I'm a protestant evangelical, and I honor the pope.MaryNotMarha: I am sure the other readers of this blog would love to say a few things about your statement, and I ask them to try and keep their comments to 150 words or less, channel rules apply. If you don't know what "channel rules" are, stick to non-profane language and a civil tone, vis. 1Pet 3:15-16. I'll log in some time on Tuesday to post my reply to your statement.
Many protestant's have perverted the message of justification through faith to mean that they can live as they chose, without the cost of discipleship.
This is not true faith, and will be the downfall of the protestant church.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
[#] Missionary to the Curious (1)
Well. So I make the offer to start evangelism to the curious, and someone we can call "MaryNotMartha" posts a couple of kind remarks and finds my post on John Paul II. For those of you who didn't catch her comments posted on Saturday, she said:
As you undoubtedly noticed, I like comics. I wouldn't call myself a "fan boy" because I don't give a flying FOOM what they are worth. That said, almost all the images on my blog are scanned from comics I own -- so they are scanned from comics I own and are used under what I assume is 
5 comments:
I have to agree with MaryNotMartha that many protestants have perverted the message of justification through faith.
I burnt out in ministry about ten years ago because of this. I was part of a leadership team that was trying to challenge people to live their faith but was faced with a group that was content living as they chose.
Even today I am in the midst of a situation where I sought God, got a direction, sought discipline and discipleship with regard to that direction and have wound-up being severely punished by a sister in Christ who all this inconvenienced.
I however have been so blessed over the past couple of months as another believer has been examining my life and the situation as they disciple me in other areas as well.
Living as I choose is dangerous. But living in the light of scripture and the gaze of another has afforded me a place of protection on one hand a place of danger on another as I am pushed past the boundries that I have lived my life inside of.
Oh, and incidentally I found this blog by "next blogging".
Rene --
"next blog" is an amazing thing, and while you might go blind playing it, you never know what you might find.
I'll let the other readers of this blog comment further before I say more.
I'm tempted to agree with "MaryNotMartha" about this, but her statement is awfully vague. I'm not sure we can rightfully call someone a "Protestant" who feels that they can live however they like (the two don't really seem to have much to do with each other, in any case).
We're never really in a position to judge the faith of another, but it would seem that someone who takes "justification by faith" to mean "live however you like, Jesus doesn't care" doesn't get the point. Yes, Christ didn't die to make people good but instead to bring them life, but part of that new life means being conformed to his image, even if it is just one step at a time.
In reply to Hal, to some extent you are dead wrong about not being able to call some one who does as they please a protestant.
Protestant literaly means one who protests; therefore it can mean one who does as they please. The only reason protestantism exists is because people were protesting (rebelling against) Catholism.
I have heard a protestant pastor admit that much of the doctrine he has been taught is deductive rather than inductive. In other words, men found elements of Catholism that they did not like and created a new doctine in response.
Years ago I had a friend whose father was the pastor of a Czech Bapist church; a congregatioin formed by a group of first generation Czech protestant immigrants. He told me once that the spirit of anti-catholism that he grew-up with was so strong that they could not even have a cross anywhere on the church property or in their homes. If it remotely resembled Catholism in anyway it was strictly forbidden.
My point is you may have no idea what opinions or attitudes you have embraced or have been taught that are rooted in a response to Catholism rather than inductive scriptural study.
Rene: to which I say "bring it".
Read my latest blog update, and then respond as you see fit.
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