| | Rome Sweet Home
My Rosary and NAB
Those who know me, or who have read my writings over the past few years, are well aware of the bitter hatred I had for the Roman Catholic Church. As far as I was concerned, they were idolatrous apostates whose Mass was nothing short of witchcraft. I was raised in a home of anti-Romanists (my mother was raised Catholic and graduated from Catholic school), and at age 18 I subscribed to a breed of Calvinism that was at complete enmity with the Catholic Church. Over the past year, though, many of you watched as I attempted to deal with various Catholic, Orthodox, and Calvinist distinctives. We debated the Papacy, Marian doctrines, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, purgatory, the Apocrypha, and traditions such as Lent and Ash Wednesday. At the time, I thought I did quite well. Honestly, I felt as if my arguments were sound, my grasp of church history was adequate, and my refutations were sufficient. I no longer believe this to be the case. Actually, my skepticism started with a rather simple question: Where would I have attended church during the first 1,500 years of church history? This question, posed by Jargon, has haunted me every day since. Given my Calvinist distinctives, which church would have claimed me as one of their own? Which church father would identify with my protestant doctrines? Why do I feel spiritually disconnected from the first 1,500 years of the church? These questions, and many others, were the center of my spiritual reflection since that day. Much of it also boiled down to a question I had been very fond of asking others during debates: by what standard? That question was the clincher in virtually any theological debate. It forced my opponents to grapple with the concept of authority vs. autonomy. Problem was that this question turns out to be a smoking gun in the case against Protestantism. By what standard do we deem one worldview Christian and another non-Christian? The Bible? By what standard do we deem one interpretation of the Bible to be the Christian worldview while excluding another interpretation? Furthermore, by what standard do we deem one book canonical and another extra-biblical? By what standard? Who’s authority? Where did they get it from? How is their conclusion binding? When all was said and done, Van Tilian apologetics backfired, Bahnsen's theonomy backfired, and North’s postmillennialism backfired. Sure, we must presuppose the Christian worldview, but whom or what has the authority to determine what the Christian worldview is and what it isn't? Sure, it is God's law or autonomy, but whom or what has the power to accurately and authoritatively declare what God's law means and how it ought to be applied? Sure, the Church will triumph on earth, but the idea that this will happen amongst various rival denominations (religions) is pie-in-the-sky. Each of these doctrines, regardless of their adherents insisting otherwise, lead to one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church; and this is certainly nowhere to be found among the protestant religions. In the end, regardless of all my discussion and research, none of this would be happening were it not for the diligent prayer of a few devout Roman Catholics. Mysterium, his wife Kmom, and the Crusader twins prayed for my family on a regular basis. They were always willing to speak with me about questions and concerns. They even sent books for me to read and recommended others, most notably St. Fracis de Sales Catholic Controversy, the book that radically changed the way I look at the protestant religion, Calvinism in particular. But most importantly, they were patient with me. Were it not for their faith, prayer, persistence, and knack for longsuffering, I may not be making the declaration I am making this day. I could never fully explain how grateful I am for all that they have done. Now, do I expect many of my readers to agree with my decision? No, quite the contrary. I am convinced that many will call me a heretic, some will make fun of my decision and slander me as a Romanist, some will say that I am tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, some will blame my loose adherence to Federal Vision theology, and yet some may even question whether or not I was ever a Christian. I am quite prepared for this. What I am not prepared for is the response my wife and I will get from our closest friends, our family, and the church we have grown to love so much. Will it be easy? No. Regardless, I believe with all my heart that joining the Catholic Church is the right thing to do. PS- I am attending morning Mass, tomorrow. I will not be partaking in communion, of course, but I will go forward for a blessing and make my intentions known to the priest. We will also begin looking for the Latin Mass nearest our home. |
I"m so glad you're becoming Catholic! I haven't left you comments in ages, but I've been reading your site and praying for you. I'll continue to keep you and your family in my prayers. Deo gratias!
