Posted on 12/28/2011 5:47:17 PM PST by rzman21
How I led Catholics Out of the Church STEVE WOOD I was a Protestant for twenty years before I became a Catholic. I led many people out of the Catholic Church. My formula for getting Catholics to leave the Church usually consisted of three steps.
Step 1: Get Catholics to have a conversion experience in a Protestant setting. Most Fundamentalist, Evangelical, and charismatic Protestant churches have dynamic youth programs, vibrant Wednesday and Sunday evening services, and friendly small-group bible studies. In addition, they host special crusades, seminars and concerts. At the invitation of a Protestant friend, a Catholic may begin attending one or more of these events while still going to Sunday Mass at his local parish. Most Protestant services proclaim a simple gospel: repent from sin and follow Christ in faith. They stress the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus and the reward of eternal life. Most of the Catholics who attend these services are not accustomed to hearing such direct challenges to abandon sin and follow Christ. As a result, many Catholics experience a genuine conversion.
Protestants should be commended for their zeal in promoting conversions. Catholic leaders need to multiply the opportunities for their people to have such conversions in Catholic settings. The reason is simple. About five out of ten people adopt the beliefs of the denomination where they have their conversion. This percentage is even higher for those who had profound conversions or charismatic experiences that were provided by Protestants. (Believe me, I know; I was a graduate of an Assembly of God college and a youth minister in two charismatic churches.)
Protestant pastors, evangelists, youth leaders, and lay ministers are acutely aware that conversion experiences in Protestant settings often lead to a Protestant faith and church membership. Why do so many Catholic leaders fail to see this? Why are they so nonchalant about a process that has pulled hundreds of thousands of Catholics out of the Church?
Step 2: Give their conversion a Protestant interpretation.
A genuine conversion is one of life's most precious experiences, comparable to marriage or the birth of a child. Conversion awakens a deep hunger for God. Effective Protestant ministries train workers to follow up on this spiritual longing.
Before a stadium crusade, I would give follow-up workers a six-week training course. I showed them how to present a Protestant interpretation of the conversion experience with a selective use of bible verses. The scripture of choice was of course John 3:3, the "born-again" verse: "Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'
I used the "touch and go" scripture technique, similar to that used by pilots training for landings and takeoffs. We would briefly touch down on John 3:3 to show that being born again was necessary for eternal life. Then I would describe conversion in terms of being born again. We would make a hasty takeoff before reading John 3:5 which stresses the necessity of being "born of water and spirit." I never mentioned that for 20 centuries the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, echoing the unanimous teaching of the Church fathers, understood this passage as referring to the Sacrament of Baptism! And I certainly never brought up Titus 3:5 ("He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit") as a parallel reference to John 3:5.
In my experience as a Protestant, all the Catholics who had a conversion in a Protestant setting lacked a firm grasp of their Catholic faith.
In twenty years of Protestant ministry, I never met a Catholic who knew that John 3:3-8 describes the sacrament of Baptism. It wasn't hard to convince them to disregard the sacraments along with the Church that emphasized the sacraments.
Proverbs says: "He who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him" (18:17). Catholics without a scriptural foundation for their Catholic beliefs never hear "the rest of the story." My selective use of scripture made the Protestant perspective seem so absolutely sure. Over time, this one-sided approach to scripture caused Catholics to reject their Catholic faith.
Step 3: Accuse the Catholic church of denying salvation by grace.
Catholics often consider Protestants who proselytize to be bigoted, narrow-minded, or prejudiced. This is unfair and inaccurate; a profound charity energizes their misguided zeal.
There was only one reason I led Catholics out of the Church: I thought they were on their way to hell. I mistakenly thought the Catholic Church denied that salvation was by grace; I knew that anyone who believed this wasn't going to heaven. Out of love for their immortal souls, I worked tirelessly to convert them.
I used Ephesians 2:8-9 to convince Catholics that it was imperative for them to leave the Church:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. First I would say, "The Bible says that salvation is by grace and not by works. Right?" Their answer was always yes. Then I would say, "The Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by works. Right?" (I never met a Catholic who did not say yes. Every Catholic I met during my twenty years of ministry confirmed my misconception that Catholicism taught salvation is by works instead of grace.) Finally, I would declare, "The Catholic Church is leading people to hell by denying salvation is by grace. You'd better join a church that teaches the true way to heaven."
Because I would also do a "touch and go" in Ephesians, I rarely quoted verse 10 which says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Listen carefully to stadium evangelists, televangelists, and radio preachers. Nine times out of ten they will quote Ephesians 2:8-9 with great emphasis and never mention verse 10.
