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
