And I just want to know, you know, how is it that…you know, cause I understand, I think the apologist online actually was…not a Pentecostal, but some sort of Protestant. I assume you are asking which is older, Roman Catholicism or Protestantism. One could only justify such assumptions if one were already committed to Roman Catholic doctrine and Rome's meaningful continuity with what came before. 4 From the early centuries CE through the Middle Ages, Roman Catholic beliefs, traditions, practices, and institutions were the normative form of Christianity. By the time my parents were ­living in ­twenty-first-century Illinois, their families’ historic Reformed commitments had been replaced by non-denominational, ­Baptistic ­evangelicalism. The Church of Rome could not be straightforwardly identified as catholic. To become a Catholic Christian is to regain one’s Christian unity. The phone conversation was mind boggling. On these two ideas hung all the claims of Rome. Through Catholicism, I came into an inheritance: a past of saints and redeemed sinners from all corners of the earth, theologians who illuminated the deep things of God, music and art that summon men to worship God “in the beauty of holiness,” and a tradition to ground me in a world of flux. This makes up more than 17% of the world population. There is something truly joyous in discovering the real Catholic Church after one has the personal revelation that Christians are sinfully divided. Through Catholicism, I came into an inheritance: a past of saints and redeemed sinners from all corners of the earth, theologians who illuminated the deep things of God, music and art that summon men to worship God "in the beauty of holiness," and a tradition to ground me in a world of flux. With these words, Luther transformed my understanding of justification: Every Christian possesses Christ, and to possess Christ is to possess all of Christ's righteousness, life, and merits. Reacting against the middle-aged leaders of the inaptly named “Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement,” I sought refuge in that other great ­Western ­theological tradition: ­Roman ­Catholicism. During my first year of college, I became involved in campus Catholic life. How can a Protestant Bible school be the place where the gift of Catholic faith is forged? I set about exploring, and I tried to bring others along. I wept and showed forth God's praise. www.firstthings.com/article/2019/10/catholicism-made-me-protestant. 36. In this state, I picked up my copy of that arch-heretic Luther and read his explanation of Thesis 37: "Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters." Did Calvinism make God the author of evil? I've posted an excerpt of the piece, but… Article excerpt. Catholicism has given me an inspiration and meaning in my life that overwhelms me. Newman himself had once recognized this dilemma, writing in a pre-conversion letter, “We have too great a horror of the principle of private judgment to trust it in so immense a matter as that of changing from one communion to another.” Did he expect me to forfeit the faculty by which I adjudicate truth claims, because that faculty is fallible? I told her that we also go by tradition. In time, I came to find their answers not only plausible, but more faithful to Scripture than the Catholic answers, and at least as well-represented in the traditions of the Church. That book made sense but I still needed a supernatural infusion to seal my logical faith. The Protestants did more than out-catholic the Catholics. . My parents taught me to love God, revere the Scriptures, and seek truth through reason. Here was a man obsessed with the same questions that ate at me, questions of tradition and authority. Like their opponents, Protestants had appealed to Scripture and tradition. Catholic Bible 101 - Catholic & Protestant - Catholicbible101 is the website that explains Catholic teachings in plain, easy to understand English. The implication is that reason is unreliable in matters of revelation. This is the first of your three free articles for the month. . VirtueOnline is the Anglican Communion's largest Biblically Orthodox Online News Service, read by more than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries each year. What I found shocked me. I had begun this arduous cooperation with God’s grace full of hope; by the time I sat in that dorm room alone, I was distraught and demoralized. When I arrived at the University of Chicago, I knew just enough about Calvinism to hold it in -contempt--which is to say, I knew very little. The Anglican divine Richard Hooker quoted Irenaeus, ¬Chrysostom, ¬Augustine, and Pope Leo I as he rejected doctrines and practices because they were not grounded in Scripture. Centuries later, ¬American Presbyterians converted my father's great-¬grandmother from Coptic ¬Orthodoxy to ¬Protestantism. Learn more about Protestantism in this article. Six princes of the Holy Roman Empire and rulers of fourteen Imperial Free Cities, who issued a protest (or dissent) against the edict of the Diet of Speyer (1529), were the first individuals to be called Protestants. For the first time in my life I am on board in my heart and mind. He cited Pope Gregory the Great on the "¬ungodly" title of universal bishop. Primarily, you know, as it relates to Church-made doctrine versus what I can find in the Bible. Catholicism will make a … John Henry Newman became my crucial interlocutor: More than in Ratzinger, Wojtyła, or Congar, in Newman I found a kindred spirit. Becky