Posted on 12/03/2014 10:23:22 AM PST by NKP_Vet
In a new video, megachurch leader and author Rick Warren is calling for Christians to unite with Roman Catholics and “Pope Francis,” who Warren recently referred to as the “Holy Father”—a move that is raising concerns among Christians nationwide and is resulting in calls for Warren to repent.
Warren made the comments following his visit to the Vatican last month, where he spoke at an interfaith conference on the “Complementarity of Man and Woman.”
“We have far more in common than what divides us,” he said in the two-minute video released by the Catholic News Service on Wednesday, described as being an outline for “an ecumenical vision for Catholics and Protestants to work together to defend the sanctity of life, sex and marriage.”
“They would all say, ‘We believe in the Trinity; we believe in the Bible; we believe in the resurrection; we believe in salvation through Jesus Christ,” Warren asserted, speaking of the various denominations within Christianity, of which he included Roman Catholicism. “These are the big issues.”
The author of the bestselling book “The Purpose Driven Life” then sought to defend Catholics from those who take issue with the practice of seeking the intercession of Mary and the various deceased persons that have been sainted by the Vatican.
“Sometimes protestants think that Catholics worship Mary like she’s another god, but that’s not exactly Catholic doctrine,” Warren contended. “People say, ‘What are the saints all about? Why are you praying to the saints?’ And when you understand what they mean by what they’re saying, there’s a whole lot more commonality [that we have with Roman Catholics].”
“There’s still real differences—no doubt about that,” Warren stated. “But the most important thing is, if you love Jesus, we’re on the same team.”
He closed by speaking of his belief that Christians and Catholics serve as co-laborers for the cause of defending life and family.
“When it comes to the family, we are co-workers in the field in this for the protection of the sanctity of life, the sanctity of sex and the sanctity of marriage,” Warren said. “So, there’s a great commonality and there’s no division on any of those three.”
But Warren’s comments have raised concern from Christian leaders nationwide, who are now calling the Saddleback leader to repentance. Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM) repudiated each of Warren’s points.
“Sure, there are Catholics who love the real Christ, the one who died on the cross for our sins. That is not the problem,” he said. “The problem is the Roman Catholic Church’s false teachings concerning Mary and salvation.”
“Rick Warren says both the Catholics and the Protestants believe in the Bible. But, there is a significant difference between the Bible of the Protestants and the Roman Catholic Church, which has added seven books,” Slick wrote. “[T]here are numerous problems in the apocryphal books, such as the teaching of salvation by works [and] the offering of money for the sins of the dead.”
“Warren implies that both Protestants and Catholics have the same view of salvation,” he continued. “Though it’s technically correct to say that Catholics believe in salvation through Jesus Christ, they reject justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Instead, it teaches that good works of various kinds are necessary for salvation.”
The Christian apologist then pointed to several Roman Catholic teachings on Mary, mainly from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), such as that Mary “by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation” and that “[b]y asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the ‘Mother of Mercy,’ the All-Holy One.”
“Rick Warren has not only failed to recognize the problems in these serious areas, but he has lent his credibility as a Protestant pastor in support of the Roman Catholic Church,” Slick wrote. “This should never be done by any Protestant pastor who takes the Bible seriously. I must conclude that Mr. Warren does not take the word of God seriously and/or he does not understand the damnable teachings of Roman Catholicism regarding salvation.”
“Rick Warren needs to repent,” he said.
double down dude
Millions of Evangelicals despise Billy Graham?The mean old Protestants/Evangelicals and the Body of Christ all hate Billy Graham.LOL. He has brought Christ to millions, and what you are claiming is not true.
The Catholics (the actual separated brethren) and their "Church"---the "real" body of Christ---love him.
If that seems strange, check out the websites that Catholics had banned from the Religion Forum but like to post links to them to bolster their "proof."
Perhaps they should petition/lobby the PTB's to lift the ban on those websites?
Gosh if they are right about Billy Graham they must be right about Catholics too huh?
Too busy ignoring the links that YOU post; I guess...
Feral Humans need Jesus’ salvation just like I do.
According to the religion moderator (post 199 to my 186), I’m not allowed to find your definition of a word is at fault without it being considered a personal attack. Curious that.
