Eminent Evangelical Philosopher and Academic (Francis Beckwith) Swims Tiber

[Contarini]

The problem is that the “challenge” is really no more than a self-defined truism. The response by Catholics to any Catholic who converts to a Protestant faith will be: (1) he didn’t truly understand the Catholic faith or (2)he acted on the basis of personal sinful motives. Like many things, Catholics simply “define themselves” out of the problem.

Then ignore the “challenge” and simply compare the converts to and from Catholicism. With which group are you more impressed?

Edwin

 

[dessert]

Hi Dessert

Dr Beckwith was on the Journey Home 2 weeks ago on 9/24/7. Did you see it? If not, you can listen to it here:
ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=-6892289&T1=the+journey+home

Janet

No I didn’t but will listen.
D

 

[Janet_S]

The problem is that the “challenge” is really no more than a self-defined truism. The response by Catholics to any Catholic who converts to a Protestant faith will be: (1) he didn’t truly understand the Catholic faith or (2)he acted on the basis of personal sinful motives. Like many things, Catholics simply “define themselves” out of the problem.

But do you know of any case where a Catholic converted to the Episcopal church because he or she became convinced through a study of history and reading of the ECF’s that the Episcopal church was **the true church **established by Christ and the Apostles? That’s the challenge.

People leave the Catholic Church for a variety of reasons. Some know the faith well, some don’t know it at all.

But Dr Beckwith’s conversion story is one typical to many other testimonies we see with converts to the Catholic faith. I just don’t think we see many Catholics converting to Protestantism for the same reason he did.

For example, Dr Beckwith was an Evangelical who loved his faith, knew it well, had a good reputation in the Evangelical world but was willing to give it all up because through a study of history and the Fathers, he was convinced the Catholic Church was the true Church and had divine authority.

From my experience and the testimony of Catholics who convert to Protestantism, most Catholics who convert to Protestantism stop believing that there is a “true Church.” They usually adopt the non-Catholic idea of the church as the invisible body of true believers.

But Fr Ryland may be wrong. If you know of any examples where a Catholic studied history and the Fathers and identified another Christian body as the “true” church, then converted to that church, please let us know.

 

[inthecloud]

Most converts from Evangelic protestastism to Catholicism of Orthodoxy seem like the creme of the creme. Educated, faithfull and entusiastic.
Most converts from Catholicism to Protestantism seem either liberal dissidents, or falling away anyways from the church and becoming evangelicals as a straitfoward remedial faith.

 

[dessert]

Well I don’t know, this article really caught my eye, about Beckwith making such a remarkable cahange in his life, it must have been profound. That is why I startd it up again.

Also I have a brother who baptised in the Catholic church, married in it and left after about 5 years. He went to the southern Baptist church and they are different but not sure as to the Bethal Baptist.

There in the Baptist church he learned much about church the bible and leadership, he has been a good christian. But the church closed so what is going on. In faact they didn’t have any say about it the church is even being sold.

I am praying he comes back to the Catholic as I have .

I think 35 years ago when my brother left the church he wanted to be more involved with it but there wasn’t that much lay involved at the time as it is now.

Now he is seeking other churches, even Bethal and A of G but I think he is in a vaccum because he doesn’t even know how the Catholic Church is now.

So I can see Beckwith or others have so much potential to give to the faith but the churches don’t know how to recognize what they have. But maybe Beckwith sees what God wants him to do in the CAtholic Church and the Cathholic faith is where he can do it.
D.

 

[Fidelis]

Now he is seeking other churches, even Bethal and A of G but I think he is in a vaccum because he doesn’t even know how the Catholic Church is now.

My advice is to put in your brother’s hands the book “Evangelical Is Not Enough” by Thomas Howard. That book makes converts, especially out of those Christians who may be just a little fed up with the shifting sands of Evangelicalism.