(2) History McKnight observes that many feel a "historical disenfranchisement" with Protestantism and want to be connected to the entire history of the Christian church and not just the period since the Reformation.

(3) Unity Most converts are disturbed by the divisions and countless denominations within Protestantism. McKnight quotes Peter Cram who
describes Protestantism as "one long, continuous line of protesters protesting against their fellow protesters, generating thousands of denominations, para-churches, and 'free churches,' which are simply one-church denominations."
Converts instead look to the unity of the Roman Catholic Church.

(4)Authority
Converts are disturbed by either 1. the lack of authority in the denominations or authority vested in a pastor with no real credentials (see David Koresh) besides charisma. And in both these cases there is no tie back, the group of the pastor dies with the pastor. They prefer the authority of Christ as vested by Him in His apostles.

Finally, do note that this article is specifically about Evangelicals getting baptised into Church, not about Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists etc.
239 posted on 08/07/2010 11:47:55 PM PDT by Cronos (Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "Allah": Satan's current status)
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To: Cronos
Finally, do note that this article is specifically about Evangelicals getting baptised into Church

The Catholic church accepts an Evangelical convert's original Baptism.

248 posted on 08/08/2010 12:49:55 AM 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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To: Cronos; Amityschild; Brad's Gramma; Captain Beyond; Cvengr; DvdMom; firebrand; GiovannaNicoletta; ..
This desire for transcendence usually takes four forms:
(1) a desire for certainty;
(2) a desire for history;
(3) a desire for unity; and
(4) a desire for authority.

I've commented on the youthful yearning for stability, order, structure in a post above.

These items are similar. And, as many converts to Mormonism and other cultish groups manifest--comprise a serious vulnerability that is well exploited by the Vatican.

1. CERTAINTY: Who has not felt the existential hurricanes in our era with the shredding of so many Biblical values in the market place and body politic?

2. It would be surprising indeed if a group that CLAIMED, with a shred of a convincing argument, did not have an attraction for many existentially adrift and uneasy souls. Certainty is a priceless comodity in a furiously UNCERTAIN world and era. It matters relatively little that the proffered Vatican "CERTAINTY" is largely sham and largely not even based on the CERTAINTY OF SCRIPTURE.

3. HISTORY too holds a similar attraction. Yet, here, the uninformed is most seduced by false testimony; rubbery history and disingenuous hogwash from the Vatican. However, fantasies are comforting for all of us. Sadly, this one can be spiritually deadly for millions.

4. PRETENDING TO BE IN EXISTENCE 300-400 YEARS BEFORE THE FACTS IS A PRETTY HUGE SCAM. However, the uninformed and undiscerning existentially desperate awash in a sea of chaotic modernity are ripe for the picking. Proffered tomes are easily convincing because the search for historical anchoring vs anchoring in the living Word of God is so shallow while the social cultural distress is so increasingly extreme.

5. The desire for UNITY IS ONE OF THE MOST SAD, PATHETIC AND ABSURDLY PARADOXICAL ITEMS ON THE LIST! The pretend unity under the Vatican umbrella is a HUGE SCAM, SHAM, FARCE. One can pretend and fantasize--but only by moving in, lock stock and barrel into Alice's rabbit hole.

6. Even the desire for AUTHORITY is a sadly grossly misplaced attraction and trust.

7. We've seen repeatedly how grandly the VATICAN AUTHORITY has protected millions of infants from the murderous actions of countless politicians the Pope has gone out of his way to meet with and prance about with in great pomp and circumstance . . . and certainly this vaunted and grand authority has rarely even withheld Communion from such murderous politicians.

8. "AUTHORITY?" RIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT . . . About as much Biblical and redemptive authority as last year's slug slime. The HOLY SPIRIT'S anointing--IF IT EVER RESIDED IN ANY HALLS OF THE VATICAN AT ALL--LEFT THE BUILDING LONG AGO.

9. Like all the other items on the list, PAPAL, MAGICSTERICAL AUTHORITY is a farce in terms of the BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL reality. However, the Vatican CERTAINLY exhibits GREAT PRODUCTIONS OF PRANCING PONTIFICAL POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE AUTHORITY just like the religious leaders in Jerusalem 2000 years ago who were so thankful they were not like the publicans, [Proddys] et al OVER !THERE!

10. In an insane culture awash in satanic chaos and farce . . . even a SEEMINGLY SLIGHTLY LESS FARCical structure and set of fantasies can be attractive to the existentially weary. The unsuspecting and shallow existentially adrift are even more vulnerable.

11. May God have mercy on such deluded souls now anchoring to a log floating in the hurricane of silly satanic seductions pouring out of and residing in ALICE'S WONDERLAND SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AND REALITY MANGLING. There may be added temporary comforts afforded all the structure, ritual and sham. However, when God's realities become starkly more evident as the Vatican slips ever deeper into the satanic globalist constructions on 'reality,' such comforts will likely become thing indeed, if not out-right justifiably terrifying.

290 posted on 08/08/2010 3:31:50 AM PDT by Quix (THE PLAN of the Bosses: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2519352/posts?page=2#2)
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