Replies

"Now, if we could only get them our separated brothers to see the logic of this. If you find a way that seems to work, let me know! I've been writing the same stuff for awhile now... "

Jo kus,

Well, for starters, this site is great, because it allows us to hash through the issues and clear up a lot of misconceptions.

It would be very helpful if Protestant seminaries dropped the an-historical approach to Christianity. Protestantism is a man-made invention of the 16th century and later. If someone wants to show me "saved by faith alone" in the bible, or as a teaching of the Church prior to the time of Martin Luther, I'm open to seeing it. We have extensive writtings documenting Church teaching that date back to the first century, so if it exists, it should be easy to find.

Also, the conspiracy theory history of the Catholic Church is one that we could do well without in order to make honest progress in dialog. Anti-Catholicism, to the extent that it exists, needs to be dropped from the Curricula and the pulpit.

I have never heard a sermon preached against the Protestant Faith in a Catholic Church. It is my distinct impression, on the other hand, that anti-Catholicism is a fundamental point of faith for many protestant traditions. Given that Protestantism depends upon Catholicism for its legitimacy, this is a dysfunctional situation.

We also need to assure our brothers and sisters in Christ that we respect and care for them, and appreciate their Christian witness. I'm also open to suggestions from our Protestant brothers and sisters.

The fractured faith of Christianity is a scandal to the Body of Christ. I have on numerous occasions heard people interested in exploring Christianity ask which denomination of the 33,000+ rival communities is the correct one. It does not help when a seeker enters a Christian Church, and is presented with an attack against other sincere Christians.

Recognizing that it is a problem is a good place to start, and the more mature ecclesial communities have done that.