Anti-Catholic Mike Gendron Opposes Christian Unity

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Professing Evangelicals Are Assisting the Pope in His Agenda to Reverse the Reformation
I will be examining this article to see if it has merit and I invite all interested parties to join with me to assist and offer insights.
On July 16th, Pope Francis will be calling for unity among all Christians at an ecumenical prayer rally in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands of Christians will hear his video message along with messages from evangelical leaders Ronnie Floyd, Ravi Zacharias, Luis Palau, Josh McDowell, Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, and others. Organizers of the event are attempting to gather one million Christians and Catholics in unified prayer and worship with a goal to bring unity to all who “love Jesus.” The event, called Together 2016, is about laying aside what divides us to lift up Jesus who unites us.
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My first reaction is, “and this is bad how?”. After all this can only promote more and better dialog and understanding between us, right?
Nick Hall, the founder of PULSE, who came up with the idea for Together 2016, said adding the Pope to the lineup is the best news yet. He said, “We are humbled and honored by his involvement and are eager to share his message with the crowd that gathers. That His Holiness would choose to speak into this historic day is a testament to the urgency and the need for followers of Jesus to unite in prayer for our nation and our world.”
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Again, I am thinking, “How is this bad?” Did not Jesus Himself pray for and call all His people to be one flock and one shepherd?
While some may admire Hall’s zeal, it is clearly not based on knowledge. For him to refer to a wolf in sheep’s clothing as “His Holiness” demonstrates his lack of knowledge of God’s Word.
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Ooohhh…now we see the introduction of the usual Anti-Catholic polemics that is Gendron’s hallmark and money maker.

I have never seen a single scriptural or other indicator that Pope Francis or any other Pope in my life that would qualify them as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and this particular Pope has gone way out of his way to bring Christ out to meet people wherever they are in location and in life that seems more Christ-like than I think any of us ever imagined that anyone could.
God alone is holy! Anyone who does not know Scripture cannot discern between holiness and depravity or between true and false prophets.
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God alone is holy according to Gendron…but let us take a moment to see what exactly the Word of God says about this.

***1st Peter 1:******13 Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance 15 but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, 16 for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.”

***So then does this not admonish us all to be holy in obedience to Christ? How then is it wrong for us to refer to Pope Francis in this way, especially when he consistently behaves in ways that are, in fact, demonstrably holy, and persistently calls upon all of us (and indeed all mankind) to be holy as well?
(Cont’d)
 
It is good to acknowledge what we have in common as well as the differences. I doubt the Pope means “unite” in any sense different from that. He enjoyed praying with Pentecostals in Buenos Aires.

Attempts at organisational unification are wrong except in rare cases where there has been a most thorough bringing together of all teachings and practices.

Such a thing as proposed doesn’t oblige anyone. I respect those who wish to stay out of it. A future substitute for the Pope may not be genuine. I only hope our separated brethren will give us safe passage when need be, and receive their reward. (The Edomites assisted the Israelites at first, and were rewarded.)

1517 is a representative date. I value my Pentecostal schoolmate, the Scripture teacher from the Brethren denomination, the Church of Scotland friends up the road who kept a kindly eye on us, and similar people throughout my life. I value the bold exploration of my grandparents who changed religion twice.

These rifts have been grisly. What God permits exercises because it stretches. It’s better to keep asking God why, than to stop at just disapproving.
 
Is it me, or do all of his articles read the same way? “Look at this Catholic quote. Do you think it’s a good thing, hmm? No! Those Catholics are pulling a fast one on you! Here’s why! Don’t be deceived by those conniving Catholcs! If they were really holy and good Christians, they’d see the truth revealed through Scriptures and come into the light of good, Scriptured based, Jesus-centered Christianity! Remember whose side you’re on…!” :rolleyes:
 
See also Leviticus 20:7-8 where we see…
***7 Sanctify yourselves, then, and be holy; for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. ******8 Be careful, therefore, to observe my statutes. I, the LORD, make you holy. ***

Then in the 2nd chapter of 1st Peter what do we find?
***9 But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
***So then we see that again here we are called holy as faithful followers of Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ and called to be so.

So…is Gendron scripturally correct? No.
The evangelicals who will speak with the pope need to know that the Lord Jesus did not come to bring peace on earth but rather division (Luke 12:51). His Gospel has always divided believers from unbelievers.
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There are several things wrong with this remark although if one is willing to blindly accept this verse ripped out of context and misinterpreted it might deceptively appear to wash. As always, context is everything. There is actually a great deal more to that verse than I think Gendron wants us to see. Certainly part of holiness is a separation from sinful lifestyles and this passage makes that clear, but none of this applies to Christians and actually relates directly to our persecution in the end times, but this particular event and our Catholic participation in it has no relevance at all.🤷
The Lord Jesus said He is the door that must be entered for salvation (John 10:9). Those words caused division among the people who heard them (John 10:19).
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Here again we must look at the context of these ripped out verses. Just reading those between 9 and 19 actually blows Gendron’s thinking out of the water.

