Fourth Year Ministries

Q: I have a friend who is considering joining the Roman Catholic Church. I've heard a lot of different opinions on Catholics... some people I know say it's just another denomination, others say they aren't really Christians, and still others say that they're the only true Christians! Any help you can give to clear this up for me? A: In Part 1 we set the table for the importance of this issue. In this post we will examine the major dividing issues between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Of first importance is the nature of the Gospel . Part 1 ended with the Apostle Paul's strong words that any other gospel other than the one he preached leads to eternal damnation ( anathema ). According to the biblical text, the grace of God for forgiveness of sins is received by repentance (turning from your sins and turning to God as Lord and King) and putting your complete trust in Him by faith as your Savior and only means of salvation. This was the cry of the R

Q: I have a friend who is considering joining the Roman Catholic Church. I've heard a lot of different opinions on Catholics... some people I know say it's just another denomination, others say they aren't really Christians, and still others say that they're the only true Christians! Any help you can give to clear this up for me? A: Another great and potentially controversial question! At the outset, I need to make a disclaimer: my intention in attempting to answer this question is to interact with the claims and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church and not necessarily the beliefs of individual Roman Catholics. This is a huge difference! Just like with any other system of beliefs, there is always some disconnect between the system and the adherents . Unfortunately, many who claim to be Christians treat their faith like a salad bar , picking what they like and ignoring or even discarding the rest! Because this is true, we must separate at the outset the individ