In 1994 Chuck Colson authored a document which asked that five hundred years of Protestant Reformation history be erased. (Which all by itself is "interesting," considering the source.)
Colson authored the EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER ACCORD, asking that the Evangelical church in this country (comprised of apx. 60 million people in 43,000 congregations nationwide) dismiss our historic differences with Roman Catholicism and consider them our "partners in mission."
He further asked in that accord that these two groups not share the Gospel with, or attempt the conversion of each other, although those of us raised in Roman Catholicism never once heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ there. This Gospel, which speaks of an assurance in our salvation due to the power of the blood of the Lamb of God instead of our own meritorious works to obtain our salvation, is not allowed uttered from Roman Catholic pulpits.
Assurance in this Gospel of Jesus Christ brought hundreds of thousands of martyrs to burn alive at the stake in Europe because Roman Catholicism had authority over European governments. The Council of Trent, of 1547 AD, issued decrees (numerous Canons) upholding that to have "assurance in" or to "presume upon" God's Divine mercy as a means by which we are saved was ANATHEMA -- that is, accursed.
Those holding to this assurance by way of their spiritual "new birth" were declared "heretics" at that council and, because disagreement with Rome was a capital offense in that day, those declared "heretics" were burned alive at the stake for their disagreement with the governmental authority, namely the "church" of Rome, which had authority over it. (Others were beheaded by Queen Bloody Mary, in England, for instance, whose heart's desire was that England be returned to the "church" of Rome.)
More recently, this Council of Trent and all of its decrees was upheld at Vatican II, between 1962 and 1965. There have been no further Roman councils to either acknowledge again or dismiss the original decrees of Trent. In other words, according to the Vatican, all those who trust by faith and hold to an assurance in the work of Jesus Christ to obtain their salvation without merit are considered "heretics" today.
That term "heretic" has been reduced lately to the term "separated brethren," but don't let them fool you. All those disagreeing with Rome are still considered "heretics" today -- condemned to hell, in their view -- for the very assurance which is the means by which we are saved.
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen." (Hebrews 11:1)
And, if it is by grace that we are saved -- through faith (or, through our assurance in Christ alone) -- then we are surely saved and the Catholic, not allowed this belief, surely is not.
The Pilgrims settled these shores in escape of this government-imposed religious persecution from a religion which Chuck Colson now deems our "mission partner." Colson's accord would be truly laughable except that we have recently seen the result of it, best expressed last year. In truth, it is truly devastating.
Those Catholics who genuinely and reasonably began "seriously questioning their church" last year were not given the good news of this Gospel when they needed it most. That Gospel should have been delivered by the group of evangelicals who have the mandate to preach it to all those without but few Evangelical Christians (save the former Catholics in the Evangelical church) even recognize that Catholics don't have the same Gospel. No thanks to Chuck Colson.
But a most amazing event has recently occurred, which, if it does nothing else, assures us all that Catholics no more hold to our same Gospel than the man in the moon. And the eye witness account of what took place at this event is given below.
It needs no more explanation than is given but it does beg one good question: If the Catholics are our "mission partners," as we have been led to believe, then why are they training to convert us?
From Mike Gendron's Proclaiming the Gospel Ministies newsletter, due out August/September 2003 http://www.pro-gospel.org
The Changing Face of Roman Catholicism
Did you ever think you would see the day when Protestant pastors would convert to Roman Catholicism and then draw others into the Catholic religion? That day has arrived as evidenced by The Springtime of Catholic Evangelization Conference held June 27-29 at the Plano Center outside of Dallas, Texas. The sponsors gave my wife Jane and I complimentary tickets ($65 at the door) in hopes that we would come back to "the one true church." They made only one request. They asked us not to proselytize Catholics during the conference. So off we went to see and experience the changing face of Roman Catholicism in America. The event was promoted by the Fullness of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministry, a ministry "established to promote and share the inestimable gift and irrefutable truth of the Roman Catholic Faith with all mankind, though with sincere charity and reverence."
We were indeed surprised to see so many attendees. About 1500 zealous Catholics were gathered to learn how to evangelize non-Catholics and how to defend their faith. Surprisingly, only two of the ten conference speakers were Catholic priests, one of whom was ordained at the age of 44. Three of the featured speakers, Tim Staples, Jeff Cavins, and Marcus Grodi, promoted themselves as former Protestant pastors who have since converted to Roman Catholicism. Another speaker, Stephen Ray was a former Baptist Sunday School teacher.
