To be writing about doctrinal error is probably one
of the most difficult assignments a person can assume. Yet
some of us have to get involved for the sake of those people who
can't make a clear cut choice for lack
of understanding the Gospel. There is a tendency
of church members to place their trust into
aspects other than the Word of God, such as the size of
membership of an organization, its financial affluence,
its longevity, the level of education of its membership,
friendships, personal blessings generated from association
with the organization and practice of their doctrine.
The one reason omitted in the line up is the
rejection of the true Gospel without even realizing it because
of lack of knowledge.
What motivates apologetics (defenders of the Gospel) is their
own past inability to discern the truth and the miracle of coming
into the true Gospel through someone who cared and talked and
wrote about it.
Many true believers are caught in doctrinal errors and Jesus warned
in Mark 9:42 "and whosoever shall offend one of these little
ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone
were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."
Apologetics are walking a very fine line and would not be wanting
to risk being deprived of the grace of Jesus Christ, their Lord
and Savior. They have nothing to gain by wanting to offend a believer.
This exhortation is meant in all sincerety only for one purpose
and that is to present the truth so a Roman Catholic or a prospective
member can make a knowledgable choice.
John 1:1 tells us that the "Word" was God, and the "Word"
was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14), and the Bible
can then be safely used as a foundation of truth for a believer
in Christ Jesus. God promised in Matthew 7:7 that all who seek
the truth shall find it.
Because Roman Catholicism places its teaching authority and its
tradition on an equal footing with the Bible, it claims Christianity
and also the possibility of eternal life in heaven with God. Because
of this claim, it should stand the test of scrutiny of the Word.
Roman Cathlolicism draws much attention to tradition which has
a nebulous effect on Catholic doctrine. It also has a tendency
to draw the attention of the believer into tradition. If a Catholic
believer becomes aware of inconsistencies which make him or her
uncomfortable and does not attempt to get to the bottom of it,
the apologetic enters the picture to bring the truth to this individual's
attention. With this knowledge comes the responsibility of gaining
further understanding of the true Gospel on a personal level.
The plea of the Pope for ecumenical unity is not understood by
Christians who are unaware that unity with Rome must be on Rome's
terms. In other words they would have to be submitted to papal
authority. One of the difficulties is the word "Catholic".
It comes from the Latin word "catholicus", universal,
general and from the Greek word: "Katholikus": kata-,
down, completely plus "holos", whole. The Latin meaning
"universal" implies that Catholicism is the historical
Christian Church since it teaches the virgin birth, the deity
of Christ, the sacrifice of the cross, the resurrection, and the
belief in an eternal hell. What is missing is the most basic priciple
that the New Testament of Jesus Christ rests on and that is salvation
by grace alone.
What seems to be prevalent in cults as well as Roman Catholic
circles, when asked they will give the answer just stated, that
we are saved by grace alone, but then in practice we find nothing
but detours for the Catholic with a final result of purgatory
which is not mentioned in the Scriptures. Many trust their leaders
and never open their Bibles.
Essential Catholic doctrine set forth by the Vatican nullifies
the cardinal doctrine upon which the Christian faith is built:
salvation by grace. There are a group of most serious errors which
limit Catholics from receiving total grace.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Simon Peter, in Greek
`Petros' translated `rock' was the first Pope. (Catholic
Encyclopedia, Robert Broderick, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1976, p.479)
The Catholic Bible includes the Apocrypha, not considered God
inspired until 1546. (The Jerome Biblical Commentary,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice Hall, 1968, vol.2, pp.523-524)
The Pope is the immediate Author of Infallibility extending to
doctrine and laws of the church. (Vatican Council
I (Sess.III,cap.4))
Transubstantiation: The way Christ is made present in this sacrament,
the Holy Eucharist, by the change of the whole substance of the
bread into His body, and of the whole substance of the wine into
His blood. (Catholic Almanac (1979) p.387)
Purgatory - the state and condition in which those who have died
in the state of grace, but with some attachment to sin, suffer
for a time before they are admitted to the glory and happiness
of heaven. (Catholic Almanac (1979) p. 379)
The Immaculate Conception of Mary resulted in Mary being free
of the consequences of original sin which must be believed firmly
and with constancy by all the faithful. (Catholic
Encyclopedia, Robert Broderick, Thomas Nelson Inc., N.Y., 1976,
p.285)
The doctrine of Assumption of the taking up of the body and soul
of the mother of God into heaven after her death. (Ibid.,
p. 56)
A short history of the Apostle Peter will demand a true conclusion
which will not agree with the Catholic Church. In Mark 8:29, Jesus
asked the disciples, "But whom say ye that I Am?" Peter
answereth and saith unto Him, "Thou art the Christ."
