I don’t disagree with anything he said.
For the night is coming when no man can work.
Translation: Let's follow emotions rather than having a honest debate on objective truth in God's Word.
NO SALE.
Christian unity is also important so as to repel their common enemy — Islam.
The infamous Rodney King solution to every problem: “Can’t we all just get along?” And the answer is always,”No, unless you give in to me.”
As an Evangelical, I am honestly confused about why the 1999 Catholic-Lutheran Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification has not resulted in more unity. It seems that the 14 year old news that we agree on the basics of the gospel has not filtered down to the masses.
My active practicing Catholic relatives do not seem to believe that salvation is “by grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.” And unfortunately, many of my Evangelical friends do not believe Catholics can be Christians, because they think Catholicism teaches a works based salvation.
I’d be interested in knowing what the Catholic FReepers think. I came to Christ primarily because my Catholic mother-in-law prayed for me to accept Christ as my Savior for over 10 years. I am convinced she is in heaven today because of her faith. She wept with joy the day my husband and I told her we had accepted Christ and had become active in and Evangelical church.
Related threads:
Remember the ultimate goal of ecumenism: Pope
Ecumenism is Not Compromise, Pope Says
Pope says uniting Christianity requires conversion
No Salvation Outside the Church
The “Necessity” of Being Catholic (Ecumenical Caucus)
Can Non-Catholics Be Saved?
The Great Heresies [Open]
Why Can't Protestants Take Communion in a Catholic Church
(Audio) My Advice to Catholic Parents: Don't Let Your Kids Date Non-Catholics
Late one night, the Pope awoke to a vision from God —
God: “I am sorely displeased that my children have not heeded my voice and are violently divided from each other, rather than united in truth and love. The Good News is that I am creating a new dispensation in which all men shall be united as members of one faith.”
Pope: “Oh! Praise! Lord, that IS good news!”
God: “The Bad News is, I’m calling you from Salt Lake City.”
Not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Here, in Latin America and elsewhere, the evangelical and Pentecostal movements are too big, with too many former members in their flock, for the Church to ignore.
With the upcoming Easter this year being shared by all the Christian Churches, this could be a true blessing in itself.
There are certainly areas where we can work together. But that pope might have looked like a foot washing Baptist for a little bit, but he just called us to go to confession. That Pope’s Catholic!
No baptism...No Eucharist...No sacraments...Grace by faith without works...
I don't think the Catholics agreed to this...
Someone please pass the Vatican II false ecumenism barf bag.
I love my Catholic friends, but how can we get past the Council of Trent?
AFAIK, that body of Catholic authorities declared all Protestants heretics and that declaration never been rescinded.
Not gonna pick a fight, and we MUST hold hands together against the fascists, but neither can we ignore the gaps in our theological divide. :)
Even if the rotten fruits of this "longing" are a diminution of the Mother of God and of the Papacy? De-emphasizing Catholic teachings in order to gain the approval of non-Catholics who find Church teachings repugnant smacks of a bait and switch strategy toward ecumenism (unless the ultimate objective actually is to incrementally alter Church teachings in order to promote convergence toward a more generally acceptable pan-Christian creed).
Meanwhile, the scandalous disunity among the shepherds (under the guise of collegiality) is relentlessly ignored.
“It is better to be divided by truth than united in error.”
—Dr. Adrian Rogers
Unless and until Rome accepts the biblical gospel, separation from Rome is the only choice for believers. Indeed, it’s demanded by Scripture.
The Reformer’s Separation from Rome
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=101302211954
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
**”Brothers and sisters, Luther’s protest is over,” Palmer told his audience. “Is yours?”
**Great line for some posters on FR!
Furthermore, despite all the hoo-ha about how the liberal Vatican II recognized the validity of the Jewish covenant with G-d, Catholic apologeticists still make a punching bag out of Fundamentalist devotion to the significance of the Jewish presence in the Holy Land. I'm afraid all the liberal philo-Judaism is largely window dressing.
So long as these three things stand in the way, he's never going to have "unity" with people whose beliefs his church condemns.
How can so many people be lost at the same time?