Question: Dear brother in Christ,

To put my question in the simplest form: "What’s your stand on the Roman Catholic Church?

There was a time in my life when this question was totally foolish because I had been taught that all Catholics were lost without the true Christ, from the illiterate peasant to the Pope himself. Let me give you some background.

I was raised as an ultra-orthodox Pentecostal, but what really raises all the doubts and questions is the fact that I’m Hispanic. As you surely know, more than 98% of Catholic Hispanics are idolaters. Every where you go in Latin America you will find the people not only praying to, but literally worshipping other "things" but Christ.

For three years the Lord has guided me through some serious reforms in my life, teaching me the true Christian virtues and getting rid of my self-righteousness and condemnation of others in the Christian family that don’t believe what I believe. I profoundly believe that there are Catholics – including a future Priest – and they have told me that no Catholic is supposed to worship or pray "directly" to the "saints." But I see no change in the Hispanic communities. The future Priest confessed that he has had to tell his Italian grandmother not to pray to "The Madonna," but to God.

Now – let’s talk about Mary. When are they going to stop referring to her as "TEOTEKOS"? Mary was not, and certainly is not the mother of God. She was the mother of the human nature of Christ. If the Roman Church has backed down from that one, then they sure want to keep many of their members in darkness.

When I get to heaven, I won’t mind seeing some Catholic brethren there. I’ve tried to convince my mom that a Catholic can be saved, but I just don’t know what to say to her when she brings up Mary and the saints. To her and the majority of Hispanic Evangelicals, if you have truly been born-again, you won’t stay for a long time in the Roman Church.

I would really appreciate it if you could shed some light on this all. Please tell me as well what you think about ecumenism. Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my small question. May God bless you and your ministry abundantly.

Your brother in Christ,

Dario

Answer: Hello Dario,

Thanks for your question, for it is one that many wrestle with. First to answer the question about where Plain Truth Ministries "stands" on the question of Catholics – we have many other Q and As on that subject in the "Ask Greg" section of our website.

I understand the approach you have had toward Catholics, for many others have had to repent of self-righteousness, critical attitudes, haughty, superior exclusivism about other churches. God has placed Christians in the body of Christ "where it pleases him" – not where it pleases and makes us comfortable.

I do not have the same experience that you do, but I do understand that the majority (I’m not certain of the 98%) of Hispanic Catholics in Latin America are close to the primitive pagan religion of animism – in which the earth, planets, and elements are worshipped. They happen to attend the Catholic church, but they, if they are superstitious and pan-theistic, are not Christian.

I do not know where you live, but the Catholics I know from North America are very different, leading me to the conclusion that the Catholic Church is not monolithic – that is, it is not uniform in every area. The process of taking Christianity into some cultures often results in the culture overwhelming and overcoming Christianity, rather than the opposite.

I believe that there are many Catholics that I know who are saved, who will be in God’s kingdom of heaven. However, I believe that the vast majority of them will have not involved themselves in Maryology, superstitions, idol worship, and the like. Plain Truth Ministries does not agree with Catholic religious teachings such as justification is faith plus works (a problem many Protestants wrestle with as well), they place the Bible on the same level as tradition and church government, they do not believe in the priesthood of all believers, etc. Those are among the reasons that I am a Protestant and not a Catholic.

However, God has not asked me to evaluate how many Catholics are true Christians, in spite of their churches’ official teaching. I am also reminded that the Catholic church is where all Protestant churches came from, and before the Reformation, essentially there was the church in the West (Roman) and the church in the East (from which the Greek and Russian Orthodox come).

The ecumenical movement is another issue. Briefly, on one hand some important Bible teachings are in danger of being sacrificed in the name of the ecumenical movement – on the other, it is good for Christians, as mentioned above, to be less denominational.

Hope this response has been helpful. May God bless you and be with you, Dario.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht