Reformanda Initiative Podcast : S2.E3 – How do you define Roman Catholicism?

Welcome to this week’s installment of our Reformanda Initiative podcast series! I’m excited to present the ministry of Dr. Leonardo De Chirico and his associates at Reformanda Initiative as they examine Roman Catholic theology in order to inform and equip evangelicals.

Season 2, Episode 3: How do you define Roman Catholicism?

Show Notes

How would you answer the following question: “How do you define Roman Catholicism?” It’s an interesting and intriguing question that is difficult to answer. In this episode we discuss a definition crafted by the Reformanda Initiative that we hope provides good food for thought and encourages our listeners and evangelicals to do the same. The definition also gets to the heart of the theology of Roman Catholicism and sheds light on issues that are of great concern to evangelicals.

Roman Catholicism is:
A deviation from Biblical Christianity
that has consolidated over the centuries
by clustering around an imperial (Roman) institution,
centering on its sacramental system,
grounding itself on its synergistic theology and abnormal ecclesiology,
and being fueled by its universal (catholic) project of embracing the whole world.

My Comments

In my many posts about Roman Catholicism over the years, I have emphasized three things: 1) the RCC’s emulation of the worldly Roman imperial model, 2) it’s sacramental system whereby God’s grace is allegedly administered, and 3) its insistence that salvation must be merited (synergistic cooperation). If someone asked me to define Roman Catholicism, I would incorporate those three characteristics and Dr. De Chirico does the same in his excellent definition.

Season 2, Episode 3: How do you define Roman Catholicism?
Featuring Leonardo De Chirico, Reid Karr, and Clay Kannard
October 27, 2020 – 33 minutes
https://reformandainitiative.buzzsprout.com/663850/6087919-s2-e3-how-do-you-define-roman-catholicism

For the YouTube video version of this particular podcast, see here.

Next week: Season 2, Episode 4: An Evangelical Critique of the Roman Catholic Doctrine of Transubstantiation

Essentials of Catholic Theology – Lesson 3: Roman Catholicism and Its Structure of Authoritative Divine Revelation and Interpretation

Thanks for joining us this Sunday as we review Dr. Gregg Allison’s third of seven lessons comprising his “Essentials of Catholic Theology” course.

BiblicalTraining.org offers this online course free of charge. To find out how to access these free lessons, see my introductory post here.

Lesson 3: Roman Catholicism and Its Structure of Authoritative Divine Revelation and Interpretation

Orthodox evangelicals recognize only one source of divine revelation, God’s Word, the Holy Bible, but the Roman Catholic church claims three sources. Dr. Allison does an excellent job of explaining how the RCC views Scripture in conjunction with its “sacred traditions” and its “magisterium” (the teaching office of the pope in concert with his bishops) as its tri-part source of revelation. Because the RCC claims divine revelation and authority for its magisterium, it has untethered itself from the boundaries of Scripture and has fabricated multifarious un-Biblical and even anti-Biblical myths and tenets, declaring them to be “sacred tradition” on par with God’s Word. In cases where Scripture contradicts “sacred tradition” (and there are many), the RCC naturally aligns with its own fabricated constructs.

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Lesson 3 Outline: Roman Catholicism and Its Structure of Authoritative Divine Revelation and Interpretation

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Protestant teaching of “sola scriptura”

B. The Christ-Church interconnection

II. ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL METHOD ACCORDING TO THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

A. The revelation of God

B. The transmission of divine revelation

1. Orally
2. Writing

C. Tradition

D. Scripture

E. Magisterium

F. The canon of Scripture

III. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Next week: Lesson 4, The Seven Roman Catholic Sacraments

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 3/18/23

• German Catholic bishops endorse blessing same-sex marriages and female deacons
• Catholic Church: Germany’s controversial Synodal Way

