Help with pamphlet

[awfulthings9]

Hoping some in here might be willing to read and critique a pamphlet my local apologetics group is preparing. While I’d appreciate knowing any grammar errors, more importantly I am looking for feedback on content and wording. Note that some of the formating didn’t transfer over with cut-and-paste.

Here 'tis:

(cover)
Four signs of the true Church

(picture of a cross here)

One
Holy
Universal
Apostolic

(body)
Can we find the truth?
Just opening the phone book to the church directory is enough to overwhelm anyone. It seems that there are as many Christian churches are there are street corners anymore. Each claims to have the truth. Yet each disagrees with the other over matters of morality and salvation.
So many of us throw up our hands in frustration. Maybe it doesn’t matter which church we belong to, we reason. Maybe there is no such thing as truth.
It wasn’t meant to be this hard.
It is easy to forget that Christ is not a God of confusion or disorder. He is the way, the truth, and the light (Jon 14:6). The church that God established couldn’t possibly be just another listing in the yellow pages. Christ’s church is meant to be a beacon of truth to every generation on every corner of the earth.
By what characteristics can we identify the true Church? A strong youth program? Warm fellowship? Lively worship or engaging sermons? These things are fine, but none of them are, of course, measures of the truth.
The church established by Christ, the church which is the pillar and the foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15), can only be a church that is one, holy, universal, and apostolic.

The true church is one
As he prepared to offer his life upon the cross, Christ prayed that his followers would be one (John 17:20). While many claim that this all Christians are united in a mutual love of Christ, the apostle Paul makes clear that this unity signifies agreement in moral teachings and beliefs (1 Cor. 1:10; Philip. 2:22).
At last count, there are around 30,000 different Christian groups, each claiming truth. New groups are formed every day. Almost every group claims to go by the Bible alone … almost every group.
But a close examination of Scripture shows something surprising. Nowhere does the Bible tell us to go by the Bible alone. Instead, there are many places in Scripture where we are told to go by both the written teachings of Christ and the apostles and the oral teachings (2 Tim. 2:2; 2 Thes. 2:15).
All Christians agree that the Bible is without error, authoritative, and inspired by God. But Christ understood that if a church went by Scripture alone, chaos would erupt as group after group interpreted the inspired word differently. Would our Lord be happy to see the disagreement that now plagues his shattered church? Would his prayer for unity have been answered?
Yet there is hope. For two thousand years, the Catholic Church has followed the entire word of God, both written and oral. Many Catholic teachings seem different and confusing to other Christians who have limited themselves to just what has been written. Guided by the fullness of revelation, the Catholic Church has remained one for two millennia.

continued …

 

[awfulthings9]

The true church is holy
In Ephesians 5, Paul tells us that the church is the bride of Christ, and that he desires for us to be holy and without blemish.
There are sinners in every church, of course. Scripture foretells that, even in the church Christ established, there would be wolves among the flock (Acts 20:28) and weeds among the wheat (Matt. 13:24). The men that Christ handpicked to lead his church, such as Judas, were, themselves, vulnerable to sin. In every church there are those who occasionally turn from Christ and cause scandal for those around them.
Yet the true church is not weakened by the mistakes of those within it. It is not through the power of man, but through God’s grace that we are sanctified. And just as God became man for our sake, he also administers his grace through physical signs of the spiritual reality. These are called sacraments.
Christ established seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, reconciliation, marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the sick. Rather than focusing on external factors, such as a lively sermon or energetic music, Catholic worship is centered on these seven gifts from Christ. For instance, we are reborn into Christ and receive the Holy Spirit through baptism (Acts 2:37), we become one with our bridegroom Christ in the holy Eucharist (1 Cor. 10:16), and we are forgiven of our sins through reconciliation (John 20:21).
The true church must be a holy church, which means it must be a sacramental church.

