Posted on 01/27/2014 1:46:12 PM PST by Gamecock
The election of Pope Francis has the world’s attention. It is fascinating to read the array of perspectives. Political pundits and cultural exegetes, with more or less knowledge of Catholicism, have expressed their opinions concerning the meaning and future prospects of this pope. But what about former Catholics, those of us who were raised Catholic and now identify with evangelical Protestantism? What are we saying? I can’t speak for others, but I’ll tell you what is on my mind.
My Upbringing in Catholicism
Hardly a week goes by in which I don’t receive an email from a Catholic reader of my blog expressing that he or she is praying for me to “come home” to the Catholic Church. On the whole, I find them to be incredibly genuine and therefore it is easy for me to give a sincere “thank you.” Over the last week, as I have participated in several interviews about the conclave and papal selection, my inbox has seen many such appeals. In what follows I would like to share with my Catholic friends the fundamental reason why I am an evangelical Protestant.
To start with, I should say that my experience growing up Catholic was exceedingly positive. Owing largely to the ministry of our parish priest, Monsignor Tom, I grew to love the Catholic tradition. I loved the grandeur of the sanctuary with its carved wood, arched windows, and stained glass. I loved the deep, resonate amalgam of voices confessing the Nicene Creed and the honesty and humility expressed in the kyrie: “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.” I loved simple things, like braiding cruciform-shaped palm leaves for Easter.
Oh, what I wouldn’t give for one more Knights of Columbus dinner, with trays of pasta fra diavolo, risotto parmigiano, and pignoli nut cookies prepared by my uncles. These were the occasions in which boys became men, learning how to eat for God’s glory.
I vividly recall our confirmation retreat at the nearby Cenacle. In the tranquil surrounding of a Marian grotto we learned stories of heroic saints like Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs who stared down lions in the name of Christ. Dominick, my best friend, suggested that I choose Saint Jude as my personal saint since Jude was the Saint of “lost causes.” Despite our juvenile banter, we were challenged to be courageous for God.
I enjoyed watching reruns of Archbishop Fulton Sheen with his long flowing cape and clever quips, marveled during Lent at the seemingly endless number of recipes we had for preparing tuna fish, and took great pleasure in walking to the altar with my family during Mass to present the gifts of wine and bread. This was my identity—a member of the Catholic Church—and I loved it.
But I had to leave.
Why an Evangelical Protestant?
Having written an entire volume on the reasons why I (and other Catholics) have decided to leave the Catholic Church for Protestant pastures—my book Holy Ground: Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic—I will not retell my story here. Instead, I would like to put my finger on the fundamental reason why Rome is not my religious home. The leading edge of this reason is perhaps best expressed by John Bunyan in chapter three of his Pilgrim’s Progress. It is the climactic point when the faithful protagonist of his story, “Christian,” comes to the cross of Jesus and has his burden of guilt removed once and for all.
Christian ran till he came to a hill; upon it stood a cross, and a little below was a tomb. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up to the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the tomb, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then said Christian with a happy heart, “He hath given me rest by His sorrow, and life by His death.” Then he stood still awhile to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the water down his cheeks.
In my humble opinion, the above vision is the centerpiece of evangelical Protestantism. Through the preaching of the gospel, God removes the burden of guilt and shame from our shoulders and sends it into the grave, where it disappears, never to be seen again. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed our sins from us. And moving toward the Celestial City from one’s initial encounter of the cross, Christian and all who share his name do so as children of God whose identities are permanently marked by this salvation. Precisely because we have died to self and now live anew in our resurrected Lord, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Such assurance is God’s gift to his children and serves as the driving force of our lives.
This lesson came into focus for me last month. A buddy invited me to his home to talk with his Catholic colleague who is struggling with religious guilt, feeling that he is never quite acceptable to the Father. This colleague described his experience in his Catholic parish as “salvation on probation,” a relationship with God that depended upon his ability to observe the precepts of the church (i.e., abstaining from meat on Lenten Fridays, holy days of obligation, auricular confession). Therefore, despite his best efforts, our friend bemoaned the fact that it was only a matter of time before he fell short of the church’s expectations and thus lost his eternal hope.
In response to our friend, I asked whether he had children. With great enthusiasm he proceeded to explain how much he enjoys his kids, attending all of their basketball games, going on vacations, and delighting in conversation about their future hopes and dreams. “Do they ever disappoint you,” I asked. “Of course; they are sinners like their mother,” he said with a smile. I then asked, “And when that happens, does it potentially terminate your relationship? Are they in jeopardy of losing their status as your children and being rejected from your family?” “You mean like a ‘mortal’ sin,” he responded? I could see he was starting to get my point. A long pause followed and finally our friend looked up with eyes full of tears and confessed, “I guess I’m secure as a child of God.”