The big news this past week was that the 2019-2023 German Catholic Synodale Weg (Synodal Path), a reform initiative by progressive German RC clerics and laypersons, came to an end. At last week’s final meeting, the participating bishops approved the blessing of same-sex unions, the normalisation of lay people preaching, a guideline of “concrete improvements for intersex and transgender faithful,” and requests to reexamine the Catholic church’s stance on clerical celibacy and on women’s ordination. Liberal RC priests all over the world have already been blessing S&G weddings on the Q.T., including here in the USA. Pope Francis has been keeping a close eye on the Synodale Weg. While he is favorable towards some of the reforms, he must also keep the lid on conservative schism. Missing in this ideological tug-of-war is the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

• Denver-based Catholic group spent millions to track gay priests

The conservative Catholic website, The Pillar, broke the news in August 2021 that many RC priests were using the S&G hookup app, Grindr. Notable Catholic sociologist, Richard Sipe, estimated that 30-40% of RC priests were S&G-ites.

• Can Catholic priests marry? Pope Francis says priest celibacy ‘can be revised’

I had assumed, as did many others, that pope Francis was going to lift the mandatory celibacy rule for newly-ordained priests in the Amazon region at the 2019 Vatican Amazon Synod, but that didn’t happen. However, Bergoglio is inching closer and closer. Read the Book of Hebrews. The sacerdotal priesthood and ongoing sacrifice for sin were eliminated by Jesus Christ.

• Pope Francis: Gender ideology is ‘one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations’ today

Pope John Paul II approved the 1992 RC Catechism, which states that “homosexual acts (are) acts of grave depravity…(and are) intrinsically disordered” – CCC 2357. Pope Francis and his point man, Jesuit James Martin, have been chipping away at the RCC’s reluctance to embrace practicing S&G-ites. Perhaps Francis’ successor will be more amenable to transgenderism?

• Will the Catholic Church Rethink Contraception?

Yes, Francis has been greasing the skids towards lifting the ban on non-abortifacient contraceptives.

• By the Numbers: How the Catholic Church Has Changed During Pope Francis’ Pontificate

Evangelicals readily reference the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Watchtower Society as false churches. There are 17 million and 9 million members in those two institutions respectively, totaling 26 million souls. That total number is only 2% of the 1.4 billion souls who follow Rome’s false gospel. Why is evangelicalism so focused on the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but not on the multitudes of lost souls in RC-ism with its false gospel?

• Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy protection over sex abuse claims
• Facing hundreds of abuse claims, Albany Catholic Diocese declares bankruptcy

There was speculation several months ago, but this past Monday the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa, California made it official by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The diocese of Albany, New York then filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday. The two dioceses became the 28th and 29th U.S. dioceses respectively to file for bankruptcy since 2004. Catholic dioceses use bankruptcy to shield assets from survivors of priest sexual abuse and cover-up. The Albany diocese’ bankruptcy amounts to a “quadfecta of corruption” spanning from one end of the New York State Thruway to the other. The dioceses of Upstate New York’s four largest cities – Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany – have all declared bankruptcy because of priest abuse.

“Try” God? Ach!

If you drive around my town, Rochester, New York, long enough, you’re bound to see a bumper sticker provided by WHIC radio station like the one in the photo above. I actually took this photo of a car stopped ahead of me in traffic in East Rochester. Flanking the caption, “Try God,” are the station’s AM and FM dial locations.

Try God? I have some problems with this bumper sticker, which I would like to discuss.

The local Catholic radio station here in Rochester is WHIC, 1460 on the AM dial and 92.9 on the FM dial. The call letters stand for Mary’s alleged Holy and Immaculate Conception. The station is actually the 2nd oldest radio station in Rochester, beginning in 1925 as WHEC, the city’s one-time CBS Radio affiliate. The station changed hands multiple times over the years, until 2003, when it was bought by Buffalo-based “The Stations of the Cross” Catholic radio network and was re-branded WHIC. Catholic programming is broadcast 24 hours every day, with much of the content provided by EWTN, the conservative Catholic media conglomerate. EWTN commentators are often critical of progressive pope Francis and the annoyed pontiff has referred to them and their criticisms as “the work of the devil.”

