Posted on 09/23/2011 8:52:52 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Erfurt, Germany - Pope Benedict XVI urged mainstream Christian denominations Friday to learn from hard-working evangelical churches which are more successful in their missionary work.
'Faced with a new form of Christianity, which is spreading with overpowering missionary dynamism, sometimes in frightening ways, the mainstream Christian denominations often seem at a loss,' Benedict said during a meeting in Erfurt, Germany with Lutheran leaders.
'This is a form of Christianity with little institutional depth, little rationality and even less dogmatic content, and with little stability,' he said according to speech notes distributed by the Vatican. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
'This worldwide phenomenon poses a question to us all: what is this new form of Christianity saying to us, for better and for worse?'
The pope was referring to fundamentalist Protestant and pentecostalist groups which not only proselytize in non-Christian regions of the world, but have also converted hundreds of thousands of former Catholics in Asia and Africa.
"27 years, 12 years parochial school" and still no clue what them big Catholic words words mean.
the assumption of Mary
That's in the Bible too.
[19] And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple, and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail.[1] And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: [2] And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. [3] And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems: [4] And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son. [5] And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.
[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days. [7] And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels: [8] And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. [9] And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. [10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.
[11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of the testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
(Apoc. 11-12)
When anyone who was baptisted at birth (not anyone who actually attends Mass) is counted as a Catholic, the Inquisition starts salivating.
... thou, O son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt hear the word from my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me. When I say to the wicked: O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked man from his way: that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand. But if thou tell the wicked man, that he may be converted from his ways, and he be not converted from his way: he shall die in his iniquity: but thou hast delivered thy soul.(Ezechiel 33:7-9)
you mean John Smith or Ellen G White or Charles Taize? The re-reformatters? Those are the ones referred to in this speech as remember this speech was given to Lutherans in Germany where there isn’t that much activity from Baptists/Evangelists leave alone your Calvinist types, the activity is by Jehovah’s Witnesses
you mean John Smith or Ellen G White or Charles Taize? The re-reformatters? Those are the ones referred to in this speech as remember this speech was given to Lutherans in Germany where there isn’t that much activity from Baptists/Evangelists leave alone your Calvinist types, the activity is by Jehovah’s Witnesses"Erfurt, Germany - Pope Benedict XVI urged mainstream Christian denominations Friday to learn from hard-working evangelical churches which are more successful in their missionary work.
Are you certain the Pope was talking about non reformation, non Christian heretics, in his speech? Your interpretation is entirely 'unique' and quite off the mark.
I'm certain because of the audience of his speech. Who were they? German Lutheran ministers. The German Lutheran church is hardly in the same level of conservatism as the WELS or LCMS churches in the US.
In Germany the most "evangelizing" are the Jehovah's Witnesses, not Baptists, not American-style Evangelicals.
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