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Posted on 08/09/2020 7:46:24 AM PDT by MurphsLaw
We should stop trying to evangelize Protestants, some Catholics say. “Let’s get our own house clean first, before we invite our fellow Christians in,” someone commented on a recent article of mine that presented a Catholic rejoinder to a prominent Baptist theologian. Another reader argued that, rather than trying to persuade Protestants to become Catholic, we should “help each other spread God’s love in this world that seems to be falling to pieces before our eyes.” As a convert from Protestantism, actively engaged in ecumenical dialogue, I’ve heard this kind of thinking quite frequently. And it’s dead wrong.
One common argument in favor of scrapping Catholic evangelism towards Protestants is that the Catholic Church, mired in sex-abuse and corruption scandals, liturgical abuses, heretical movements, and uneven catechesis, is such a mess that it is not, at least for the moment, a place suitable for welcoming other Christians.
There are many problems with this. For starters, when has the Church not been plagued by internal crises? In the fourth century, a majority of bishops were deceived by the Arian heresy. The medieval Church suffered under the weight of simony and a lax priesthood, as well as the Avignon Papacy and the Western Schism, culminating in three men claiming, simultaneously, to be pope. The Counter-Reformation, for all its catechetical, missionary and aesthetic glories, was still marred by corruption and heresies (Jansenism). Catholicism has never been able to escape such trials. That didn’t stop St. Martin of Tours, St. Boniface, St. Francis de Sales, St. Ignatius Loyola, or St. Teresa of Calcutta from their missionary efforts.
The “Catholics clean house” argument also undermines our own theology. Is the Eucharist the “source and summit of the Christian life,” as Lumen Gentium preaches, or not? If it is, how could we in good conscience not direct other Christians to its salvific power? Jesus Himself declared: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53) Was our Lord misrepresenting the Eucharist?
Or what of the fact that most Protestant churches allow contraception, a mortal sin? Or that Protestants have no recourse to the sacraments of penance or last rites? To claim Protestants aren’t in need of these essential parts of the Catholic faith is to implicitly suggest we don’t need them either.
* Moreover, in the generations since the Reformation, Rome has been able to win many Protestants back to the fold who have made incalculable contributions to the Church. St. John Henry Newman’s conversion ushered in a Catholic revival in England, and gave us a robust articulation of the concept of doctrinal development. The conversion of French Lutheran pastor Louis Bouyer influenced the teachings of Vatican II. Biblical scholar Scott Hahn’s conversion in the 1980s revitalized lay study of Holy Scripture.
Another popular argument in favor of limiting evangelization of Protestants involves the culture war. Catholics and theologically conservative Protestants, some claim, share significant common ground on various issues: abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, euthanasia, religious freedom, etc. Secularism, the sexual revolution, and anti-religious progressives represent an existential threat to the survival of both Catholics and Protestants, and thus we must work together, not debate one another. “Let’s hold back any criticism of them,” a person commenting on my article wrote. “Believe me, in the times that we are in, we need to all hang together, or we will definitely hang separately on gallows outside our own churches.”
This line of thought certainly has rhetorical force: we don’t have the luxury of debating with Protestants when the progressivists are planning our imminent demise! Ecumenical debate is a distraction from self-preservation. One problem with this argument is that it reduces our Christian witness to a zero-sum game – we have to focus all our efforts on fighting secular progressivism, or we’ll fail. Yet the Church has many missions in the public square – that Catholics invest great energy in the pro-life movement doesn’t mean we shouldn’t also focus our efforts on other important matters: health-care, education, ensuring religious freedom, or fighting poverty and environmental degradation. All of these, in different ways, are a part of human flourishing. Even if we consider some questions more urgent than others, none of them should be ignored.
Besides, there is a vast difference between mere polemics and charitable, fruitful discussions aimed at resolving disagreements. The former can certainly cause bad blood. The latter, however, can actually foster unity and clarity regarding our purposes. Consider how much more fruitful our fight against the devastation of the sexual revolution would be if we persuaded Protestants that they need to reject things like contraception and the more permissive stance towards divorce that they have allowed to seep into their churches. Consider how non-Christians could learn from charitable ecumenical conversations that don’t devolve into name-calling and vilification.
Finally, abandoning or minimizing the evangelizing of Protestants is to fail to recognize how their theological and philosophical premises have contributed to the very problems we now confront. As Brad Gregory’s book The Unintended Reformation demonstrates, the very nature of Protestantism has contributed to the individualism, secularism, and moral relativism of our age. A crucial component to our Catholic witness, then, is helping Protestants to recognize this, since even when they have the best intentions, their very paradigm undermines their contributions to collaborating with us in the culture war.