First of all, God is not someone we “try,” like a commodity or new barber or hairdresser. We are all desperate sinners destined for eternal punishment in hell. But Almighty God loves us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this world to be punished for our sins on the cross at Calvary. But Jesus defeated sin and death when He rose triumphantly from the grave. He offers forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and fellowship with God to all those who trust in Him as Savior by faith alone. Try God? Please. No, you need to repent of (turn from) your rebellion against God and accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Savior, just like a drowning person, moments from death, gratefully reaches for a lifebuoy! This Catholic bumper sticker’s message of “Try God” makes me sick.

Secondly, I must ask if the “god” on the bumper sticker refers to the conservative Catholic god espoused by WHIC and EWTN, that takes Catholic rules and regulations seriously, or is it the “god” of progressive pope Francis who sees rules as arbitrary guidelines that can be bent to suit “pastoral needs” or dismissed altogether? The reality is that Catholic conservatives and liberals understand their Catholic “god” quite differently.

Thirdly, the RCC officially teaches that all religionists – Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, etc. – and even atheists, can also merit Heaven, so does the “god” on the bumper sticker encompass Allah and Vishnu, as well as Buddhist “enlightenment”? There’s no need to “Try God” when the pope and Catholic prelates say atheists can merit Heaven.

Whether it’s EWTN’s doctrinaire “god,” or pope Francis’ lenient “god,” or the “gods” of the world’s religions, the “god” that the Catholic bumper sticker refers to is not the God of the Bible. The Roman Catholic church teaches a person must regularly avail themselves of the RC sacraments to supposedly receive graces so that they might obey the Ten Commandments (impossible!) and church rules and thereby hopefully merit salvation at the moment of their death. As for the Catholic Jesus, the RCC teaches Jesus is transubstantiated from bread wafers and wine, sacrificed on Catholic altars, and then eaten by pious mass-goers as a kind of spiritual vitamin. The Catholic “god” demands salvation by sacramental grace and merit, a counterfeit gospel. The God of the Bible offers genuine salvation as a free gift by His grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

No, my friend, you don’t “try” God. Like the sinking sinner that you are, reach out and grab God’s lifebuoy. Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior by faith alone.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” – Romans 3:16-18

Throwback Thursday: “If I take off my scapular prior to surgery and die on the operating table, will I still go to Heaven?”

Welcome to this week’s “Throwback Thursday” installment. Today, we’re going to revisit a post that was originally published back on January 17, 2017 and has been revised.

Note: “If I take off my scapular prior to surgery and die on the operating table, will I still go to Heaven?” is this blog’s third most-viewed post, all-time, with 6556 hits to date. I’ll tell you the reason why that is the case at the end of the post.*

This morning I was listening to the 1/13/17 podcast of the “Calling All Catholics” talk radio show broadcast on the Station of the Cross, 101.7 FM, Buffalo, NY, with Catholic priest, Dave Baker, and moderator, Mike Denz, taking questions from listeners.

Towards the end of the show, Mike read a question sent in from “Kim” in Rochester, NY regarding the brown scapular. But first, a little background:

Catholic tradition posits that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Carmelite friar, Simon Stock, in Aylesford, England in 1251 and presented him and his religious order with a brown scapular (a ceremonial apron), proclaiming, “the one who dies in it will be saved.” A mini-version of the scapular, basically two strings with patches of wool on each end that is draped over the head and rests on the shoulders (see photo above), was created in the late-1500s so that lay people could also benefit from the scapular. A priest must first bless the scapular in order for it to transmit its advantages to the wearer. Untold millions of Catholics have worn the small, brown scapular over the last 430 years, believing that wearing the sacramental would earn or help earn their salvation as the Marian apparition had allegedly promised.

Okay, now let’s get back to Kim’s question. She asked, “If you have the brown scapular, but you are having surgery and aren’t allowed to wear it, do the protections and benefits that it provides still apply if something happens?”

