Southern Baptist Seminarian Comes Home
Devin Rose posts a letter from a friend who has just converted to the Catholic faith. It is an excellent read.
"Ultimately it was questions about church history and the Bible that caused me to withdraw from the seminary three weeks later. As I read my Church History I textbooks and Martin Luther biography, I was struck by how novel many of my Baptist beliefs were. Throughout the early church and even during the Reformation I learned that issues like baptism and communion were extremely important. Yet for me they had always been “open-handed” issues. After all, communion was simply eating bread and grape juice every now and then to remember Christ. Strictly speaking, baptism was not necessary for salvation and was simply a symbol demonstrated after someone had gotten “saved.” Not only did these views contradict church history but, increasingly, they did not match with uncomfortable Bible passages I had always shrugged off (cf John 6, Rom 6)."
"Ultimately it was questions about church history and the Bible that caused me to withdraw from the seminary three weeks later. As I read my Church History I textbooks and Martin Luther biography, I was struck by how novel many of my Baptist beliefs were. Throughout the early church and even during the Reformation I learned that issues like baptism and communion were extremely important. Yet for me they had always been “open-handed” issues. After all, communion was simply eating bread and grape juice every now and then to remember Christ. Strictly speaking, baptism was not necessary for salvation and was simply a symbol demonstrated after someone had gotten “saved.” Not only did these views contradict church history but, increasingly, they did not match with uncomfortable Bible passages I had always shrugged off (cf John 6, Rom 6)."
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 7:29 PM
6 Comments:
I wonder what accounts for the reasons why people like this fellow and you and I read this material and see that obviously the protestant Reformation was wrong and novel, but so many other protestants (my family being some) just don't see anything to it? It's not just obstinacy. There is a blindness. And these individuals are otherwise faithful, faith-filled, people.
I think it's definitely spiritual. When you think about it, what would Satan want more than anything to see, since he already failed at trying to kill our Lord? He would attack the divine institution He instituted, the Church.It is no surprise that the Church Christ started is caricatured, mythologized and its doctrines distorted and "straw-mannned."
Yet the heroic virtue and faith of 2000 years of saints, the profound positive effect that Catholicism has had on civilization, its unflinching pro-life stance is never mentioned or even acknowledged. All they can say is, "it's a works-based religion and they worship Mary!" Yikes!
People don't like having to be subject to an earthly authority.
Russ, You are so right. And if Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, Satan would do everything he can to keep people away from it. Julie
Absolutely Julie! No surprise that of all Catholic doctrines, there is probably more opposition and arguments against it than others. Even JAck T Chick made a tract called "The Death Cookie," which was a vile attempt to attack the Eucharist.
We used to study The Death Cookie when I taught RCIA.
Post a Comment
Home