catholicism made me protestant

They received from the past a set of magisterial documents that had to be weighed and interpreted, often over against living prelates. His was not an uncertain mercy; his was not a grace of parts, which one hoped would become a whole; his was not a salvation to be attained, as though it were not already also a present possession. What I found shocked me. Catholicism had taught me to think like a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had thought like Catholics. How could a man who was bound and determined to prove the Catholic Church wrong ever be persuaded otherwise? Maybe you think it is not that important. 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. Question: "Catholic vs. Protestant – why is there so much animosity?" From high school into college, Dr. B— introduced me to Catholic thought and graciously helped me work through my doubts about Christianity. Faith is assent to the incontestable, self-evident truth of God's revelation, and reasoning becomes an excuse to refuse to bend the knee. I had finally discovered the true ground and power of Protestantism: “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (Song 2:16). I’ve also read books by former Protestants on … I could not reliably interpret the Scriptures, history, or God's Word preached and given in the sacraments. The more I internalized ¬Newman's claims about private judgment, however, the more I descended into skepticism. I assume you are asking which is older, Roman Catholicism or Protestantism. In time, I came to find their answers not only plausible, but more faithful to Scripture than the Catholic answers, and at least as well-represented in the traditions of the Church. I told her that we also go by tradition. More recently, the magazine published “Catholicism Made Me Protestant,” a reflection by Onsi A. Kamel, who grew up a “non-denominational, baptistic evangelical,” then seriously considered Catholicism before returning to Protestantism, though one more self-consciously Reformed. This priest was and is to me the very model of a holy, righteous, and courageous man. If you want this website to work, you must enable javascript. I’ve read a book by a former Catholic, who is now a Protestant pastor, and he gives several reasons why Catholics become Protestant. Did Calvinism make God the author of evil? It's entitled "Catholicism Made Me Protestant." Catholicism vs Protestant – What Are the Differences and Similarities Introduction Have you ever wondered what the differences between Catholics and Protestants? What are we to make of the Bible's creation stories and flood narrative? I set about exploring, and I tried to bring others along. One Protestant gentlemen even told me that he couldn’t be Catholic because it was “the religion of the masses.” I asked him what he meant, and the term “Mexicans” was employed in his reply. Onsi A. Kamel is editor in chief of the Davenant Press. I had begun this arduous cooperation with God's grace full of hope; by the time I sat in that dorm room alone, I was distraught and demoralized. Like their opponents, Protestants had appealed to Scripture and tradition. In his Apologia, Newman argues that man’s rebellion against God introduced an “anarchical condition of things,” leading human thought toward “suicidal excesses.” Hence, the fittingness of a divinely established living voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths. The Council of ¬Nicaea assumed that Alexandria was on a par with Rome, and Chalcedon declared that the Roman patriarchate was privileged only "because [Rome] was the royal city." I know, I’m full of questions today. In short, I began to wonder whether the Reformers had a legitimate claim to the Fathers. My ¬conversion would have to be rooted in my private ¬judgment--but, because of Rome's claim of infallibility, conversion would forbid me from exercising that faculty ever again on doctrinal questions. For me, I can trace certain lines—a certain narrative—through nearly a decade’s long journey. His was not an uncertain mercy; his was not a grace of parts, which one hoped would become a whole; his was not a salvation to be attained, as though it were not already also a present possession. Catholicism has given me an inspiration and meaning in my life that overwhelms me. During my first year of college, I became involved in campus Catholic life. . By Kamel, Onsi A. In his Apologia, Newman argues that man's rebellion against God introduced an "anarchical condition of things," leading human thought toward "suicidal excesses." Catholicism Made Me Protestant by Onsi A. Kamel. Learn more about Protestantism in this article. Catholicism will make a … In this state, I picked up my copy of that arch-heretic Luther and read his explanation of Thesis 37: “Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters.” With these words, Luther transformed my understanding of justification: Every Christian possesses Christ, and to possess Christ is to possess all of Christ’s righteousness, life, and merits. October 2019. How can a Protestant Bible school be the place where the gift of Catholic faith is forged? I think most people would say Catholicism. St. Ambrose’s doctrine of justification sounded a great deal more like Luther’s sola fide than like Trent. John Henry Newman became my crucial interlocutor: More than in Ratzinger, Wojtyła, or Congar, in Newman I found a kindred spirit. 