I would love to hear you walk through a mock initial conversation with a Protestant to game out what you might first say to pique their interest and how to respond to their most basic challenges.
How about this: You say that you are a follower of Jesus, but do you “eat his flesh and drink his blood” as he commands in John 6:53? Jesus himself says that if you do not, “you have no life in you.”
Very short and sweet Jimmy. If I understand correctly, you yourself were a convert to Roman Catholicism from a Church of Christ background. If that’s accurate, I’m sure that a lot people in your audience would enjoy hearing your story. Saint Peter exhorted early Christians to always be ready to defend the reason for the hope “within them” (I Peter 3:15). As a new Catholic from an evangelical background, so far I have found fellow Catholics-from layman to priest-to be ignorant of how to share the Gospel, or too afraid or even opposed because “that’s not how we do it.” This, Lord willing, will change with the influx of evangelical converts like Scott Hahn, John Bergsma, Tim Staples and you Jimmy, as well as “reverts” like Jeff Cavins. God bless!
Catholics have a God given duty to know our faith, live our faith and spread our faith infallibly to the world. We are to inform, correct misconceptions and heresies, like Jesus Christ would.
We envalengize with the truth we let them know our Catholic faith what's the center of our faith ? The Holy Eucharist so to non Catholics and ex Catholics we bring them back to the truth about the true presence of the Holy Eucharist!
How Should We Evangelize Non-Catholics vs Ex-Catholics? 1. The caller is listening to WLCR in Mount Washington, Kentucky that broadcasts to the greater Louisville area, an area of the Bible Belt that boasts many Baptists, one of the most prominent being Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. 2. These people know their 66 book Bible backwards and forwards, so a general approach by any apologist to these Protestants who revere the Inspired Word of God, is to know how distinctively Catholic teaching is reflected in the Bible, since these folks already believe in what we hold in common, i.e., the Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, His Virgin Birth, His death, burial and resurrection, to name some of the most prominent. 3. A few examples: A. John 6:53 for the Eucharist B. Luke 1:28's Kecharitomene ('full of grace') for the Immaculate Conception. C. 1 Corinthians 3:15 for Purgatory D. John 20:22-23 for the Sacrament of Reconciliation E. Malachi 1:11 prophetically fulfilled in the Mass being celebrated worldwide F. John 1:42 for Peter being 'the Rock' when Jesus gave him this name when first introduced by Andrew 4. There are some objective parameters that can be considered in differentiating between evangelizing non-Catholics and ex-Catholics: A. The Catholic Church already recognizes non-Catholic Christians (those validly baptized) as part of the people of God in No. 15 of Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution On The Church, solemnly promulgated by Pope Paul VI on Nov. 21, 1964. B. In addition, the civil marriages of baptized Protestants are considered by the Catholic Church to be sacramental since due to no fault of their own, they were not subject to the episcopal authority that defines the sacramental marriages of Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Assyrian Church of the East. C. Those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, but do not have baptisms recognized by the Catholic Church due to a defect in form and/or intention, are also recognized as part of the people of God in No. 16 of Lumen Gentium, and these would include members of the Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses and Iglesia Ni Cristo. Their marriages are considered valid but non-sacramental. 5. As for ex-Catholics (those who were validly baptized in the Catholic Church), much greater caution and prayer should be employed due to the precariousness of their particular sacramental situation: A. Catholic baptism is binding, so that those who receive it but depart from the Church, if they marry outside, their marriages are not considered either valid or sacramental. If a couple married in the Catholic Church but then left, their marriage is still considered valid and sacramental. B. Denying Catholic teaching, placing oneself outside the Church and willfully depriving oneself of the sacramental graces offered by the Catholic Church, can lead to a hardening of heart. The most prominent 16th century Protestant Reformers who originally were Catholic, like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer and John Knox, ended up vilifying the Church by teaching that (A) the Pope was the Antichrist and (B) the Mass was the greatest blasphemy before God. C. Each one was transfixed by their own unique obsession: (1) Martin Luther in his 1522 German New Testament added a word to the sacred text in Romans 3:28 to justify his belief. (2) John Calvin taught that God, by an eternal decree, directly elects some to salvation and directly elects others to damnation, including infants. (3) Thomas Cranmer detested the doctrine of transubstantiation as if it was his mortal enemy. (4) John Knox was vehemently opposed to gynarchy, i.e., rule by a female sovereign, in his book The First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment of Women.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has adopted a more ecumenical approach in its dialogues with other Christian denominations. The council's Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, states that the Church "must be concerned for the unity of all Christians" and that "those who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church, even though this communion is imperfect" (UR 3). Regarding the two types of Protestants mentioned - the lifelong Protestant and the former Catholic - the Catechism of the Catholic Church acknowledges that the "ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church" are not "churches in the proper sense" as they lack the fullness of the means of salvation that subsist in the Catholic Church (CCC 817). However, the Catechism also recognizes that these communities "possess significant elements of sanctification and truth" and that the baptized in these communities are in "a certain, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church" (CCC 818). In light of this, the disposition and approach of Catholics in dialogue with these two groups should be marked by both clarity about the fullness of the Catholic faith and a spirit of openness and fraternity. With lifelong Protestants, the focus should be on exploring common ground, clarifying differences, and inviting them to consider the claims of the Catholic Church with an open heart. With former Catholics, as Mr. Akin said, there may be a deeper sense of connection and a desire to understand their journey, while also gently encouraging them to consider returning to the fullness of the Catholic faith. Scriptural support for this approach can be found in passages such as Jesus' high priestly prayer for the unity of his followers (John 17:20-23) and St. Paul's exhortation to "make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). Ultimately, the Catholic Church's approach should be one of patient dialogue, charitable understanding, and a firm yet compassionate witness to the truth of the Catholic faith, trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit to guide all towards the unity Christ desires for his Church.
This isn’t from Jimmy, but it was a wonderful video that helped me on this topic. We don’t need to try too hard, but need to surrender our will knowing that only the Holy Spirit can convert hearts. Keep praying for those searching for God’s Truth! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CQaNce-i0Q0.htmlsi=gEb1-gSZUygCt9E5
Funny-interesting story, some years ago I was participating in a chat thread consisting of Catholics and Protestants "peacefully" discussing evangelization. One of the criticisms from a number of the Protestants on the thread was that Catholics don't evangelize, and that we come off looking like we're accepting non-Christian beliefs because we ask questions. The Protestant criticism warned us against converting to paganism or atheism, because if you ask questions, it shows that you're open to making the switch. Of course, the Catholics on the thread quickly pushed back with Scripture (e.g. I am all things to all men), and pointed out that God loves the individual, so we should get to know them in order to understand how Jesus is calling them to follow Him, because it's not the same way for everybody.
I don’t really think the caller’s question was answered. It seemed like they were more concerned about whether an ex-Catholic was more urgent than a never-a-Catholic Christian, according to the catechism’s ecumenical teachings.
But does an ex-Catholic having been presented with more fullness of truth then have a greater culpability for mortal sin?...And so need more attention? Cradle protestants who have NOT been presented with a claim could not fully reject it and so be less in a position to mortally sin.