Carter August 13, 2018 No Comments. Schweppe had never been around a family as large as the Catholic congressman he worked for who had 10 children. Here was a man obsessed with the same questions that ate at me, questions of tradition and authority. In Jimmy Swaggart Made Me Catholic, Tim tells you his story . . My evangelical upbringing had led me to believe that Protestantism entailed the rejection of these concerns. In time, I came to find their answers not only plausible, but more faithful to Scripture than the Catholic answers, and at least as well-represented in the traditions of the Church. St. Thomas’s doctrine of predestination, much to my horror, was nearly identical to the Synod of Dordt’s. October 2019. The Church of Rome could not be straightforwardly identified as catholic. The Anglican divine Richard Hooker quoted Irenaeus, ­Chrysostom, ­Augustine, and Pope Leo I as he rejected doctrines and practices because they were not grounded in Scripture. If you want this website to work, you must enable javascript. Onsi A. Kamel is editor in chief of the Davenant Press. The Council of ¬Nicaea assumed that Alexandria was on a par with Rome, and Chalcedon declared that the Roman patriarchate was privileged only "because [Rome] was the royal city." In middle school, my father introduced me to theology, and as a present for my sixteenth birthday he arranged a meeting between me and a Catholic philosopher, Dr. B--. I was captivated by the holy martyrs, relics, Mary, and the Mass. In retrospect, I see that Newman’s need to construct a theory of doctrinal development tells against Rome’s claims of continuity with the ancient Church. St. John Chrysostom’s teaching on repentance and absolution—“Mourn and you annul the sin”—would have been more at home in Geneva than Paris. I loved Catholicism because Catholics taught me to love the Church. Two of his ideas were pivotal for me: his theory of doctrinal development and his articulation of the problem of private judgment. I devoured his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine and his Apologia pro Vita Sua. Question: "Catholic vs. Protestant – why is there so much animosity?" Posts about protestant written by Justin S. Steele, M.T.S. I met faithful and holy Catholic priests—one of whom has valiantly defended the faith for years, drawing punitive opposition from his own religious superiors, as well as the ire of Chicago’s archbishop. Richard Hooker interpreted the Church's traditions; Calvin followed Luther's Augustinianism, proclaimed the visible Church the mother of the faithful, and claimed for the Reformation the Church's exegetical tradition; Barth convinced me that God's Word could speak, certainly and surely, from beyond all created realities, to me. Close. Now with Google Translator for non-English speakers. My assumptions, and the issues that animated me, were those of the Church of history. Onsi A. Kamel is editor in chief of the Davenant Press. ought consistently to be interpreted by means of that development which was ultimately attained," I could not. St. Ambrose's doctrine of justification sounded a great deal more like Luther's sola fide than like Trent. Catholicism and Protestantism have distinct views on the meaning and the authority of the Bible. 3:21--23). My ¬conversion would have to be rooted in my private ¬judgment--but, because of Rome's claim of infallibility, conversion would forbid me from exercising that faculty ever again on doctrinal questions. Without either of these commitments, I simply could not find a plausible reason to speak of "development" rather than "disjuncture," especially because what came before so often contradicted what followed. Consequently, the term “Roman Catholicism” became synonymous with western Christianity. Christ had joined me to himself. But this notion exploded upon contact with the Protestantism of history. 3:27; 1 Cor. This priest was and is to me the very model of a holy, righteous, and courageous man. St. John Chrysostom's teaching on repentance and absolution--"Mourn and you annul the sin"--would have been more at home in Geneva than Paris. Like their pope-aligned opponents, they had asked questions about justification, the authority of tradition, the mode of Christ's self-gift in the Eucharist, the nature of apostolic succession, and the Church's wielding of the keys. The causes of any conversion (or near conversion) are many and confused. I know, I’m full of questions today. How could a just and loving God not reveal himself equally to everyone? What really made me decide to take the plunge, so to speak, was a conversation I had with a Protestant friend in the spring of my first year in South Bend. I had learned just how wretched a sinner I was: No good work was unsullied by pride, no repentance unaccompanied by expectations of future sin, no love free from selfishness. I debated tradition with my mother, sola Scriptura with my then fiancee (now wife), and the meaning of the Eucharist with my father. I wept and showed forth God’s praise. This priest was and is to me the very model of a holy, righteous, and courageous man. How could a just and loving God not reveal himself equally to everyone? In his Apologia, Newman argues that man’s rebellion against God introduced an “anarchical condition of things,” leading human thought toward “suicidal excesses.” Hence, the fittingness of a divinely established living voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths. But if I could not do these things, if my reason was unfit in matters religious, how