Notice if you will that Gendron ignores and fails to cite verse 16 which says something that is right in line with our participation. ***"***16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd."
Clearly, those who have been sanctified by the Gospel must avoid uniting with those who embrace another gospel and have deserted Christ (Gal. 1:6-9)
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Again Gendron breaks out his usual a-C rhetoric, but is what he says true? Have we Catholics turned to “another Gospel”? I will simply link three of my own blog articles which refute this allegation.
Who REALLY Preaches “A Different Gospel”?
Refuting Mike Gendron’s ‘Another Jesus?”
Refuting anti-Catholic tract: “Rome vs The Bible” by Mike Gendron
(Cont’d)
 
He is my bête noire. If he’s the Gendron I think he is, I have tried to talk some sense into him with no prevail.
 
The evangelical leaders scheduled to speak with the false prophet of Rome either do not know the exclusivity of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, or they do not know the false and fatal gospel of Catholicism; or perhaps they know, but chose to be disobedient to Scripture.
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As My links above will show none Gendron’s polemic remarks hold up to careful and objective examination. Calling Pope Francis a false prophet like that would be laughable if some people were not deceived by Gendron’s money making scheme and pay him to spoon feed it to them the way he does. Moreover…he can assert anything he wants, but I have shown again and again in my blog articles and threads like this one here on CAF that he persistently rips verses out of context and twists the interpretation, which actually makes Gendron himself a false teacher. One has to wonder how people who claim the Bible as their sole and ultimate authority can miss this deception and recognize it for what it is.
God’s Word gives us a clear command: "
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Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
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What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?" (2 Cor. 6:14-16).Here again we need context. And in reading that chapter we see that there is no application except in Gendron’s twisted interpretation. He does not even know all Catholics so how can he allege that we are living in sinful lifestyles which is exactly what this passage refers to and nothing more.
Evangelicals who worship God in Spirit and truth must have no agreement with Catholics who worship idols, relics and a false Christ. To do so would be seeking to please men over God (Gal. 1:10).
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Worship idols? I think not. Iconoclasm: Or: Catholics Worship Graven Images NOT

Worship relics? Again…only a person terribly ignorant of Catholicism would accept such a deceptive statement. I will offer some links to CA items that will indicate the foolishness and deception of his statement.
Why collect relics
Relics
Is veneration of relics condemned by the Bible?

Based upon these things does Gendron make a good case? No…
 
I would love to hear from any Evangelicals about their thinking on all this especially if they are planning to attend this event.
The evangelical leaders who are planning to stand with the Pope will betray the Gospel, the Reformation, and all those martyred by Rome.
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Honestly I am of the opinion that the sooner that so-called Reformation is gotten past the more all Christianity will grow in Christ and in unity. It was ill conceived in its time and very little good has been its fruit to this day. Widespread divisions among believers and a myriad of doctrinal errors that (since all claim to be led by the Holy Spirit) cannot really be of God based upon 1st Corinthians 14:33

It’s really time for us all to move on and get serious about dialog and understanding because we are almost certainly headed into a time of affliction and persecution in our society.
It was the Word of God proclaimed by the Reformers that broke the tyrannical hold of the popes over the visible church.
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This is just straight up specious polemics. It was no such thing since the Catholic Church had already been supplying vernacular translations long before the Reformers came along. And though there were indeed some wicked men who held the office of pope there were also far more holy men than that and there was no such 'tyrannical hold of the popes", but only a tremendous zeal for not only the Bible but the accuracy of its text and the exclusion of errant and anti-Catholic propaganda in its notes. Look at this and consider “the murderers Bible”
Now these evangelicals are aiding and abetting the Pope’s attempt to reverse the Reformation. The truths that set the Reformers free from religious bondage and deception are being suppressed or ignored.
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Just more of the same polemics.

I would also have to point out that it is not we Catholics who have been proved to be in error, but the same certainly cannot be said for “preacher” Gendron here. For a wide selection of articles proving my point please feel free to peruse the link to my blog in my sig line below…
 
Church_Militant said:
]My first reaction is, “and this is bad how?”. After all this can only promote more and better dialog and understanding between us, right? Again, I am thinking, “How is this bad?” Did not Jesus Himself pray for and call all His people to be one flock and one shepherd?n
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I’m not sure I understand. We are certainly not one flock. Will this be a prayer that all will come Home to the One True Church founded by Christ, the Catholic Church? That I can get behind but if it is going to be one of these I’m ok your ok false ecumenism things then that is kinda promoting relativism, no?
 