We are not slaves futilely trying to earn salvation by doing "works of the law" (Eph. 2:8-9). Yet as sons of God we are inspired and energized by the Holy Spirit to do "good works" as we cooperate with our heavenly father in extending the Kingdom of God (Eph. 2:10). Catholicism believes and teaches the full message of Ephesians 2:8-10, without equivocating or abbreviating the truth.
For twenty centuries the Catholic Church has faithfully taught that salvation is by grace. Peter the first pope said, "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved" (Acts 15:11). The Catechism of the Catholic Church, fully endorsed by Pope John Paul II, says, "Our justification comes from the grace of God" (section 1996).
Protestantism started when Martin Luther declared that we are justified (made righteous) by faith alone. At the time I was leading Catholics out of the Church, I wasn't aware that Martin Luther had added the word alone to his translation of Romans 3:28 in order to prove his doctrine. (The word alone is not found in any contemporary Protestant English translation of Romans 3:28.) I didn't realize that the only place the bible mentions "faith alone" in the context of salvation is in James 2:24, where the idea of faith alone is explicitly refuted: "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." This verse was troubling, but I either ignored it, or twisted it to mean something other that what the verse and its context clearly taught.
Should Catholics participate in Protestant events?
I have no objection to Catholics participating in Protestant-oriented events and worthwhile ecumenical activities provided that:
they have a firm grasp of their Catholic faith. they know their faith well enough to articulate it to a non-Catholic, using scripture and the Church fathers. they have the maturity to realize that the most profound presence of Christ isn't necessarily found in the midst of loud noise and high emotion, but in quiet moments like Eucharistic adoration (see 1 Kings 19:11-12). Unfortunately, the majority of Catholic men born after WWII don't meet the above conditions. For them, attending Protestant functions may be opening a door that will lead them right out of the Catholic Church.
There are now thousands of Catholic men on the brink of leaving the one Church Christ died to establish. I recently heard of a group of Catholic men who decided not to consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church in their small-group bible study. They believed that all they needed was scripture alone. Three of these men claimed that they no longer believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I can tell you from experience where this group is headed: straight out of the Catholic Church.
Over the past three decades, thousands of Catholics have left the Church for Protestant pastures. The largest church in America is the Catholic Church; the second largest group of Christians in America is former-Catholics. The Catholic men's movement has a solemn obligation to help men discover the biblical and historical roots of their Catholic faith. Then, rather than leaving, they will become instruments to help others discover the treasures of Catholicism.
Remember that a man who leaves the Church will often take his family with him — for generations. It took my family four hundred years — 10 generations — to come back to the Church after a generation of my ancestors in Norway, England, Germany and Scotland decided to leave the Catholic Church.
As one whose family has made the round-trip back to Catholicism, let me extend a personal plea to Catholic men, especially the leaders of various Catholic men's groups: don't put untrained Catholics in a Protestant setting. They might gain a short-term religious experience, but they take the long-term risk of losing their faith. It would be highly irresponsible to expose them to Protestantism before they are fully exposed to Catholicism.
At my dad's funeral twenty-nine years ago, I tearfully sang his favorite hymn, Faith of Our Fathers. Little did my dad, a minister's son, or I realize that the true faith of our forefathers was Roman Catholicism. Every day I thank God for bringing me back to the ancient Church of my ancestors. Every year God gives me breath on this earth I will keep proclaiming to both my Protestant brethren and to cradle Catholics the glorious faith of our fathers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Wood, Steve. "How I led Catholics Out of the Church." St. Joseph's Covenant Newsletter 4 no. 2 (March/April 1998).
Reprinted with permission St. Joseph's Covenant Newsletter.
THE AUTHOR
Steve Wood is the founder of St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers (SJCK), a dynamic apostolate for Catholic men, and runs the web site dads.org.
Copyright © 1998 St. Joseph's Covenant Newsletter
I’m a vocal Evangelical Christian and have never thought such a thing either, much less said anything against the Catholic church. I’m even allowed on Catholic caucus threads and am on the ping list.
I can defend my faith intellectually just fine but frankly I am getting sick of you personally labeling all of us like you do.
As a Protestant with a terminal degree in Theology from a Jesuit University, I would like to comment regarding your post.
You state, in defining various terms: "apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith."
You further state that "The person who leaves not just the Catholic Church but who abandons Christ Himself is materially an apostate." I would agree with the above statements.
However, IMHO your conclusion does not follow, viz. that a Catholic who becomes a Protestant is automatically an "apostate" according to Canon Law.
