You seem to be a well-versed and deep-rooted Catholic, unfortunately not all of us Catholics are well equipped to discuss faith matters.
I humbly thank you for the complement, but I have much to learn still. And I agree we must increase our knowledge of Scripture and Tradition, to be part of the New Evangelism that John Paul II called for.
I find that, for the most part, participating in a “non-denominational” bible study group could present many hidden dangers for lots of Catholics.
Absolutely, and some very obvious ones. The one on campus wasn’t the most difficult - that was with an attorney I interned with at the EPA. He simply came up to me one day, said “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” I said yes. He said he was part of a Bible study and invited me to join it. It was a rough experience but I’m glad to have it under my belt.
The “Bible Study” was him (Tom), his little buddy (Brian), and me. They took my TEV from me. They took notes
for me. Tom’s theology was too well-versed for me to trust it - he went from passage to passage without discussing context, what came before or after, and his interpretations were not only novel but heterodoxy. He concluded by asking when I was saved. I told him my salvation was a process, that I had accepted Jesus more and more into my life at various times (using the evangelical parlance where Catholics would describe how His Grace increases in us). Tom scoffed, said I wasn’t saved and that I needed to go home and beg for forgiveness.
I wouldn’t have taken a second Bible Study with him if he hadn’t ticked me off so much. I went there with rebuttals ready and arguments planned out - and brought the TEV again (he had given it back to me after the last study). He brought out his KJV. He butted heads loudly for about an hour over lunch. The other diners were visibly uncomfortable (we ate out). I paid my own lunch this time. We disagreed over most everything, and when Tom told me he wanted me to account to him every time I masturbated, and also wanted to ‘chaperone’ my trips to see my girlfriend, I told him were were done.
Tom called me the next day, saying “I think we made a lot of progress. I felt the Spirit move in you, and then something got in the way.” He invited me to his church, cajoled and pleaded and offered to join me at Mass afterwards if I went with him and his wife. So I relented and went.
The church was odd. Plain name - “The Church of Springfield”. No instruments, all
a capella singing. The pastor went through Scripture like a hot knife through butter, verse after verse after verse. I gave up trying to reference any of it. Afterwards, Tom and his wife (who introduced herself by saying “We’re really hoping to meet her soon.” …creepy…) introduced me to the pastor. The pastor invited me to lunch. I said I wanted to go to Mass. He took on a scowl. “You’d part company with the body of Christ to lay with the whore of Bablyon?”
Many eyes on me.
The pastor looked like the kind of guy you wanted to avoid if you ran into him in the store - clothes well-kept but old, with unkempt hair and a face that had seen a lot of summers. He looked like a wild beast that had been tamed, that’s what I remember thinking. This didn’t feel safe.
“No, I’m going to where I found him in the first place. He isn’t here.” and I walked out. Tom called after me, but I left.
I was a few minutes late to Mass but it never felt so good to kneel and be humble. I crossed my arms in front of the Eucharist, wanting badly to go to Confession first. The priest, Father Chuck, listened to me without speaking and then smiled. “You know where your home is.” And then he mentioned I’d be a good priest, but that’s probably not where my heart was being called - he had met my girlfriend (now my wife) so I think he undestood that much.
Later on I found out that the Church of Springfield was part of the International Churches of Christ, a splinter group from the United Church of Christ, one that has been under fire for engaging in high-pressure tactics and exerting excessive control over new members. In particular, they’ve been under fire at college campuses. I ran into one of their missionaries during summer session in grad school. He was almost worse than Tom. He’d ask me “What do you like to do?” I’d say an activity, and his response “Oh, that’s great, I love doing that. We should get together sometime.” and then “You know, we have this Bible study, and I feel the spirit moving in you but it’s like there’s something in the way…”
So that’s my experience hanging out with a cult, as defined by their treatment of members and the control they exert. My last contact with Tom was a few months after that day in church, he listed eight sentences objecting to Catholicism. I returned 16 pages of explanation. He called shortly thereafter. “Have you really found Jesus in the Catholic Church.” “Yes,” I said, “here and here alone.” “I’m glad,” he said, and hung up.
Long answer, no I wouldn’t recommend jumping into a non-denom Bible study. And if you do go into one, expect to be a royal pain to whomever is leading it because you’ll end up questioning much of their approach. The best protestant Bible studies I’ve been to have isntead been open-ended: here’s a verse, let’s talk about what that means to us, what other verses are like it. What really throws them is if you, the Catholic, offers a closing prayer and works that verse into the prayer.
