Posted on 04/05/2015 4:56:11 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan
In an article entitled Saint Patrick the Baptist?, Stephen R. Button tries to claim St. Patrick for Evangelical Protestantism... or at least disassociate him from Roman Catholicism. Button is hardly alone: you can find similar attempts by Don Boys and others, some of them dating back several decades.
The argument tends to work like this. From Patrick, we have (in Button's words) only the “84 short paragraphs that make up both his Confession and his 'Letter to Coroticus.'” Baptist authors then mine these texts for any doctrines that Patrick doesn't mention explicitly, and then claim that he must have held the Baptist view.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicdefense.blogspot.it ...
That’s now how His disciples leaned, taught, and preached.
Christ founded ONE teaching authority.
Luke 10:16 cannot be clearer:
“He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.”
The 4th Crusade was diverted by the Byzantine prince Alexos Angelos to restore his deposed father as emperor. The subsequent sacking of the city was the result of further conflict within this Byzantine dynastic dispute. It had nothing to do with the Catholic-Orthodox religious dispute. Pope Innocent III actually demanded that the crusaders not attack the city.
Dr. Robert Webber who is recognized by many as the authority on worship renewal. He taught at Wheaton College for 32 years as Professor of Theology and has authored over 40 books. Dr. Webber had a “life changing experience” at a Catholic conference center when he decided to receive the Eucharist . His testimony is recorded in a book entitled Signs of Wonder. Following is part of his experience in his own words:
“Closing my eyes, I allowed my life in the church to pass before me. My prejudices rose up within me: What are you doing here? You never worshiped in a Catholic setting, let alone received the bread and the wine from a Catholic priest! Then I heard my Catholic friends speak of their love for Christ, pray with fervency, and express a real desire to know the Scriptures and live by its authority. Those memories said, ‘Go ahead. After all, there is only one Lord, one church, one faith, one baptism, one Holy Communion.’ In that moment, God broke through the walls I had allowed to separate me from my brothers and sisters of different denominations. I am convinced the prejudices we hold and the walls we build between ourselves and other communities of Christians actually block our experience of God’s presence in our lives. Our biases cut us off from the spiritual communion of the fullness of the body of Christ. God dwells in his church, and to reject a part of God’s church is to reject him. Furthermore, rejecting apart of God’s church keeps us from experiencing what the creed calls “the communion of the Saints.” When God broke down my walls, he brought me into richer fellowship with the body of Christ throughout the world. You might say I was surprised by joy! I had never had an experience like that in my life. In that Catholic chapel, a new worship experience had bumped up against that old prejudice of mine, and a new attitude was born. I had taken into myself the experience of another tradition, I had been in dialogue with another worship tradition, and I was surely the richer for it.”
“Where the bishop is present, there let the congregation gather, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church””
Protestants believe this too - understanding catholic as universal.
Setting aside (for the sake of discussion) the fact that Ignatius was not an inspired author of Scripture, the quote does not prove that today’s much changed Catholic church is The Church.
best
“In that moment, God broke through the walls I had allowed to separate me from my brothers and sisters of different denominations. I am convinced the prejudices we hold and the walls we build between ourselves and other communities of Christians actually block our experience of God’s presence in our lives. “
It sounds like this man’s experience inspired you to begin fellowshipping with believers in God’s Protestant Churches.
I’m very happy for you in this new step of faith and freedom. It is always encouraging to see spiritual growth wherever we find it!
Ulf Ekman one of the world’s largest Lutheran congregations of some 4000 members in Sweden explains more of the reasoning behind his conversion to Catholicism:
“I discovered how little I really knew about [Catholics], their spirituality and their beliefs. Unconsciously I carried many prejudices and bad attitudes and have been quick to judge them without really knowing what they actually believed. It has been good to discover and to repent from nonchalant and shallow opinions, based not on their own sources but on their opponents, and to discover a very rich heritage, a strong theological foundation and a deep love for Jesus Christ among them.”
Easter Blessings!
Ulf Ekman one of the world’s largest Lutheran congregations of some 4000 members in Sweden explains more of the reasoning behind his conversion to Catholicism:
“I discovered how little I really knew about [Catholics], their spirituality and their beliefs. Unconsciously I carried many prejudices and bad attitudes and have been quick to judge them without really knowing what they actually believed. It has been good to discover and to repent from nonchalant and shallow opinions, based not on their own sources but on their opponents, and to discover a very rich heritage, a strong theological foundation and a deep love for Jesus Christ among them.”
Read it again....LOL!
It was about Dr. Robert Webber
“Seriously, Your church gave Ted Kennedy an annulment after he had several kids?”
Children are proof their parents had sex. Children are not proof their parents had a valid marriage.
“Nothing says the true meaning of Easter like stirring up a good ol’ Catholic Prot crapfest. Thanks Art!”
It’ll all blow over by next week, when we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the victory of the forces of righteousness over the forces of slavery. Or was it the defeat of liberty at the hands of northern aggression?
They always try to change the subject don’t they?
Ummm, Baptists, theologically descendent from the most radical wing of the Reformation, hardly represent all Protestants.
Miss-titled: Should of been 6 Early Christian Controversies that Baptists Can’t Explain.
As an Anglican (one of the 4 original Protestant streams—theologically a bit like a cross between Calvinists and Lutherans) I have no issue with the first 5 things— As to 6, the Donatists proving the Roman Papacy, the 400s are kinda late....
I’m always amused when Roman Catholic apologists speak of “Protestant” as they always seem to choose the most backwoods, independent fringe (usually baptist) groups they can find.
Oh I know! That you would be inspired to follow is example is wonderful growth. Which Protestant congregation will you worship with first?
“They always try to change the subject don’t they?”
Yep! :)
Given the 30, 000 different varieties its hard to tell.
What about Revelation? Sure he didn't physically write it, but you'd be hard pressed to make a case that he didn't dictate [in] it.
But sometimes it seems like the factions and fractions Christ warned about and Paul worked to resist somehow today ironically measure their relative validity based on what proportion of the veil which Christ rent now hangs in their doorway.
Christians, you are free.
Neither man nor traditions of men define your relationship with God.
Pray about it, join the one to which you feel led and never stop studying and critically analyzing your faith and your choice in earthly shepherds. Most of them do good works. Just don't think any one can save more of your soul than the next faction or anything so veil-ish as that.
We are men. Imperfect all. Till the second coming we will not all agree. Strive to not judge the factions you did not choose. Respectfully correct, lobby, teach, debate, even chastise. But always remember to shake the dust off, if led so, and move on rather than try to do something you can't do - judge.
Christ rent the existing denominations, He did not create any. That is kinda the main point about Christian freedom. Not that you are free do behave badly or anything, but you are free from earthly religions defining the status of your salvation or putting a velvet rope around God and a simple human holding the clipboard.
You are with Jesus, you are in.
Religion is religion, for better or worse. Faith is faith. Don't insult your Savior by giving the former control over the latter.
The price is paid and the veil is rent, any effort to spread that word is time well spent.
I agree with you that, as Jesus said, the world will know we are His disciples by our love for one another. Disputing and correcting wrong doctrine IS something knowledgeable Christians are called to do, but it sure could be done better here.
Get straight with the Bible - then try to bash other religions.
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