Posted on 02/17/2013 1:03:50 PM PST by Kaslin
The media, including some in the Christian media, throw around the word evangelical with little understanding of its proper definition. Most recently, the media has done this in referring to Pope Benedict XVI as the “Evangelical Pope.”
In an attempt to say he’s a missionary-minded Pope, or a proselytizing Pope, they impart a title that would probably make him most uncomfortable.
I have a deep respect for Pope Benedict. Respect for his impressive intellect. Respect for his strong stand on moral issues. Respect for his belief in the uniqueness of Jesus Christ for salvation. Respect for his levelheadedness in understanding other religions. The list could go on and on.
But to label the Roman Catholic Pontiff as evangelical is an attempt to mix oil and water. About the only thing those two elements have in common is they are both liquids.
Evangelical is a word that was invented to define protestant believers who attest to the fact that salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
The evangelium, or the gospel, is the good news that any sinner can come to Jesus in repentance and faith, believing that His death and resurrection as a substitute for their own deserved punishment. That is the only way that sinners (which includes all of humanity by birth) can be eternally saved.
The Roman Catholic Church cannot be called evangelical. For, although they would agree with the good news of the gospel, they would deem it not quite sufficient for salvation.
They would say that you must also:
• Come to Jesus through the mother church • Believe in the Seven Sacraments • Believe in intercession by the blessed virgin • Believe in the intercession of the saints • Be baptized in the Catholic Church • Attend mass and confession • Believe that during mass, the bread and wine are transformed into the literal body and blood of Jesus • Believe in the ex cathedra infallibility of the Pope
And that’s just to mention a few. But any one of those, by definition, conflicts with the core of evangelical belief: that salvation equals Jesus plus nothing more.
True evangelicals view baptism and the Lord’s Table as important symbolic reminders, but they don’t view them as necessary for salvation. Nor do they believe that priests, bishops, or popes have any authority other than the authority of God’s own Word in the Bible.
In an age that is so enthralled with muddle thinking and ambiguity, it is critically important that people, especially members of the media, use words properly and with clarity. The serious differences between evangelical and Catholic beliefs should not be ignored nor minimized.
Nonetheless, evangelicals need to be in deep prayer that we may one day have an “evangelical Pope.” After all, the Roman Pope claims to be the successor of the Apostle Peter.
For when Jesus asked the disciples if they knew who He was, it was Peter who declared this truth: “You are the Son of the living God.”
Peter never viewed himself as the embodiment of Christ on earth. In fact, he called himself a “servant of Jesus.”
Thus we need to pray in our hearts and on our lips that our Roman Catholic friends would call a pope who truly sees himself like Peter—as a servant of Jesus, and as a proclaimer of salvation through Jesus and nothing else.
With a little effort and integrity, you can cure your ignorance:
Been through all of those, thanks. I’ll give you one that’s older and has a lot more authority.
Deuteronomy 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods;
Do you think God was kidding when He said not to use idols in worship of Him and that He hated it and it was an abomination?
Here’s another one you may want to consider.
CCC841 The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.
Do you serve the same God as the Muslims? The CCC says you do. I don’t.
With a little effort and integrity, you can cure your ignorance and get you information from scripture rather than the RCC.
Err... no, evangelical wasn't "invented" for this it means pertaining to or in keeping with the gospel and its teachings derived from Latin evangelicus
. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator," --> God has a plan of salvation -- and that is Christ's sacrifice.
" in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; " --> NOTE: this is AFTER Christians and Jews who are referred to in earlier chapters, all Christians of various stripes and Jews are much closer to each other than we are to hindus or muslims etc. Among those who are not in the Judeo-Christian tradition, you have Moslems, avowed monotheists. hence by the virtue of them acknowledging a one god, they are closer to Judeo-Christian tradition than polytheists or athiests
"these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, " --> they "profess", that doesn't say anything if they do or don't.
"and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”" --> They adore the one, merciful God, but they are flawed in that their worship is directed to Satan, Allah. They may adore God, but they do not realize they are not worshipping Him.
You do realise there is a difference between “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator," and "Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:", right?
Or do you think God's plan does not "include" everyone -- whether they are saved or not? Or do you not believe that Christ did not die for all mankind?
. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator," --> God has a plan of salvation -- and that is Christ's sacrifice.
