Forty Answers to “Forty Reasons I Am A Catholic”: #24

Thanks for joining me today as we continue our series examining and responding to Catholic apologist and philosopher, Peter Kreeft’s book, “Forty Reasons I Am A Catholic” (2018).

Claim #24: I am a Catholic because I am greedy

Kreeft opens this chapter by writing, “When I find a good thing, I want more of it. I used to be a Protestant. I still believe, love, and enjoy everything I believed as a Protestant and more. In fact, I am more Protestant – more evangelical, more charismatic, more biblical, and more Christocentric – as a Catholic than I ever was as a Protestant” (p.81). Kreeft goes on to write that not just Protestants, but Jews and secular humanists who convert to Catholicism become better/more complete Jews and humans.

Kreeft concludes that Catholicism is VERY BIG, “among other religions (just) as Jesus is among human beings: either the baddest or the best; either subhuman or superhuman; either an arrogant, egotistic, lying, blasphemous false prophet or the one true church; either the Devil’s or God’s chosen vessel” (p. 82).

Response

Although Kreeft claims to have once been a “Protestant” (he “converted” to RC-ism as a college student), it’s clear from this and the twenty-three preceding chapters that he never truly believed in the genuine Gospel and the 5 Solas of the Protestant Reformation: Sola Scriptura (according to Scripture alone), Sola Gratia (salvation by God’s grace alone…), Sola Fide (..through faith alone…), Solus Christus (…in Jesus Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (…to the glory of God alone). ALL of the Roman Catholic doctrines Kreeft cherishes, defends, and propagates contradict the 5 Solas in some form or fashion.

In his last two paragraphs, Kreeft presses the reader for a decision. He presents Roman Catholicism as a “BIG” and unavoidable “either/or” proposition.*

• The Roman church’s claims to authority and exceptionalism are either true or deadly fraudulent.
• The RCC is either the Devil’s vessel or God’s vessel.

We’ve examined many of the Roman Catholic church’s doctrines in the first 82 pages of this book and we’ve seen that all of them are anti-Biblical. Most dangerous is Rome’s false gospel of salvation by sacramental faux-grace and merit. Is Roman Catholicism really a “good thing,” Mr. Kreeft? Is trying to merit salvation a good thing? Not on your eternal life! Scaling Mt. Everest with a 200-lb. weight on your back would be far easier than attempting to merit Heaven by obeying the Ten Commandments as the RCC teaches. Can’t be done.

“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” – Galatians 2:16

Yes, Mr. Kreeft, the Roman Catholic pseudo-church with its false gospel is the Devil’s chosen vessel.

*Kreeft presents a false dilemma to the reader in contradiction of his own church’s teachings. The RCC declares that all religions and even atheism are legitimate pathways to God.

Next week: Claim #25: I am a Catholic because Catholics, like their saints, are a little crazy