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| Do We Bash Catholicism Too Much on LTBS? |
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Recently I received an email from a man who objected to what he considered unnecessarily negative comments I have made about the Church of Rome and the Pope. He went so far as to suggest that we rename the broadcast, "The Fallacies of the Catholic Church," or "Why the Catholic Church Isn't Following God's Call," or "Let Dr. Alan Cairns Tell You What's Wrong with the Catholic Church." He wanted to know why I would talk about the Roman Catholic Church. He suggested that it may be to help Protestants "to define what it means to be Protestant and not Catholic" or "to offer Protestants a sense of their faith identity." My correspondent told me how in the past year he has come to know how dependent he is on God and how through Jesus Christ he is made new. Now he tries to live each day to love God and his neighbor. With all that he professes "my love for the Catholic faith and my new found joy in the Priests and how they live their loves [a Freudian slip perhaps, but I am sure he meant love their lives], the sacraments, the communion of saints, intercessory prayer, and my Pope. I realize the bible says nothing explicitly on ANY of these matters. And that's okay for me. We can agree to disagree. But hearing your program only makes me feel further from my protestant brothers and sisters and makes me feel like I need to have my guard up. This does not move me closer to my goal of Love." First of all, I have to thank the gentleman for writing. I appreciate that. But he is laboring under a grievous misapprehension. It may not matter to him that some of the most fundamental matters in the faith he professes to love do not appear in Scripture but it does matter to me. You see, that's the very heart of the controversy with Rome. Rome assumes the power to define doctrine that has absolutely no basis in God's word and is in many instances diametrically opposed to what is revealed. These are not small issues. They have to do with the great cardinal truths of the gospel. Consider this. If the Bible is right then Rome is totally unbiblical-that is, unchristian-on the following key issues: - The finished sacrifice of Christ at Calvary
- The sole mediation of Christ
- Justification by faith alone-that is, the way of acceptance with God
- The meaning and significance of the sacraments
- The sufficiency of Scripture
- The exaltation of the bishop of Rome to be a Pope
- What happens to souls after death-she has invented the dogma of Purgatory
- The merit that finally gains heaven-she makes it the merit of a person's own works
These are just some of the issues. They are not insignificant matters. They go to the very heart of the gospel. Since Rome is a dominant force in the world today, claiming over a billion adherents, it follows that any man who sets out to be faithful to Christ and His gospel will have to Let the Bible Speak against the pernicious errors of a system that is binding and blinding millions. Remember if the Bible is right, Rome is wrong at just about every essential point of the gospel. My correspondent may say, "For me, that's okay." It is not okay for me. I can bring the good news to needy souls only as I distinguish it from counterfeits that pose as the message of God to men. So I'll keep exposing and opposing Rome. |
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