The true church is universal
Many of today’s churches can only trace their origin back three or four hundred years. Some can only be found in certain countries.
Christ, however, established his church for all people and all ages. He truly established a universal Church. The word “catholic” means universal, and the Catholic Church truly lives up to that title.
A Catholic church can be found in every country in the world. While there are many different rites within the church, which allow for a celebration of cultural differences, Catholic churches on any continent must follow the same beliefs and worship in essentially the same way.
Yet, the universality of the Catholic Church extends through two thousand years, as well. Many converts to the faith had previously gone back to read the writings of the early Christians, men who learned from the apostles or their disciples and practiced Christianity at its purest. What they found was a first and second century church that believed the same things as Catholics today, such as the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the intercession of the saints.
Christ promised that the gates of Hell would never prevail against his church (Matthew 16:18) and that the Holy Spirit would guide his church to all truth (John 16). The true church, therefore, must be the one that has taught the same faith for every culture and through every generation, as the Catholic Church has.

continued …

 

[awfulthings9]

The true church must be apostolic
Christ is the head of the Christian church. With this, nobody can disagree. However, as he would soon ascend into Heaven, he understood that his followers would need an earthly authority to protect and feed them (John 21:15). For this reason, he gave his leaders the Spirit-guided ability to bind and loosen (Matthew 18:18) and intended for their office to be one of authority in his name (Luke 10:16). The office of the apostles was meant to be one of succession (1 Cor. 3:8; 1 Cor. 16:10; 2 Cor. 8:23).
This authority, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, was passed very specifically through the laying on of hands (Acts 13:1; 1 Tim. 4:14; 1 Thes. 5:12). While many churches today attempt to practice the laying on of hands, the act is empty unless it is the continuation of an unbroken line of ordination that begins with the apostles, themselves. It is through this act that the validity of the sacraments and the truth of the teachings must be measured. The bishops and priests of the Catholic Church, through apostolic succession, alone preserve the teaching authority once given to men by Christ.

To learn more about the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, please contact us at …

 

[Magicsilence]

Looks all good to me.



In Christ.

Andre.

 

[montanaman]

Might want a graph in there about WHY the four marks are important, otherwise it’s a lot like the sola scriptura argument: “I’m going to set up an arbitrary set of guidelines or rules, and then I’m going to compare it to religious systems to see how they compare.”

 

[awfulthings9]

montanaman:

Might want a graph in there about WHY the four marks are important, otherwise it’s a lot like the sola scriptura argument: “I’m going to set up an arbitrary set of guidelines or rules, and then I’m going to compare it to religious systems to see how they compare.”

While I’m limited on space, the idea sounds good. Could you tell me more of what you mean by a “graph” - or how you would go about it?

We’re wanting the primary purpose to intrigue someone enough to contact the e-mail at the end. At that point, all the points can be expanded upon. Still, I want the pamphlet to be effective, so I’m open to suggestions, such as the graph you mentioned.

 

[rwoehmke]

awfulthings9:

One, Holy, Universal, Apostolic

(body)
Can we find the truth?
Just opening the phone book to the church directory is enough to overwhelm anyone. It seems that there are as many Christian churches are there are street corners anymore. Each claims to have the truth. Yet each disagrees with the other over matters of morality and salvation.
So many of us throw up our hands in frustration. Maybe it doesn’t matter which church we belong to, we reason. Maybe there is no such thing as truth.
It wasn’t meant to be this hard.
It is easy to forget that Christ is not a God of confusion or disorder. He is the way, the truth, and the light (Jon 14:6). The church that God established couldn’t possibly be just another listing in the yellow pages. Christ’s church is meant to be a beacon of truth to every generation on every corner of the earth.
By what characteristics can we identify the true Church? A strong youth program? Warm fellowship? Lively worship or engaging sermons? These things are fine, but none of them are, of course, measures of the truth.
The church established by Christ, the church which is the pillar and the foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15), can only be a church that is one, holy, universal, and apostolic.

