This very day, two very significant events are taking place in the United States of America. The Pope is meeting with our President and other dignitaries, and the Together for the Gospel conference is taking place in Louisville, Kentucky. Pope Benedict XVI is a staunch defender of Catholic doctrine. The speakers at the Together for the Gospel conference are gathering with 5,000 other attendees for the sake of defending the one true gospel as defined by Scripture, not the Catholic hierarchy.
Interestingly, one of the speakers at the Together for the Gospel conference, Dr. Albert Mohler (President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) was asked by The Washington Post and Newsweek to write an article "On Faith" which would represent an "evangelical voice" concerning this papal visit. Dr. Mohler has posted a copy of the article at his website: http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php.
While I would encourage you to read the whole article, there are a few particular comments that I wanted to bring to your attention. Concerning the the difference between Catholic and Protestant beliefs, Mohler writes:
If he [the Pope] is right, we [Protestant evangelicals] are endangering our souls and the souls of our church members. Yet, I am convinced that he is not right -- not right on the papacy, not right on the sacraments, not right on the priesthood, not right on the Gospel, not right in understanding the church.
The Roman Catholic Church believes that evangelicals are in spiritual danger for obstinately and disobediently excluding ourselves from submission to its universal claims and its papacy. Evangelicals are concerned that Catholics are in spiritual danger for their submission to these very claims. We both understand what is at stake.
The divide between evangelical Christians and the Roman Catholic Church remains – as this Pope well understands. And, in so many ways, this is a Pope we can understand. In this strange world, that is no small achievement.
The lines are clearly drawn, and it's a matter of life and death, heaven and hell, salvation and damnation. The Pope understands this. So does Al Mohler and the other Together for the Gospel participants.
Do you? What's your take on this?
This was a great article by Al Mohler. It was great to read that he identified a solid line of difference between the Evangelical Protestant message and that of the Catholic church. I have heard from many on both the Catholic and the Protestant sides that have made it sound like the differences between the two doctrines are yesterdays news and that when the Catholic church stopped offering Indulgences and practicing other unbiblical methods that the two viewpoints are now very similar. This is just not true. There is a huge difference between grace and works and our soul is at stake. I am not saying that there may not be some Catholics that would believe in Salvation by faith, but that is not at all what the Catholic church teaches. To say otherwise compromises the gospel message
ReplyDeleteThank You Dr. Mohler for not minimizing the difference.
Brian
Matt, how nice to see what you're up to these days. It's been a long time. I'm happy to see that you're faithfully serving our Lord.
ReplyDelete-Cary Sawatsky
Thanks, Cary! Drop me a line sometime at fbcmatt@cs.com or pastormatt@fbcweymouth.org. Hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised nobody attacked me the other week for posting a blog which said that Catholics aren't Christians. Thanks, Pastor Matt, for "contend[ing] earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."
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