I for one am very grateful that Catholics – many of them former Protestants – persuaded me to see the problems inherent to Protestantism, and the indisputable truths of Catholicism. My salvation was at stake. I also found and married a devout Catholic woman, and am raising Catholic children. The Catholic tradition taught me how to pray, worship, and think in an entirely different way. It pains me to think what my life would be like if I hadn’t converted to Catholicism.
Why bother to evangelize devout Protestants? Because they are people like me.
The apostles say you are not telling the truth...
Mat_15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
Mar_7:19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
Joh_6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
That 'meat' that you give to faithful Catholics does not endure unto everlasting life (otherwise a one time trip to Mass would do the trick) but the experience is over at your first trip to the loo...
If you have recently gone to the bathroom you had better get back to Mass for another dose of Jesus...Because the previous one left you with just one flush...
Jesus abiding in a person is a spiritual operation...You can not eat something into a spiritual operation...
It takes place in the heart, not the stomach...And it can only be done by Jesus...A Catholic priest can not hand you Jesus and you eat him into your spirit...
Joh_6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.THIS is how you get everlasting life, NOT by eating something...
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me,that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Wow, competition!!!!!.
VERY good.
Preach it, brother.
Your comment: “ The apostles say you are not telling the truth...
Mat_15:17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?”
You attempt to quote part of the teaching of Jesus and your comment on the Apostles does not make sense.
You continue to follow Satan and reject Jesus, reject His Words and deny the consecrated host is the True Body and Blood of the living Jesus Christ. It is very clear in John 6 and at the Last Supper and in the practice of Catholics for 2000 years. There is scientific evidence that Jesus gave us to prove that the consecrated host in truly The living Body and Blood of Jesus that contain white blood cells that wouldn’t exist if the flesh and blood were dead. Even Luther believed in the consecrated host was the Real Presence of Christ. Satan knows it is true also but lies to you so that you reject Christ and follow Satan.
Why do you reject Jesus and the wonderful gift that He gave us for our salvation? Do you reject the opportunity to share eternal life with God?
The phrase that you quoted (Mat 15:17 and Mark 7:19) is an example where protestants use one sentence out of context and misrepresent the teaching of Jesus. Nowhere did Jesus indicate that this pertained to His flesh and blood or contradict the miracle of the transubstantiation. Jesus said He abides in us and we abide in Him.
Joh_6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Yes. that is the host and cup which the priest consecrates into the Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass. That confirms that the consecrated host is the meat which endures into everlasting life that Jesus gave us. Only Jesus can give us food that satisfies our spiritual hunger.
Yes. I will be attending Mass on the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother into Heaven and I will pray for the conversion of sinners as was requested by the Blessed Mother.
Seems like a lot of work.
I’ll just toss mine into the trashcan.
But; when I’m ready to sell my house; why NOT take a little effort to BURY a St. Joseph’s statue in the yard to help sell it?
What can it hurt; right??
Ok; I’ll give them that the effects were ‘real’; but how does any of it tie into a supposed ‘Mary’ figure?
As well it should; since it comes from Catholic 'true believers'!
No religion should ever use force;
on those folks they are trying to coerce.
Do it ever so gently -
so they’ll pay for your Bentley;
or you’ll be back to riding a horse!
Ignorant biblically illiterate catholic nonsense.
Ok. NOW it’s ON!
DO about it?
Well; when the tatted up grandkids ask, “Papaw; why don’t YOU have any tattoos?”
I tell them, “For the same reason you never find a trailer hitch on a Rolls Royce.”
Well; if these upstart whippersnappers are going to hop offa da porch and run with the BIG dogs; they may as well learn the RULES early on!
A limerick is a humorous poem consisting of five lines.
The first, second, and fifth lines must have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the same verbal rhythm.
The third and fourth lines should only have five to seven syllables; they too must rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm.
Every other year; the guy next to us plants corn.
So far; I’ve seen no children lurking therein.
So far...
You ignore the clear words of Jesus (call no man father) and substitute traditions of your own.
Wow!
(Now I’ve got to change it; maybe a Ferrari would work)
;)!
“ Even Luther believed
Nice to see you recognizing Blessed Saint Father Martin Luther!
“ I will be attending Mass on the Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother into Heaven and I will pray for the conversion of sinners as was requested by the Blessed Mother.”
Never in Scripture
Never in Scripture
Always about anything other than Christ.
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