Sunday video shorts with Dr. Leonardo De Chirico, #6: How should Christians respond to the temptation of converting to Catholicism?

Welcome to our Sunday video shorts series featuring Dr. Leonardo De Chirico, Director of the Reformanda Initiative.

In this 1:28-minute video-short, Dr. De Chirico discusses how Christians should respond to the temptation of converting to Catholicism.

From my perspective, I cannot imagine a genuinely blood-bought, born-again believer who is free in Christ opting for the works-righteousness shackles of Roman Catholicism. There are many who profess to be born-again Christians, but are actually tares among the wheat. For them, “swimming the Tiber” and subsequently attempting to merit their salvation as the RCC dictates makes “more sense” (1 Cor. 2:14) than forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ alone. That said, we acknowledge that the seeker-sensitive, church-growth, mega-church model, with its shallow and vapid preaching, movie theater/rock concert ambiance, and historical rootlessness may motivate some unredeemed church-goers to search for a more “dignified,” “reverential” experience.

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Below is a link to the Reformanda Initiative website.

The Reformanda Initiative
https://www.reformandainitiative.org/

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 5/11/24

• Chicago priest blesses same-sex ‘spouses,’ says Fiducia Supplicans allows it

A video (see here) of Catholic priest, Joseph Williams, of Chicago blessing the “marriage recommitment” of lesbians, Kelli and Myah Knight (photo above), is causing a stir among conservative Catholics. I imagine similar “ceremonies” are being repeated all across the country. The Fiducia supplicans declaration issued by the Vatican on December 18, 2023, with the approval of pope Francis, authorized the priestly blessing of individuals in same-sex marriages/unions with the half-hearted qualification that such blessings would not mean priestly or church approval of said marriages/unions. Pope Francis and Víctor Manuel Cardinal Fernández, author of Fiducia supplicans and prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, are spiritually blind, but they are not stupid. They knew full-well that the declaration would lead to the above. Fiducia supplicans was the initial means in shifting the RCC towards eventual full acceptance of practicing S&G-uals. Thanks to Michael at Berean Crossroads for bringing the Chicago video to my attention.

• ‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways

In reaction to the liberalism of the Second Vatican Council, which is being further expanded upon by the progressive reforms of pope Francis, a number of younger Catholics are returning back to pre-conciliar, 1950s-style, militant RC-ism. As this article points out, some parishes are embroiled in a bitter tug-of-war between the pro-Francis faction and the anti-Francis faction. Last weekend, I posted an article that cited Francis’ granting of approval to liberal (implied) Catholics to “parish shop” if their neighborhood parish was becoming too conservative. Catholic apologists like to present the RCC as a unified monolith, but that’s far from reality.

• How a little-known cable channel for Roman Catholics (EWTN) is radicalizing the faithful

I don’t endorse everything written in this politically-liberal article, but it’s an interesting critical examination of conservative Catholic cable channel, EWTN, and its burgeoning influence. In September 2021, pope Francis circumspectly referred to EWTN as “the work of the devil.”¹

• Call for the Resignation of Pope Francis

This petition is another example of the many conservative Catholics who view pope Francis as a heretic and are scandalized by his progressive reforms. We live in unusual times when conservative Catholics are lining up against their pope. Please take note that the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone can’t be found in either the conservative or liberal camps of the RCC.

• Roman Catholic Joe Biden asks ‘for God’s continued guidance’ in National Day of Prayer proclamation

Thursday, May 2nd was the National Day of Prayer. As a result of the energetic campaigning of Billy Graham, President Harry S. Truman signed a bill into law on April 17, 1952 proclaiming a National Day of Prayer. The National Day of Prayer promotes religious ecumenism and nonsectarian American Civil Religion. Born-again Christians should abstain. God’s Word exhorts us not to yoke with unbelievers in ecumenical and interreligious endeavors (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

• Pastor John MacArthur says there is no such thing as mental illness, calls PTSD ‘grief’

I respect John MacArthur for his 55-years of ministry and for his steadfastness on such issues as ecumenism with Rome, but I didn’t agree with his denial of the COVID-19 pandemic (he actually contracted COVID himself and kept it a secret from his congregation for eight months) and I don’t agree with his denial of mental illness. There are people who are mentally ill. In my lifetime, I have witnessed acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family members who had some form of mental illness. I do agree that mental illness therapies run the gamut and some may be worse than whatever affliction, however, Gospel Christians come across as flat-earthers when they deny mental illness.