Priest Dave and Mike discussed the question for several minutes and concluded that while it’s extremely important to wear the scapular in order to gain Mary’s promise of salvation, there are probably some circumstances when it’s permissible to remove it temporarily such as during surgery, taking a shower, or while swimming. However, they acknowledged that some priests would advise that the benefits of the scapular would only be in effect if it was being worn. Dave and Mike also made sure to add that the scapular wouldn’t do a person any good if they weren’t following the other teachings of the church. Dave also said that if a scapular becomes worn out, it can be replaced with a new one, which does not need to be blessed. Apparently, the blessing of the previous scapular is grandfathered to the new. But hold on! If the wearer of a brown Carmelite scapular switches to a different color scapular (red, black, blue, white, or green), Dave said they will need to have a priest bless the new one because each of the different colored scapulars has its own distinct protocols. Got that? Are you dizzy yet?

Can this ex-Catholic and born-again follower of Jesus Christ ask just a couple of questions?

1) Dave and Mike said a person needs to be following the prescribed teachings of the church for the scapular to be effective, but if a Catholic were already following the teachings of the church  – receiving the sacraments and obeying the Ten Commandments (impossible!) and church rules – why would they need a scapular? Well, in works-righteous Catholicism where salvation is never assured, the thinking goes that every little bit helps.

2) Dave opines that an individual who dies without the scapular can still earn the promise of salvation if it was removed for a “legitimate” reason (surgery, swimming, showering, etc.), but other priests disagree and say the promise is null and void as soon as the scapular is removed. Who is right?

If you’re a blood-bought, born-again follower of Jesus Christ, you know all of the above is sheer anti-Scriptural superstition. But to a Roman Catholic trying to merit their way to Heaven, it all makes perfect sense.

“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” Mark 7:6-8

Come out of religious legalism, ritualism, and superstition and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior by faith alone.

https://www.gotquestions.org/sinners-prayer.html

*The reason for this post’s high number of hits is because Catholics regularly query the internet, asking if they can remove their scapular for such occasions as surgery and still go to Heaven.

You cannot be neutral about the pope!

I recently came across the 83YO quote below from a Jesuit source and found it to be quite interesting:

“The most unreasonable of all attitudes toward the Papacy is that of neutrality. The Pope is either the supreme head of Christendom, the infallible teacher of spiritual truth, the successor of Saint Peter and the Vicar of Christ on earth, or he is an imposter with whom no respectable person should have dealings. You can no more be neutral toward the Pope than you can be neutral toward Christ.” – Jesuit magazine, America, April 27, 1940.

Hmm. What do you think about the quote?

Many evangelicals aren’t knowledgeable about Roman Catholicism. Some misguided evangelicals believe the pope is a praiseworthy Christian leader who does much good in the cause of the Gospel. Others are neutral when it comes to the pope. They’ve heard things both favorable and unfavorable about Catholic popes and reserve the “right” to withhold judgement. Prior to pope Francis’ visit to the United States in 2015, a poll was taken asking Protestant pastors if they thought the pope was a Christian. The results of the poll revealed that 58 percent of the pastors who self-identified as an “evangelical Christian” agreed that pope Francis was a fellow Christian and a “brother in Christ,” while another 19 percent responded that they were not sure. Only 23 percent believed the pope was not their brother in Christ.

The pope makes utterly fantastic claims about himself. He claims to be the divinely-appointed “Vicar” (deputy, substitute, proxy, stand-in, surrogate) of Jesus Christ on earth. He claims to be infallible in important pronouncements involving “faith and morals.” He claims that the Roman Catholic church is the one and only true church and that, most insidiously, salvation is by sacramental grace and merit. None of these claims are Biblical. The Roman Catholic church’s gospel is a false gospel and the “Vicar of Christ” is an imposter.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Jesuit writer of eighty-three years ago was absolutely correct. You cannot be neutral about the pope with any degree of integrity. He either is who he claims to be and you should follow him or he is an imposter with whom no respectable person born-again believer should have dealings.

Reformanda Initiative Podcast : S2.E2 – “Fratelli tutti”; Pope Francis’ Scandalous New Encyclical

Welcome to this week’s installment of our Reformanda Initiative podcast series! I’m excited to present the ministry of Dr. Leonardo De Chirico and his associates at Reformanda Initiative as they examine Roman Catholic theology in order to inform and equip evangelicals.

