The National Catholic Register, a weekly periodical, published an interview with Dr. Beckwith in it's latest issue. In it, Dr. Beckwith illuminates some of the story of his conversion and talks about some of the reactions to his conversion. Especially interesting to me are the things he says about the people who convert from one side to another within the different Christian traditions (he basically expressed an idea similar to the one I made in the first blog article I wrote regarding this topic... yea for me!). And his opinion on what Catholics have to learn and gain from Evangelical Christians, namely better and more dynamic preaching in the Parishes.
Pyro.
Showing posts with label Catholic News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic News. Show all posts
5/18/2007
A story that bears watching
I have been following a conversion story through alternative information media (AIM) on the internet for the past few weeks. Dr. Francis Beckwith, the president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), converted and entered into full communion in the Catholic Church. There have been some understandable, yet unfortunate, uncharitable dissertations regarding Dr. Beckwith since his announcement. These were done by well intentioned Evangelicals who were probably offended and felt betrayed by Dr. Beckwith's conversion, which to them is incomprehensible. Some were also done by gloating Catholics who were uncharitably reveling in triumphalism. However, there have also been many charitable expressions regarding his conversion from evangelicals and Catholics alike.
There is a letter in the Wall Street Journal from a former collegue in the ETS that provides a fine example of charity. Also, the ETS released a statement regarding the situation that calmly expresses their thoughts without being uncharitable. The Wall Street Journal letter points to the fact that there have been a growing number of high profile conversions by people from the evangelical tradition to Catholicism since the mid 1960's. This is possibly due to the emphasis on ecumanism promulgated by the Second Vatican Council.
Converting from one Christian tradition to another is a two way street. The process of converting and the impetus behind them differ dramatically in my opinion. From what I have witnessed, Catholics who convert to newer traditions of Christian expression (e.g Calvanism, Lutheranism, Pentacostalism, Evangelicalism) do so out of ignorance born from an indifferentism towards their spiritual life prior to their conversion. Practicing the faith and living a committed spiritual life in Christ was not an important or consistent part of their family life. Because of this, they never learned the reasons, facts, and explanations for Catholic theological beliefs. They did however learn many basic core Christian beliefs; e.g. the existence of God as a Trinity, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the inspiration and truth of Sacred Scripture. When these Catholics then begin to desire to become serious in the spiritual life, they are very often susceptable to being influenced by co-workers, friends, and romantic interests who grew up practicing a Christian faith expression in a Protestant tradition. Many of the things they are told by these people sound very familiar to them because of their Catholic upbringing. The theological conclusions end up being different because of the Protestant tradition of personal infallibility in Biblical interpretation and exegesis. These fallen away Catholics end up embracing doctrines such as; Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, symbolic Communion, symbolic Baptism, total depravity. They also end up learning erroneous "facts" regarding the Catholic faith.
The Protestant converts to the Catholic Church are very much the opposite. They come from a wide variety of Christian Traditions, (e.g. Lutheran, Prysbeterian, Assembly of God, Baptist.) And they convert though they were very knowledgable of what their tradition taught. Their impetus is usually that they honestly read Scripture with a desire to closely follow Scripture and understand the Christian faith as it was passed on by Jesus to the Apostles, and from the Apostles to the Church Fathers, and so on... and they discovered that the Catholic Church is indeed the Church that Christ founded.
Summary: Most Catholics who convert to Protestantism were very ignorant of what the Catholic Church actually professes. They then fill in this ignorance with erroneous beliefs regarding the Catholic Church and they embrace false theological beliefs born of the Protestant tradition. Most Protestants who convert to the Catholic Church were very knowledgable of what their church professed. They were however honest enough to look at all traditions of Christianity with a critical eye. And being docile to the Holy Spirit, they were able to embrace the Catholic Church with the knowledge that within it subsists the fullness of God's revelation.
I am an example of both; going from lax indifferent Catholicism, to becoming a committed Protestant; (jumping between several non-denominational/evangelical traditions, Methodistism, and Lutheranism), and finally returning to the Catholic Church after honestly and vigorously studying Scripture, theology, and Chistian history.
Pyro
There is a letter in the Wall Street Journal from a former collegue in the ETS that provides a fine example of charity. Also, the ETS released a statement regarding the situation that calmly expresses their thoughts without being uncharitable. The Wall Street Journal letter points to the fact that there have been a growing number of high profile conversions by people from the evangelical tradition to Catholicism since the mid 1960's. This is possibly due to the emphasis on ecumanism promulgated by the Second Vatican Council.
Converting from one Christian tradition to another is a two way street. The process of converting and the impetus behind them differ dramatically in my opinion. From what I have witnessed, Catholics who convert to newer traditions of Christian expression (e.g Calvanism, Lutheranism, Pentacostalism, Evangelicalism) do so out of ignorance born from an indifferentism towards their spiritual life prior to their conversion. Practicing the faith and living a committed spiritual life in Christ was not an important or consistent part of their family life. Because of this, they never learned the reasons, facts, and explanations for Catholic theological beliefs. They did however learn many basic core Christian beliefs; e.g. the existence of God as a Trinity, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the inspiration and truth of Sacred Scripture. When these Catholics then begin to desire to become serious in the spiritual life, they are very often susceptable to being influenced by co-workers, friends, and romantic interests who grew up practicing a Christian faith expression in a Protestant tradition. Many of the things they are told by these people sound very familiar to them because of their Catholic upbringing. The theological conclusions end up being different because of the Protestant tradition of personal infallibility in Biblical interpretation and exegesis. These fallen away Catholics end up embracing doctrines such as; Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, symbolic Communion, symbolic Baptism, total depravity. They also end up learning erroneous "facts" regarding the Catholic faith.
The Protestant converts to the Catholic Church are very much the opposite. They come from a wide variety of Christian Traditions, (e.g. Lutheran, Prysbeterian, Assembly of God, Baptist.) And they convert though they were very knowledgable of what their tradition taught. Their impetus is usually that they honestly read Scripture with a desire to closely follow Scripture and understand the Christian faith as it was passed on by Jesus to the Apostles, and from the Apostles to the Church Fathers, and so on... and they discovered that the Catholic Church is indeed the Church that Christ founded.
Summary: Most Catholics who convert to Protestantism were very ignorant of what the Catholic Church actually professes. They then fill in this ignorance with erroneous beliefs regarding the Catholic Church and they embrace false theological beliefs born of the Protestant tradition. Most Protestants who convert to the Catholic Church were very knowledgable of what their church professed. They were however honest enough to look at all traditions of Christianity with a critical eye. And being docile to the Holy Spirit, they were able to embrace the Catholic Church with the knowledge that within it subsists the fullness of God's revelation.
I am an example of both; going from lax indifferent Catholicism, to becoming a committed Protestant; (jumping between several non-denominational/evangelical traditions, Methodistism, and Lutheranism), and finally returning to the Catholic Church after honestly and vigorously studying Scripture, theology, and Chistian history.
Pyro
8/26/2006
Crossing yourself illegal in Scotland?
This is alarming.
There may be more to the story, or maybe not... But at face value I find this alarming. Especially when other physical gestures, (such as those done by the female music star who refers to herself as "Madonna"), openly mocking Christianity and other religions throughout Europe are ignored by the European governments.
Hopefully the United Nations Human Rights Committee will condemn this action by the Scottish government because of it's religious intollerance.... YA RIGHT!!!!!
There may be more to the story, or maybe not... But at face value I find this alarming. Especially when other physical gestures, (such as those done by the female music star who refers to herself as "Madonna"), openly mocking Christianity and other religions throughout Europe are ignored by the European governments.
Hopefully the United Nations Human Rights Committee will condemn this action by the Scottish government because of it's religious intollerance.... YA RIGHT!!!!!
