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I was raised conservative Baptist and received my theological education in pre-eminent Evangelical schools (B.A. Moody Bible Institute; M.A. Wheaton College), while earning my Ph.D. in Theology at a Jesuit school (Marquette University). I have learned to appreciate both traditions, and hope that one day genuine Christians (the author of the article wrongly cites the Jehovah’s Witnesses bible as if it was a legitimate “Protestant” sect) of varying denominations will realize that they hold much more in common than what they disagree on. As the world descends into hostility and the persecution of Christianity as prophesied by Jesus Himself, one would hope that people of Faith would encourage and support one another rather than continue in pointless squabbles.

I actually started to read the “21 reasons” article. I got through five. There were tons of straw men.

Same for this article:

“It hit me like a ton of bricks! Protestants — or at least this one Protestant — do not care if you have different ideas about the morality of certain actions, because to the Protestant, actions do not matter.”

Apparently the writer is completely ignorant of the lives of so many evangelical Christians, here and the world over, who certainly do think ALL their actions (and thoughts, and words) matter. But since this writer is somehow ignorant of that, he then doesn’t have to answer for the existence of such Christians.

What’s backed up by Scripture (which Catholics seem to be appealing to a lot these days to contradict their pope) is that a person can become conscious of their guilt before God. That person sees that they’ve broken God’s laws, and that those acts, which at the time they believed to be right, caused damage to themselves and others, and they’re ashamed before God for them.

They also see that they can’t trust themselves to know right from wrong and don’t want to live by the “wisdom” of human reason anymore. So then those who know of the Gospel think of how Jesus died for their sins, and they become grateful for that. It makes sense to them. They recognize they need Him and His sacrifice for them. They can’t undo the wrong they did. It’s eternally unchangeable.

But, they can have God’s forgiveness. He just wants them to accept Him as their god, their Lord, and to never forget, but accept, that HE paid the price for their sin. He wants their undying gratitude because it’s due Him.

And, they can also have His counsel, His direction, as well as His strength to turn away from sin and to grow more and more Christlike over time, as well as His patience and mercy as He protects and instructs and disciplines Him in this life.

Then they also find that besides having fellowship with other believers, they also have fellowship with God. Through His Word, His Spirit, and the experiences which are His will for them, they find themselves getting to know God intimately — something they never dreamed of when they just thought that God was an all-power being who was first and last their eternal judge giving out rewards and punishments.

They see that wasn’t the ultimate end of this life, but for us to live intimately with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forever.

The church made up of those known by God (”Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity,” 2 Timothy 2:19) are those people who have had this experience, even if, like the thief on the cross, it happens almost at the end of their life. As long as it truly happens in their hearts (and sometimes only God, the only one who absolutely sees and knows our hearts, knows for sure) then that person is a true Christian, wheat not a tare.