Season 2, Episode 2: “Fratelli tutti”; Pope Francis’ Scandalous New Encyclical

Show Notes

In this episode we discuss the latest papal encyclical by Pope Francis, “Fratelli tutti,” (All Brothers). What is a papal encyclical? Why should evangelicals care about the latest encyclical? Why do we find it scandalous? Listen to find out.

My Comments

In his papal encyclical, “Fratelli tutti” (All Brothers), given October 4, 2020, pope Francis further enunciated the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, that all people are children of God and spiritual brothers and that all religions are legitimate pathways to God. The Reformanda Initiative guys quote paragraph 277 of the encyclical: “The Church esteems the ways in which God works in other religions, and rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions. She has a high regard for their manner of life and conduct, their precepts and doctrines which… often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men and women.”

Because the Roman Catholic church teaches a person must merit their salvation, it grants that other works-righteousness religions are legitimate pathways to God as well.

This obviously opposes the clear teaching of God’s Word. In John 3:16-18, Jesus Christ declared, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Season 2, Episode 2: “Fratelli Tutti”; Pope Francis’ Scandalous New Encyclical
Featuring Leonardo De Chirico, Reid Karr, and Clay Kannard
October 9, 2020 – 42 minutes
https://reformandainitiative.buzzsprout.com/663850/5815963-s2-e2-fratelli-tutti-pope-francis-scandalous-new-encyclical

For the YouTube video version of this particular podcast, see here.

Next week: Season 2, Episode 3: How do you define Roman Catholicism?

Essentials of Catholic Theology – Lesson 2: Roman Catholicism as a System Grounded on Two Axioms

Thanks for joining us this Sunday as we review Dr. Gregg Allison’s second of seven lessons comprising his “Essentials of Catholic Theology” course.

BiblicalTraining.org offers this free online course. To find out how to access these free lessons, see my introductory post here.

Lesson 2: Roman Catholicism as a System Grounded on Two Axioms

Roman Catholicism must be understood as a system rather than as a piecemeal collection of unrelated doctrines. The Roman Catholic system is based upon two major theological constructs or axioms, the Nature-Grace Interdependence, which posits the concrete conferring of grace through nature (e.g., priests, sacraments, sacramentals, church buildings, shrines, relics, etc.) and the Christ-Church Interconnection, whereby the Catholic church presents itself as the prolongation of the incarnation of Christ. With this understanding, the RCC claims the role of mediator between man and God and that salvation comes through the RC church and its sacraments.

All Catholic doctrines can be classified according to these two foundational axioms.

This is a very interesting and informative lesson. My understanding of Roman Catholicism has been enhanced by this dual-foundational hypothesis, which has been advanced by Dr. Allison and also by Dr. Leonardo De Chirico at Reformanda Initiative.

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Lesson 2 Outline: Roman Catholicism as a System Grounded on Two Axioms

I. INTRODUCTION

A. A systemic approach to Roman Catholic Theology

B. Roman Catholic theology grounded on two axioms

II. THE NATURE-GRACE INTERDEPENDENCE

A. Nature

B. Grace

C. The Fall and sin of humans

D. Interdependence of nature and grace

E. Doctrinal examples of salvation and Mary

F. Evangelical assessment

III. THE CHRIST-CHURCH INTERCONNECTION

A. The Church as a mediating subject between nature and grace

B. Principle of incarnation

C. The Church as the prolongation of the incarnation

D. Support for the Christ-Church interconnection

E. Doctrinal examples

F. Protestant assessment

Next week: Lesson 3, Roman Catholicism and Its Structure of Authoritative Divine Revelation and Interpretation

Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 3/11/23

• Where are Catholics allowed to eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day this Lent?

