Converting From Baptist To Catholic

[Gregory Perry Sr.]

NO NO NO....Not me (I'm too secure in my salvation by grace through faith)

I'm talking about our fellow BB member named Walter. He seems like a nice fellow and sounds very sincere. He has posted a thread in the "Other Christian Denominations" forum (down south from here) which I want to encourage all you fellow Baptists to go down an take a look at. In it he gives his testimony and reasoning as to why he is about to make his conversion from being Baptist to being Catholic. I plan on engaging in the discussion on some level but I am no theologian nor do I have any official "higher" Bible or seminary training. There may be some of you that can offer some more detailed thoughts on the matter than I. Go to the following link to view Walter's thread or just scroll on down there the old fashioned way: My Journey Into The Catholic Church - BaptistBoard.com
I just hope we can all "speak the truth in love" and be civilized in our presentation. Yes...I do believe Walter is going in the wrong direction and hope the Lord will be able to instruct him more perfectly....but I say that out of genuine compassion and not with any kind of "chip" on my shoulder.

All this has come to the surface since the current Pope's recent announcement to retire so Catholicism is one of the obvious "hot" topics at the moment. God has a plan concerning all of this and our world today. Even so,come Lord Jesus!

Bro.Greg

 

[Aaron]

Maybe he just prefers their worship style.

 

[annsni]

Having grown up in the Catholic church and having gone to Catholic school - and knowing Scripture, there is no way in this world I could ever imagine leaving Biblical Christianity for the Catholic church. It blows my mind that a person who claims the name of Jesus would actually put themselves under the weight of false teachings.

 

[HAMel]

This 'ole boy isn't joining the Catholic Church..., he's joining the Catholic "Religion".

Religion used to be defined as following the teaching's of an organization of some sort while Christianity is following the teaching of Christ.

Those who identify as members of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club have become "religious" to the mandates of their organization. I knew a man once who was very "religious" over his rebuilt 1957 Chevy Convertable.

 

[Thomas Helwys]

Having grown up in the Catholic church and having gone to Catholic school - and knowing Scripture, there is no way in this world I could ever imagine leaving Biblical Christianity for the Catholic church. It blows my mind that a person who claims the name of Jesus would actually put themselves under the weight of false teachings.

And the Catholics would say the same thing about you.

It's amazing to me on this forum how many experts there are to point out the false teachings of others. So, how many here have the true teachings? One or two?

 

[Zaac]

And the Catholics would say the same thing about you.

It's amazing to me on this forum how many experts there are to point out the false teachings of others. So, how many here have the true teachings? One or two?

You do realize that this is one of the problems the majority of the world has with Christianity. we're too exclusive. :laugh:

God says there is one way, and His truth is ABSOLUTE. So you're darn skippy we're experts.:laugh: When The Truth lives in you, It tends to know false teachings when they are standing beside Him.

I never understood why CHRISTIANS get attitudes when someone calls false teachings false teachings. It's as though some think there is no way to know what's false teaching and what isn't.

 

[Thomas Helwys]

You do realize that this is one of the problems the majority of the world has with Christianity. we're too exclusive. :laugh:

God says there is one way, and His truth is ABSOLUTE. So you're darn skippy we're experts.:laugh: When The Truth lives in you, It tends to know false teachings when they are standing beside Him.

I never understood why CHRISTIANS get attitudes when someone calls false teachings false teachings. It's as though some think there is no way to know what's false teaching and what isn't.

Yes, but who determines what is true and what is false? As I said, I have seen that charge made many times here against many different beliefs to the point that there must be only a very few here who have the truth. In fact, I've seen just about everyone's belief condemned as false by someone else!

So, you have the true teachings. Please point out the other poster who does.

 

[Zaac]

Yes, but who determines what is true and what is false?

GOD, you know the One Who lives inside us and delivers truth?

As I said, I have seen that charge made many times here against many different beliefs to the point that there must be only a very few here who have the truth. In fact, I've seen just about everyone's belief condemned as false by someone else!

Place it next to Scripture.

So, you have the true teachings. Please point out the other poster who does.

It sounds like you question whether you do. I again wonder how such people live in the victory of Christ if they can never be SURE about anything? How do y'all witness to folks about something of which you are not sure?

 

[InTheLight]

Having grown up in the Catholic church and having gone to Catholic school - and knowing Scripture, there is no way in this world I could ever imagine leaving Biblical Christianity for the Catholic church.