The words of the apostle John came to mind: "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:18). Also part of the platform of speakers were Patrick Madrid, the founder and publisher of Envoy Magazine (a Catholic journal of apologetics and evangelization), Johnette Benkovic, host of a Catholic TV program, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, professor at the University of Dallas and Rosalind Moss, a Jewish convert to Roman Catholicism.
The Protestant Influence
This is not the Catholic Church I left in 1984. Twenty years ago, you would not have seen a conference where lay people outnumbered priests in such key authoritative teaching roles. Nor would there have been enough interest to schedule a lay conference on apologetics and evangelism. Yet these types of conferences are springing up all over America. Former Protestant ministers are writing books, creating websites, producing television programs such as The Coming Home Network, debating evangelicals and aggressively pursuing the reunification of all Protestants to the Church of Rome. Catholic bookstore shelves are now filled with books and tapes of these former Protestants who have left the true faith for another gospel and another Jesus.
It is no wonder Roman Catholicism is beginning to appear more evangelical to the non-discerning observer. However, under this veneer of half truths remain the numerous unchangeable dogmas that oppose and nullify the Gospel of grace.
What is drawing these converts, who claim they were once "born again" as Protestants, to a religion they once protested? I asked that provocative question several times at the conference. Most of the respondents said they were proselytized by Rome's offer of the "fullness of salvation." I reminded them of what the Gospel offers - the complete forgiveness of sins, the gift of Christ's righteousness, the assurance of eternal life and an everlasting relationship with God. That is the fullness of salvation!
The irony of all this is that the Roman Catholic Church does not offer what the Gospel offers, in fact it condemns those who believe they have this "fullness" secured by God's promises.
The conference had something for everyone. Each of the three days started with Catholics praying to Mary using the rosary, followed by the sacrifice of the Mass, a re-presentation of Jesus as a sacrificial victim for sins. Those who wanted to confess their sins to a priest had several opportunities. Throughout each day attendees were encouraged to go into a special room to spend time adoring the eucharistic Jesus. Booths and tables were filled with merchandise for sale, from statues and rosaries, to books and T-shirts.
One T-shirt gave the top ten reasons to remain a Catholic. The Mary Queen of Peace Center sponsored a booth of particular interest. They offered pictures of Mary and a phone number (214-233-MARY) that is active 24 hours a day with the latest message from Mary's apparition in Medjugorje. Conference topics included "The Eucharist - You Are What You Eat", "Peter and the Papacy - Source of Unity and True Ecumenism", "Why Be Catholic When You Can Be Anything Else", "How To Keep Your Kids Catholic", and "Hey Catholic - Are You Saved?" In the main auditorium, the Virgin Mary had prominence with her picture displayed on two huge banners. The only sign of Jesus was a crucifix hanging near the stage.
Defending the Catholic Religion
Much of the conference focused on educating Roman Catholics on how to defend their faith against evangelicals quoting Scripture. Needless to say, there were some questionable teachings presented and noted. Tim Staples said: "only a holy priest who has permission from his bishop can cast out demons." Regarding Mary's ability to hear the prayers of a billion Catholics simultaneously, Staples said: "Our blessed mother can do this because she is not bound by time." One of the priests, John Corapi, who spent most of his time sharing humorous stories, said: "I so often thank God that He allowed me to be baptized into a good Catholic family."
Patrick Madrid presented several ways to overcome objections and defend the faith when confronted by evangelicals. He said, "The Catholic Church is the true church founded by Christ" and the reason you do not see monsignors, pope-mobiles and other such things in the Bible is because these are part of the organic growth of the Catholic Church.
Furthermore, he proclaimed, "the Catholic Church does not amputate books from the Bible," suggesting that's exactly what the reformers did with the apocryphal books. When an evangelical opens a Bible and starts quoting Scripture, Madrid said to tell them, "Oh good! You are using our [Catholic] book, how nice." He said to be sure to contrast our rich soil which has produced such saints as Mother Teresa with the Protestant soil, which is so thin.
Madrid also talked about all the Catholics who died for their faith. He failed to mention the Christian martyrs the Roman Catholic Church brutally murdered for not bowing their knee to the papacy or the Eucharist.