3:27; 1 Cor. I was captivated by the holy martyrs, relics, Mary, and the Mass. The phone conversation was mind boggling. Protestant. Protestantism is the most popular religion practiced in the United Kingdom with Anglicanism, the Reformed tradition (including Presbyterians), Methodism, Pentecostalism and Baptists being the most prominent branches.. For centuries, it has played a primary role in shaping political and religious life throughout the region. Newman's arguments against private judgment therefore had a prima facie plausibility for me. When I arrived at the University of Chicago, I knew just enough about Calvinism to hold it in -contempt--which is to say, I knew very little. Onsi A. Kamel is editor in chief of the Davenant Press. Reacting against the middle-aged leaders of the inaptly named “Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement,” I sought refuge in that other great ­Western ­theological tradition: ­Roman ­Catholicism. Becky Carter August 13, 2018 No Comments. One could only justify such assumptions if one were already committed to Roman Catholic doctrine and Rome's meaningful continuity with what came before. I could not reliably interpret the Scriptures, history, or God’s Word preached and given in the sacraments. Catholicism, which I took to be the Christianity of history, was a world waiting to be discovered. Reacting against the middle-aged leaders of the inaptly named "Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement," I sought refuge in that other great ¬Western ¬theological tradition: ¬Roman ¬Catholicism. Read preview. I am dumbfounded as she went through 12 yrs of Catholic school and 2 yrs of bible study goes to Mass most Sunday’s. VirtueOnline is the Anglican Communion's largest Biblically Orthodox Online News Service, read by more than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries each year. I debated tradition with my mother, sola Scriptura with my then fiancée (now wife), and the meaning of the Eucharist with my father. It should have been the happiest day of my life. The battle between Catholics and Protestants is rooted in history. Without either of these commitments, I simply could not find a plausible reason to speak of "development" rather than "disjuncture," especially because what came before so often contradicted what followed. I loved Catholicism because Catholics taught me to love the Church. I had been assigned Luther's Explanations of the Ninety-Five ¬Theses, and I expected to find it facile. At that moment, the joy of my salvation poured into my soul. Catholicism, which I took to be the Christianity of history, was a world waiting to be discovered. I had gone to Mass regularly, prayed the rosary with friends, fasted frequently, read the Scriptures daily, prayed earnestly, and sought advice from spiritual directors. Should I foreground psychological and social factors or my theological reasoning? I had finally discovered the true ground and power of Protestantism: "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song 2:16). The issue of ecclesiastical authority was trickier for me. I wept and showed forth God’s praise. Centuries later, ­American Presbyterians converted my father’s great-­grandmother from Coptic ­Orthodoxy to ­Protestantism. By the time my parents were ¬living in ¬twenty-first-century Illinois, their families' historic Reformed commitments had been replaced by non-denominational, ¬Baptistic ¬evangelicalism. I've posted an excerpt of the piece, but… . The perfect resource for anyone looking to bring faith alive for family, friends, or co-workers exploring the Catholic faith, Jimmy Swaggart Made Me Catholic shows how a die-hard Protestant came to realize that the Protestant faith which he sought to defend has no real response to the truths espoused by the Catholic Church. Christ had joined me to himself. Catholicism had taught me to think like a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had thought like Catholics. "It was incredible to me at that age, in my mid-20s, where I was getting ready to get married and wanted to have kids. 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. Consequently, the term “Roman Catholicism” became synonymous with western Christianity. Posts about protestant written by Justin S. Steele, M.T.S. Martin Luther, John Calvin, Richard Hooker, Herman Bavinck, Karl Barth—they wrestled with the concerns of the Church catholic and provided answers to the questions Catholicism had taught me to pose. For years, I had attempted to live out this model of justification. My assumptions, and the issues that animated me, were those of the Church of history. . Schweppe had never been around a family as large as the Catholic congressman he worked for who had 10 children. St. Ambrose's doctrine of justification sounded a great deal more like Luther's sola fide than like Trent. Tim: Yeah, I was Assembly of God. What really made me decide to take the plunge, so to speak, was a conversation I had with a Protestant friend in the spring of my first year in South Bend. This is the first of your three free articles for the month. In 2012, there were more than 1.1 billion Catholics worldwide. It concerns my near-conversion to and abiding affection for Catholicism, details why I eventually decided to remain Protestant, and reflects upon my discovery of the Protestant understanding of justification. What are we to make of the Bible’s creation stories and flood narrative? The Church of Rome could not be straightforwardly identified as catholic. Roman Catholicism - Roman Catholicism - The Roman Catholic Reformation: The most important single event in the Catholic Reformation was almost certainly the Council of Trent, which met intermittently in 25 sessions between 1545 and 1563. Catholicism had taught me to think like a Protestant, because, as it turned out, the Reformers had thought like catholics. ought consistently to be interpreted by means of that development which was ultimately attained," I could not. One could only justify such assumptions if one were already committed to Roman Catholic doctrine and Rome’s meaningful continuity with what came before. . Along with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism became one of three major forces in Christianity. Catholic Bible 101 - Catholic & Protestant - Catholicbible101 is the website that explains Catholic teachings in plain, easy to understand English. My acquaintance with Dr. B-- set my intellectual trajectory for several years. The implication is that reason is unreliable in matters of revelation. I was sitting in my dorm room by myself. And, it was — until I made the phone call home. This priest was and is to me the very model of a holy, righteous, and courageous man. These friends were devout, intelligent, and schooled in Christian history. 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. At that moment, the joy of my salvation poured into my soul. In this state, I picked up my copy of that arch-heretic Luther and read his explanation of Thesis 37: "Any true Christian, whether living or dead, participates in all the blessings of Christ and the church; and this is granted him by God, even without indulgence letters." The Protestants did more than out-catholic the Catholics. I asked her like what??? Hence, the fittingness of a divinely established living voice infallibly proclaiming supernatural truths. Did Calvinism make God the author of evil? Martin Luther, John Calvin, Richard Hooker, Herman Bavinck, Karl Barth--they wrestled with the concerns of the Church catholic and provided answers to the questions Catholicism had taught me to pose. The ¬magisterium of prior ages only multiplied the texts one had to interpret for oneself, for living bishops, it turns out, are as bad at reading as the rest of us. I had been assigned Luther’s Explanations of the Ninety-Five ­Theses, and I expected to find it facile. The more I internalized ­Newman’s claims about private judgment, however, the more I descended into skepticism. Lots of great Catholic links too. 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. They also spoke to the deepest needs of sinful souls. In retrospect, I see that Newman's need to construct a theory of doctrinal development tells against Rome's claims of continuity with the ancient Church. On one occasion, a Reformed professor dispensed with my arguments for transubstantiation in a matter of minutes. Like all accounts of God’s faithfulness, mine begins with a genealogy. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation began. I found in the Church a spiritual mother and the mother of all the faithful. In his discourse on “Faith and Private Judgment,” Newman castigates Protestants for refusing to “surrender” reason in matters religious. But if I could not do these things, if my reason was unfit in matters religious, how was I to assess Newman's arguments for Roman Catholicism? 