None of those buttons do anything. The blank placeholders indicate that I've got no rear power window vents, no built-in DVD player, no parking sensor, no heated seats. The very presence of the empty spaces is evidence that I'm missing something.
For the Protestant portion of my life, this was Christianity for me. But I didn't have the luxury of seeing a visual display of what "features" I was missing. Then one day I sat in somebody else's Christi-van-ity (just... just roll with it) and saw all these extras on the console like the Eucharist, the profound definition of a sacrament, the beauty of the liturgy, the Apostolic Succession and the See of Peter, the vivid and simple logic of the Eve-Mary parallel, even literal bells (but no whistles, although sometimes clackers during Lent). Yet despite all these extras, I was still in the same type of salvific vehicle.
I then returned to my own Christianity LS and realized what I was lacking. I couldn't stand it; I needed those upgrades like I needed air. I could not have been fulfilled as a Protestant Christian any longer.
Chesterton had a similar experience, and I've quoted this from him before: "When a man really sees the Church, even if he dislikes what he sees, he does not see what he had expected to dislike. Even if he wants to slay it he is no longer able to slander it; though he hates it at sight, what he sees is not what he looked to see; in that place he may gain a new passion but he loses his old prejudice. There drops from him the holy armour of his invincible ignorance; he can never be so stupid again."
I had been raising thinking Catholics generally were not heaven-bound. We even had a bit of a backhanded compliment about this notion: "Sure, Catholics can be Christians too, if they accept Jesus as the Lord and Saviour." And yet here I realized that not only were they on the right road and knew it better than I did. They were also travelling in style.
If you're reading this as a Protestant, have you ever seriously considered what you might be missing?
" extras on the console like the Eucharist, the profound definition of a sacrament, the beauty of the liturgy, the Apostolic Succession and the See of Peter, the vivid and simple logic of the Eve-Mary parallel, even literal bells"
ReplyDeleteThat is beautiful..but unfortunately, flawed.
The Anglican Communion and the Lutheran (who are in inter communion with one another while maintaining their prospective traditions) also can make these very same claims. Validly.
Surprised? Perhaps, as that is not what it typically taught to those outside these traditions. You may be interested to know that Christianity existed in Britain (as we now know it) before Roman occupation. Henry VII didn't just split as he wanted a divorce and the Pope wouldn't grant it(as the popular belief goes)..that was the straw that broke the camel's back. The British did not want the Romans dictating how their church would be run,in some distant land where they knew nothing of the British people. (I realize they were not all Britons, but this is for sake of brevity). They had had their own Christianity before Romans occupied. This did not become a realization until Queen Elizabeth the First instituted the church reforms, as Henry wasn't the most benevolent fellow, to say the least, towards Roman Catholics. The reformed Church had Catholic practice and some protestant beliefs. The Eucharist, the apostolic succession, the sacraments, all of it were still retained. Lutherans were similar. Luther had some very valid points about a corrupt church, and without his influence, who knows how long needed reforms such as the banning of the sale of indulgences and having the scriptures be accessible to the common people and in the local vernacular. (at the time punishable by death, as well as the use and invention of the printing press). Luther wanted to remain in the Roman Catholic Church, but the church refused to allow this and tried to have him executed.
I have a great deal of respect for the RC Church. I hope one day all churches can be in intercommunion with one another, as Jesus prayed. However, I find it quite arrogant for people to suggest that no other church has what the Catholic one does, when there are others that are almost identical in ritual. Christ does not stop at the door of a church and check the denomination before He allows His True Presence. "Wherever two or more are gathered.."
I would suggest you learn more about the other denominations of Christianity and their true history in the interest of ecumenism. Yes, social teachings may differ..but remember that while the core of the faith has changed, social teachings have evolved since the beginnings of the Roman Catholic church as well.
Also...RCC does not accept the idea of a "born again Christian" and most born-again Protestants do not accept the idea of a Catholic even being a Christian, so while melding the two together is certainly acceptable (A Higher Judge decides that..),the institutions within their very teachings would not accept this identity.
I pray for the day when people can walk into any church or community of Christians and we can all worship together without worrying about denomination. We all have our baptism in common. It's time to work towards intercommunion and put these old ideas to rest.
A very common mistake is to consider Anglicans "Protestant" when in reality, they are via media (the middle way) between Catholicism and Protestantism . Similar with Lutheran. The denomination which you grew up in would rightly be called "Protestant" as it did not retain the Catholic traditions or beliefs.
Again, I don't think Jesus labels us as Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, or Anglican. He sees our hearts.
I hope you can dialogue with priests, ministers, and members of other faiths to broaden your viewpoint. It is always a good idea to learn more about others, and that learning is never done.
The unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17:21 is surely something far deeper than simply baptism. If we as Christians are of different minds on any doctrine or practical application of Biblical truth, we do not mirror the union between the Father and the Son. So I have to reject the notion that baptism alone gives us complete unity.
DeleteThe question of unity of belief comes down to an authority to establish that belief universally. Yes, we have the Scriptures, but (Act 8:31) how can I understand what I'm reading unless I have somebody to guide me? Scripture alone is not enough. Of equal weight is the teaching authority of the Church. The Anglicans and Lutherans, for all their similarities to Catholicism, don't claim that right.
The early church, under the leadership of Peter, came together to resolve the question of whether Gentiles required circumcision. Their answer of NO contradicted the Scriptural precedent of the Old Covenant. How could they do that without divine authority to re-interpret Scripture in light of the New Covenant?
Jesus, of course, does see our hearts, and at the Final Judgement we will be measured against how closely we followed the truth as we knew it (look up vincible vs invincible ignorance). When I saw the fullness of Catholic teaching completing everything that was missing in my faith, my worldview was broadened beyond my wildest imaginings. My eyes were opened; I could do nothing but convert. I didn't particularly want to, but did so out of obedience, and it was literally the best decision I've ever made.
I pray that your eyes will be opened as mine were.
Ps. should be Henry VIII , of course.
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