The true church is one
As he prepared to offer his life upon the cross, Christ prayed that his followers would be one (John 17:20). While many claim that this all Christians are united in a mutual love of Christ, the apostle Paul makes clear that this unity signifies agreement in moral teachings and beliefs (1 Cor. 1:10; Philip. 2:22).
At last count, there are around 30,000 different Christian groups, each claiming truth. New groups are formed every day. Almost every group claims to go by the Bible alone … almost every group.
But a close examination of Scripture shows something surprising. Nowhere does the Bible tell us to go by the Bible alone. Instead, there are many places in Scripture where we are told to go by both the written teachings of Christ and the apostles and the oral teachings (2 Tim. 2:2; 2 Thes. 2:15).
All Christians agree that the Bible is without error, authoritative, and inspired by God. But Christ understood that if a church went by Scripture alone, chaos would erupt as group after group interpreted the inspired word differently. Would our Lord be happy to see the disagreement that now plagues his shattered church? Would his prayer for unity have been answered?
Yet there is hope. For two thousand years, the Catholic Church has followed the entire word of God, both written and oral. Many Catholic teachings seem different and confusing to other Christians who have limited themselves to just what has been written. Guided by the fullness of revelation, the Catholic Church has remained one for two millennia.

continued …

I guess if I were a protestant, I would question this oneness on three counts. First, after the first mellinium, the Orthodox Christians went their own way and have continued to be seperated, not only from the Pope, but each other. Second even in the Roman Catholic Church their are a multitude of Rites and they do not agree on rather simple things like Eucharist being leavened or unleavened, ordination of married men as priests, and what about the SSPX? Three, then you have Latin Rite Catholics who can’t seem to agree on moral issues surrounding abortion, divorce, contraception, or even feeding tubes. Some agree with the Pope and some do not. It is all well and good to claim unity but from the outside it seems like a Church in disarray.

 

[Kay_Cee]

Since you asked for help with grammar . . .

awfulthings9:

It seems that there are as many Christian churches are there are street corners anymore. Each claims to have the truth.

Eliminate “that” here and elsewhere when possible. Although its use is not grammatically incorrect, it’s an unnecessary word. When it comes to writing, less is more.

Maybe it doesn’t matter which church we belong to, we reason.

The use of the word “reason” implies that not mattering which church we belong to is a conclusion we can draw from reason. I suggest using “think” instead.

While many claim that this all Christians are united in a mutual love of Christ, the apostle Paul makes clear that this unity signifies agreement in moral teachings and beliefs

That this all Christians? Unsure what you’re trying to say here. Looks like you left out a word.

I’ll have more later if you want it, and if I have the time.

 

[awfulthings9]

rwoehmke:

I guess if I were a protestant, I would question this oneness on three counts. First, after the first mellinium, the Orthodox Christians went their own way and have continued to be seperated, not only from the Pope, but each other. Second even in the Roman Catholic Church their are a multitude of Rites and they do not agree on rather simple things like Eucharist being leavened or unleavened, ordination of married men as priests, and what about the SSPX? Three, then you have Latin Rite Catholics who can’t seem to agree on moral issues surrounding abortion, divorce, contraception, or even feeding tubes. Some agree with the Pope and some do not. It is all well and good to claim unity but from the outside it seems like a Church in disarray.

Thanks. That was too much to address in the little pamphet, but my hope is that someone disagrees, as you did, and e-mails to express that. Then we can get further in the dialogue.

 

[awfulthings9]

Kay Cee:

Since you asked for help with grammar . . .

Eliminate “that” here and elsewhere when possible. Although its use is not grammatically incorrect, it’s an unnecessary word. When it comes to writing, less is more.

The use of the word “reason” implies that not mattering which church we belong to is a conclusion we can draw from reason. I suggest using “think” instead.

That this all Christians? Unsure what you’re trying to say here. Looks like you left out a word.