It was predestined from before the dawn of time?

 

[Salty]

Roman Catholic doctrine dictates that baptism (sprinkling) is required for admission to Heaven.

This is in direct opposition to Evangelical teaching.

As Ann said:

..., there is no way in this world I could ever imagine leaving Biblical Christianity for the Catholic church. It blows my mind that a person who claims the name of Jesus would actually put themselves under the weight of false teachings.

 

[Zaac]

Roman Catholic doctrine dictates that baptism (sprinkling) is required for admission to Heaven.

This is in direct opposition to Evangelical teaching.

As Ann said:

And the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Lord himself affirms that baptism is necessary for salvation

Apart from the other works salvation stuff, this is my biggest gripe with Catholicism. We talk about abortion a lot.

But we rarely hear anything about the hundreds of millions who have gone straight to hell because the Catholic Church tells them that baptism is necessary for salvation, and so they are baptized by their parents and go on about their business of life unredeemed.

Why don't we just grab viles of Holy Water and just start running down the streets sprinkling folks if that's all there is to it?

 

[Gregory Perry Sr.]

Unbelievable!!!

:laugh:Unbelieveable....I posted this thread to draw people's attention to Walter's thread down in the other forum....and lo and behold this one has turned into an argument that has already stretched to 2 pages. Amazing! While we're at it..has any of us uttered so much as even one brief prayer for Walter? I'm not ashamed (as I'm sure most of you aren't either) to name the name of Christ OR to express our disagreement with the tenets of Catholicism. I do believe they are wrong and unbiblical as do most of you. Lined up against the truths of scripture their teachings are not difficult to discount......but for someone who is blinded (even partially or for whatever reason),be it because of either not being saved or because of sin in their life or pride or whatever these kind of errors can be extremely hard to overcome. My thread is a CALL to those of us who are compassionate (and Biblically knowledgeable) to go down to Walters thread and prayerfully engage him in discussion that would hopefully help him recover from and escape what I believe is a SNARE of our enemy...satan before he falls off into the apostasy of what is demonstratably a false church. As much as I like to see people respond to comments I make and threads I post, that was not my intention with and for this thread. Ya'll have a nice day....and pray for our friend Walter.

Bro.Greg:saint:

 

[Yeshua1]

NO NO NO....Not me (I'm too secure in my salvation by grace through faith)

I'm talking about our fellow BB member named Walter. He seems like a nice fellow and sounds very sincere. He has posted a thread in the "Other Christian Denominations" forum (down south from here) which I want to encourage all you fellow Baptists to go down an take a look at. In it he gives his testimony and reasoning as to why he is about to make his conversion from being Baptist to being Catholic. I plan on engaging in the discussion on some level but I am no theologian nor do I have any official "higher" Bible or seminary training. There may be some of you that can offer some more detailed thoughts on the matter than I. Go to the following link to view Walter's thread or just scroll on down there the old fashioned way: My Journey Into The Catholic Church - BaptistBoard.com
I just hope we can all "speak the truth in love" and be civilized in our presentation. Yes...I do believe Walter is going in the wrong direction and hope the Lord will be able to instruct him more perfectly....but I say that out of genuine compassion and not with any kind of "chip" on my shoulder.

All this has come to the surface since the current Pope's recent announcement to retire so Catholicism is one of the obvious "hot" topics at the moment. God has a plan concerning all of this and our world today. Even so,come Lord Jesus!

Bro.Greg

My thinking in regards to this is that while the Lord can and has redeemed catholics by His Grace, their church is still same to me as JW/Mormons, Christian Cult, and once one is saved, must heed the lord and come out from among them, be ye seperate!

When the brother willingly goes into Catholic church, he is not risking his salvation, but he is disobedient to the will of God!

 

[preachinjesus]

I've read two good books on this issue, one of which was authored by

Evangelicals on the Canterburry Trail by Webber and Ruth is a good introduction that communicates some stories about folks who have converted to Catholicism for good theological reasons. It is worth checking out. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0819228516/?tag=baptis04-20

Return to Rome by Francis Beckwith is the personal narrative of a major theological figure in the evangelical world who, while President of the Evangelical Theological Society, prayerfully reentered communion with the Roman Catholic Church. It is a reasonable proposal to read through. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1587432471/?tag=baptis04-20

I'd encourage you to borrow them from your local library or interlibrary loan them to hear a different perspective on these issues.

