Question: .

I would like to know if there is a difference between a Christian and a Catholic? Thanks!

Richard

Answer:

Dear Richard,

I do not believe that there is necessarily any difference between a Christian and a Catholic, or a Christian and a Lutheran, or a Christian and a Baptist.

Not all Catholics, Lutherans, or Baptists are Christians - simply because of their membership in a specific denomination. Christianity is a personal relationship between God and humans, and no human organization owns the copyright, with exclusive rights to represent God on earth.

However, there are some who doubt that there are any Christians at all in some churches - and some Protestants typically have this view toward Catholics. This question and issue goes back to the Reformation, to Martin Luther, almost 500 years ago. There are specific and important issues involved, and we need to consider them today. But, to simply write off all Catholics as Christians because the church to which they belong is involved in Maryology, prayer to saints, and other issues is to dismiss the sovereignty and power of God. The Bible does not tell us that God gives humans this discernment.

God has his people everywhere - and no one person, no one church can identify all Christians. We can thank God for that, for if someone, or some church thought that they could identify all Christians, and that everyone else was not a Christian - that false assumption would lead to a host of problems (in fact there are some sects and cults that make this claim).

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht