Answer: Hello Todd,

I fully understand what you are saying, and that the official Catholic teaching on justification (that we are saved by grace plus our works/efforts) as well as Maryology, etc. are reasons why many Protestants are just that.

Here are some considerations:

1. There is no "one true church" of God, in the sense of a congregation, denomination or human organization.
2. We can safely assume that there are Christians in every Christ-centered, biblically-based church and many who do not attend any church.
3. We can safely assume that there are many non-Christians who are members of all Christ-centered churches, and that membership in a temporal body does not ensure salvation.
4. While it may be true that some churches (although based on historical orthodoxy) are compromising with biblical truth -- that fact alone does not mean that members of those churches are not Christians.

Christians are not defined or identified by membership in a denomination. One is a Christian -- part of the universal body of Christ -- because one believes in Jesus -- and therefore one has a personal relationship with God. I believe that relationship with God (based upon biblical teaching) is a better starting point of discussion with others rather than church and denominational positions -- or whether one attends a physically located church at all.

While our concern for fellow believers (or those who think themselves to be) might be intensified by our knowledge of the church they attend, we should not take the next step and presume to know exactly what they do or do not believe or do or do not practice. Above all we must avoid the trap of presuming to judge the quality of their relationship with God.

I believe that Protestant churches or ministries who launch a "reach a Catholic" outreach are barking up the wrong tree. First, such an approach usually drives the people doing the "evangelizing" deep (or deeper!) into a self-righteous rut. Second, the people to whom their efforts are directed (Catholics for example) are so deeply offended that they usually will not listen.

I am not a member of the Catholic church because I do not believe in all of its teachings. But I cannot say that the environment of every Catholic church it is so deeply flawed that some or many of its members are not a part of the body of Christ – for if I were to take that position, then there would be many periods of history that would seem to be without a Christ-centered church.

I must also say that I find it pathetic that some Protestants specifically identify the Catholic church as the great "whore of Revelation" (just as I once did!). The passages about being concerned about the speck of dust in your brother’s eye while a telephone pole is embedded in yours, as well as the parable of the Pharisee and the publican come to mind.

Hope this helps, Todd.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht