Also HeatherWB you stated:
I don’t want to be rude, but frankly I’m not interested in talking to anybody, particularly if I suspect that they want to feed me a bunch of anti-Catholic babble.
Good thing to suspect in this case. I think you are spot on.
But it might serve to help your husband see these guys not being able to defend their position (consider insisting ONLY ONE “evangelist” can come over, if two or more show up, you are going shopping, or wherever and NO discussion).
Prepare yourself well with lots of prayer, study, and perhaps even a meal or two of bread and water (a small fast) if you do end up agreeing to this.
If you really internalize
100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura then you should be able to dialogue with these evangelists coming over to “get you saved” and this may actually work in your favor when your husband sees you refute these “evangelists”. Perhaps you don’t want to do this though—that would be your call.
This type of thing can be very difficult if there are two or three of them ganging up on you at the same time. Sooner or later you’ll be able to handle that too but don’t subject yourself to it now. My experience is these guys when they run out of answers try to start a hollering match. That is counterproductive, although I’ve never had to ask any of them to leave my home, I would not hesitate to do so, if I thought their manners were going “too south”. Don’t put up with any shenanigans.
If I run into a typical Catholic asking about this situation, I usually advise against them entering into this type of interaction (with an “evangelist” or more often, two or three “evangelists” at your kitchen table, etc.). On the other hand, it sounds like you are way beyond the “typical Catholic” stage at least on the sola Scriptura issue (if you have read and understood
100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura).
Seems like converts usually have to get beyond the “typical Catholic stage”. That’s often a good thing (for the convert, not so much for the “typical Catholic”).
Do NOT let these guys “bird shot” you—that is, when you ask this “evangelist” or these “evangelists” a question about sola Scriptura that they cannot answer, instead of wrestling with your question, they will almost always say: “What about Mary, Purgatory, the Saints, the Eucharist, the Pope, etc. etc. . . .” Don’t let them do that to you. Tell them one issue and one issue ONLY for this discussion (at least on that occasion)–sola Scriptura–deal with their whole faulty foundation.
Be well prepared for this one foundational issue (sola Scriptura). You can prepare yourself for other issues later. You probably already have a handle on the other issues too, but it takes a lot of work to go to multiple topics with these types of people and still be prepared for all the proverbial curve balls they will send you. Just keep them on topic. Sola Scriptura. When they ask you where the Bible says anything, keep asking them where the Bible says it has to be in Scripture.
Ask them WHERE in Scripture the list of books that belong in the New Testament is. Keep asking them that.
If they ask you a question you are unprepared for, tell them you’ll look it up and get back to them. Don’t allow them back in your home though if your first meeting was discomforting to you. You can always send them a letter.
But maybe you don’t WANT to do this either, or maybe you just are a little diffident about the whole thing (“What if I can’t answer their questions with clarity”?). If this is the case, do you have a strong Catholic WOMAN (or family member like your Dad or your Brother who is Catholic and who won’t be seen as “competition” to your husband) to come along and “be there” in case you get flustered by this/these “evangelists”?
Hopefully it all works out. Please let us know on the forum what you decided, how it went, and how our advice helped or didn’t help so we can post better advice in the future.
The husband announced that he had joined one of the church’s small groups and he will resume attending Wednesday night Bible study.
