On March 29, 1994, leading evangelicals and Catholics
signed a joint declaration, "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian
Mission in the 3rd. Millennium." Contained within the document, which attempts
to bring ecumenical unity, are some seriously compromising agreements regarding
proselytizing and doctrinal distinctions.
The 25-page document,
originated by Chuck Colson and Catholic social critic Richard John Neuhaus, was
signed by 40 noted evangelical and Catholic leaders including Pat Robertson,
heads of the Home Mission Board and Christian Life Commission of the Southern
Baptist Convention, Bill Bright - founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, Mark
Noll of Wheaton University, Os Guinness, Jesse Miranda (Assemblies of God),
Richard Mauw (President , Fuller Seminary), J.I. Packer and Herbert
Schlossberg.
It called for Catholic and evangelical cooperation on
social and cultural issues where both traditions share common goals, one
example being the fight against abortion. The accord also stressed mutual
allegiance to the Apostles' Creed, world evangelism, justification "by grace
through faith because of Christ," and encouraged "civil" discourse over
doctrinal differences.
Chuck Colson has been fervently criticized for
his part in this accord and in his defense I can only say he has a desire to
see Christ's high priestly prayer (John 17) maintained. He said in his
publication, Jubilee, "All true Christians are one in Christ. That has to be.
That isn't just a theological proposition. That is a statment of ultimate
reality, because God has created us all, and those He has regenerated and
called to Himself all belong to the same, one God. Disunity is a condition that
God does not want; it defies what God has done. Therefore it is an affirmative
duty on the part of every Christian to work for unity among true believers,
never compromising truth, of course, but always to work for
unity.
The challenge, as I see it, for Mr. Colson and others working
toward true Biblical unity of the church is the dillution of their own faith.
While I believe there are most likely "born-again" saved people in the Catholic
Church whose faith in Christ transcends the teachings and doctrines of the
Church, there is a danger of losing sight of the fact that the Catholic Church
promises salvation apart from the finished work of Christ on the cross.
The distinction is not in the common words they use, but in the
definitions of those same words. While Catholics and non-Catholics may agree
with the Apostles' Creed, they don't necessarily share the meaning. While
Catholics may say they agree with justification "by grace through faith because
of Christ," their actions sometimes shows otherwise. While "civil" discourse
over doctrinal differences may be good, if that civility reduces the impact of
world evangelism and bringing the lost to Christ (including non-saved
Catholics), it does nothing to advance Christ's prayer for unity and hinders
the responsibility of believers to spread the gospel throughout the world.
Subsequent
Developments
Colson and other signers later agreed to a five-point
statement clarifying Protestant distinctives that were not clear in ECT.
Critics claimed that the statement blurs doctrinal lines on key issues,
including salvation by faith alone. John MacArthur, pastor of the independent
Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, told "Christianity Today"
magazine his greatest concern was the apparent disregard for "evangelical
doctrinal distinctives."
The new statement says cooperation between
evangelicals and "evangelically committed Roman Catholics" on common concerns
is no endorsement of the Roman Catholic "church system" or "doctrinal
distinctives." It affirms the Protestant understanding of salvation and
legitimate evangelism efforts.
Excerpts of the followup agreement
include:
- "We understand the statement that 'we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ,' in terms of the substitutionary atonement and imputed righteousness of Christ, leading to full assurance of eternal salvation; we seek to testify in all circumstances and contexts to this, the historic Protestant understanding of salvation by faith alone (sola fide).
- "While we view all who profess to be Christian--Protestant and Catholic and Orthodox--with charity and hope, our confidence that anyone is truly a brother and sister in Christ depends not only on the content of his or her confession but on our perceiving signs of regeneration in his or her life.
- "Though we reject proselytizing as ECT defines it (that is, 'sheep-stealing' for denominational aggrandizement), we hold that evangelism and church planting are always legitimate, whatever forms of church life are present already."
In November '97, a group of evangelicals and Catholics led by
Charles Colson and Father Richard John Neuhaus released a statement, "The Gift
of Salvation," in which they say together, "We understand that what we here
affirm is in agreement with what the Reformation traditions have meant by
justification by faith alone." The statement says, "We agree that justification
is not earned by any good works or merits of our own; it is entirely God's
gift, conferred through the Father's sheer graciousness, out of the love that
He bears us in His Son, who suffered on our behalf and rose from the dead for
our justification."
You can't believe two contradictory propositions at the same time!
You can't believe Christ obtained redemption through His blood and
also believe redemption is being accomplished through Catholic liturgy.
You can't believe salvation is by faith and "not of works" and at
the same time believe that good works earn salvation.
Only 35 short years ago Roman
Catholicism was included among the "modern Cults" about which Harold
Lindsell warned his students in a course by that name at Fuller. Today, in
spite of its false gospel of works and ritual which millions of martyrs
faithfully opposed to the death, Catholicism is embraced by our most trusted
evangelical leaders.
While ECT and later agreements may allow some
"convergence and cooperation" between evangelicals and Catholics in many public
tasks, there remains some important differences including "the meaning of
baptismal regeneration, the Eucharist ... diverse understandings of merit,
reward, purgatory, and indulgences; Marian devotion
and the assistance of the saints in the lives of salvation..."
One
often hears the naive expression, especially in justifying the new ecumenical
acceptance of Roman Catholics as Christians, "I embrace all those as brethren
who 'love Jesus' and 'name the name of Christ.'" Yet many cultists profess to
love Jesus and almost all "name the name of Christ." One must discern what is
meant by such words.
The gospel of God's grace is denied by every
cult and false religion, including Roman Catholicism, where infant baptism
removes original sin and makes one a child of God, salvation is in the church
and its sacraments, redemption is an ongoing process of perpetually offering
the body and blood of Christ upon its altars, and good works merit acceptance
with God.
Other Modern Ecumenical Movements
