Are Protestants Part of the Church? Yes and No.

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A Protestant pastor recently asked me a very delicate question: Do you think I’m a part of Christ’s Church? As I pondered how to answer, I realized how important it was to identify opportunities for miscommunication, and define terms clearly. Below is my response.

Sincerely sorry for the slow response, and I hope I didn’t offend. I want to be careful with my wording, because this is a key area where Protestants and Catholics can talk past each other. For me as a Protestant, being a Christian meant I was a part of Christ’s church. This was partially influenced by John Calvin’s idea of the “invisible church,” that all believers are who make up Christ’s church. If that’s what you mean, then you are certainly a part of Christ’s church. The Catholic Church affirms you as a Christian who is not condemned (see Lumen Gentium quote and reference below).

However, you are not fully a part of His Church as Catholics define it, and, given the definition, I think you would agree. There is one Mother Church according to the Catholic Church, because of Peter and because of apostolic succession, which very few Protestants would claim they have. Pope Benedict issued an encyclical about this in the year 2000 to say that only churches that maintained apostolic succession and the Eucharist (Eastern Orthodox) could be called a separated Church, whereas everyone else did not fit that criteria and so were an ecclesial community. He still, of course, said many positive things about the way the Holy Spirit has worked (see quotes below and reference)

I hope this helps! Feel free to contact me any time. (1anthonyelias@gmail.com) I was an aspiring pastor, my dad was a pastor, and I have great respect for all Christian ministers of the gospel.

Thanks,

-Anthony

Lumen Gentium: The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who, being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian, though they do not profess the faith in its entirety or do not preserve unity of communion with the successor of Peter. (14*) For there are many who honor Sacred Scripture, taking it as a norm of belief and a pattern of life, and who show a sincere zeal. They lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ, the Son of God and Saviour. They are consecrated by baptism, in which they are united with Christ. They also recognize and accept other sacraments within their own Churches or ecclesiastical communities. Many of them rejoice in the episcopate, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and cultivate devotion toward the Virgin Mother of God.(16*) They also share with us in prayer and other spiritual benefits. Likewise we can say that in some real way they are joined with us in the Holy Spirit, for to them too He gives His gifts and graces whereby He is operative among them with His sanctifying power. Some indeed He has strengthened to the extent of the shedding of their blood. In all of Christ’s disciples the Spirit arouses the desire to be peacefully united, in the manner determined by Christ, as one flock under one shepherd, and He prompts them to pursue this end. (17*) Mother Church never ceases to pray, hope and work that this may come about. She exhorts her children to purification and renewal so that the sign of Christ may shine more brightly over the face of the earth. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html

Dominus Iesus: Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.58 The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.59 Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church.60

On the other hand, the ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery,61 are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church.62 Baptism in fact tends per se toward the full development of life in Christ, through the integral profession of faith, the Eucharist, and full communion in the Church.63

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html

A Death Penalty for Kermit Gosnell? How Will We Respond?

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We have 7 days to decide how we will respond to the Kermit Gosnell sentencing. If the verdict is death, what will we say? What will we post? What will we blog? There’s a common problem I’ve noticed among some “conservative Catholics.” Statements of the U.S. Bishops are quick to be accepted and promoted if they’re in line with “conservative principles,” but if they’re not (immigration) you can hear the crickets chirp.

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The U.S. Bishops recently lauded the repeal of the death penalty in Maryland, and there’s no shortage of material explaining the Catholic position: 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to
the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If,
however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself
to such means” (CCC, 2267). The test of whether the death penalty can be used is not the gravity of the offense, but
whether it is absolutely necessary to protect society. The Catechism adds that today “the cases in which the execution of
the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically non­existent’” (CCC, 2267).

In 2005, the Catholic bishops of the United States issued, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death. In the document the
bishops stated that the gift of life must be respected and protected; “that every life is a precious gift from God (see Gn 2:7,
21-23) and that we are all created in God’s image and redeemed by Jesus Christ, who himself was crucified. They
acknowledged that sentences such as “life in prison without parole” provide non-lethal alternatives and called for an end
to the use of the death penalty in the United States, stating “it is time for our nation to abandon the illusion that we can
protect life by taking life.”

-U.S. Bishops, Death Penalty, February 2011 

So thankful for the thoughtful positions of the Church,and thoughtful for the comments from Catholics I’ve already seen on this subject. Kyrie Eleison.

Should Catholics Only Date Catholics?

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When I was enrolled at my evangelical Protestant seminary, I knew it was important for me to date and eventually marry someone who was of the same evangelical (“non-denominational”) Christian faith. Pastor Mark Driscoll had even persuaded me that I needed to find someone who was of a similar evangelical flavor (“it doesn’t make sense to have your wife praying in tongues at the dinner table while you’re trying to cast out her demon.”)

Read the rest of my guest post on Arleen Spenceley’s blog. 

A Life Worth Living: Father Scott Carroll’s Two Days as a Priest

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Young men,

Do you want your life to matter? So many of us are mired in meaningless pursuits. Jesus Christ and His Church is where we need to be.

Be like Father Scott Carroll. Scott described being called to be a priest “both the most demanding and rewarding thing that God could ever call me to do. It is my duty to find out if this is what is meant for me, to represent Jesus by teaching, learning and just being there for people.” Despite his struggles with cancer, Father Scott was ordained as a priest on Wednesday and died today, right after saying mass.

Pray for Scott, and pray that many others will be inspired and live a life worth living for Jesus Christ.

Vatican on the Case! Santa Muerte and Blasphemy

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When I was debating leaving seminary a good friend told me he had heard of some syncretic practices of Catholicism around the world, blending dark practices with Catholicism. I shrugged. “Even if that’s happening, it doesn’t mean the Catholic Church condones it. It’s not in the Catechism. This is, fundamentally, a teaching issue.”