The "Stump the Apologist - Question and Answer" session gave us a good insight into the contemporary Catholic mind-set. Most of the questions dealt with how Catholics should respond to evangelicals who use Scriptures to renounce the Catholic religion. Almost all the answers began with "The Church teaches " instead of "The Bible teaches " Of course, this came as no surprise since Catholics are taught that their Bishops are the only people entrusted to give an authentic interpretation of the Bible. How tragic that our Lord's authority has been replaced by a religious institution intent on controlling its people with insidious indoctrination.
Apostasy and Prophecy
As more and more Protestants depart from the faith of the apostles and join the Roman Catholic Church, they will be instrumental in persuading others to do the same. This changing face of Roman Catholicism is consistent with how Scripture describes the last days. "Some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). They appear to be godly men but they have chosen to believe another gospel. These men will be seen "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2 Tim. 3:1). Clearly the power they deny is the Gospel which "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). These former Protestants, who have demonstrated their denial of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by their adherence to a gospel of works, sacraments and indulgences, will continue to deceive others without resistance unless the Body of Christ takes a stand to earnestly contend for the faith.
Whenever doctrinal error is allowed to propagate unopposed, it flourishes to deceive even the elect if possible. Christians must put on the full armor of God and be willing to suffer hardship as soldiers for Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). We can no longer be apathetic, indifferent or unconcerned. We can no longer allow the Gospel to be compromised or perverted without a battle. We can no longer permit false teachers to spew their fatal lies without a godly rebuke. The spiritual battle for the souls of men has intensified. Only the word of God can expose, refute and renounce this global religious deception and set captives free!
----------end Gendron newsletter-------
This should explain my concern. Imagine. Sixty-five million "Catholic evangelists" in training right here in America right now -- training, no less, to convert a group of fractured, Protestants of all denominations, the largest majority of which believe that we're already "partners in mission" and hold to the very same Gospel as Roman Catholicism.
If this isn't disturbing to others here, it should be.
There is hope on the horizon, however. I have every hope that the God of Heaven is about to use a book I wrote on this subject to spread this warning to the church. Please join me in praying that He does.
This is my first post here. I look forward to getting better acquainted with many of you on this forum.
God's speed,
RoS
(aka Rose of Sharon)
Colson authored the EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER ACCORD, asking that the Evangelical church in this country (comprised of apx. 60 million people in 43,000 congregations nationwide) dismiss our historic differences with Roman Catholicism and consider them our "partners in mission."
He further asked in that accord that these two groups not share the Gospel with, or attempt the conversion of each other, although those of us raised in Roman Catholicism never once heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ there. This Gospel, which speaks of an assurance in our salvation due to the power of the blood of the Lamb of God instead of our own meritorious works to obtain our salvation, is not allowed uttered from Roman Catholic pulpits.
Assurance in this Gospel of Jesus Christ brought hundreds of thousands of martyrs to burn alive at the stake in Europe because Roman Catholicism had authority over European governments. The Council of Trent, of 1547 AD, issued decrees (numerous Canons) upholding that to have "assurance in" or to "presume upon" God's Divine mercy as a means by which we are saved was ANATHEMA -- that is, accursed.
Those holding to this assurance by way of their spiritual "new birth" were declared "heretics" at that council and, because disagreement with Rome was a capital offense in that day, those declared "heretics" were burned alive at the stake for their disagreement with the governmental authority, namely the "church" of Rome, which had authority over it. (Others were beheaded by Queen Bloody Mary, in England, for instance, whose heart's desire was that England be returned to the "church" of Rome.)
More recently, this Council of Trent and all of its decrees was upheld at Vatican II, between 1962 and 1965. There have been no further Roman councils to either acknowledge again or dismiss the original decrees of Trent. In other words, according to the Vatican, all those who trust by faith and hold to an assurance in the work of Jesus Christ to obtain their salvation without merit are considered "heretics" today.
That term "heretic" has been reduced lately to the term "separated brethren," but don't let them fool you. All those disagreeing with Rome are still considered "heretics" today -- condemned to hell, in their view -- for the very assurance which is the means by which we are saved.
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen." (Hebrews 11:1)
And, if it is by grace that we are saved -- through faith (or, through our assurance in Christ alone) -- then we are surely saved and the Catholic, not allowed this belief, surely is not.