 

[Thomas Helwys]

GOD, you know the One Who lives inside us and delivers truth?



Place it next to Scripture.



It sounds like you question whether you do. I again wonder how such people live in the victory of Christ if they can never be SURE about anything? How do y'all witness to folks about something of which you are not sure?

Well, hmmmm....uh (cough)... let's see now...If everyone knows the truth because they have the scripture and the Spirit, but everyone disagrees what that truth is, how is an objective observer to determine what is the truth? All of you claim and proclaim you have it and that everybody else is wrong, so I guess that makes every Baptist his own pope, right?

 

[Thomas Helwys]

I've read two good books on this issue, one of which was authored by

Evangelicals on the Canterburry Trail by Webber and Ruth is a good introduction that communicates some stories about folks who have converted to Catholicism for good theological reasons. It is worth checking out. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0819228516/?tag=baptis04-20

Return to Rome by Francis Beckwith is the personal narrative of a major theological figure in the evangelical world who, while President of the Evangelical Theological Society, prayerfully reentered communion with the Roman Catholic Church. It is a reasonable proposal to read through. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1587432471/?tag=baptis04-20

I'd encourage you to borrow them from your local library or interlibrary loan them to hear a different perspective on these issues.

Beg pardon, but Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail is about people who have converted to Anglicanism, Canterbury being the seat of the archbishop of the Church of England. That's the thrust of the book, anyway.

 

[Zaac]

:laugh:Unbelieveable....I posted this thread to draw people's attention to Walter's thread down in the other forum....and lo and behold this one has turned into an argument that has already stretched to 2 pages. Amazing! While we're at it..has any of us uttered so much as even one brief prayer for Walter?

That was the first thing I did cause that's the only thing that could really get through.:thumbsup:

 

[Gregory Perry Sr.]

Amen

That was the first thing I did cause that's the only thing that could really get through.:thumbsup:

Zaac...I presume you mean that you prayed for Walter. You are right to do so but I'll qualify that as being only the first step. It is the Holy Spirit that does the actual work in the heart in response to our prayers and His will. Apparently Walter has seen much in the past that seemed contrary to the love and grace of God particularly (and sadly)among Baptists. Gal.5:25 says "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit". If we would truly embrace this truth then our faith might actually look more desirable to those who are trying to find the answers that they so desperately need. The liturgical and ritualistic religion Bro. Walter is proposing to embrace will only soothe the conscience and feed the flesh nature for so long. It won't even offer him any true assurance that he has been justified OR that he has a home in heaven with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. How tragic. I predict that that truly God-shaped void will return to him. Catholic "religion" won't satisfy that any better than Baptist "religion" will ...or did. Yes...we need to pray for this dear man...that he'll get a big ol'fashioned dose of GOD...and not just another dose of legalistic do's and don'ts.

Bro.Greg:saint:

Bro.Greg

 

[Zaac]

Zaac...I presume you mean that you prayed for Walter. You are right to do so but I'll qualify that as being only the first step. It is the Holy Spirit that does the actual work in the heart in response to our prayers and His will. Apparently Walter has seen much in the past that seemed contrary to the love and grace of God particularly (and sadly)among Baptists. Gal.5:25 says "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit". If we would truly embrace this truth then our faith might actually look more desirable to those who are trying to find the answers that they so desperately need. The liturgical and ritualistic religion Bro. Walter is proposing to embrace will only soothe the conscience and feed the flesh nature for so long. It won't even offer him any true assurance that he has been justified OR that he has a home in heaven with the Lord Jesus for all eternity. How tragic. I predict that that truly God-shaped void will return to him. Catholic "religion" won't satisfy that any better than Baptist "religion" will ...or did. Yes...we need to pray for this dear man...that he'll get a big ol'fashioned dose of GOD...and not just another dose of legalistic do's and don'ts.

Bro.Greg:saint:

Bro.Greg

:applause:That's a big AMEN!!!

 

[saturneptune]

That was the first thing I did cause that's the only thing that could really get through.:thumbsup:

That is baloney. You do not even have enough respect for fellow Christian posters to not call them lost or supporters of false doctrine. How can you have any concern for someone lost when you do not care for someone who is saved by Christ?

Your posts drip with double talk, as Greg caught you in a few posts above. You care as much about Walter as you do a hatrack. Your history of posts from eight months ago to now is what defines a troll. As I said in an earlier post, I do not know why you are still here. There is not one shred of evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in one of your posts.