My Current Relationship to Catholicism
I light of such evangelical Protestant commitments, is there any sense in which I appreciate Catholicism today? Let me answer the question like this. Most people who come from a Catholic background will probably identify with my sentiment, while those who weren’t raised Catholic probably won’t. It’s the kind of affection you have for that eccentric cousin whom you see once a year at Christmas. Despite your common upbringing, the two of you are now entirely different. He runs marathons, TiVo’s professional wrestling, enjoys dancing the polka, and somehow always manages to perform his Bob Dylan impersonation when the family is assembled. However, as first cousins, you have a deep, abiding affection for one another. Despite your differences, you share a common history that reaches back to your earliest memories, on the basis of which you possess a relationship that is deeper and richer than words can express. So it is for many of us who were raised Catholic. We disagree with much of Catholic faith, but these differences can’t erase the positive, Christ-honoring memories which we continue to cherish.
This is where my pursuit of Christ has led. I identify with the evangelical Protestant tradition because I believe that its approach to biblical authority and the gospel best reflects the will of God as revealed in Scripture. Insofar as the term “evangelical” describes such a person, despite its negative connotations and flaws, I hope to live accordingly, comporting myself and relating to others—including my Catholic family and friends—with the character of Christ. And I hope that what you read from this blog will serve you toward that end.
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude:24,25)
Protestantism was/is the return to the true New Testament era doctrine which had been corrupted by wrong doctrines of Catholicism all through the Middle Ages, when men once again had access to the scripture and weren’t dependent on the words of RC authorities who had twisted the original intent of scripture. It wasn’t “created” out of thin air in the 15th century.
The way I understand this passage is that "death" refers here to physical death, because the child of God has eternal life. John is saying that believers can commit a sin for which their heavenly Father will remove them from this life physically, perhaps because they are disgracing Him, perhaps to stop further sinning... Look for example at Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts. They were were guilty of a lie and God chose to end their lives.
Oh, there's good reason the Religion Forum is so active. The devil is about, and he knows the right address, attacking the Church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:15
There is a faithful little Remnant, fighting the good fight, but the Remnant gets a bit tired of the same old, same old.
... Simply wrong, but that is to be expected.
Yep. I’m pretty sure we’re told to take unto ourselves the whole armour of God, in order to withstand in the evil day, and having done all we can, to STAND. (Eph. 6:13-20). No where that I read does God’s Word say to lay down and get some rest, I look really tired. And no where does His Word tell me that it’s time for the Lord to sort it out. The only reason we are still on this site, giving Scripture and reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2) is because of God’s patience and His desire to be reconciled to man through the finished work of Christ. He is giving us another day because He desires that no man enters hell for rejecting His Son. Every minute He gives us is a minute to give the gospel of the grace of God to an unbelieving world. Who yawns, and stretches and talks about how tired of the same old, same old they are...Boo hoo. It’s just so pathetic..
That is, assuming that purgatory exists.
claim has been made that Lazarus of the parable was sinless, according to scripture he couldn’t have been
I agree!
As a Catholic, one should wonder why he wasn’t in purgatory
Maybe it is because there is no such a place as purgatory.
If you think I am wrong, why don’t you elaborate? or am I supposed to just take your word? Verse 1 reminds us that John was writing to “ whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ”, that is, to believers.
Nobody is sent to the Lake of Fire because of any judgment of personal sin. ALL sin has been judged at the Cross.
We all stand condemned, until we exercise faith in Christ at the Cross. When we accept the judgment of those sins at the Cross and confess our acceptance of that payment for our sins, then we are forgiven and He gives us eternal life.
Every human being begins condemned (except Adam and the 2nd Adam). The Judgment of all sin has now occurred some 2000 years ago.
That’s a good one. Some of these protestant vs Catholic threads also remind me of the disciples arguing who is the greatest among them :-)
And Catholics seem to not realize that Christ took our sins upon Himself. Our sins have been forgiven and removed as far as East is from West. Claiming that we need to “pay for our sins in purgatory” is denying Christ.
Yes. Hebrews 10:10 is clear. Either Christ's sacrifice was enough, or it wasn't. If it wasn't, God's power to cancel sin is being denied, which is blasphemy. If it was enough, there's no need for any purgatory.
What is that mortal sin?
You are right, the determining factor is whether a person’s name is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If not found, that person is thrown in the Lake of Fire. And we get our names in the Book by faith in Jesus and His work at the cross. The point I was trying to make in my previous post was that any sin is the same to God, deserving of eternity in the Lake of Fire, regardless of how “bad” or how “small” the sin is. It is not confession, purgatory or anything like that that saves us, but grace through faith.
Thanks, Tom.
Yep, and in the red letters no less.
Than it isn't Catholic, truth was in short supply today from that angle.
Correct.
Driving 22mph in a 20mph School Zone with a faulty speedometer will qualify as sin as many immoral acts.
Sin is just missing the mark in God’s Plan.
The issue today is remaining in fellowship with God, to be in the right place, at the right time, to do the right thing in the right manner, all through faith in Christ. He handles the rest.
16th.
Check out these posts:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3116334/posts?page=39#39
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3116334/posts?page=40#40
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