In recent roundups, we’ve noted that U.S. Catholics are normally barred from eating meat on Lenten Fridays under threat of eternal damnation. However, because St. Patrick’s Day (next Friday, March 17th) falls on a Lenten Friday this year, many U.S. Catholic bishops have formally granted dispensations, “allowing” the Catholics in their dioceses to eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day without incurring mortal sin. The author of this article reached out to all 176 Latin Rite territorial Catholic dioceses in the U.S., inquiring if a corned beef dispensation had been granted. As of March 3rd, 80 bishops said Yes to a dispensation; 25 are offering a “commutation,” requiring Catholics in their diocese to substitute some other penance if they plan to eat meat on March 17; 32 said No, and 39 had not responded. When I initially began preparing the draft for this weekend’s update, I could not find any evidence of Rochester bishop, Salvatore Matano, granting a dispensation as this article indicated. However, on Thursday I did come across a very brief article from a local secular news source (see here). As of Thursday morning, neither the diocesan website or the official diocesan media outlet noted the dispensation. Why am I making such a huge deal out of this Lenten Friday mandatory meat abstention vs. St. Patrick’s Day corned beef showdown? Because it’s a vivid example of the arbitrary legalism of Roman Catholicism. None of this cringeworthy legalistic wrangling has anything to do with the genuine Gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.

• New book on Pope John Paul II accuses former pontiff of enabling sexual predator priests

A newly published book, “Maxima Culpa” (Most Grievous Fault – not yet published in the U.S.) by Dutch journalist, Ekke Overbeek, has created a firestorm in Catholic Poland. Overbeek presents credible evidence that Karol Wojtyła aka pope John Paul II enabled pedophile priests while he was archbishop of Krakow between 1964–1978. “The book says John Paul not only knew about child abuse in his archdiocese but also helped to cover it up by transferring priests involved from one parish to another, including at least two who were eventually convicted of abuse of minors and served jail time.” Following his death in 2005, Wojtyła was put on the fast track for canonization and was proclaimed a “saint” in 2011. On Thursday, the Polish parliament predictably passed a knee-jerk resolution condemning the book and an associated television documentary. These allegations are a serious problem for the Roman Catholic church and its claims for the papacy and canonization. Stay tuned for more updates.

• Can Catholics find gospel truths in ‘Jesus Revolution’?

The film, “Jesus Revolution,” presents the birth of the Jesus Movement (“…a counterculture Christian youth revolution that emerged in the United States during the late 1960s and early 1970s” – Got Questions), focusing on Chuck Smith, Lonnie Frisbee, and Greg Laurie. I have a lot of reservations about the Jesus Movement and don’t intend on seeing the movie. The Catholic writer of this article advises, “As a Catholic, one can appreciate how God can work through other faith movements, but it should bring us to a point of praying that such adherents will one day know the fullness of the truth contained in the Catholic Church and to receive the promise of John 6, of eating Christ’s body and blood.” The alleged “fullness of the truth” the writer refers to includes meriting salvation and hundreds of other RC heresies.

• For 10 years, progressive Pope Francis outlasts the conservative Catholic resistance

This coming Monday, March 13th, marks ten years since cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to the papacy in 2013. The above article presents a good summary of the bitter conflict between Francis and his progressive allies and conservative Catholic clerics over the last decade. There’s no sign of the genuine Gospel on either side of this ideological tug-of-war.

• The most defining characteristic of Francis’ papacy is synodality
• “Synodality” means whatever Pope Francis wants it to mean (June, 2022)

The trademark of Francis’ papacy is “synodality.” What does that mean? Francis and his progressive allies use the term to describe “the process of fraternal collaboration and discernment in understanding and implementing the mission of the church.” Catholic conservatives grumble that “synodality” is code speak for Francis’ doctrine-bending reforms.

• Only 4 Percent of Americans Hold a Biblical Worldview Post-Pandemic: It ‘Altered’ Beliefs

This is sobering.