And Jesus began to share that He would be rejected of the elders,
priests and scribes of the church, and be killed and after three
days rise again. Peter took Jesus and began to rebuke Him and
Jesus rebuked Peter saying: "get behind me, Satan!"
"You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things
of men." (Mark 8:33)
The fact that Simon Peter had identified Jesus as the Christ establishes
that God had revealed Christ's identity to Peter, according to
Jesus in Matthew 16:17. It confirmed what John the Baptist said
when he laid eyes on Jesus for the first time in John 1:29, "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
Two of the Lord's disciples were already present at the baptism
of Jesus and one of them ran and fetched his brother Simon Peter
and Jesus looked at Simon, when they brought him to Jesus, and
said: "Thou art Simon the son of Jonah, thou shalt be called
Cephas, which by interpretation is "a stone," already
identifying Peter's position in Christ.
The Apostle Peter himself described what Jesus meant with that
name change. He reminded his listeners that ".. the Lord
is gracious" and identified even the Lord Jesus "as
a living stone, disallowed of men, but chosen of God and precious."
He included all believers as lively stones, are built up a spiritual
house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ.
"Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, precious and
he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded." (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-6)
So far we have lively stones (believers) of which Peter was one
and these stones make up a spiritual house. Since a house is usually
set on a foundation, Roman Catholics claim that Peter is it. and
the whole universal, historical Christian Church rests on Peter
the Apostle, supposedly the first Pope. They use Matthew 16:10-19:
".. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.." to
give Peter the primacy position over all the Apostles and subsequently,
over the entire church. They claim he was the first Pope. "The
Pope is the Roman Pontiff who, by divine Law, has supreme jurisdicition
over the universal church. He is the supreme of all religions..
" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Robert Broderick,
Thomas Nelson Inc., N.Y. 1976, p.479)
The Bible states the following: "Behold, I lay in Sion a
chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on
Him shall not be confounded. ".. And a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word,
being disobedient.. " (1 Peter 2:6,8)
If the Catholic Church is correct, then Jesus is still disallowed
of men, which means that the Catholic Church cannot be the Body
of Christ, but is the body of the Popes. The word "rock"
(stone) is the contention. Jesus said: " ..upon this rock
I will build my church." Peter's name is `Petros,' translated
`rock'. Jesus meant that upon this rock
`Petra' he would build His church. Petro and Petra have different
meanings. Petros in Greek, # 4074 in the Concordance, means a
piece of a larger rock and Petra in Greek, # 4073: a mass of a
rock. Jesus was referring to Himself: Petra, the rock (a mass
of rock).
1 Corinthians 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid which is Jesus Christ." Proof that Peter
was not the first Pope is in Ephesians 2:20 and Revelation 21:14.
In John 21:18 Christ foretold of Peter's martyrdom confirmed by
the Apostle Peter himself in 2 Peter 1:14,15: "Knowing that
shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus
Christ hath showed me. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be
able after my decease to have these things (the Gospel) in remembrance."
The book "The Search for the Twelve Apostles," by W.S.McBirnie,
Ph.D., Tyndale Publishers, page 283, states an excerpt from St.
Jerome "The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers page 363 "..
Paul was dismissed by Nero, that the Gospel of Christ might be
preached also in the West .. "At my first defense no one
took my part, but all forsook me.. I was delivered out of the
mouth of the lion" - clearly indicating Nero as a lion on
account of his cruelty.. He then, in the fourteenth year of Nero
on the same day with Peter, was beheaded at Rome for Christ's
sake and was buried in the Ostian Way, the twenty - seventh year
after our Lord's passion."
The Roman Catholic Old Testament is about 20% larger than a non-Catholic
Bible. Over 4000 verses come from a group of 15 writings known
since antiquity as the Apocrypha. Not until 1546 were 12 of the
writings officially declared God inspired.
