Baptist Sunday School Teacher Discovers the Church
"I started bitterly regretting the many statements I had made, disparaging Catholics as not knowing what they believed, and as idolaters or worse."
Read here for the first part of this gentleman's journey and here for second part. I am still intrigued by these stories and find that each person has a somewhat different perspective. I particularly appreciate the fact that this blogger is a medical student with a PhD. The medical establishment is in great need of those with a thorough understanding and appreciation for the Gospel of Life.
"This process, which may be called discovering the Catholic Church, is perhaps the most pleasant and straightforward part of the business easier than joining the Catholic Church and much easier than trying to live the Catholic life. It is like discovering a new continent full of strange flowers and fantastic animals, which is at once wild and hospitable. To give anything like a full account of that process would simply be to discuss about half a hundred Catholic ideas and institutions in turn. I might remark that much of it consists of the act of translation; of discovering the real meaning of words, which the Church uses rightly and the world uses wrongly." GK Chesterton
Read here for the first part of this gentleman's journey and here for second part. I am still intrigued by these stories and find that each person has a somewhat different perspective. I particularly appreciate the fact that this blogger is a medical student with a PhD. The medical establishment is in great need of those with a thorough understanding and appreciation for the Gospel of Life.
"This process, which may be called discovering the Catholic Church, is perhaps the most pleasant and straightforward part of the business easier than joining the Catholic Church and much easier than trying to live the Catholic life. It is like discovering a new continent full of strange flowers and fantastic animals, which is at once wild and hospitable. To give anything like a full account of that process would simply be to discuss about half a hundred Catholic ideas and institutions in turn. I might remark that much of it consists of the act of translation; of discovering the real meaning of words, which the Church uses rightly and the world uses wrongly." GK Chesterton
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 1:19 PM
10 Comments:
TJ, thanks for the links. I'll have part three up in a few days.
This is a very funny and true statement:
"This process, which may be called discovering the Catholic Church, is perhaps the most pleasant and straightforward part of the business easier than joining the Catholic Church and much easier than trying to live the Catholic life."
I'm also reminded of Scott Hahn's picture of discovering the Catholic Church as first a detective story, then a horror story and then a love story.
And, I'll have a look at the new blog.
O
::thrive
luminousmiseries
onionboy.ca
Yes, he's a man after our own hearts.
I get so pumped reading conversion stories. I think it's because for an evangelical protestant to become a Catholic requires such a complete paradigm shift in so much of what they have believed for years. It's nothing short of a miracle of God....and it's just beautiful. Thanks for posting this.
When I think back to all the anti-Catholic statements I made in the past, I'm embarrassed... I've come a LOOOONG way! I only hope I haven't caused too much damage due to my ignorance.
Amber:
Have no fear. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. I imagine you did nothing more than express your best understanding at the time, intending good.
Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery only to find him their benefactor and agent of salvation. These men actually *intended* evil; and yet they found mercy and forgiveness. How much more will you, who intended good?
Even had you made your past statements maliciously, it would not work toward evil in the end. God restores what the locust devour. It's His thing.
Humbly,
Theo
Theo,
Thank you for your comments. I will take them to heart.
God Bless...
My Friends,
Either my memory is very bad, or I'm not being honest with myself, or my experience is so very different. Although I left the Catholic Church as a teenager, I can't recall years and years of "Catholic-bashing." I'm sure I have made some remarks in ignorance over the years regarding what I thought Catholics believed theologically, but I really can't recall an extended period of hateful thoughts toward Catholics. My impression from the converts/reverts on the Catholic blogs is that as Protestants, they routinely insulted, berated and otherwise criticised Catholics at every turn. This was never my experience, and I have never known anyone like that, until chat rooms came along, that is. Am I so unusual in this regard? I hope not...
Best,
Pilgrimsarbour
Pilgrim:
No, you are *not* all that unusual. I believe what you're mostly seeing in this discussion is the effect of people sharing in a single venue, isolated yet somewhat common experiences of antagonism. True, depending upon the region in which one grew up or became Catholic, such antagonism might be more or less frequent.
I personally experienced (or noticed) only a few overt instances of Catholic bashing during my formative years--yet indeed they were very real. Were I to recount them here and out of context, one might get the impression that I lived a life filled with suffering unkindness at the hands of evil or ignorant Protestant antagonizers. That, of course, would be utter nonsense, as the overwhelmingly vast majority of my experiences with my Protestant friends and neighbors was and remains positive. Protestants have been among the people who have shown me the greatest kindness and true Christian charity.
I dare say that some Catholics have no doubt delivered unkindness to their non-Catholic neighbors as well. When we Catholics happen to discuss injustices we might have experienced or witnessed, I hope and pray we also understand that we should not "keep a record of wrongs." When we who profess Christ as savior do so, we do not love our neighbor, by definition.
With prayers to you for prayers for me, I remain humbly, your servant and brother in Christ,
--Theo
This
Thank you for the link. It's nice to know that I'm not the only Baptist Sunday School teacher who swam the Tiber.
There never was too much Catholic bashing when I was growing up, that I remember. Where I recieved it, was when I had started going to a Catholic Bible study, and my stepmother came up with something negative about Catholicism every time we talked on the phone.
She did notice a difference in me, after my conversion (but didn't know the cause). I was more at peace with myself.
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