Posted on 07/29/2008 4:39:52 PM PDT by annalex
Evangelicals have been going through a major change of heart in their view of Catholicism over the past 15 years or so. In the 80’s when I was in college I lived in the Biblebelt and had plenty of experience with Evangelicals–much of it bad experience. The 80’s was the height of the “Are you saved?” question. In Virginia, the question often popped up in the first 10 minutes of getting to know someone. As I look back, Isurmise that this was coached from the pulpit or Sunday school as it was so well coordinated and almost universally applied. It was a good tactic for putting Catholics on the defensive even before it was known that they were Catholic—”ummmm, uhhh, well no, I’m not sure, I’m Catholic.” Then a conversation about works righteousness or saint statues would ensue. Yeah, nice to meet you, too.
Thankfully, those days are pretty much over. We now have formerly rabid anti-Catholics apologizing and even praising the pope. Catholics and Evangelicals have both learned that we have much in common and need each other to face the secular culture with a solid front. But, where did this detente come from? I think there is a real history to be told here and a book should be written. Let me give my perceptions of 7 major developments since 1993, which I regard as the the watershed year for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States.
1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1993. When this document came out, it was uncertain that even Catholics would read it. We should have known that something was up when the French version hit the top of the bestsellers charts in France and stayed there for months. The English version did the same in the US. Catholics were reading the Catechism, forming study groups and challenging errant professors in the classroom.
2. World Youth Day, Denver 1993. Catholic youth and youth ministers woke up. Suddenly, Catholic youth ministers realized that the youth loved the pope. And they loved him all the more because he did not talk down to them or water down the faith. He challenged them. Gone now were the pizza and a video parish youth nights. Furthermore, youth and young adults took up the challenge to evangelize. One of those youth heard the message and started a website, New Advent. Catholic youth were now becoming zealous for the Catholic faith in its fullness and were not going to be swayed by an awkward conversation that began with “Are you saved?”
3. Scott Hahn. While the Catechism is great for expounding the Catholic faith, it is not a work of apologetics itself. It is not written to expose the flaws of Evangelical theology. It is not written to defend the Church against the attacks of Evangelicals per se. It just would not let them get away with misrepresenting the Catholic faith. But Scott Hahn hit the scene at about the same time with Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 1993). I first heard his testimony on cassette tape in 1996. It blew my mind. Suddenly, Catholic apologetics, which is as old as the Catholic Church itself, got a leg up and there was an explosion of books, magazines and websites that effectively undercut the arguments of the 5 Solas. For the first time, there was a cadre of Catholics well enough informed to defend their faith.
4. The Internet. The Net started exploding from 1993 to 1996. I had my first account in ‘94. Compuserve was horribly basic, but by ‘96 I had AOL and the religion debates raged instantly. Catholics who had just been given the most powerful weapon in the arsenal in the war against misinterpretation of their teaching were learning to type on a forum while balancing their catechisms on their laps. Of course, online versions came out, as well. But, no Evangelical bent on getting Catholics out of the arms of the Whore of Babylon could expect to do so without himself have a copy of the Catechism, knowing it inside out and pouring over it for the errors and horrors he would surely find. Evangelical apologists were confronted with a coherent and beautiful presentation of the Catholic faith that they were ill equipped to argue against. They learned that Catholics, too, loved Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Catechism had arrived providentially just before the internet and had turned the tables in just a few short years. With the apologetic movement hitting at the same time, Evangelicals were also confronted with Catholics who could argue from the Bible defending their faith and demonstrating the weaknesses of Evangelical interpretations of scripture.
5. Early Church Fathers. One fruit of the Apologetics movement has been a flowering anew of Catholic interest in Patristics. This is happening at every level from armchair apologists to doctoral studies. It is suddenly all about Patristics, whereas in the 70’s-90’s the academic focus had been on Karl Rahner and Liberation Theology.
6. Evangelical Third World Experience. Evangelicals have had a field day in Latin America among the poor who are not part of the internet conversation and are distant from the study of apologetics. But, Evangelicals have learned from their experiences abroad an essential aspect of the Gospel they were missing: the Works of Mercy. Once haughty with their criticism of “works righteousness,” they have learned one cannot attend to the spiritual needs of the poor without attending to their bodily needs. Catholic have always understood this. Now, the Evangelicals are coming around. I haven’t heard an Evangelical Televangelist speak on works righteousness in many years.