The reasons that the Apocrypha is unacceptable as Scripture are:
1. "Despite of its historical value, it promotes questionable
ethics (Judith 9-11), fanciful legends (Tobit), and doctrine that
contradicts Scripture (Tobit 4:10; 12:9)." (For more detailed
discussions on the following, see: The Gospel According to Rome,
by James McCarthy, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Or.) 2. "The
Jews of Palestine never accepted the Apocrypha as part of sacred
Scripture." The Apocrypha was written 300-30 B.C.. 3. There
are no quotations from the Apocrypha in the Old or New Testament.
4. Christian leaders, including Jerome, Origen, Athanasins, and
Cyril of Jerusalem, spoke against the Apocrypha. 5. Translators
of the Decrees of the Council of Trent, write "The Tridentine
list or decree was the first infallible and effectually promulgated
declaration on the Canon of the Holy Scriptures." (Ibid.,
p.551) The purpose of the Council of Trent was to counteract the
Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther had forcefully argued against
Rome's practice selling pardons from purgatory. Tobit 12:9 supported
the practice stating, ".. alms giving saves one from death
and expiates every sin."
In 1985 the latest Catechism of the Catholic Church was created.
In the following commentary, the numbers in brackets [ ] refer
to paragraphs within that document. We used excerpts from the
book "The Gospel According to Rome" by James G. McCarthy
published by Harvest House. It is an excellent resource and highly
recommended for further study. The Pope wants the latest Catechism
to serve as a single universal Catechism for the world wide Roman
Catholic Church [10]. The goal was to standardize the teaching
in the third Millennium [11]. The book titled "Catechism
of the Catholic Church" was published in 1994.
According to the official Roman Catholic faith [172-175] there
is only one faith which is contained in Scripture and tradition
as interpreted by the Roman Catholic Bishops under the leadership
of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome [76,85-87,182,888- 892,2039].
The Pope said, "The Catechism sets forth once more the fundamental
and essential contents of Catholic faith and morality as they
are believed, celebrated, lived and prayed by the Church today."
(Letter to Priests for Holy Thursday 1993, Pope John Paul II,
published in L'Osservatore Romano)
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that every newborn child must
be baptized to remedy a deadly spiritual desease [403,1250]. An
infant receives the benefits of Christ's death through the sacrament
of baptism [790, 977 ,1214-1216, 1227, 1250-1252]. The prayer
of exorcism, saying, "we pray for this child: set him free
from original sin.." (The Rites of the Catholic Church, Pueblo
Publishing Co., New York,1990) The Church says that a baptized
child is immaculate and guiltless before God. [977- 978, 1250,
1279, 1673].
According to the Bible, justification is a divine act: "God
is the one who justifies." (Romans 8:33) Biblical justification
is an act of God in which He declares an unworthy sinner to be
righteous in His sight. (Romans 4:3) God credits to the sinner's
account "the righteousness of God." (Romans 3:22) God
justifies "the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans
3:26) Those who have received the Word of God and believe it,
have faith. The infant is incapable of exercising saving faith.
The notion that parents, god-parents or priests can believe on
behalf of the child is unbiblical. It also does not allow for
the child to chose which path he or she is going to walk, most
important to God. (see John 1:12,13) Infant baptism gives parents
and child false hope of being saved when it may not be the case.
"The modern catechumenate is called the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) published in 1983, adults prepare
for baptism by a three-phase process of evangelization, instruction
and purification and enlightenment. (Rites of the Catholic Church,
Pueblo Publishing Co. 1990, vol.1,pp.15-244) The time spent should
be long enough - several years if necessary - for the conversion
.. to become strong .. by means of sacred rites celebrated at
successive times they are led into the life of faith, worship,
and charity belonging to the people of God." (Ibid.,vol.1,p.71)
".. The Church judges their state of readiness and decide
on their advancement toward sacrament of initiation." (Ibid.,vol.1,p.94)
Roman Catholicism teaches people to approach God through their
own righteousness and good works. This stands in direct contradiction
to the Bible which teaches "God justifies by grace, not by
works. God justifies the ungodly, not the righteous. Despite Scripture's
teaching that God justifies sinners "as a gift by His grace,"
(Romans 3:24) the Roman Catholic Church says that candidates seeking
justification must perform good works [1248-1249] but at the same
time they teach justification is a free gift.
