Hey friends!

This month, we’re exploring a common misconception that you often hear in some Protestant circles. The misconception for this month is that Roman Catholics are not actually Christians. Maybe you heard this in the Protestant tradition you grew up in, or maybe you’ve begun to believe it because you’ve experienced church hurt at a Catholic parish. The trouble is, this is simply not true. Roman Catholics are Christians. Period. Full Stop. Are there sharp disagreements between Catholics and Protestants? Absolutely! But, with a quick look at the core doctrines of the Catholic tradition and major Protestant traditions, you’ll find that we actually agree on much more than you might think.

First, let’s look at what both traditions believe about core doctrines. The major Protestant and Catholic traditions line up entirely when it comes to the Doctrine of the Trinity, the virgin birth, and the dual nature of Christ. In fact, major Protestant traditions and the Catholic tradition both affirm the first seven ecumenical councils. That’s huge! Therefore, we both can affirm the early creeds and proclaim them together (Apostles, Nicene, Athanasian, and Chalcedonian creeds).

Now, let’s look at the Reformation. After all, it is what makes us Protestant! What you will find is that Martin Luther – who was one of the main leaders of the Reformation – did not intend to start a new church. He intended for there to be reformations to the way things were going so that the church could be more faithful and ultimately more unified. His end goal was for the Roman Catholic church and what became known as the Lutheran church to be brought back together in communion with one another. It has not happened yet, but we must keep that intention in mind. Martin Luther saw Catholics as Christians. He even agreed more with Catholics on the Sacrament of Holy Communion than he did with certain reformers, such as Ulrich Zwingli. Luther went so far as to write that he would “Rather drink pure blood with the Pope than drink mere wine with the fanatics” (Against the Fanatics, 1527). Luther had intense disagreements with the Catholic church, but he had hoped for a day when there would be unity and when they would enter into communion.

Next is John Calvin. Calvin was a child of the Reformation and was a trained lawyer. He took a more pessimistic view of the Roman Catholic church (to say the least). Yet, he even believed that there were at least some faithful churches within the Roman Catholic tradition.

There is loads of more evidence as to why Roman Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ, but there is not nearly enough space for that here. Maybe, you are still uneasy or object to this because of the moral failings that have recently come out about parish priests. I would lovingly and gently like to say that, sadly, it is not only Catholic priests but also SBC pastors and ACNA’s Upper Midwest Diocese. In other words, we are not without sin. Let us be charitable, realizing that not all Protestants are evil and not all Roman Catholics are evil. In fact, we are brothers and sisters in Christ seeking to be as faithful to King Jesus as we know-how.

If you have questions or want to know more, you can connect with Pastor Donnie
who would love to answer any questions you may have!

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Common Misconceptions // Donnie Sanchez