I’ll have more later if you want it, and if I have the time.

Sharp eyes! Thanks!

 

[awfulthings9]

rwoehmke:

I guess if I were a protestant, I would question this oneness on three counts. First, after the first mellinium, the Orthodox Christians went their own way and have continued to be seperated, not only from the Pope, but each other. Second even in the Roman Catholic Church their are a multitude of Rites and they do not agree on rather simple things like Eucharist being leavened or unleavened, ordination of married men as priests, and what about the SSPX? Three, then you have Latin Rite Catholics who can’t seem to agree on moral issues surrounding abortion, divorce, contraception, or even feeding tubes. Some agree with the Pope and some do not. It is all well and good to claim unity but from the outside it seems like a Church in disarray.

Thanks. That was too much to address in the little pamphet, but my hope is that someone disagrees, as you did, and e-mails to express that. Then we can get further in the dialogue.

 

[montanaman]

awfulthings9:

While I’m limited on space, the idea sounds good. Could you tell me more of what you mean by a “graph” - or how you would go about it?

We’re wanting the primary purpose to intrigue someone enough to contact the e-mail at the end. At that point, all the points can be expanded upon. Still, I want the pamphlet to be effective, so I’m open to suggestions, such as the graph you mentioned.

I was thinking something like “In our efforts to discern the true Church, we should be guided by certain principles. For instance, what signs (or marks) MUST the true Church of Christ possess, the absence of which would clearly indicate a deficiency. The earliest Christians discerned four…”

 

[Tinkerbell]

The official Catholic Church is not in disarray. What is in disarray is the people who do not follow the teaching of the church Jesus started 2000 years ago. They left the church instead of working within the church for the greater glory of God. They put themselves before God.

 

[Kay_Cee]

Hope you’re up for a little more . . .

awfulthings9:

He truly established a universal Church. The word “catholic” means universal, and the Catholic Church truly lives up to that title.

A bit of repetition here with the word “truly.” Got a thesaurus?

Many converts to the faith had previously gone back to read the writings of the early Christians, men who learned from the apostles or their disciples and practiced Christianity at its purest.

If I’m reading you right here, what you mean is: "Many have converted to Catholicsm by reading the writings of the early Christians . . . "

 

[Kay_Cee]

awfulthings9:

While many churches today attempt to practice the laying on of hands, the act is empty unless it is the continuation of an unbroken line of ordination that begins with the apostles, themselves.

Shouldn’t it be “an unbroken line of ordination that *began *with the apostles”? Also, eliminate the comma after “apostles.”

The rest of it looks good. Hope these comments help!

 

[beckyann2597]

"graph " is shorthand for “Paragraph”

 

[Catholic_Dude]

My suggestion: Dont use the number “30,000” denominations UNLESS there is a work cited after the number or in a footnote, here is a page by some Apologists on these forums who looked into it:
bringyou.to/apologetics/a120.htm

 

[awfulthings9]

Tinkerbell:

The official Catholic Church is not in disarray. What is in disarray is the people who do not follow the teaching of the church Jesus started 2000 years ago. They left the church instead of working within the church for the greater glory of God. They put themselves before God.

Was this directed at me?

Did I have something in the pamphlet that implied this?

Just checking.

 

[awfulthings9]

Catholic Dude:

My suggestion: Dont use the number “30,000” denominations UNLESS there is a work cited after the number or in a footnote, here is a page by some Apologists on these forums who looked into it:
bringyou.to/apologetics/a120.htm

This is why I was careful to use the word “groups” instead of denominations. Most interpret “denomination” to mean a group with a central leadership. The 30,000 is correct if we are referring, also, to independent churches. But you’re right - I will add documentation.

 

[awfulthings9]

More great tips. Thanks.

Can I ask this - in general, would you say that the pamphlet is effective in what it is intended to do, which is to intrigue someone as much as possible in a little amount of space? Another approach we should take?