Help for Returning Baptist

[landon13]

Hello y'all,

Let me tell you about myself. I am a university student right now at a Christian university and I am having some problems. I was born and raised Baptist, going to church every Sunday and growing to desire to be a preacher as a kid. In high school my Catholic side of my family influenced me a lot and I fell into that tradition and believed that hard core, but never officially became a Catholic. In college I kinda fell out of devout faith and church going, and am now wanting to restore my relationship with Christ and I don't know how to do this. My family still attends a Baptist church every Sunday, and I just am wanting help to return to my faith.

I am trying to get back into reading the Bible every day, but its kinda hard for me so any help would be great. I'm reading a NIV Study Bible if that matters for y'all.

I am having some problems with resolving some Catholic doctrines like how the Catholic Church was responsible for compiling the Bible, or the prevalence of tradition, also regarding the prominence of Mary, or the primacy of Peter. So I'm just in a shambly place right now in my faith, so any help or prayers or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank y'all and God bless

 

[rockytopva]

I was brought up baptist and miss many things. I keep my radio tuned into the bbnradio.org and listen in daily.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Hello y'all,

Let me tell you about myself. I am a university student right now at a Christian university and I am having some problems. I was born and raised Baptist, going to church every Sunday and growing to desire to be a preacher as a kid. In high school my Catholic side of my family influenced me a lot and I fell into that tradition and believed that hard core, but never officially became a Catholic. In college I kinda fell out of devout faith and church going, and am now wanting to restore my relationship with Christ and I don't know how to do this. My family still attends a Baptist church every Sunday, and I just am wanting help to return to my faith.

I am trying to get back into reading the Bible every day, but its kinda hard for me so any help would be great. I'm reading a NIV Study Bible if that matters for y'all.

I am having some problems with resolving some Catholic doctrines like how the Catholic Church was responsible for compiling the Bible, or the prevalence of tradition, also regarding the prominence of Mary, or the primacy of Peter. So I'm just in a shambly place right now in my faith, so any help or prayers or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank y'all and God bless

Hi landon13,

That's great that you're recommitting yourself to Christ, and it's a good thing to be learning at a university, a Christian one at that.

As a Christian who tries his utmost to be fairly ecumenical--and open to the entire 2,000 years of the Church's existence in all its vast array, I'm still attached to more evangelical strands of the faith, like that of the Baptists, etc. However, rather than say you should "get to the bottom" of each of the theological topics you mentioned regarding the Catholic Church, I'd suggest that you take a bit broader approach first. And in this suggestion, I mean this: it would be better to get a Big Picture of the nearly 2,000 year history of the general development of the Church, from it's primary, first century beginnings, to its second and third century developments, then through it's centuries long Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox states, and traveling then into the dozen or so main branches of Protestantism.

I think in approaching it this way, you'll gain a better understanding of how it all connects together, through many of the historical developments and disagreements. This way, you don't get loaded down with trying to spy out the Roman Catholic Church as something of which to be overly concerned about.

So, if you haven't already done so, you may want to get a book (or two for comparison sake) on Church History (and there are some shorter ones that make this not so daunting). In doing this, you may be surprised at how some of the questions you have will be addressed along the way.

If you've already studied all of this, which wouldn't be surprising since you're at a Christian university, then just let me know what other aspects you'd like to delve into, and I'll see if I can address something of those for you.

Peace,
2PhiloVoid

 

[98cwitr]

I too, as a Protestant, had to face the lineage of Christianity, and determine what things, if any, kept me from Catholicism. I read this and it completely kept me where I am today:

Mark 7:8
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.

I understand Jesus was speaking to Jews, to the Pharisees, but it seems fitting with traditions upheld by some that conflict with what Scripture says. Praying to saints, Mary worship, transubstantiation...all things I cannot get behind. I still kinda wrestle with the thought of Purgatory in a general sense.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Some simple steps. Pray and read your Bible.

Pray all the time. Pray when you wake up; pray when you shave; pray when you get dressed; pray when you walk to class. They don't have to be formal, kneeling down with your hands clasped in the approved manner type prayers. Just check in with God, constantly. Thank Him for the good night's sleep you got; or tell Him you aren't sleeping so well. Tell God what you seek. (Getting back 'in'.)

A couple things to remember about this. Jesus knows already. Jesus understands. Jesus won't tell. Which means God knows, understands and won't post any of it on Facebook, either.

One of my Bibles is always in my car. So I have it handy when I eat. I generally read five chapters a day and one psalm. (I find the Psalms to be over whelming trying to read them in sequence - I sort of lose track.) Make notes in the margins about insights and cross references to other Bible passages. Note how many times phrases or prophesies from the Old Testament are cited in the New Testament. What you are doing is seeing how the whole ties together, a bit at a time.

Christian growth does not happen all at once. No magic wand, no lightning bolt, just a gradual progression.

 

[landon13]

Thank you all for your replies. I've been working to read the Bible daily. I have it on my phone to read if I'm away from my physical bible. I have been having some doubts or feelings to go back to some catholic traditions like the rosary, but I'm just constantly praying God to guide me to the truth that He wants to reveal to me.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Thank you all for your replies. I've been working to read the Bible daily. I have it on my phone to read if I'm away from my physical bible. I have been having some doubts or feelings to go back to some catholic traditions like the rosary, but I'm just constantly praying God to guide me to the truth that He wants to reveal to me.

As hard and as deep as you want to get 'back' to God, He wants you back even more. Keep - metaphorically, of course - putting one foot in front of another.

 

[twin1954]

Hello y'all,

Let me tell you about myself. I am a university student right now at a Christian university and I am having some problems. I was born and raised Baptist, going to church every Sunday and growing to desire to be a preacher as a kid. In high school my Catholic side of my family influenced me a lot and I fell into that tradition and believed that hard core, but never officially became a Catholic. In college I kinda fell out of devout faith and church going, and am now wanting to restore my relationship with Christ and I don't know how to do this. My family still attends a Baptist church every Sunday, and I just am wanting help to return to my faith.

I am trying to get back into reading the Bible every day, but its kinda hard for me so any help would be great. I'm reading a NIV Study Bible if that matters for y'all.

I am having some problems with resolving some Catholic doctrines like how the Catholic Church was responsible for compiling the Bible, or the prevalence of tradition, also regarding the prominence of Mary, or the primacy of Peter. So I'm just in a shambly place right now in my faith, so any help or prayers or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank y'all and God bless

You do not need to get back to God you need to get found by Him in the first place. All of your history doesn't mean a thing. Looking back is not salvation look up and resting in the Son is. Salvation is not a thing that happens to us and we can look back at it and say we are saved but a faith that rests in Christ right now. Salvation is a Person not a thing.

Find Christ and learn of Him. If that ever happens you will not need to worry about traditions and rosaries and such nonsense.