The Pilgrims settled these shores in escape of this government-imposed religious persecution from a religion which Chuck Colson now deems our "mission partner." Colson's accord would be truly laughable except that we have recently seen the result of it, best expressed last year. In truth, it is truly devastating.
Those Catholics who genuinely and reasonably began "seriously questioning their church" last year were not given the good news of this Gospel when they needed it most. That Gospel should have been delivered by the group of evangelicals who have the mandate to preach it to all those without but few Evangelical Christians (save the former Catholics in the Evangelical church) even recognize that Catholics don't have the same Gospel. No thanks to Chuck Colson.
But a most amazing event has recently occurred, which, if it does nothing else, assures us all that Catholics no more hold to our same Gospel than the man in the moon. And the eye witness account of what took place at this event is given below.
It needs no more explanation than is given but it does beg one good question: If the Catholics are our "mission partners," as we have been led to believe, then why are they training to convert us?
From Mike Gendron's Proclaiming the Gospel Ministies newsletter, due out August/September 2003 http://www.pro-gospel.org
The Changing Face of Roman Catholicism
Did you ever think you would see the day when Protestant pastors would convert to Roman Catholicism and then draw others into the Catholic religion? That day has arrived as evidenced by The Springtime of Catholic Evangelization Conference held June 27-29 at the Plano Center outside of Dallas, Texas. The sponsors gave my wife Jane and I complimentary tickets ($65 at the door) in hopes that we would come back to "the one true church." They made only one request. They asked us not to proselytize Catholics during the conference. So off we went to see and experience the changing face of Roman Catholicism in America. The event was promoted by the Fullness of Truth Catholic Evangelization Ministry, a ministry "established to promote and share the inestimable gift and irrefutable truth of the Roman Catholic Faith with all mankind, though with sincere charity and reverence."
We were indeed surprised to see so many attendees. About 1500 zealous Catholics were gathered to learn how to evangelize non-Catholics and how to defend their faith. Surprisingly, only two of the ten conference speakers were Catholic priests, one of whom was ordained at the age of 44. Three of the featured speakers, Tim Staples, Jeff Cavins, and Marcus Grodi, promoted themselves as former Protestant pastors who have since converted to Roman Catholicism. Another speaker, Stephen Ray was a former Baptist Sunday School teacher.
The words of the apostle John came to mind: "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us" (1 John 2:18). Also part of the platform of speakers were Patrick Madrid, the founder and publisher of Envoy Magazine (a Catholic journal of apologetics and evangelization), Johnette Benkovic, host of a Catholic TV program, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, professor at the University of Dallas and Rosalind Moss, a Jewish convert to Roman Catholicism.
The Protestant Influence
This is not the Catholic Church I left in 1984. Twenty years ago, you would not have seen a conference where lay people outnumbered priests in such key authoritative teaching roles. Nor would there have been enough interest to schedule a lay conference on apologetics and evangelism. Yet these types of conferences are springing up all over America. Former Protestant ministers are writing books, creating websites, producing television programs such as The Coming Home Network, debating evangelicals and aggressively pursuing the reunification of all Protestants to the Church of Rome. Catholic bookstore shelves are now filled with books and tapes of these former Protestants who have left the true faith for another gospel and another Jesus.
It is no wonder Roman Catholicism is beginning to appear more evangelical to the non-discerning observer. However, under this veneer of half truths remain the numerous unchangeable dogmas that oppose and nullify the Gospel of grace.
What is drawing these converts, who claim they were once "born again" as Protestants, to a religion they once protested? I asked that provocative question several times at the conference. Most of the respondents said they were proselytized by Rome's offer of the "fullness of salvation." I reminded them of what the Gospel offers - the complete forgiveness of sins, the gift of Christ's righteousness, the assurance of eternal life and an everlasting relationship with God. That is the fullness of salvation!
The irony of all this is that the Roman Catholic Church does not offer what the Gospel offers, in fact it condemns those who believe they have this "fullness" secured by God's promises.
The conference had something for everyone. Each of the three days started with Catholics praying to Mary using the rosary, followed by the sacrifice of the Mass, a re-presentation of Jesus as a sacrificial victim for sins. Those who wanted to confess their sins to a priest had several opportunities. Throughout each day attendees were encouraged to go into a special room to spend time adoring the eucharistic Jesus. Booths and tables were filled with merchandise for sale, from statues and rosaries, to books and T-shirts.