It is very disturbing to see evangelical leaders cooperating with the enemies of Christ and His Gospel. The apostate church of Rome has condemned Christians with over 100 anathemas for believing the infallible truths of God’s Word.
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And what would one call Gendron’s twisted and deceptive condemnations of us Catholics if not anathemas? Moreover, here he pays on his audience’s ignorance.
Could you explain anathema? Does the Church teach that Protestants are anathema because they don’t agree with the Church?
Anathema
We must wonder if these evangelicals know that the worship of the Eucharist
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Further playing to his ignorant audience. See
The Eucharist IS Scriptural
and veneration of Mary is idolatry? (Ex. 20:3-5)
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:yawn:
The Intercession & Communion of Saints
CA even offers all these.
Don’t they know that Rome’s plan of salvation is a false gospel that condemns those who teach it (Gal. 1:6-9)?
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In case you missed it earlier.
Who REALLY Preaches “A Different Gospel”?
Response to Hard Questions to Ask Good Catholics (By Mike Gendron)
Don’t they know that the sacrifice of the Mass
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What Was Authentic Early Christian Worship Really Like?
The Sacrifice of the Mass
Mass as Sacrifice
How can we offer sacrifices at Mass? (Video)
Why is the Mass called the “unbloody” sacrifice of our Lord on his cross?
Is the Mass a True Sacrifice?
(Cont’d)
 
and the dogma of Purgatory is a blatant denial of the finished, perfect, and sufficient work of Christ’s atonement (Heb. 10:10-18)?
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He doesn’t know what he’s talking about here too. (and claims to have been a Catholic? Must have never paid attention…I know I didn’t)
Biblical and Jewish Traditional Beliefs About Purgatory
As more and more evangelical leaders embrace the Pope as a brother-in-Christ,** they must be warned and called to repentance. Those who promote unity with false teachers, without challenging their errors, leave their own convictions and beliefs open to question. Anyone who **embraces false teachers is giving credibility to their heresies. All Christians will be held accountable to God for the souls that are misled by our unwillingness to contend for the faith.
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Well, every now and then this guy actually says something that I can agree with, just not the way he hopes. Naturally I disagree with his badmouthing the Evangelical leaders in question for the reasons and scriptures that I cited in my initial post, but I agree completely with the highlighted section above, which is exactly why I refuted this as I have so many others of Gendrons money making propaganda rants.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
 
Church Militant,

Thanks for taking the time and effort to refute such anti Catholic nonsense. I always learn a lot from your posts.

:tiphat:
 
Church_Militant said:
Catholics Worship Graven Images NOT
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Some Protestants take a hard line on graven images, emphasizing certain phrases:
Exo. 20:4, You shall not make for yourself… any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
 
Tomdstone said:
Some Protestants take a hard line on graven images, emphasizing certain phrases:
Exo. 20:4, You shall not make for yourself… any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
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Hmm, no more selfies on these Protestants part.
 
Sarcelle said:
Hmm, no more selfies on these Protestants part.
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And no more nativity scenes.

Oh, and I guess they have to throw out the parts of the Bible that command the building of graven images.
Originally posted by** Yahweh:** Make two cherubim* of beaten gold for the two ends of the cover;
19
make one cherub at one end, and the other at the other end, of one piece with the cover, at each end.
20
The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, sheltering the cover with them; they shall face each other, with their faces looking toward the cover
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and
and the LORD said to Moses: Make a seraph and mount it on a pole, and everyone who has been bitten will look at it and recover.*
9
Accordingly Moses made a bronze serpent* and mounted it on a pole, and whenever the serpent bit someone, the person looked at the bronze serpent and recovered.f
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Church_Militant said:
As My links above will show none Gendron’s polemic remarks hold up to careful and objective examination. Calling Pope Francis a false prophet like that would be laughable if some people were not deceived by Gendron’s money making scheme and pay him to spoon feed it to them the way he does. Moreover…he can assert anything he wants, but I have shown again and again in my blog articles and threads like this one here on CAF that he persistently rips verses out of context and twists the interpretation, which actually makes Gendron himself a false teacher. One has to wonder how people who claim the Bible as their sole and ultimate authority can miss this deception and recognize it for what it is.http://www.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/6
It really blows my mind sometimes how people can’t tell when someone is talking out of the side of their mouth.

When I read his comments the first thing that came to my mind was:

Matthew 7:3-5
3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

All in all I think Together 2016 is just what the Christian community in this country needs. Until we find common ground and start the process of uniting on our similarities this country will continue on the downward path it has taken.
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Outside of CAF I never heard of Mike Gendron. I am here neither to attack nor defend him.

I think the damage that popes such as Alexander VI and Julius II did to the church is lasting. Even among Protestants who never heard of either, when you say ‘pope’, it is men such as they were that come to mind. I have pondered the situation as possibly analogous to a broken marriage in which the wife has left. He demands her back as she is legally his. But she is convinced, based on past beatings and threats, that he will kill her. Such wives are counseled in the world not to return, and restraining orders are placed against the men. Despite that, some women return and are killed, and some men hunt their wives down and kill them. Howeversomuch that is true or untrue, it may portray how Protestants feel and where some Protestants get this intense anti-pope stuff from. It is not just from the echo chambers on Protestant sites (CAF also can be an echo chamber). It is from long lasting broken trust. I have no idea how to restore trust. Usually once it is gone, it is gone. There is much to admire in the last few popes (before then I didn’t pay attention). But the restoration of trust would require a major act of God.

Perhaps that might help you understand the kind of anger you see in some Protestants.
 
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