The High Cost of Unity

Thank you both for taking time to comment. Your inputs are always welcome.

BJ, thank you again for your testimony of grace. I am learning some things about the RCC from Ed. There is a real disconnect for me between what he says Rome teaches and what I see from their spokesmen. I hope you will continue to testify about your experience. Perhaps you can help us out. Thanks and best regards to you and family.

He asked me to post this, but I feel funny pretending to be him.

BJ admits to not being an expert on the subject of Roman Catholicism. He was raised in it, was an altar boy and lived in the attic of the rectory as a displaced teenager, but part of the problem he experienced with the RCC (he now realizes) was that beliefs and the actions of the "guy on the street" differed heavily from what the Church claimed Catholics should believe and act. He left the Church at 21 after about a four-year struggle with his own personal walk. When he heard the Bible addressed as truth and met people who sincerely tried to live what the Bible taught, he felt compelled to join with them. It happened they were not Catholic.

Since that time, we have both met Catholics who, in our opinion, are Christians with slightly slanted theology and Christians who have a high tolerance for incorrect theology. By this, I mean, some of them really can articulate a personal relationship with God through Christ. You cannot, upon hearing them out, deny their faith. But, these fall into two groups. Either they admit the RCC is wrong in its Mariology and putting the priest and the church between God and man, or they really believe that the Church is right. In the meantime, the Church continues to issue statements that try to reconcile with Protestants, but continue to insist that the only way to Christ is through a Church that, frankly, appears, at a hierarchial level, to be unable to walk their talk (pedofiles and drunkards as priests is indeed a testimony that something is deeply wrong).

Again, this is not to say that there are not sincere Christians in the RCC, but that the Church remains in need of reformation and continues to resist returning to a Biblical model. From BJ's perspective, the RCC is a non-Christian organization that happens to have some Christians in membership.

"...is a non-Christian organization that happens to have some Christians in membership."-Aurora

The true standard of any organization is its membership, regardless of what the organization may profess. Don't know why, but I was thinking along these lines today, so I thought I'd pass it on.

Matthew 7
15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.