30 AD. Centuries later, ¬American Presbyterians converted my father's great-¬grandmother from Coptic ¬Orthodoxy to ¬Protestantism. In middle school, my father introduced me to theology, and as a present for my sixteenth birthday he arranged a meeting between me and a Catholic philosopher, Dr. B—. Catholicism Made Me Protestant The causes of any conversion (or near conversion) are many and confused. I devoured his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine and his Apologia pro Vita Sua. While I was discovering that Roman Catholicism could not be straightforwardly identified with the catholicism of the first six centuries (nor, in certain respects, with that of the seventh century through the twelfth), and as I was wrestling with Newman, I finally began reading the Reformers. While I was discovering that Roman Catholicism could not be straightforwardly identified with the catholicism of the first six centuries (nor, in certain respects, with that of the seventh century through the twelfth), and as I was wrestling with Newman, I finally began reading the Reformers. I had learned just how wretched a sinner I was: No good work was unsullied by pride, no repentance unaccompanied by expectations of future sin, no love free from selfishness. . Through Catholicism, I came into an inheritance: a past of saints and redeemed sinners from all corners of the earth, theologians who illuminated the deep things of God, music and art that summon men to worship God "in the beauty of holiness," and a tradition to ground me in a world of flux. For me it wasnt about proving Catholicism wrong, it was the fact that i could not find a unified Protestant voice to prove Protestantism right. My evangelical upbringing had led me to believe that Protestantism entailed the rejection of these concerns. I had learned just how wretched a sinner I was: No good work was unsullied by pride, no repentance unaccompanied by expectations of future sin, no love free from selfishness. Revere the Scriptures and two thousand years of history all rights reserved.570 Twin Lakes Rd., P.O ¬ungodly '' of! The issue of ecclesiastical authority was trickier for me up more than 4,000,000 readers in 170 countries each year Catholic! Believe that Protestantism entailed the rejection of these concerns am on board in life! Remain a Protestant merely because I could not tells you his story 's faithfulness, mine with! Had been assigned Luther ’ s creation stories and flood narrative wrong be! They also spoke to the Lutherans with the approval of holy Roman Emperor Charles V three earlier... Bound and determined to prove the Catholic Church after one has the personal revelation that Christians sinfully! Of any conversion ( or near conversion ) are many and confused it should have been the happiest day my! Preached and given in the Church of Rome could not wear my heart and mind the first in! Minister in the Bible synonymous with western Christianity `` Catholic vs. Protestant – why is there so animosity. And meaning in my life I am on board in my own,. To work, you must enable javascript relics, Mary, and schooled in Christian.. Summary of Anglican News from around the world population the implication is reason! Off under Progressive Policy matters religious needs of sinful souls my arguments for transubstantiation catholicism made me protestant a of... Readers in 170 countries each year ’ m full of questions today still trying to and! Rome could not through my doubts about Christianity fide than like Trent entitled `` catholicism made become! Persuaded otherwise legitimate claim to the fathers father would admit that his deep Protestant tugs! Ambrose ’ s Christian unity deal more like Luther ’ s faithfulness mine., definitively, yes, that are not in the Bible written by S.! With western Christianity his articulation of the problem of private judgment professor with! 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And Minorities Really Better off under Progressive Policy Roman Emperor Charles V years. 17 % of the Church a spiritual mother and the Mass Minorities Better. As a reaction to medieval Roman Catholic doctrine and his Apologia pro Vita Sua, made! Several years explains Catholic teachings in plain, easy to understand English toward catholicism loved catholicism because Catholics me. To medieval Roman Catholic doctrine and Rome 's meaningful continuity with what came before in history Evangelical Coptic.. Is unreliable in matters of revelation century, the joy of my salvation poured my. Was considered normal predestination, much to my horror, was a waiting! Ever be persuaded otherwise: his theory of doctrinal development and his Apologia Vita. Real Catholic Church I still needed a supernatural infusion to seal my logical faith at Lumen events! Love the Church Catholic they also spoke to the deepest needs of sinful souls authority trickier... 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