The day is long gone when every Protestant would have been well-schooled in the evils of the Church and the Protestant "corrections" to the supposed false doctrines. That way of thinking largely belongs to another age, when Protestants felt the obvious need to distinguish themselves as clearly as possible from the Church. After all, their raison d'etre was bound up in their ability to justify their leaving the Church.
However, having lived and taught in various Protestant denominations over a long career, I have not seen militant anti-Catholicism to any significant degree. I would guess that most Protestants have only a vague idea as to why they are Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, etc., and not Catholic.
Thus, most Protestants (save those who deliberately left and repudiated Catholocism) are not to any great extent actively opposed to the Church, and they clearly cannot be considered among those who have totally repudiated the Christian Faith - i.e., "apostates" according to your definition.
As stated in an earlier post, my hope and prayer would be that genuine Christians (those who hold to the fundamental doctrines of Christ) exercise a spirit of charity and of unity towards one another. We face a great enemy who seeks the destruction of all Christians, and we do the cause of Christ a disservice by failing to heed and obey His prayer for Christian unity as recorded in the Gospels.
I am certainly not suggesting that we should disregard any and all doctrinal differences, but I am suggesting that we conduct such discussions in a spirit of Charity and of "considering the other as greater than ourself."
Hey n00b, did you sign up in September 2011 to post divisive stuff?
>>Since when is getting people to think about why they believe what they do divisive?
Hey n00b, did you sign up in September 2011 to post divisive stuff?
>>Since when is getting people to think about why they believe what they do divisive?
I’m not so sure that is your motivation, n00b.
I don’t think Christian management is all that concerned about whether we’re Catholic or Protestant as long as we’re working toward the same goal.
>>That might be liberal Protestant teaching, but when it comes to Catholics leaving for Protestantism that’s a different story.
You do realize that Mormons specifically target Catholics because they are ‘easy marks’ for conversion to Mormonism and steal many more Catholic sheep than Evangelicals do.
Another point, Catholics are Christians, Mormons are not. There are huge theological differences that cannot be over come.
So before you go all kumbyah with the Mormons, think again.
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
There’s nothing in that passage that demands that people’s pastors must be imposed on them by church hierarchy. Only that when people submit themselves to a pastor, they obey his godly leadership.
Many people understandably argue that grown up men and women should be allowed to participate in the management of their congregation like grown-ups.
You wrote:
“If you hold the view that all ministers are scammers, I believe you are wrong.”
Your view is irrelevant. He admits he objectively scammed people. He might have done it unwittingly, but objectively he scammed people.
“However, now, he is your scammer!”
He’s not a scammer. He WAS a scammer. Now, he is not.
“As I wrote, I hope the RC church can do something very good with him now.”
With him? No, he has done good with the Church and the Church has given him some of what he lacked as a Protestant. Here’s his website: http://www.dads.org/
so true, so what is the point of his thread?
but the Mormon Church has been a fighter for family values for all Americans against gay rights, abortion, etc.
- - - - -
THAT IS NOT TRUE. And I can prove it with LDS sources. That is the image they put forth but they are not nearly anti-gay or pro-life as you think and certainly not as much as Evangelicals.
Please, try for consistency.
“He’s not a scammer. He WAS a scammer. Now, he is not.”
I can only hope so, but only time will tell whether his character has changed.
Nancy Pelosi is a self-excommunicated Catholic. Besides she’s a Marxist, not a liberal.
Either you except Christ,or you don’t. Why so complicated?
so true, so what is the point of his thread?
Near as I can tell from his posting history, he enjoys creating divisions among Christians and likes joining Satan as an accuser of the brethren. You will have to reach your own conclusion...
Is that so? Got a chapter and verse on that? We each have our own reality and what we consider the Truth. How many people believed Jesus was the Christ who came into this world to save humanity when He started His ministry? One. Jesus Himself. The Truth is the Truth whether one person believes it or a million. I believe the Bible to be the Truth? Am I wrong to believe that? When nothing else in this world makes sense, the Bible does. It is the written Word of God. It provides the basis for our prayers and knowledge of how best to please Him.
Chapter 8. Let nothing be done without the bishop
See that you all follow the bishop, even as Jesus Christ does the Father, and the presbytery as you would the apostles; and reverence the deacons, as being the institution of God. Let no man do anything connected with the Church without the bishop. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is [administered] either by the bishop, or by one to whom he has entrusted it. Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude [of the people] also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate a love-feast; but whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God, so that everything that is done may be secure and valid.
St. Ignatius of Antioch Letter to the Smyrneans 105 A.D.
I can read the Bible, who cares what others say?
Forgive me, vladimir, for I have sinned.
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