• Former Trump spiritual advisor’s book catalogs two centuries of Christian martyrs, warns of modern persecution

“Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” (published in 1563) was a heart-wrenching account of the bloody persecution of believers in Catholic-controlled England and Scotland in the 16th century. Johnnie Moore’s “The New Book of Christian Martyrs” purports to be an “update” of “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” however, stories of Catholic “martyrs” are intermixed in this book with stories of Protestant martyrs. It’s regrettable that anyone is persecuted or killed for their religious beliefs, but Roman Catholicism propagates a false gospel of salvation by sacramental grace and merit. Catholics killed for their religion are no more “martyrs” for the genuine Gospel than Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses killed because of their religious affiliation. Shame on Johnnie Moore (and Rome-friendly organizations like “Voice of the Martyrs”) for muddying the Gospel.

Throwback Thursday: Is it really, “Whatever works for you”???

Welcome to this week’s “Throwback Thursday” installment. Today, we’re going to revisit a post that was originally published back on January 26, 2017 and has been revised.

Unbelievers look around at all the various “Christian” denominations and groups and shake their heads in bewilderment. There’s Roman rite and Eastern rite Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, thousands of mainline Protestant and evangelical groups, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and many more smaller groups. They all claim to teach the truth about God and spiritual matters, but they can’t all be right. How can a person sort through this tangled mess? The answer is easier than you might think.

Evangelical Christians are unique in a couple of important ways. Evangelicals believe the Bible is God’s authoritative Holy Word and that it teaches everything necessary regarding spiritual matters. The other groups either do not genuinely accept the Bible as God’s Word (most old, mainline Protestant denominations these days) or they attempt to add to God’s Word with their own traditions or with additional “scripture.”

Evangelicals also believe, as God’s Word proclaims, that salvation is only by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. The other groups all teach salvation depends upon following their religious protocols, beginning with baptism into their specific group, followed by participation in various sacraments/rites and then by obedience to religious laws. Evangelicals believe we are justified by faith in Christ alone and then sanctified by the Holy Spirit to walk more closely with Jesus, our Lord and Savior. The other groups teach the reverse; that sanctification (impossibly trying to live a “holy” life) is rewarded with salvation.

Every group uses the Bible, so why do evangelicals read the Bible differently than the other groups? Great question!

“Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” – John 5:28-29

There are many verses and passages in the Bible, like the one above, that works-righteousness, pseudo-Christians use as proof-texts for their errant theology. However, passages in the Bible must be understood in context. Text without context is pretext. Scripture clarifies Scripture. A few verses before the above passage we read:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes (pisteuo, Greek: to believe, put one’s faith in, trust) him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” – John 5:24

Those who trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior by faith alone pass from death unto life. After a person is saved, they will follow the Lord in obedience with good works, but works do not save,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

The theme of the entire Bible – Old and New Testament – is Jesus Christ. We are all sinners and we all deserve eternal judgement. We could never become good enough to meet God’s holy standard. But God loves us so much he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross. Jesus conquered sin and death when He rose from the grave and now offers the free gift of eternal life and fellowship with God to all those who repent/turn from their rebellion against God and accept Christ as their Savior by faith alone. The Lord imputes His perfect righteousness to us when we accept Him. We have no righteousness of our own.

Most counterfeit forms of (c)hristianity insist you must join their group and follow their rules so that you may “possibly” merit Heaven. That’s very, very bad news because no one can merit Heaven. Genuine Christianity teaches you can’t merit Heaven because you disobey God every single day, but Jesus Christ died for your sins and offers you forgiveness for all your sins, eternal life, and fellowship with God. That’s VERY good news. In Bible-based, evangelical Christianity, it’s ALL about Jesus Christ. But wait, you say. Why are there so many different evangelical churches? Evangelicals may differ on secondary issues, but we are united in our belief in the Good News! of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. But aren’t Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy much older than evangelical Protestantism? The early church gradually became institutionalized and fell into compromise and heresy, but there have always been those who upheld the Gospel of grace. The Holy Spirit used the Reformation to return the church to the Gospel of grace proclaimed by the New Testament early church.

No, not all “Christian” groups are the same. Most say “our way,” but genuine Christianity proclaims faith in Jesus Christ alone is the ONLY way.

Pray to Jesus today and ask Him to save you. Then ask the Lord to lead you to an evangelical church in your area that proclaims the Gospel without compromise. What are you waiting for?