1. Explainer: The story behind Pope Francis’ beef with EWTN ↩︎

A Blue Collar Answer to Protestantism – Interlude

Thanks for joining us today as we continue our Friday series examining Catholic apologist, John Martignoni’s book, “A Blue Collar Answer to Protestantism: Catholic Questions Protestants Can’t Answer” (2023).

Last week, we completed Part 1 of the book, which was comprised of 12 alleged “Problems with Protestantism” chapters. Each of the chapters in that 85-page section was about 7 pages in length. This week, we’re taking a short break/interlude with just a few thoughts I have regarding this book so far.

My thoughts after Part 1

Compared to Dave Armstrong and Karlo Broussard, the authors of the previous Catholic apologetics books we’ve examined, Martignoni is more of a militant, in-your-face type of apologist. He appeals less to Scriptural (mis)interpretation and more to “blue collar” rationale/common sense. The main theme of the first section of the book was definitely the RCC’s claims to divine authority and divine guidance and we easily rebutted all of Martignoni’s arguments. The secondary theme was Martignoni’s disparagement and ridicule of the Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone in favor of the RCC’s false gospel of salvation by sacramentalism and merit. As I mentioned previously, I’m almost “grateful” that Martignoni clearly distinguishes between the two irreconcilable gospels. These days, namby-pamby apologists, ESPECIALLY on the evangelical side of the divide, are far too willing to overlook doctrinal distinctives in the interest of false unity.

No apologia for doctrinal error is commendable, but Martignoni’s amateurish argumentation, which includes an amazing amount of redundancy, is some of the poorest I’ve come across. Martignoni insults his “blue collar” Catholic readers with his angry, condescending, “shoot from the hip” polemics. We note that the RCC officially pronounced all non-Catholic religionists as able to merit Heaven way, way back at its Second Vatican Council (1963-1965), so for Martignoni and other EWTN conservatives to continue to militantly debate and attack evangelical Protestants is a blatant anachronism in direct contradiction of papal-sponsored ecumenical and interreligious cooperation.

Thank you for supporting this series up to this point! Next week, we’ll pick up with Part 2 of the book, in which Martignoni will begin presenting his 30 questions that he boastfully claims “Protestants can’t answer.” Each chapter in the upcoming 87 pp. section averages only 3 pages in length, so my preparation “should” be somewhat easier each week.

Next week: Question #1: Is a Dead Body Really a Body?

Throwback Thursday: Catholic leaders meet to try to stanch alarming exodus from the church

Welcome to this week’s “Throwback Thursday” installment. Today, we’re going to revisit a post that was originally published back on July 4, 2017 and has been slightly revised.

The article below reports the U.S. Catholic church is currently losing six members for every one it gains. That’s an amazing statistic. Why the sharp drop-off? Older Catholics look around at the empty pews on Sunday morning and wonder what’s going on. Catholic leaders from across the country are meeting in Orlando this week to try to figure out how to stanch the exodus.

The majority of Catholics participate in the church’s mandated obligatory rituals only sporadically. From there it’s only a short step to dropping away entirely. Most Catholics would say they “don’t get anything out of” the mass and their religion. But, as the article points out, some who leave are attracted to evangelical outreach, accept Christ, and attend evangelical churches instead.

After having been a Roman Catholic for 27 years, and with many friends and family members who are still Catholic, at least nominally, I can speak to some of the frustrations:

