UNDERSTANDING CATHOLICISM

One of my favorite workshops to lead is "Understanding Catholicism." I love the topic because it requires diving into church history, Scripture, theology, and evangelism. Some of my favorite things! I've been preparing for an upcoming workshop, and I'd love to share a few thoughts. **Longer post warning** 🙂

When we ask a random student on campus, "What's your spiritual background?" the most frequent answer is, "I'm Catholic." Our BSM students are always intrigued by what Catholic friends believe and how to engage them in meaningful spiritual conversations.

One big idea we teach is, "Don't assume what a Catholic believes or where they stand with God. Ask them!" Some Catholics submit to Jesus as Lord, turn from sin, and believe in him. These are brothers and sisters in Christ. We certainly disagree on some foundational issues, but if their faith is ultimately and fully in Jesus and not in their works or the Church, then they are saved. Some Catholics are born again, and some are not, just as some Baptists are born again, and some are not. Other Catholics trust in their own righteousness and good works for salvation. Still others don't actually believe in or submit to Christ. They are merely "cultural Christians."

Hear my heart; I have zero desire to criticize individual Catholics; many are dear friends. In fact, my theology has more room for Catholics to be saved than Catholic theology has for me to be saved. My concern is that the Roman Catholic Church asks Christians to believe far more than Scripture and early Christianity require. That's the issue I want to explore!

ARE YOUNG ADULTS BECOMING CATHOLIC?

There's a perception nowadays that young Evangelical Christians are leaving Protestant churches for Rome. And it's true that adult conversions to Catholicism have increased slightly. Still, the numbers remain relatively small. The trend feels larger because a few converts have been high-profile leaders, professors, and occasionally theologians. Other adult converts are quite vocal on social media, sometimes to the point of being aggressive or militant. Online there are simply fewer apologists making a case for Protestantism than for Catholicism. However, current Pew data suggests that for every Protestant who becomes Catholic, roughly nine Catholics become Protestant in America today.

On the flip side, ask almost any college minister, and they'll tell you that students are asking more questions than ever about Roman Catholicism and its cousins in the Orthodox Churches, both Eastern and Oriental. In a world that feels unstable and constantly changing, the RCC's claim that it has remained unchanged since the Apostles is attractive. Compared with many Evangelical churches, which can feel consumer-oriented with pop music and trendy sermon series, Catholic worship often feels solemn and reverent. That combination appeals to many thoughtful Christian students.

P.S. If this is you, know that MANY Protestant churches use ancient liturgies, recite creeds, and prioritize weekly communion. You don't have to become Roman Catholic to experience historic Christian worship. The question isn't, "Which church has the richest traditions?" It's, "Which church's beliefs align most clearly to the apostles teaching in Scripture and to the earliest generations of Christians?"

Did Jesus establish the church as a global, hierarchical institution centered in Rome, or did that understanding develop later? Is Roman Catholic dogma of equal weight and authority to sacred Scripture? Is Mary simply an honorable woman of God, or was she a sinless, perpetual virgin who became Queen of Heaven and Mediatrix of grace? Those are not minor questions. They go to the heart of what Christians are required to believe.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IS VERY... ROMAN.

Let me ask you a question. What institution am I describing? It has Rome as its capital. Its official language is Latin. It is organized into dioceses named after Emperor Diocletian. It has elaborate worship with priests and alters in basilicas. And its supreme leader bears the title Pontifex Maximus. Remember the meme of Pam from The Office holding up two identical pictures asking coworkers to spot the difference? "It's the same picture." So many claims of the RCC mirror the claims of the ancient Roman Empire.

When God births a church in a particular culture, it inevitably takes on some of that culture's flavor. A Chinese church speaks Chinese. An African church may worship differently than a German church. Likewise, the church in the Roman Empire gradually absorbed aspects of Roman culture. That isn't surprising. But because Rome became one of history's most influential and long-lived empires, those developments left an enormous and lasting mark. Christians who dissented based on Scripture pop up throughout church history, but their voices were suppressed by Rome in the West and eventually Orthodoxy and Islam in the East. Faithful Believers protesting to reform the church didn't gain a meaningful foothold until the Sixteenth Century when the political situation finally allowed it.

What is an "accretion"? An accretion is something that forms gradually, little by little. Layers build upon layers until the original can become obscured. The RCC claims that all of its “dogma,” the official teachings Catholics are required to affirm, was present in the apostolic faith. (Some beliefs are not dogma, but once declared dogma, Catholics are required to affirm them; dogmas carry the same weight as Scripture.) Protestants agree that doctrine develops as faithful Christians study Scripture over time. But development has limits. A doctrine cannot legitimately become something the earliest Christians would not have recognized. Scripture must remain the final standard by which every doctrine is tested.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM IS A PACKAGE DEAL AND A HOUSE OF CARDS.

Here's the thing. I'm probably wrong about some things. My theology will almost certainly be corrected in heaven. Protestants distinguish between primary doctrines, such as the deity and resurrection of Christ, and secondary doctrines on which faithful believers may disagree.

The RCC doesn't have that same freedom. Once a doctrine is declared dogma, Catholics are required to affirm it. And there are a lot of them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is an enormous volume because it explains and synthesizes centuries of official doctrine. It’s actually longer than the Bible! That creates a real challenge for the Catholic system. One incorrect dogma doesn't merely require correcting that doctrine; it raises questions about the Church's authority to define dogma at all. Pull out even one card and the whole house falls down.

Ultimately, becoming Roman Catholic isn't simply choosing a different style of worship. It's accepting an entire theological system built on the claim that Christ gave the RCC ongoing authority to define binding doctrine throughout history. Christians should be extraordinarily cautious about accepting doctrines that appear centuries after the apostles. After years of studying Scripture, church history, and Catholic theology, I've become even more convinced that remaining joyfully Protestant is the better path.

I'm sure these thoughts will stimulate questions, and perhaps some spirited disagreement. Let's talk about it respectfully!