Indeed, I was surprise that "First Things" even allowed that article. I thought they were mostly Roman Catholic, etc. with a graciousness to Protestants who don't protest and only focus on Nicean Creed only / Mere Christianity / C. S. Lewis / WLC type Christianity.
"Through the influence of the Catholic student group and the Lumen Christi Institute, which hosts lectures by Catholic intellectuals, my theologically inclined college friends began converting to Catholicism, one after another."
How, when distinctive Catholic teachings are not manifest in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed, which is Scripture, especially Acts thru Revelation (showing how they understood the OT and gospels)?
"I loved Catholicism because Catholics taught me to love the Church."
Meaning it loved itself as a elitist queen.
"a Reformed professor dispensed with my arguments for transubstantiation in a matter of minutes."
Though more may be needed for others: http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/The_Lord%27s_Supper.html
"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."
He should have been examining tradition in the light of Scripture from the beginning.
"In retrospect, I see that Newman’s need to construct a theory of doctrinal development tells against Rome’s claims of continuity..."
How to turn a acorn into a octopus. The necessity of Newman, for "true as the dictum of Vincentius must be considered in the abstract, and possible as its application might be in his own age, when he might almost ask the primitive centuries for their testimony, it is hardly available now, or effective of any satisfactory result."
"Did he expect me to forfeit the faculty by which I adjudicate truth claims, because that faculty is fallible? My conversion would have to be rooted in my private judgment..."
"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."
And now we must ask, just which sect are the "true Catholics?" https://cruxnow.com/church/2015/10/06/is-catholicism-about-to-break-into-three/
"Roman Catholicism could not be straightforwardly identified with the catholicism of the first six centuries.. Catholicism had, by this time, reoriented my theological concerns around the concerns of the Church catholic"
He is not alone, and much less the NT church. http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/deformation_of_new_testament_church.html
Glory to God for what is good, but note that the free, no ads "witnesstoday.org" host finally ceased operations, under that name so now instead of peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org the links are on peacebyjesus.net, thus http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/deformation_of_new_testament_church.html is now http://peacebyjesus.net/deformation_of_new_testament_church.html
And see here for charges of sedevacantists against Francis, https://novusordowatch.org/francis/, and thus the case against him being pope: https://novusordowatch.org/2016/03/impossibility-judging-deposing-true-pope.
In short, the pope cannot be judged by any inferiors so as to be deposed, nor his judgments, but sedevacantists can judge that his judgments render him to be no pope.
And yet Catholics censure us for engaging in "private judgment" (erroneously invoking 2 Pt. 1:20 as forbidding that) since we subject the validity of church teaching to our judgment of whether such corresponds to ancient (NT) church teaching, yet in principal they do the same. Except that for them infallible ancient church teaching is not supremely based on the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed, which is Scripture, especially Acts thru Revelation (revealing how they understood the OT and gospels), but it selectively whatever past RC teaching they choose is "authentic" Catholic faith.
In contrast, modern magisterial RCs are to hold that the correct understanding of past RC teaching is that of the latest magisterium, despite the contrasts. https://peacebyjesuscom.blogspot.com/2011/09/contradictions-in-roman-catholicism.html
What a Great Testimony!!! Excellent article!!!
ReplyDeleteCatchy title. Terrific article.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how this will go over with the hometown crowd over at First Things. The Davenant folks are doing some good things!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe they posted this to Facebook.
DeleteIndeed, I was surprise that "First Things" even allowed that article.
DeleteI thought they were mostly Roman Catholic, etc. with a graciousness to Protestants who don't protest and only focus on Nicean Creed only / Mere Christianity / C. S. Lewis / WLC type Christianity.
"Through the influence of the Catholic student group and the Lumen Christi Institute, which hosts lectures by Catholic intellectuals, my theologically inclined college friends began converting to Catholicism, one after another."
ReplyDeleteHow, when distinctive Catholic teachings are not manifest in the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed, which is Scripture, especially Acts thru Revelation (showing how they understood the OT and gospels)?
"I loved Catholicism because Catholics taught me to love the Church."
Meaning it loved itself as a elitist queen.
"a Reformed professor dispensed with my arguments for transubstantiation in a matter of minutes."
Though more may be needed for others: http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/The_Lord%27s_Supper.html
"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."
He should have been examining tradition in the light of Scripture from the beginning.
"In retrospect, I see that Newman’s need to construct a theory of doctrinal development tells against Rome’s claims of continuity..."
How to turn a acorn into a octopus. The necessity of Newman, for "true as the dictum of Vincentius must be considered in the abstract, and possible as its application might be in his own age, when he might almost ask the primitive centuries for their testimony, it is hardly available now, or effective of any satisfactory result."
"Did he expect me to forfeit the faculty by which I adjudicate truth claims, because that faculty is fallible? My conversion would have to be rooted in my private judgment..."
"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."
And now we must ask, just which sect are the "true Catholics?" https://cruxnow.com/church/2015/10/06/is-catholicism-about-to-break-into-three/
"Roman Catholicism could not be straightforwardly identified with the catholicism of the first six centuries.. Catholicism had, by this time, reoriented my theological concerns around the concerns of the Church catholic"
He is not alone, and much less the NT church. http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/deformation_of_new_testament_church.html
"Rome had brought me to Reformation."
Which is not the work of one day or two.
Hey "Peace by Jesus" - wow - a massive amount of quotes and research. (in your web-page - "Deformation" and other links there) - good job.
DeleteGlory to God for what is good, but note that the free, no ads "witnesstoday.org" host finally ceased operations, under that name so now instead of peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org the links are on peacebyjesus.net, thus http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/deformation_of_new_testament_church.html is now http://peacebyjesus.net/deformation_of_new_testament_church.html
DeleteThanks. Grace and peace thru Jesus the Lord.
And see here for charges of sedevacantists against Francis, https://novusordowatch.org/francis/, and thus the case against him being pope: https://novusordowatch.org/2016/03/impossibility-judging-deposing-true-pope.
ReplyDeleteIn short, the pope cannot be judged by any inferiors so as to be deposed, nor his judgments, but sedevacantists can judge that his judgments render him to be no pope.
And yet Catholics censure us for engaging in "private judgment" (erroneously invoking 2 Pt. 1:20 as forbidding that) since we subject the validity of church teaching to our judgment of whether such corresponds to ancient (NT) church teaching, yet in principal they do the same. Except that for them infallible ancient church teaching is not supremely based on the only wholly inspired substantive authoritative record of what the NT church believed, which is Scripture, especially Acts thru Revelation (revealing how they understood the OT and gospels), but it selectively whatever past RC teaching they choose is "authentic" Catholic faith.
In contrast, modern magisterial RCs are to hold that the correct understanding of past RC teaching is that of the latest magisterium, despite the contrasts. https://peacebyjesuscom.blogspot.com/2011/09/contradictions-in-roman-catholicism.html