" in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; " --> NOTE: this is AFTER Christians and Jews who are referred to in earlier chapters, all Christians of various stripes and Jews are much closer to each other than we are to hindus or muslims etc. Among those who are not in the Judeo-Christian tradition, you have Moslems, avowed monotheists. hence by the virtue of them acknowledging a one god, they are closer to Judeo-Christian tradition than polytheists or athiests
"these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, " --> they "profess", that doesn't say anything if they do or don't.
"and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”" --> They adore the one, merciful God, but they are flawed in that their worship is directed to Satan, Allah. They may adore God, but they do not realize they are not worshipping Him.
You do realise there is a difference between “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator," and "Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:", right?
Or do you think God's plan does not "include" everyone -- whether they are saved or not? Or do you not believe that Christ did not die for all mankind?
Muslims figure in the “plan of salvation” just as other non-believers, Hindus, Moslems etc, just as you, Cynical Bear also, figure in this plan
As far back as 1076, Pope St. Gregory VII wrote to Anzir, the king of Mauritania, that “we believe and confess one God, although in different ways.”
Pope Gregory doesn’t say that the one God that he and King Anzir both worship is the same God. All he says is that both he and Anzir worship one God; in other words, they’re both monotheists.
the Council speaks of “Muslims” (Musulmanos), not “Islam,” adoring with Catholics the one and merciful God. It is a manifest fact that Muslim people believe that their God and the Christians’ God is the same.
And the Second Vatican Council is not actually making a definitive statement on that issue. It is saying that both Catholics and Muslims adore the one and merciful God, and while that clearly does indicate a certain commonality, there can be no doubt about one thing it certainly doesn’t mean: that Muslims and Catholics adore the same God in every particular, for Catholics do not believe that Muhammad was a prophet or the Qur’an is God’s Word, and Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God or the Savior of the world, or that God is Triune.
That is all that Vatican II is really saying about Muslims: they’re monotheists, they say they belong to the religion of Abraham, and they revere Jesus, but not as the Son of God, and His Blessed Mother.
Muslims do not accept Jesus as being of God and a spiritual Savior for Christians because Mohammed being from the root of Rachael ,not Sarah, left him out of the lineage David to Jesus. Mohammed needed his own lineage to God thus the establishment of his Allah.
“Evangelical” has become a term to describe a certain theology - the experiential “born again” brand of the wilderness, and later the cities of 19th Century America.
This is not the same as Catholic.
>>”With a little effort and integrity, you can cure your ignorance
Good luck with that! :)
Some would have to admit they are not the Church. Pride gets in the way.
Citing parts of the CC again, eh?
It’s a weak argument that has to distort it’s opponent’s.
If you wish to be honest, do the whole section - from the beginning. And argue against that.
What does the header say?
You’ve been called on this before. Can you be honest on it this time?
Sorry, should have pinged you on the previous two posts.
In UpsideDown Land we have those who think the Church, bulwark against Islam, is proIslam.
The Church that defended the Christianity against Islam, with a cost of much blood, is to them now a defender of Islam.
The Pope, severely critisised for his calling out of Islam, is now a defender of Islam - to these fools.
Anything and everything false is true, if need be to support their anti-Church rants.
Shameful to all those in Christ.
Thankfully, it is a tiny group, barely worth the time it takes to expose them.
So basically what you are all saying is that you do indeed worship the same God but just that you worship Him differently. Got it.
No, basically I’m saying what I said:
Anything and everything false is true, if need be to support their anti-Church rants.
There was a priest in the 1950s who had a radio show, I think his name was Father McGloughlin. He was excommunicated because he preached there was no salvation outside the Catholic Church. Sure there may be some idiot RCs who teach the same thing, but if they are public enough, they will be excommunicated too.
Perhaps you are thinking of the “Father Feeney,” who was famous for preaching there was no salvation outside the Roman Catholic ch., but even he “was not excommunicated for preaching that there was no salvation outside the Roman Catholic,” but due to repeatedly refusing several summons to Rome. http://alcazar.net/Feeney2.html
Church.”
And he was reconciled to the Roman Catholic Church in 1972, but was not required to retract or recant his interpretation of “Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus”, which is inscribed on his tombstone.
And considering some of the statements of the past, one can understand why Traditional RCs dissent from the affirmations of baptized Prot salvation, and deny that one may die as a Protestant and be saved. Or at the least this is inferred.
Others interpret Extra ecclesiam nulla salus as meaning only baptized Prots who are ignorant of Rome’s claims to be the OTC can be saved, while others includes those of honest faith who sincerely do not see Rome as being so.
Catholics acknowledge that Moslems, and you are monotheists, and claim to worship the same God as Abraham, but nothing more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.