Romans 10:3: "For not knowing about God's righteousness,
and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themsleves
to the righteousness of God", could apply to Catholicism.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Sacraments are necessary
for salvation [1129], baptism, penance, confirmation, anointing
and the Holy Eucharist provides grace needed to avoid sin. More
grace can be generated and sanctification is to preserve the grace
[1392] which can be lost through serious sin. [1023,1052] and
also to increase in one's soul [1392]. In summary sanctification
begins with baptism [1254] proceeds through Sacraments and good
works and is completed after death. "This concept of sanctifying
grace has its origin in a medieval theology that subdivided grace
into categories created or uncreated. Theologians further classified
grace by assigning designations according to this function in
Roman Catholic theology, such as sanctifying grace, justifying
grace, habitual grace, efficacious grace, etc. Using terminology
from Aristotle it is a quality of the soul. (Summa Theologica
I&II,by Thomas Aquinas, Q.110, articles 1-4)
"Contrary to Catholic doctrine, Biblical justification is
perfect and complete. It is a divine act: "God is one who
justifies." (Romans 8:33) Henceforth God views the person
as "in Christ" and "holy and blameless before Him."
(Ephesians 1:34) For this reason Scripture refers to all believers
as "those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints
by calling." (1 Corinthians 1:2) Biblical salvation is characterized
by rest. Christ has already finished the work of salvation on
the cross. Hebrews 4:10 "for the one who has entered his
rest has himself also rested from His works, a God did from His."
Catholics believe that they can pay for temporal punishment in
this life through acts of penance or in the next life through
suffering in a place called purgatory [1030-1032,1472] acts of
penance include special prayers, fasting, self-deprivation, giving
money to the poor and accepting trials of life. Some Catholics
even participate in more extreme forms such as self- flagellation,
wearing a hair skirt or spiked chain, crawling on their knees
to a shrine or church, or sleeping on a stone floor [1460].
Christ made perfect and complete satisfaction for sin on the cross:
"He Himself is the propitiation for our sins." (1 John
2:2) The idea that a sinner must pay for the temporal punishment
of his sin is equivalent to saying that Christ's blood was insufficient
and that therefore God requires more. Man becomes his own savior.
(see Matthew 5:21-30) Jesus taught that every sin warrants eternal
punishment in hell. Catholicism distinguishes between "light
sins," [1863] and venial sins [1862-1863].
Scriptures teach that if a person's life is characterized by any
kind of sin, he should not consider himself a born-again Christian.
(see 1 John 3:7-0) God allows the full weight of sin to fall upon
the sinner that he might cry out, "what must I do to be saved?"
(Acts 16:30) It is the convicted sinner who realizes that he needs
a savior. This is the person who, upon learning the Gospel, clings
to the cross like a drowning man to a life preserver - This is
a person who knows that though he deserves to go to hell a thousand
times over, Jesus' blood has made full satisfaction for his every
sin: past, present, and future. Roman Catholic theology consistently
undermines the seriousness of sin and its consequences, most notably
by teaching that most sins are not punishable by death. This is
the same lie when Satan (serpent) told Eve, "You surely shall
not die!" (Genesis 3:4) Consequently countless Roman Catholics
go through life unaware of the magnitude of their guilt before
God.
The Second Vatican Council (Sacred Liturgy, Apostolic Constitution
on the Revision of Indulgences, no.2.) reveals the following:
"The truth has been divinely revealed that sins are followed
by punishment - God's holiness and justice inflict them. Sins
must be expiated. This may be done on this earth through the sorrows,
miseries and trials of this life and, above all, through death.
Otherwise the expiation must be made in the next life through
fire and torments our purifying punishments." How long a
person must suffer in purgatory is not clear since their soul
must "be cleared by cleansing pains after death." (Council
of Florence, July 6,1439, session 6) "Some venial sins cling
more persistently than others.. Some are tormented longer in purgatory
than others.." (Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas App.1,Q
2, Art.6) Another way the living help dead Catholics is by acquiring
special credits, called indulgences, that cancel out temporal
punishment [1032,1471] which are placed in the "treasury
of the church". The treasury is a the receptor of indulgences
and include the prayers and good works of the blessed Virgin Mary.
