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To: jo kus

You are right, brother. Only ones which have preserved Apostolic Sucession and the Eucharist are Churches. Of course, that includes the Orthodox. All the other Christians are really members of communities of believers. They are not members of a Church, properly speaking


59 posted on 11/16/2006 7:48:04 AM PST by bornacatholic
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To: bornacatholic
All the other Christians are really members of communities of believers. They are not members of a Church, properly speaking

Ah, be careful. Someone might take that the wrong way. This can be confusing ground. If we are saying "no salvation outside the Church", then Protestants MAY be included with the Barque of Peter because they have been baptized in the Trinity. That is the main way people enter into the Church - whether it is performed by a heretic or not (as per St. Cyprian, c. 250 AD and later). Thus, INDIVIDUAL Protestants who do NOT REJECT the Catholic Church (the proper understanding, NOT the misconceptions) ARE INDEED part of the Church where salvation is found. Now, their COMMUNITIES are not "churches" properly speaking. But individually and invisibly, a Protestant has entered the Church and MAY be still part of it. God will decide in the end.

Thus, technically, you are correct, but we must provide an explanation. The denomination is not part of the Church, but the individual very well may be part of the Church...

I am giving a class on this tonight, so I have to be careful in this matter!

Regards

63 posted on 11/16/2006 8:28:25 AM PST by jo kus (Humility is present when one debases oneself without being obliged to do so- St.Chrysostom; Phil 2:8)
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