• The obligatory Sunday mass is boring beyond description – Few these days want to sit through an hour-long liturgical rote ritual that is as dead as a door nail.
• The eucharist is a case of the emperor with no clothes – Catholics line up to receive the all-important Jesus wafer during mass and the grace that it supposedly confers, but don’t feel ANY different afterwards. Nothing changed.
• No relationship – Catholics are taught they were “born-again” when they were baptized as infants. Christians know that’s NOT how it works. Catholics haven’t accepted Christ as Savior and do not walk with Him. They have no joy or peace in Christ. Religion for them is legalism and sacramental ritualism. Some pious Catholics may claim joy in the Lord, but they actually have no assurance of their salvation because their salvation depends upon their obedience.
• Treadmill fatigue – In Catholicism, one must do, do, do, do and hope to die in a “state of grace” with no serious sin on their soul. But the Bible says no one is good and no one can merit Heaven by trying to obey the Ten Commandments. The commandments only show us we’re sinners in desperate need of the Savior. Many Catholics become tired of the religious treadmill and step off, hoping for the best.
• Confession – Confession to a priest at least once a year is mandatory under threat of damnation, but hardly any Catholics participate. Honestly, who would want to tell their deepest, darkest thoughts and actions to a sinful man? Many predatory priests began grooming their victims in the confessional.
• Conspicuous gaudiness – While Catholicism’s worldly and ostentatious displays of wealth and power may have impressed the masses in bygone eras, they hold much less appeal today and are even seen as negatives by many.
• Pedophile priests – With all the newspaper headlines, Catholics can’t help but look at their celibate parish priest and wonder about HIS propensities.
• Birth control – The RCC threatens eternal damnation for using birth control, but 98% of Catholic women of child-bearing age use it anyway. Catholics legitimately wonder, “If the church is wrong about birth control, what else is it wrong about?”
• Remarried divorcees – Catholics who had divorced and remarried were made to feel like Hester Prynne in “The Scarlet Letter” by being barred from communion. Pope Francis is trying to surreptitiously get around this “infallible” restriction with his infamous “Amoris Laetitia” footnote but the damage has been done.
• Why bother? – Their pope says even atheists will go to Heaven if they follow their conscience and are “good,” so the laity logically wonder why they need to bother with all the rituals and exacting religious legalities (1752 canon laws)?

To my Catholic friends, Christianity is not an institution or a religious treadmill. Christianity is a Person, Jesus Christ. He came to save sinners. Do you qualify? Put institutional religion aside forever, repent of your sinful rebellion against God, and accept Jesus as your Savior through faith alone. Let go of the 100 lb. religious weight on your back and accept Jesus Christ. Then ask the Lord to lead you to an evangelical church in your area that preaches God’s Word without compromise. Only after you repent and accept Christ as Savior through faith alone can you follow Him joyfully as Lord.

God bless you as you search for the Truth.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

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‘For every person baptized, the U.S. Church loses six Catholics’
https://international.la-croix.com/news/for-every-person-baptized-the-us-church-loses-six-catholics/5464

Mike Gendron speaking at Hope in Christ Bible Church, Berkley, MI, May 10-12

Great to see evangelist, Mike Gendron, director of Proclaiming the Gospel outreach ministry to Roman Catholics, will be speaking at Hope in Christ Bible Church, Berkley, MI, May 10-12.

Praise God for Pastor Peter Smith and the believers at Hope in Christ Bible Church. Due to the spirit of undiscerning ecumenism that’s permeating big tent evangelicalism these days, many churches are reluctant to host brother Gendron.

For my index of 38 video shorts in which Mike Gendron and Costi Hinn discuss the errors of Roman Catholicism, see here.

Below is a link to Mike Gendron’s Gospel outreach ministry to Roman Catholics, Proclaiming the Gospel.

Proclaiming the Gospel
https://www.proclaimingthegospel.org/

Blogging reciprocity?

It’s rare that I use this blog to comment on blogging, but this post has been rattling around in my brain for quite awhile.

The Lord has put it in my heart to publish regularly on this blog (2900 posts in close to 9 years). I’m motivated to defend the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, and to point out religious systems that propagate a false gospel, especially the Roman Catholic church. I also post on topics of a more whimsical nature on my second blog, Tom’s Other Topics, here.

I purposely limit the number of blogs that I subscribe to because I try to actually read the published content. I confess there are times when I have scanned longish posts. I definitely try to subscribe to blogs that uphold Gospel Christian orthodoxy. If I see a blogger is getting too far into some questionable theological weeds, I’ll unsubscribe. Maybe there’s something to be said for befriending non-believing bloggers or bloggers caught up in aberrant theology as a witness, but “like”-ing their content can be more dangerous than a slippery slope.

Many solid bloggers stop publishing for a variety of reasons. Over the years, I’ve witnessed many blogging friends abruptly cease publishing without a goodbye. WordPress shows I’m currently subscribed to 101 blogs, but only about 50 of those still publish on at least an occasional basis.

Periodically, I’ll subscribe to what looks to be an interesting and theologically-sound blog and extend my “like”s and comments. A few times a year, I’ll sit down and review the blogs I’m following with an eye to those who are at least making “some” effort at reciprocity. If I don’t see any reciprocity, I’ll un-follow in many (but not all) cases. I’m not trying to be eye-for-an-eye vengeful, but I want to focus my limited time on those bloggers who do make at least some effort at reciprocity.