So there is no further point is discussing this.
I rarely post on the RL so I don’t know all the rules. Hoping not to run afoul of any, I will just add this. I personally have no definition for the word. That’s why I went to Strong’s. So it is not ‘my definition’ at issue here.
I did consider posting ‘my definition,’ which would be my vaguely remembered meaning of the word from years ago, when I studied Greek. I’m glad I gave that a pass. Checking with Strong’s, I realized that either I had been taught a somewhat inaccurate definition for that word, or else that my memory wasn’t a hundred percent. It could be some combination of the two.
Anyway, it’s okay if this is the end of that discussion. Best would have been for a koine Greek scholar weigh in, but they don’t grow on trees. So we’ll let it go at that, and thanks for the interaction.
Funny, the mod didn't say that at all! Curious that.
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To: SampleMan
Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal. Stating the same accusation over and over to a poster is badgering and personal. |
But I can tell you one protestant that never called Catholicism a false religion and NEVER told them to convert or they were going to hell, and his name was Billy Graham.Oh gosh I so love irony!
Ah but over and over again Catholic posters tell all non-Catholics that they must convert...come back to etc etc...the Catholic belief system or they are going to hell.
I would disagree, given the clear evidence of what I said in post 186 and the subsequent 199, but that would likely be a personal attack, as I’ve already stated it once.
So you read my tag line, "Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism." and your takeaway is that I don't want the people so damaged by socialism to be saved in Christ?
If I changed my tag line to, "Totalitarian systems create a society of morally flawed people." would you conclude that I am unChristian toward morally flawed people?
I honestly don't see your point here. In my tag line, I point out what socialism does to people, nothing more, nothing less. How is that unChristian?
The Catholic church ex-comunicates people.
Correct?
The Catholic church claims it has the power to RETAIN someone’s sins, doesn’t it?
Since it does indeed teach that salvation is found only through itself, then by kicking people out or refusing to remit their sins, IOW, retaining them, it effectively sends people to hell.
Do you believe in hell? You believe Christ is the path to heaven? Are you effectively sending billions of people to hell, who don't agree with you?
If you say yes, then you can by the same definition say that the Catholic Church condemns people to hell. I don't agree with that, but I could at least understand your logic, and agree to disagree about semantics. However, if you say no, then I don't know what I could possibly say, as you would not be applying your own standard equally.
To clarify, the RCC doesn’t claim that salvation is provided by the RCC. Salvation comes from Christ. The RCC does believe that the Church is Christ’s, so I you can twist a lot of things semantically.
As the proclaimed Church of Christ, yes the RCC does claim that their teachings are correct. Does your church teach that its teachings are incorrect?
“Personal attack aside I am not fond of any organization that allow priests to molest children and does nothing but protect the priests”
The Catholic Church has done more to fight clergy sex abuse than any Christian faith. Try concentrating on your protestant brothers, who have a higher rate of sex abuse cases than Catholics. But there is no protestant “church” to go after for money so all you hear is cases involving Catholics. It’s called follow the money.
Why are my comments being screened before they’re posted? Why can’t I use private mail like anyone else. I was never warned in any way shape or form that my postings would be screened before being posted. I stand up for my Catholic faith and I am strong-armed on FR by the same cast of characters. I post links that are not blacklisted on FR and they are taken down. I do not appreciate being treated like a trouble-maker. This is out and out censorship. I tried to send this as a private message but it now says I am too new a member to have this feature???? Been a member for 3 years now, but I am too “new” to to post messages?
That may be so. But moving them from one unsuspecting parish to another was pretty ineffectual.
Catholic priest abuses are the same as the general population. Nothing to brag about, but neither a hotbed of trouble.
Protestant ministers have a higher rate of being abusers than Catholic priests, and protestant churches have no better record of dealing stopping it.
So why do you pull this out as a reason to bash Catholics?
An even handed moderator might consider that a personal attack, almost as serious as repeatedly challenging people who are repeatedly asserting a misleading definition of a word, or who post links to source material.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
....yet you refuse to just directly answer karnage
Why is that?
The facts are there.
Catholic priests were shuffled around. Except for a few outliers, Protestants ministers guilty of the same are in jail.
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