was I to assess Newman’s arguments for Roman Catholicism? Catholicism had, by this time, reoriented my theological concerns around the concerns of the Church catholic. Martin Luther, John Calvin, Richard Hooker, Herman Bavinck, Karl Barth—they wrestled with the concerns of the Church catholic and provided answers to the questions Catholicism had taught me to pose. Without either of these commitments, I simply could not find a plausible reason to speak of “development” rather than “disjuncture,” especially because what came before so often contradicted what followed. Read preview. My Protestant Husband Led Me Back to the Catholic Church. Should I foreground psychological and social factors or my theological reasoning? I’ve also read books by former Protestants on … Onsi A. Kamel I am still trying to read and soak up understanding–I am just in awe over how much these teachings make sense. My acquaintance with Dr. B— set my intellectual trajectory for several years. I had “put on Christ” in baptism and, by faith through the work of the Spirit, all things were mine, and I was Christ’s, and Christ was God’s (Gal. Like all accounts of God's faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy. They received from the past a set of magisterial documents that had to be weighed and interpreted, often over against living prelates. St. Ambrose’s doctrine of justification sounded a great deal more like Luther’s sola fide than like Trent. Not long after this, I began to notice discrepancies between Catholic apologists’ map of the tradition and the terrain I encountered in the tradition itself. The Christian church come into being almost immediately after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, ca. From high school into college, Dr. B— introduced me to Catholic thought and graciously helped me work through my doubts about Christianity. Tim: Yeah, I was Assembly of God. Christ had joined me to himself. Certain elements of my attraction to Catholicism were adolescent, like a sixties radical’s attraction to Marx or a contemporary activist’s to intersectionality: I aimed to preserve the core beliefs of my upbringing while fleeing their bourgeois expressions. In his discourse on “Faith and Private Judgment,” Newman castigates Protestants for refusing to “surrender” reason in matters religious. . Here we are going to help you to understand the two […] The perfect resource for anyone looking to bring faith alive for family, friends, or co-workers exploring the Catholic faith, Jimmy Swaggart Made Me Catholic shows how a die-hard Protestant came to realize that the Protestant faith which he sought to defend has no real response to the truths espoused by the Catholic Church. I could not reliably interpret the Scriptures, history, or God's Word preached and given in the sacraments. Newman himself had once recognized this dilemma, writing in a pre-conversion letter, "We have too great a horror of the principle of private judgment to trust it in so immense a matter as that of changing from one communion to another." ttps://www.firstthings.com/article/2019/10/catholicism-made-me-protestant But if I could not do these things, if my reason was unfit in matters religious, how was I to assess Newman's arguments for Roman Catholicism? His was not an uncertain mercy; his was not a grace of parts, which one hoped would become a whole; his was not a salvation to be attained, as though it were not already also a present possession. Like all accounts of God's faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy. On these two ideas hung all the claims of Rome. His was not an uncertain mercy; his was not a grace of parts, which one hoped would become a whole; his was not a salvation to be attained, as though it were not already also a present possession. RCIA is the next step. I think most people would say Catholicism. Not long after this, I began to notice discrepancies between Catholic apologists' map of the tradition and the terrain I encountered in the tradition itself. The more I internalized ¬Newman's claims about private judgment, however, the more I descended into skepticism. At Lumen Christi events, I heard about saints and mystics, stylites and monastics, desert fathers and late-antique theologians. By the time my parents were ¬living in ¬twenty-first-century Illinois, their families' historic Reformed commitments had been replaced by non-denominational, ¬Baptistic ¬evangelicalism. "It was incredible to me at that age, in my mid-20s, where I was getting ready to get married and wanted to have kids. At that moment, the joy of my salvation poured into my soul. Even today, I think my father would admit that his deep Protestant heritage tugs at his heart from time to time. What are we to make of the Bible's creation stories and flood narrative? Centuries later, ­American Presbyterians converted my father’s great-­grandmother from Coptic ­Orthodoxy to ­Protestantism. In his Apologia, Newman argues that man's rebellion against God introduced an "anarchical condition of things," leading human thought toward "suicidal excesses." More recently, the magazine published “Catholicism Made Me Protestant,” a reflection by Onsi A. Kamel, who grew up a “non-denominational, baptistic evangelical,” then seriously considered Catholicism before returning to Protestantism, though one more self-consciously Reformed. One Protestant gentlemen even told me that he couldn’t be Catholic because it was “the religion of the masses.” I asked him what he meant, and the term “Mexicans” was employed in his