I realize much of my subject matter is “controversial” (although it shouldn’t be in evangelical Protestant circles). I’m definitely not competing to be the most popular blogger at WordPress. With heresy and false teachers entering into the church, the alarm must be sounded. But I realize such warnings are repugnant and distasteful to many “evangelical Protestants” in these days of undiscerning ecumenism and relativism.

There are probably more than a few bloggers who have subscribed to my blog over the years and lent their “likes” for a period of time only to be disappointed by my lack of reciprocation. To them I apologize. I guess it’s always helpful to send an introduction and comments to catch a blogger’s attention. I readily admit that some bloggers are much better encouragers than myself. There have also been many bloggers over the years who subscribed to my blog and lent their “likes,” but when I checked their content, I could not reciprocate.

My thanks to all who have supported my “controversial” content over the years.

Below is a good post from my blogger-friend, David, that examines some aspects of blogging etiquette, or rather, mis-etiquette.

One Social Media Trope I’m Not Buying
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/36444045/posts/5173757599

Inquisition 1

Book of the Inquisition: Inside Catholicism’s Ruthless War on Heresy
Editor, Charles Ginger
Future Publishing, 2023, 128 pp.

The Inquisition, the Roman Catholic church’s 647-year-old (1179-1826) systematic effort to identify, persecute, and execute “heretics,” including Gospel Christians, is a very dark stain on the corrupt church’s history. No reader of the New Testament can imagine Jesus Christ or the apostles authorizing the imprisonment, torture, and execution of innumerable victims.¹ After Christianity was adopted as the official state religion of the Roman Empire, the ascendant clergy-class embraced the Roman imperial model and the violent suppression of “non-conformists” was eventually viewed as a desirable option.

In 2000, pope John Paul II apologized on behalf of the Roman Catholic church for the bloody horrors of the Inquisition as well as other church-sanctioned atrocities.² Popes Benedict XVI and Francis followed suit. How could a supposedly divinely-led, indefectible, infallible church have authorized the murderous Inquisition for 600+ years?

I’ve been meaning to read a “good” history of the Inquisition for decades. I’d recently read a couple of books that specifically addressed the RCC’s suppression of the Cathars/Albigensians (see here) and the Waldensians (see here), but still desired to read a more general history of the Inquisition.

As I was browsing through books and magazines at the local Barnes & Noble recently, I stumbled across this British “bookazine” with an eye-catching, sensationalistic cover illustration. I initially balked at the cover price ($29.99), but eventually relented and bought it.

As it turned out, this publication was a decent introduction for me to the Inquisition. The multi-authored text is informative and there are plenty of complementary photos and illustrations. With all of its good points, it makes no pretensions at being a scholarly work. There are no references. The last-third of the publication veers away from the Inquisition to the theological/political tug-of-war between Catholics and Protestants during/following the Reformation, but it was still informative. The final chapter, “Confessing the Truth,” is a bit jolting in its blatant amelioration/rehabilitation of the ruthless Inquisition. Suspecting dirty pool, I googled the writer, Edoardo Albert, and discovered he’s a very dedicated Roman Catholic. Overall, this bookazine was for me a worthwhile purchase and read although I’d hesitate to recommend it. I also borrowed a book on the topic from the library that I’ll be reviewing down the road.

Sections and chapters:

• The War on Heresy
  • The Origins of the Inquisition
  • Crushing the Cathars
  • Betrayal of the Knights Templar
  • Bernard Gui
  • Directorium Inquisitorum
  • Joan of Arc
  • Witchcraft and the Inquisition

• The Spanish Inquisition
  • Heretic Hunters
  • An officer of the Spanish Inquisition
  • Los Reyes Católicos
  • Tomás the torturer
  • An auto de fé
  • Francisco de Cisneros

• Reformation and Retribution
  • The birth of the Reformation
  • The German Peasants War
  • The Counter-Reformation
  • The Roman Inquisition
  • A global conspiracy
  • Bloody Mary on trial
  • The Thirty Years’ War
  • The beginning of the end

• Ending the Inquisition
  • How Napoleon ended the Inquisition
  • Confessing the truth

1. Estimates of the number of victims of the Inquisition vary widely. Catholics determinedly minimize the number and Protestants are accused of inflating the number. In the minds of most people, “The Inquisition” refers to the Spanish Inquisition, but the RCC conducted a large number of campaigns and operations to root out “heresy” throughout Europe and beyond. How Many People Died in the Inquisition? ↩︎
2. The Pope’s Apology for the Inquisition ↩︎

Sunday video shorts with Dr. Leonardo De Chirico, #5: How do Catholics and Evangelicals interpret the Bible differently?