(Sacred Liturgy, Second Vatican Council, Apostolic Constitution
on the Revision of Indulgences, no.5)
The Lord Jesus, in direct contrast, promises, "I give eternal
life to them, and they shall never perish." (John 10:28)
The Holy Spirit takes up residence within each Christian as the
guarantor of that promise (Ephesians 1:13,14) And the Father places
each believer in the palm of his hand for safekeeping. (John 10:29)
Payment for sin is through the cross alone. Revelation 1:5 states
that Jesus "released us from our sins by His blood."
No mention of penance, indulgences, purgartory, etc.
Why do Catholics go to Mass? Do they actually worship the Eucharist?
Is the sacrifice of the mass a real sacrifice? According to the
Roman Catechism, (The Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent,
Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, IL, 1982, p.255) the Eucharist
has two purposes: one that it might be heavenly food of our souls
.. and the other that the Church might have a perpetual sacrifice.."
The Eucharist is believed to be the incarnate Christ [1106,1374]
"whole and entire" [1374] which means even the smallest
crumb of bread contains Christ's entire body and blood. Same is
true of every drop of the wine [1377]. (Decree on the Eucharist
(chapter 3), Council of Trent, session 13) According to the Church,
the Eucharist is the most blessed Sacrament, for it is Christ
himself [1330]. It spiritually nourishes the soul and makes the
Catholic more like Christ, for "partaking of the body and
blood of Christ has no less an effect than to change us into what
we have received." (Sacred Liturgy, Second Vatican Council
On Holy Coummunion and the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery,
no.7)
However, if the goal of the believer is to obey the Lord's command,
"Do this in remembrance of Me!" (Luke 22:19) Ordinary
bread and wine are sufficient. The bread represents Christ's body,
broken for us on the cross. The wine represents His blood, poured
out for our sins. Partaking of each is a public declaration of
faith in his finished work of salvation.
Roman Catholic scholars reject the figurative interpretation.
They point out that the Jews understood Jesus to be asking them
to eat His actual flesh. That is why they grumbled and left. Since
Jesus did not correct them on this crucial point, Catholic scholars
argue, it is clear that the Jews had properly understood the Lord
[1336].
The sacrifice of the cross [1330, 1354, 1357] with the consecration
of the bread and wine is the `immolation' of Christ. "For
in the sacrifice of the Mass, Our Lord is immolated when "he
begins to be present sacramentally as the spiritual food."
(Ibid., no.3b) Immolation is the sacrificial killing of a victim.
The Church says Christ experiences an "unbloody immolation,"
(Mediator Dei, Pope Pius II, no.68) by which he becomes sacramentally
present under the appearances of bread and wine, a "most
holy victim." [1085, 1353, 1362, 1364, 1367, 1383, 1409,
1545]. Roman
Catholicism teaches that once Christ is present in a state of
victimhood upon the altar, he then offers himself to God the Father
by the hands of the priest and in union with the Church. [1354,
1357]
The Scriptures teach that "there is no longer any offering
for sin." (Hebrews 10:18) Christ has reconciled us to God
"having made peace through the blood of His cross."
(Collosians 1:20)
It is a wellknown fact that the Pope and his Church are devoted
to Mary. The Pope chose as his Episcopal coat of arms a cross
with the inital "M" in honor of Mary at the foot of
it in 1958. He adopted as his motto Totus Tuus, meaning with reference
to Mary: "Totally yours." (Totus Tuus, Arthur B. Calkins,
Libertyville, IL, Academy of the Immaculate, 1992, p.27) It was
an expression of his complete consecration to the Blessed Virgin.
When the Pontif was hit with several bullets, there was no sign
of blood, but internal bleeding. The Pope was heard to be praying,
pleading with Mary, his mother! (Be Not Afraid, Andre Frossard,
Martin's Press, N.Y. 1982, p.226) Devotion to Mary is heightened
since 1830 when a series of worldwide apparitions began to appear
and Mary is asking the Church to repent and dedicate greater devotion
to herself. The Immaculate Conception refers to "Mary's Conception,"
not to Christ's coneption or to the virgin birth. Genesis 3:16
teaches that women would bring forth children in sorrow, Mary
was exempt. She had no pain in giving birth to Jesus. (Catechism
of the Council of Trent, Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, IL,
1982, p.46.)