One T-shirt gave the top ten reasons to remain a Catholic. The Mary Queen of Peace Center sponsored a booth of particular interest. They offered pictures of Mary and a phone number (214-233-MARY) that is active 24 hours a day with the latest message from Mary's apparition in Medjugorje. Conference topics included "The Eucharist - You Are What You Eat", "Peter and the Papacy - Source of Unity and True Ecumenism", "Why Be Catholic When You Can Be Anything Else", "How To Keep Your Kids Catholic", and "Hey Catholic - Are You Saved?" In the main auditorium, the Virgin Mary had prominence with her picture displayed on two huge banners. The only sign of Jesus was a crucifix hanging near the stage.
Defending the Catholic Religion
Much of the conference focused on educating Roman Catholics on how to defend their faith against evangelicals quoting Scripture. Needless to say, there were some questionable teachings presented and noted. Tim Staples said: "only a holy priest who has permission from his bishop can cast out demons." Regarding Mary's ability to hear the prayers of a billion Catholics simultaneously, Staples said: "Our blessed mother can do this because she is not bound by time." One of the priests, John Corapi, who spent most of his time sharing humorous stories, said: "I so often thank God that He allowed me to be baptized into a good Catholic family."
Patrick Madrid presented several ways to overcome objections and defend the faith when confronted by evangelicals. He said, "The Catholic Church is the true church founded by Christ" and the reason you do not see monsignors, pope-mobiles and other such things in the Bible is because these are part of the organic growth of the Catholic Church.
Furthermore, he proclaimed, "the Catholic Church does not amputate books from the Bible," suggesting that's exactly what the reformers did with the apocryphal books. When an evangelical opens a Bible and starts quoting Scripture, Madrid said to tell them, "Oh good! You are using our [Catholic] book, how nice." He said to be sure to contrast our rich soil which has produced such saints as Mother Teresa with the Protestant soil, which is so thin.
Madrid also talked about all the Catholics who died for their faith. He failed to mention the Christian martyrs the Roman Catholic Church brutally murdered for not bowing their knee to the papacy or the Eucharist.
The "Stump the Apologist - Question and Answer" session gave us a good insight into the contemporary Catholic mind-set. Most of the questions dealt with how Catholics should respond to evangelicals who use Scriptures to renounce the Catholic religion. Almost all the answers began with "The Church teaches " instead of "The Bible teaches " Of course, this came as no surprise since Catholics are taught that their Bishops are the only people entrusted to give an authentic interpretation of the Bible. How tragic that our Lord's authority has been replaced by a religious institution intent on controlling its people with insidious indoctrination.
Apostasy and Prophecy
As more and more Protestants depart from the faith of the apostles and join the Roman Catholic Church, they will be instrumental in persuading others to do the same. This changing face of Roman Catholicism is consistent with how Scripture describes the last days. "Some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). They appear to be godly men but they have chosen to believe another gospel. These men will be seen "holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2 Tim. 3:1). Clearly the power they deny is the Gospel which "is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). These former Protestants, who have demonstrated their denial of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by their adherence to a gospel of works, sacraments and indulgences, will continue to deceive others without resistance unless the Body of Christ takes a stand to earnestly contend for the faith.
Whenever doctrinal error is allowed to propagate unopposed, it flourishes to deceive even the elect if possible. Christians must put on the full armor of God and be willing to suffer hardship as soldiers for Christ (2 Tim. 2:3). We can no longer be apathetic, indifferent or unconcerned. We can no longer allow the Gospel to be compromised or perverted without a battle. We can no longer permit false teachers to spew their fatal lies without a godly rebuke. The spiritual battle for the souls of men has intensified. Only the word of God can expose, refute and renounce this global religious deception and set captives free!
----------end Gendron newsletter-------
This should explain my concern. Imagine. Sixty-five million "Catholic evangelists" in training right here in America right now -- training, no less, to convert a group of fractured, Protestants of all denominations, the largest majority of which believe that we're already "partners in mission" and hold to the very same Gospel as Roman Catholicism.
If this isn't disturbing to others here, it should be.
There is hope on the horizon, however. I have every hope that the God of Heaven is about to use a book I wrote on this subject to spread this warning to the church. Please join me in praying that He does.
This is my first post here. I look forward to getting better acquainted with many of you on this forum.
God's speed,
RoS
(aka Rose of Sharon)