Welcome to our Sunday video shorts series featuring Dr. Leonardo De Chirico, Director of the Reformanda Initiative.

In this 1:41-minute video-short, Dr. De Chirico discusses how Catholics and evangelicals interpret the Bible differently.

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Below is a link to the Reformanda Initiative website.

The Reformanda Initiative
https://www.reformandainitiative.org/

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 5/4/24

Above: Catholic Answers’ AI priest, “Father Justin.”

• AI priest quickly defrocked after giving users oddball answers

Conservative Catholic apologetics “ministry,” Catholic Answers, removed its Artificial Intelligence (AI) virtual priest, “Father Justin,” from its website shortly after “it” dispensed “oddball” answers to questions, such as advising an inquirer that it was okay to baptize their baby in Gatorade. We note that authorized Catholic doctrines and practices, such as the sacerdotal priesthood, infant baptism, baptismal regeneration, and salvation by merit aren’t “oddball,” but rather anti-Scriptural and anti-Gospel. The irony is that the spiritual instruction and advice of a human priest is equally as ineffective as that of Catholic Answers’ malfunctioning AI priest.

• The Pope says it’s OK to go parish-shopping. But are you interested?

Catholics aren’t supposed to “parish shop,” but as a general rule are instructed to attend the church in the neighborhood parish where they reside (Canon Law 518). In an upcoming CBS interview, pope Francis contradicts canon law and encourages Catholics to shop around for a welcoming/inclusive priest in another parish if they’re not happy with the one in their neighborhood parish. In the above article, one of Francis’ many conservative Catholic critics, Philip Lawler, claims the pope’s remarks were a swipe at conservative, doctrinalist priests. We’ll have a news item next weekend which will further expound upon this topic.

• Ave Maria, the “custom-built” city for Catholics in Florida

Domino’s Pizza mogul Tom Monaghan originally envisioned Ave Maria (Hail Mary), 36 miles northeast of Naples, Florida, as a community strictly for Catholics. See my relevant post from 2020 here.

• Cardinal Parolin on Pope Francis’ pontificate: No reversals on reforms

Conservative Catholics rue the day when progressive Jorge “Francis” Bergoglio was elected pope – March 13, 2013. They’re hoping 87YO Francis’ tenure ends soon and that his successor will be another conservative doctrinalist like pope JPII. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, assures all Catholics that Francis’ progressive reform horses are out of the barn and there’s no putting them back. As I’ve mentioned many times, Francis has been determinedly “stacking the deck” the past eleven years by promoting like-minded progressive bishops to the college of cardinal electors.

• Pope Francis may visit United States in September after UN invitation

Pope Francis is considering returning to the U.S. in September to speak before the U.N. General Assembly for its “Summit of the Future.” Francis last visited the U.S. in 2015 when he spoke before the U.N. General Assembly and before both houses of the U.S. Congress. We note that the pope is the only religious leader in the world who is accorded that degree of recognition and respect. Surely the Roman pontiff will play a role in prophetic Biblical end times.

• Ex-porn star who found Jesus urges Kanye West not to start porn site: ‘Yeezy Porn’

A number of Christians were dancing in the church aisles in 2019 after celebrity rapper Kanye “Ye” West announced he had become a born-again Christian. West made an appearance at prosperity gospeler Joel Osteen’s Lakewood church, released an album, “Jesus is King,” and subsequently spent over $50 million performing “Sunday Service” events across the country. Well, we now read that West has renounced all of that, saying he’s now back to being the god of his own life because Jesus didn’t answer his prayers. To accentuate the point, West has announced plans to develop a porn site. Gospel Christians need to be more “wait and see” skeptical when it comes to these high-profile celebrity conversions.

A Blue Collar Answer to Protestantism, #12: They Don’t Even Make the Claim

Thanks for joining us today as we continue our Friday series examining Catholic apologist, John Martignoni’s book, “A Blue Collar Answer to Protestantism: Catholic Questions Protestants Can’t Answer” (2023). This week, Martignoni concludes his “Problems with Protestantism” section with problem #12, They Don’t Even Make the Claim.