Even though Jesus had brothers, Mary's "virginal integrity
inviolate" [499] (29) was such.. the all - holy ever - Virgin
Mother of God." [721] Her body did not undergo decay. God
miraculously took her up to heaven, known as the "Assumption",
according to the Catholic Church.
The Bible contradicts what the Catholic Church teaches about Mary.
Mary was the mother of Jesus but not the mother of God. She was
a virgin but not a perpetual virgin and Mary was a sinner, not
a sinless saint.
Even though God condemned apostate Judah for pagan goddess worship,
it is now dressed up in Roman Catholic gowns. Mary has become
the queen of heaven and earth, the co-redeemer. [494,963- 937]
Pope Paul II consecrated the entire human race to her. (Totus
Tuus, Arthur B. Calkins, Academy of the Immaculate, Liberty, IL,
1922) Mary is the mediatress of all grace. [968-971, 975, 2673-2682]
She is the unique channel of all blessing, although Scripture
teaches that no man or woman can redeem mankind. That is why God
sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us. He alone was
qualified. The Lord Jesus, according to Scripture was "immaculate
in every respect." (Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pios IX)
"One of the principal objectives of the Second Vatican Council
is the promotion of ecumenism, the restoration of unity among
Christian churches of every kind. The Council set forth three
principles to guide the Church's ecumenical movement. First, Catholics
were to be aware that Christ established the Roman Catholic Church
and gave it the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit, and bishops with the
Pope as their head to rule, so that the Church might be unified.
(Decree on Ecumenism, Second Vatican Council, no.2) Second, it
taught that non- Catholic Christians who have been justified by
baptism are to be considered as `separated brethren' [818,1271].
They have a valid means of salvation, said the Roman Catholic
Church [819, 824]. (Ibid., no.3) Third, the Council stated that
all Catholics should promote ecumenism by avoiding unfair criticism
of other Christians. To promote understanding and cooperation,
competent experts were to engage in dialogue [821]. (Ibid., no.4)
"The Council stated that the goal of the Church's ecumenical
strategy was the unity of all Christian churches through common
communion with the Roman Catholic Church [820-822, 855]: the results
will be that, little by little, as the obstacles to perfect ecclesiastical
communion are overcome, all Christians will be gathered, in a
common celebration of the Eucharist, into the unity of the one
and only Church, which Christ bestowed on his Church from the
beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church
as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue
to increase until the end of time. (Ibid., no.4)
"Though Rome has yet to achieve its ultimate purpose, it
has succeeded in undermining the commitment of many Christians
to the evangelization of Catholics. Consider, for example 1994
signing in the U.S. of an accord titled "Evangelicals &
Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium."
(Among the initial evangelical signers were Charles Colson (Prison
Fellowship), Bill Bright (Campus Crusade for Christ), J.I.Packer
(Regent College), Pat Robertson (Regent University), Richard Land
(Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention),
Larry Lewis, (Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention),
OsGuinness (Trinity Forum), Richard Mouw (Fuller Theological Seminary),
Jesse Miranda (Assemblies of God), Brian O'Connell (World Evangelical
Fellowship), Kent Hill (Eastern Nazarene College), Thomas Oden
(Drew University), and Mark Noll (Wheaton College) In it leading
evangelicals and Roman Catholics stated that "evangelicals
and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ." They labeled
the evangelization of active members of each other's flocks as
illegitimate theology and "sheep stealing," and resolved
"to explore patterns of working and witnessing together in
order to advance the one mission of Christ."
"Such ecumenical compromise must be opposed. There is no
room in biblical Christianity for unity or cooperation with Rome
and its false gospel, its continuing sacrifice, and its idolatrous
devotion to Mary. As long as the Roman Catholic Church continues
"to regard the Scriptures, taken together with sacred Tradition,
as the supreme rule of her faith," (Second Vatican Council,
"Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, no.21) there
is not even a common basis for dialogue." (Please read "The
Gospel According to Rome" Comparing Catholic Tradition and
the Word of God, by James G. McCarthy, Harvest Publishers, Eugene,
Oregon 97402)