7. Secularism. With the collapse of the Mainline churches as the backbone of American religion over the past thirty years (since about 1975), Catholics and Evangelicals are the only ones left standing in this country to present the Gospel. Secularism is on the rise and is ruthless. Evangelicals are now learning that only Catholicism has the intellectual resources to combat the present secular age. And, with the pope, we have a pretty effective means for communicating the faith and representing it to the world. There is nothing an Evangelical can do that will match the power of one World Youth Day.
With such an array of Providential developments, Evangelicals as well as Catholics have come to appreciate the depth and the breadth of the Catholic faith. It is far more difficult for them to honestly dismiss Catholicism as the work of Satan as once they did without qualm. There have been apologies and there have been calls for a new partnership. Let us hope these developments will bring about a new moment of understanding for the Glory of the Lord.
What is said is the viewpoint of St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch. Similar views can be found elsewhere as well.
I was referring to the slander of calling the Holy Father a nazi, not to anything your wrote.
Thanks. I knew someone would go through that with a finer comb than I had time to.
The Church explains because the New Testament is the product of the Church. The rest, at best, interpret.
“Most Protestant baptisms are valid. Since you ask, by the way, every valid baptism is also a baptism into the Catholic Church whether the particuipants in the sacrament recognize it or not. Those baptized in a Protestant tradition get their souls permanently marked as Catholic Christians, however, since they don’t practice Catholicism they fall off later.”
Seems, in the final analysis, to make the entire religious structure of the Catholic church unnecessary.
“Like yeast hidden in the dough, they are there. And their prayerful lives and influences which— when the “winter is over”, and “all that is hidden is brought to light”-—will bear much fruit.”
Why would you use “yeast” as an illustration? “Leaven” (yeast) in the Scripture is always a picture of sin, corruption, and decay, something that is to be “put away.” (gotten rid of)
1 Peter 3:15 instructs believers to BE READY ALWAYS TO GIVE AN ANSWER . . . not just keep something in their heart.
I’m asking when I might see a greater number of Catholics actually openly witness for Christ. And I don’t mean just appearing at public events. I mean, in the neighborhoods, and so forth, telling people about Christ.
You're welcome. Took a little bit, but I found it.
You may be assking for what is now hidden but to be revealed in God’s good time.
I have already said that.
Witness is not always vocal, not always actively and openly missionary, not always publicly certifiable.
Our Lord is very capable of “seeing in secret and rewarding in secret”.
If He lives in our hearts, He is not always there to make us into heralds—sometimes we are there to silently serve.
Call it sweet and poetic if you please. It doesn’t concern me what assessment is made of my posts. They are offered in sincerity regardless of how they are received.
LOL. Thank you, God, for putting me on the side of brothers and sisters like you, FK. I hope your clients know you’re deserving of top dollars. You sure know how to defend the truth. 8~)
One can only hope, LOL.
It happens on both sides of the Tiber, Jaded.
The mods do their best here to be neutral. I don’t care what other forums do. Let them decide what’s best here.
Good for you!
You don’t KNOW what a personal slam from me really is. Consider yourself blessed, dear Petronski.
You ARE kidding aren’t you? Now if the RC’s ARE getting rebuked by the RM’s more, maybe it’s because they said something that was nasty enough to be rebuked. If I say something nasty, I would expect to be rebuked. Sounds like you’re blaming the wrong folks.
I guess it did not seem necessary to belabor the obvious.
I watched Art Monk a bit. He is a very humble, sweet man and well deserving of the honor. Of course, he did play for SU...
I know, I followed up this post with this one:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2053369/posts?page=698#698
AMEN, FICHORI!!!
I’m a charismatic and darn glad of it. AND evangelical, AND born again, AND a child of the LIVING God, AND love to worship and praise Him, AND believe in all the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, AND have His assurance that I will be with Him eternally. Careful who you judge here. There are Christians in every single one of those kinds of churches you seem to dislike so much—even in the Catholic Church!
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