Screen Shot 2013-05-09 at 6.20.13 PMMany evangelical missionaries have likely be rightly disturbed to see Catholics worshipping Santa Muerte in Mexico. But here’s the catch: the Catholic Church does not want Catholics worshipping the possibly demonic Santa Muerte! Just because some Catholics do something does not mean it’s what all Catholics should be doing. As a faithful Catholic, I do not worship the Saint of Death, and neither should you! What a slogan. Today, the Vatican got involved and made this abundantly clear: 

The death saint, which dates back to colonial times, is gaining popularity in a country racked with drug violence, and now Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture has denounced Santa Muerte as blasphemous and a sign of religious deterioration. “Religion celebrates life,” the cardinal said, “but here you have death. It’s not religion just because it’s dressed up like religion.

As Catholics, we can and should comfortably speak against corruptions of the truth. But this is much different from trying to change the truth itself, which we believe was passed down from Jesus to the apostles and is preserved in our church today. The Eucharist? Yes. Santa Muerte? No.

Baptist to Catholic? Advice to a New Convert

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We all have different journeys to the Catholic Faith. For those of us who came from Baptist or evangelical backgrounds (polity aside, they are essentially the same), we bring in different baggage and have different questions than someone from, say, an atheist background. In response to several questions from a recent convert, here are my answers.

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What helped you grow in your daily life and understanding of the Church?

I recommend Christian Smith’s How to Go From Being a Good Evangelical to a Committed Catholic in 95 Difficult Steps so much that he should pay me. Here’s why: unlike most other books by evangelical converts, Christian Smith largely does not focus on apologetics but, as a sociologist, instead focuses on the experience of an evangelical coming into the Church. The book helped me start to identify the difference between good habits and bad habits I learned as an evangelical Christian. Good habit: scripture study. Bad habit: spreading the Good News without understanding other peoples of faith like, say, Catholics.

The one thing I miss and haven’t really replaced is quality podcasts. I used to listen to well-produced, hour-long sermons that were downloaded millions of times and great for deepening my relationship with Christ EWTN’s programming is ok, Catholic Answers is focused on apologetics, the best things I’ve found is Scott Hahn’s resources at the St Paul Center for Biblical Theology and Father Robert Barron’s podcast, Word on Fire. I’ve yet to explore much of Cardinal Dolan or Pope Francis’s homilies. Also, I bought Scott Hahn’s New Testament study Bible to help me further explores verses I didn’t understand as a Protestant. If you’d like more information, Teresa Tomeo’s book, Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, not Conformed to Culture has a couple pages of good resources.  

I feel awkward, like I’m not being a good Catholic. What should I do?

Be patient, this is a journey. Give yourself time—I know you want to do something, especially after having gone through RCIA, but give yourself room to grow. However, one concrete thing I’d recommend is to pivot away from apologetics. At some point you’ve got to stop learning the arguments against sola scriptura and continue your own personal journey. Instead, explore spiritual disciplines you know very little about—the rosary, the Liturgy of the Hours, adoration, the sacraments. Last year, when I was unemployed, I spent a lot of time struggling through the rosary in empty chapels. My relationship with Mary has deepened, some, but I’ve grown to really enjoy adoration and the peace of the Catholic sanctuary. I’d also recommend not giving up already established helpful practices like scripture memorization—this is all about growing deeper in the faith you already have.

What are the basic differences between Baptists and Catholics? Is there a graph?

My second-most recommended book is David Currie’s, Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic if you’re looking for longer answers. If you want shorter answers, Catholic Answers (www.Catholic.com ) is the only way to go. They have digestible information on any issues you want to know.

How do I evangelize as a Catholic?

Let’s set some context. In the Catholic Church, evangelization includes shaping the culture to reflect Christian values, performing acts of mercy like serving the poor, and verbally sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. In my experience, affirmed by many, Catholics today are least comfortable with the third point. Here is where cognitive dissonance may come in: I recommend you read this document by the U.S. Bishops (defines evangelization and many other things) and books like, John Paul II and the New Evangelization: How You Can Bring the Good News to Others ( if you just type New Evangelization into Amazon you will get a bunch of hits). However, you might not see it happening in your parish (be thankful if you do!) Be patient, pray, God is faithful and will not leave you alone.

Here’s what you shouldn’t do: Don’t go on a quest to prove to your family and friends that you are right and they are wrong in the name of Christ. Tone it down a bit, live out your Catholic faith, and be ready to answer questions as they come.

Thanks for writing!

-Anthony

5 Reasons to Check Out Brandon Vogt’s Atheism and Christianity Website, “Strange Notions”

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Brandon Vogt, an evangelical Protestant convert to the Catholic faith and author of The Church and New Media, launched a new project today called Strange Notions that will, I think, be a great gift to catechesis and evangelism. When Brandon says the project was two years in the making I certainly believe him. Here’s 5 reasons you should check it out.

1. You can share this website with atheist and agnostic friends. That’s the target audience for the group.

2. The website design is slick. Catholic Answers’s website recently got a facelift too. Way to go Catholics and digital design!

3. The contributors are top-notch. Father Robert Barron, Christopher West, Dr. Peter Kreeft, Father Dwight Longenecker–these are not posers.

3.You can grow deeper in your faith. Many of us may not daily struggle with the question of whether God or exists or not, but we still have nagging questions. I am particularly interested in reading up on historical issues raised against Catholicism like the treatment of Galileo.

4. The “recommended books” section is extensive.

5. The comments section on each article allows for appropriate and sensible dialogue between those who disagree. . . or so we hope.

Check out the site, Facebook page, or Twitter handle. Also, read an interview with Brandon published today about the site’s launch.