7/26/2006
Irish Monks
In an incredible find, a 1000 year old psalm book has been uncovered in an Irish bog. Catholic monks in Ireland devoted their lives to copying Scripture and are credited with helping to preserve the faith over the centuries through their efforts. The book was reported to be opened to psalm 83. Here is psalm 83, very interesting. Is Someone trying to tell us something...?
Psa 83:1[[Vulgatte 82:1] canticum psalmi Asaph [Vulgate 82:2] Deus ne taceas ne sileas et non quiescas Deus
Psa 83:2[[Vulgatte 82:3] quia ecce inimici tui tumultuati sunt et qui oderunt te levaverunt caput
Psa 83:3[[Vulgatte 82:4] contra populum tuum nequiter tractaverunt et inierunt consilium adversum arcanum tuum
Psa 83:4[[Vulgatte 82:5] dixerunt venite et conteramus eos de gente et non sit memoria nominis Israhel ultra
Psa 83:5[[Vulgatte 82:6] quoniam tractaverunt pariter contra te foedus pepigerunt
Psa 83:6[[Vulgatte 82:7] tabernacula Idumeae et Ismahelitarum Moab et Aggareni
Psa 83:7[[Vulgatte 82:8] Gebal et Ammon et Amalech Palestina cum habitatoribus Tyri
Psa 83:8[[Vulgatte 82:9] sed et Assur venit cum eis facti sunt brachium filiorum Loth semper
Psa 83:9[[Vulgatte 82:10] fac illis sicut Madian et Sisarae sicut Iabin in torrente Cison
Psa 83:10[[Vulgatte 82:11] contriti sunt in Aendor fuerunt quasi sterquilinium terrae
Psa 83:11[[Vulgatte 82:12] pone duces eorum sicut Oreb et Zeb et Zebee et Salmana omnes principes eorum
Psa 83:12[[Vulgatte 82:13] qui dixerunt possideamus nobis pulchritudinem Dei
Psa 83:13[[Vulgatte 82:14] Deus meus pone eos ut rotam quasi stipulam ante faciem venti
Psa 83:14[[Vulgatte 82:15] quomodo ignis conburit silvam et sicut flamma devorat montes
Psa 83:15[[Vulgatte 82:16] sic persequere eos in tempestate tua et in turbine tuo conturba eos
Psa 83:16[[Vulgatte 82:17] imple facies eorum ignominia et quaerent nomen tuum Domine
Psa 83:17[[Vulgatte 82:18] confundantur et conturbentur usque in saeculum et erubescant et pereant
Psa 83:18[[Vulgatte 82:19] et sciant quia nomen tuum est Dominus solus tu Excelsus super omnem terram
That's how it appears in the archeological discovery anyway, here is an English language translation:
Psa 83:1 A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, do not keep silence; do not hold thy peace or be still, O God!
Psa 83:2 For lo, thy enemies are in tumult; those who hate thee have raised their heads.
Psa 83:3 They lay crafty plans against thy people; they consult together against thy protected ones.
Psa 83:4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
Psa 83:5 Yea, they conspire with one accord; against thee they make a covenant--
Psa 83:6 the tents of Edom and the Ish'maelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
Psa83:7 Gebal and Ammon and Am'alek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Psa 83:8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. [Selah]
Psa 83:9 Do to them as thou didst to Mid'ian, as to Sis'era and Jabin at the river Kishon,
Psa 83:10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
Psa 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmun'na,
Psa 83:12 who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God."
Psa 83:13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
Psa 83:14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
Psa 83:15 so do thou pursue them with thy tempest and terrify them with thy hurricane!
Psa 83:16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
Psa 83:17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; let them perish in disgrace.
Psa 83:18 Let them know that thou alone, whose name is the LORD, art the Most High over all the earth.
One question I have however. They said it was opened to Psalm 83 and then described what in the days that manuscript was written, and in the Vulgate, would have been Psalm 82. Was the Psalm number given in referance to the written content of the page, or was the subject of the Psalm reported based on what is currently known as Psalm 83? The 83rd Psalm in those days would have been what we currently know as the 84th Psalm which is about trusting in and following the Lord.
Psa 83:1[[Vulgatte 82:1] canticum psalmi Asaph [Vulgate 82:2] Deus ne taceas ne sileas et non quiescas Deus
Psa 83:2[[Vulgatte 82:3] quia ecce inimici tui tumultuati sunt et qui oderunt te levaverunt caput
Psa 83:3[[Vulgatte 82:4] contra populum tuum nequiter tractaverunt et inierunt consilium adversum arcanum tuum
Psa 83:4[[Vulgatte 82:5] dixerunt venite et conteramus eos de gente et non sit memoria nominis Israhel ultra
Psa 83:5[[Vulgatte 82:6] quoniam tractaverunt pariter contra te foedus pepigerunt
Psa 83:6[[Vulgatte 82:7] tabernacula Idumeae et Ismahelitarum Moab et Aggareni
Psa 83:7[[Vulgatte 82:8] Gebal et Ammon et Amalech Palestina cum habitatoribus Tyri
Psa 83:8[[Vulgatte 82:9] sed et Assur venit cum eis facti sunt brachium filiorum Loth semper
Psa 83:9[[Vulgatte 82:10] fac illis sicut Madian et Sisarae sicut Iabin in torrente Cison
Psa 83:10[[Vulgatte 82:11] contriti sunt in Aendor fuerunt quasi sterquilinium terrae
Psa 83:11[[Vulgatte 82:12] pone duces eorum sicut Oreb et Zeb et Zebee et Salmana omnes principes eorum
Psa 83:12[[Vulgatte 82:13] qui dixerunt possideamus nobis pulchritudinem Dei
Psa 83:13[[Vulgatte 82:14] Deus meus pone eos ut rotam quasi stipulam ante faciem venti
Psa 83:14[[Vulgatte 82:15] quomodo ignis conburit silvam et sicut flamma devorat montes
Psa 83:15[[Vulgatte 82:16] sic persequere eos in tempestate tua et in turbine tuo conturba eos
Psa 83:16[[Vulgatte 82:17] imple facies eorum ignominia et quaerent nomen tuum Domine
Psa 83:17[[Vulgatte 82:18] confundantur et conturbentur usque in saeculum et erubescant et pereant
Psa 83:18[[Vulgatte 82:19] et sciant quia nomen tuum est Dominus solus tu Excelsus super omnem terram
That's how it appears in the archeological discovery anyway, here is an English language translation:
Psa 83:1 A Song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, do not keep silence; do not hold thy peace or be still, O God!
Psa 83:2 For lo, thy enemies are in tumult; those who hate thee have raised their heads.
Psa 83:3 They lay crafty plans against thy people; they consult together against thy protected ones.
Psa 83:4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
Psa 83:5 Yea, they conspire with one accord; against thee they make a covenant--
Psa 83:6 the tents of Edom and the Ish'maelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
Psa83:7 Gebal and Ammon and Am'alek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Psa 83:8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. [Selah]
Psa 83:9 Do to them as thou didst to Mid'ian, as to Sis'era and Jabin at the river Kishon,
Psa 83:10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
Psa 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmun'na,
Psa 83:12 who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God."
Psa 83:13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
Psa 83:14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
Psa 83:15 so do thou pursue them with thy tempest and terrify them with thy hurricane!
Psa 83:16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
Psa 83:17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; let them perish in disgrace.
Psa 83:18 Let them know that thou alone, whose name is the LORD, art the Most High over all the earth.
One question I have however. They said it was opened to Psalm 83 and then described what in the days that manuscript was written, and in the Vulgate, would have been Psalm 82. Was the Psalm number given in referance to the written content of the page, or was the subject of the Psalm reported based on what is currently known as Psalm 83? The 83rd Psalm in those days would have been what we currently know as the 84th Psalm which is about trusting in and following the Lord.
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