Some Protestants don’t view Roman Catholics as Christians, and won’t acknowledge the Roman Catholic Church as a true church. A Reformational Catholic regards Catholics as brothers, and regrets the need to modify that brotherhood as “separated.” To a Reformational Catholic, it’s blindingly obvious that there’s a billion-member Church of Jesus Christ centered in Rome. Because it regards the Roman Catholic Church as barely Christian, Protestantism leaves Roman Catholicism to its own devices. “They” had a pedophilia scandal, and “they” have a controversial pope. A Reformational Catholic recognizes that turmoil in the Roman Catholic Church is turmoil in his own family.
I just LOVE the smell of heresy in the morning!!!
That may seem a wise stance in Moscow, but not in Scripture in separation from such salvifc errors as Rome propagates is called for.
"what communion hath light with darkness..Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:17)
Rome both officially and effectually preaches a different gospel, which begins with being made good enough to be with God by forgiveness and his own interior holiness effected thru the act of sprinkling (usually) a morally incognizant infant in recognition of proxy faith, and (usually) ends with becoming good enough to be with God thru purgatorial suffering, if he/she did not sufficiently co-operate enough with the grace dispensed by Rome thru her Treasury of Merit. In practice, both serve to effectually foster confidence in one's own merit and the power of the church for salvation.
In Scripture, it is personal repentant faith in the risen Lord Jesus to save damned+destitute sinners by His sinless shed blood, with baptism, which is by immersion, requiring repentance and wholehearted faith. (Acts 2:38; 8:36,37)
And while born again Prots (which not all are either) enjoy "fellowship of the Spirit" (Phil. 2:1) with each which is greater than their differences, unless there us grievous error, this is rarely realized in interaction with RCs. who, as seen here, incessantly promote their church and attack evangelicals, and minimize commonalities.
Christianity itself began in dissent from those who were the stewards of Scripture, and inheritors of the promises, and who had historical descent. And as Biblical unity requires separation, thus you had the evangelical movement which began because of unity in core truths and in opposition to liberal revisionism in Protestantism, which is also seen even in Catholic Bibles.
To a Reformational Catholic, it’s blindingly obvious that there’s a billion-member Church of Jesus Christ centered in Rome. Because it regards the Roman Catholic Church as barely Christian, Protestantism leaves Roman Catholicism to its own devices.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
What is blindingly obvious is that RCs have a different gospel and different Spirit, with unScriptural "devices," and the proposal of being a Reformational Catholic is not more tenable to RCs than being a Protestant Catholic.
A Reformational Catholic cheerfully acknowledges that he shares creeds with Roman Catholics, and he welcomes reforms and reformulations as hopeful signs that we might at last stake out common ground beyond the barricades. (Protestants also exaggerate differences from one another, but that’s a story for another day.)
We do share at least the apostle creed, as i have often pointed out to RCs who attacks us as being unified only in rejection of Rome, but what Rome means by those Creeds is not the same. In Catholicism, the act of baptism, not the faith behind it, is how even infants become born again, while Mary is almost made a 4th person of the Godhead. Etc.
Looks like non-Catholics are free to define Catholicism as they see fit, since this author did it for Protestantism.
When a Catholic is asked if they are Christian and they respond with *No, I'm a Catholic*, they've already made the distinction.
The true church is the body of Christ in the world, comprised of true believers, regardless of denominational affiliation.
No one denomination can lay claim to being the one true church.