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NASB | Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 3:28 For we maintain that an individual is justified by faith distinctly apart from works of the Law [the observance of which has nothing to do with justification, that is, being declared free of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]. |
Subject: What separates Evangelicals, Catholics? |
Bible Note: Hello, onnig! Thank you for your posting. You make some very good points. I would like to add the following to what I previously wrote. After all, it is difficult, if not impossible, to say all that one would wish to say regarding the Roman Catholic church in one single posting. (Note: I myself am an Evangelical Christian. I want to make it clear that I am not ecumenical (strongly pro-Catholic). Nor am I a fundamentalist who is literally rabid in his denunciation of Catholicism. I am not here to promote ecumenism or acceptance of Roman Catholicism. All I seek to do here is to point out the areas of genuine doctrinal agreement and the significant areas of difference between Catholics and Evangelicals. To do that in my original question, I quoted an article published by the Christian Research Institute. To provide further information on this topic, I quote in part another article from CRI, which follows. If one desires further information on this subject, he may wish to go to the website given at the end of this Note. ) "A Protestant appraisal of Catholicism should then examine the areas of genuine doctrinal agreement between Catholicism and Protestantism (especially evident in the creeds), before moving on to analyze the significant areas of difference. "One of the most perplexing issues evangelical Protestants face is how to understand, evaluate, and ultimately classify the Roman Catholic church. Few topics prove to be as controversial as the question of just how Protestants view and relate to Catholics. There exists no universal agreement or consensus among conservative Protestants in this regard. The spectrum of opinion ranges from one extreme to another. "On the one hand, some people hold to an optimistic but seemingly naive ecumenism that sees no essential or substantial differences between the church of Rome and historic Protestantism. This camp views Catholicism as authentically Christian, but largely ignores the doctrinal controversies that sparked the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. They seem to only take into account the vast areas of agreement between Protestants and Catholics. "At the other extreme is a band of Protestant fundamentalists who are literally rabid in their denunciation of Catholicism. This assemblage (usually led by vociferous ex-Catholics) dismisses Catholicism outright as an inherently unbiblical and evil institution. They not only consider the Roman church to be doctrinally deviant, but also the efficient cause of many or most of the social, political, and moral ills evident in the world today. Genuinely "anti-Catholic," this faction views the Catholic church as the "Whore of Babylon," a pseudo-Christian religion or cult. They seem to concentrate exclusively on those various doctrines that sharply divide Protestants and Catholics. "I believe most evangelical scholars who are knowledgeable about Catholicism would feel uncomfortable with both of these positions. Unfortunately, however, these two camps often operate as if their own views are self-evident and exhaustive. Both camps (especially the anti-Catholics) virtually anathematize anyone who is not squarely in their camp. If one is critical of Catholicism because of Reformational doctrinal distinctives, the first camp accuses that person of being divisive, not supporting Christian unity in this important age of ecumenism. In contrast, if one defends certain Catholic beliefs as being authentically Christian, the second camp accuses that person of being a betrayer of the Protestant Reformation and fraternizing with the enemy. Both camps fail to see that there is an acceptable alternative position between the two extremes. "This series of articles will attempt to provide some needed balance to this important discussion." STATEMENT DC170-1 "WHAT THINK YE OF ROME? (Part One): An Evangelical Appraisal of Contemporary Catholicism" (http://www.equip.org/search/) |