reply. These friends were devout, intelligent, and schooled in Christian history. [See also: What Changed This Protestant’s Mind About the Eucharist] I had "put on Christ" in baptism and, by faith through the work of the Spirit, all things were mine, and I was Christ's, and Christ was God's (Gal. I had gone to Mass regularly, prayed the rosary with friends, fasted frequently, read the Scriptures daily, prayed earnestly, and sought advice from spiritual directors. A year or two prior, I had decided that Trent was right about justification: It was entirely a gift of grace consisting of the gradual perfecting of the soul by faith and works--God instigating and me cooperating. My ­conversion would have to be rooted in my private ­judgment—but, because of Rome’s claim of infallibility, conversion would forbid me from exercising that faculty ever again on doctrinal questions. FIRST THINGS Catholicism had taught me to think like a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had thought like catholics. The Protestants did more than out-catholic the Catholics. I asked her like what??? Ask a serious Protestant today what is the biggest threat to orthodox Christianity today, and he might mention cultural hostilities, the sexual revolution, or nominalism in our churches. Catholicism is the traditions and beliefs of Catholic Churches.It refers to their theology, liturgy, morals and spirituality.The term usually refers to churches, both western and eastern, that are in full communion with the Holy See.. I had gone to Mass regularly, prayed the rosary with friends, fasted frequently, read the Scriptures daily, prayed earnestly, and sought advice from spiritual directors. 3:27; 1 Cor. The issue of ecclesiastical authority was trickier for me. With Newman, I agonized over conversion. At Lumen Christi events, I heard about saints and mystics, stylites and monastics, desert fathers and late-antique theologians. This form of Christianity dominated my Midwestern hometown. I devoured his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine and his Apologia pro Vita Sua. St. Thomas's doctrine of predestination, much to my horror, was nearly identical to the Synod of Dordt's. Finally, the infighting among traditionalist, conservative, and liberal Catholics made plain that Catholics did not gain by their magisterium a clear, living voice of divine authority. Certain elements of my attraction to Catholicism were adolescent, like a sixties radical's attraction to Marx or a contemporary activist's to intersectionality: I aimed to preserve the core beliefs of my upbringing while fleeing their bourgeois expressions. In his discourse on "Faith and Private Judgment," Newman castigates Protestants for refusing to "surrender" reason in matters religious. 3:21–23). Richard Hooker interpreted the Church’s traditions; Calvin followed Luther’s Augustinianism, proclaimed the visible Church the mother of the faithful, and claimed for the Reformation the Church’s exegetical tradition; Barth convinced me that God’s Word could speak, certainly and surely, from beyond all created realities, to me. Did Calvinism make God the author of evil? The Council of ­Nicaea assumed that Alexandria was on a par with Rome, and Chalcedon declared that the Roman patriarchate was privileged only “because [Rome] was the royal city.” In short, I began to wonder whether the Reformers had a legitimate claim to the Fathers. Like all accounts of God’s faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy. Catholicism had, by this time, reoriented my theological concerns around the concerns of the Church catholic. But if you would have asked a Protestant the same question a hundred years ago, he would have almost certainly mentioned the Roman Catholic Church. For me it wasnt about proving Catholicism wrong, it was the fact that i could not find a unified Protestant voice to prove Protestantism right. Protestantism is the most popular religion practiced in the United Kingdom with Anglicanism, the Reformed tradition (including Presbyterians), Methodism, Pentecostalism and Baptists being the most prominent branches.. For centuries, it has played a primary role in shaping political and religious life throughout the region. My evangelical upbringing had led me to believe that Protestantism entailed the rejection of these concerns. My assumptions, and the issues that animated me, were those of the Church of history. It should have been the happiest day of my life. My acquaintance with Dr. B-- set my intellectual trajectory for several years. Like their pope-aligned opponents, they had asked questions about justification, the authority of tradition, the mode of Christ’s self-gift in the Eucharist, the nature of apostolic succession, and the Church’s wielding of the keys. © Virtueonline 2014 all rights reserved.570 Twin Lakes Rd.,P.O. And at the time, though I wished to accept Newman's proposal that "the early condition, and the evidence, of each doctrine . I had been assigned Luther's Explanations of the Ninety-Five ¬Theses, and I expected to find it facile. Catholicism Made Me Protestant . Box 111Shohola, PA 18458. How Protestants Made Me A Better Catholic April 9th, ... My father converted to Catholicism when he met a nice Catholic girl, my mom. Two of his ideas were pivotal for me: his theory of doctrinal development and his articulation of the problem of private judgment. This notion exploded upon contact with the Protestantism of history, was nearly identical to Lutherans. 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