Problems with Protestantism #12, They Don’t Even Make the Claim

As Martignoni has done in previous chapters, he uses the logical fallacy of “begging the question” as he presents claims of the Roman Catholic church as “proofs” of its authority.

Martignoni’s Argument

Martignoni’s argument proceeds with the following grande finale fusillade that’s certainly intended to overwhelm the reader:

He argues, only the Roman Catholic church . . .

A. . . . claims to be 2,000 years old and to have been founded directly by Jesus Christ.” Protestant churches, he says, “don’t even make the claim.”

B. . . . claims to have been “given the authority, by Jesus, to bind and loose on earth that which will be bound and loosed in Heaven.” Protestant churches “don’t even make the claim to have such authority.”

C. . . . claims to possess the authoritative keys of the Kingdom of Heaven bestowed by Jesus. Protestant churches “don’t even make the claim to have them.”

D. . . . claims to be the “ultimate arbiter of disputes between Christians . . . in such a way that is binding on all Christians.” Protestant churches “don’t even claim to have the authority a church would need to be the ultimate arbiter in disputes between Christians.”

E. . . . claims the ability to convene a church “council and come to a doctrinal decision to which they claim the authority to hold all Christians everywhere as being bound by that decision.” Protestant churches “don’t even make the claim to have the authority to call together such a council.”

F. . . . claims apostolic authority . . . “that was passed on through the laying of hands,” from the apostles to their direct successors and continuing. Protestant churches don’t even make the claim that they have apostolic authority.

G. . . . claims that its leaders “speak infallibly on behalf of the Holy Spirit in deciding doctrinal disputes.” Protestant churches don’t even make the claim to teach infallibly.

H. Conclusion: “Does the fact that the Catholic Church makes all of these claims prove that these claims are true? No. But upon closer examination, she can indeed back up all of the claims she makes. The Protestant churches and denominations? They don’t even make the claim.”

My Rebuttal

Martignoni’s above arguments are textbook examples of the infamous “begging the question” logical fallacy. In classical rhetoric and logic, begging the question aka assuming the conclusion (Latin: petītiō principiī) is a logical fallacy that occurs when an argument’s premises assume the truth of the conclusion. Martignoni takes a slight step back at the end, admitting that claiming these assertions does not make them true, but then doubles down by insisting they’re all “provable.”

With Martignoni’s arguments we see the stark differences laid out between Roman Catholic institutional (c)hristianity and Gospel Christianity, which is based upon God’s Word alone. Evangelical Christianity draws upon Holy Scripture as the sole source of faith and practice. God’s Word is our only authoritative and infallible guide when it comes to doctrine and practice. After Christianity was legalized and then adopted as the Roman state religion, the ascendant clergy-class consolidated its control by substituting salvation by sacramentalism and merit in place of the New Testament Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. The RCC ipso facto elevated its magisterium and spurious “sacred oral traditions” to statuses higher than Scripture. Jesus Christ warned the church not to follow the worldly Roman imperial model of authority and that’s precisely what the RCC did.

“But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25-28

The Holy Spirit used the Reformers to reclaim the glorious New Testament Good News that had been buried under centuries of man-made tradition, including clericalism, ritualism, and ceremonialism. The Roman Catholic church’s claims to institutional authority are all fallacious.

Rome-friendly ecumenical evangelical, how do you feel about the RCC’s claims to be the sole church authorized by Jesus Christ?

Take note that while the RCC has historically claimed all of these authoritative prerogatives for itself and for its members, it ventured down the path of theological liberalism in the last half of the 20th century and now also dichotomously grants that all non-Catholic religionists and even “moral” atheists may also merit Heaven if they are “sincere” in their beliefs and are “good.” The theologically-liberal RCC has passed by Martignoni and his 1950s militant-style Catholicism.

We’ve already covered many of the specific claims put forward here by Martignoni in previous installments, but in a direct contradiction of one of the above claims, that the RCC is the “ultimate arbiter of disputes between Christians,” we note that the RCC is currently embroiled in a bitter internecine tug-of-war between conservative Catholics and progressive pope Francis and his allies over the pope’s liberal reforms, including his sanctioning of blessings for same-sex unions. Martignone guilefully hides from his readers these widely-reported conservative-Catholics vs. liberal-Catholics joustings.

Next week: Interlude