On Evangelism
You must have heard by now that the Pope died. My pastor even offered a prayer for the Catholic church as they search for new leadership. I, however want to say what I don’t think others else would dare say right now. However great a person he was, and whatever he may have done, the man was crazy. I have no doubt that he did a lot of good things for a lot of people, but he also thought that when he sat in a certain chair, that he spoke directly for God. To be fair, there are a lot of people who seem to feel that they speak directly for God whether they are sitting in a chair or not, but I digress. A long explanation of the differences between Catholics and Protestants is beyond the scope of this post, but briefly, I feel that the main argument for Protestantism can be summed up by Luke 11:27-28:
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Did the Pope have a relationship with the Lord? I would certainly hope so. Yet the fact remains, from where I stand, he was the world leader for a large group of people who just don’t quite get it. Now there lies is the real issue. If Catholics are all wrong, how can I be so sure that the people of my church are right?
I think the greatest hindrance to my spiritual growth is that, having cast aside my former world view, I now lack any tools to properly evaluate “truth.” So, while I need no particular convincing that I myself am a wretched sinner, when it comes to declaring to others that they can never earn God’s favor on their own merit, (my own mother for example, or say, the Pope) well, that’s where I fall short.