Protestant churches sending missionaries to Catholic areas..

[Sneaux]

I actually lived in Oklahoma until last February, had to move away for work ^^ And I agree, there are very few Catholics compared to other religions. I chose Kansas because I believe it has the highest percentage of protestants in the US, I would not be opposed to starting with Oklahoma though

You’re the 2nd person today! I never knew this site was full of Oklahomans.

 

[RPRPsych]

Plenty of Catholics no little or nothing about the bible. It does not have emphasis relative to tradition.

That is changing a lot, however! At least among the Indian Catholics I know, there are plenty of “Bible classes” and courses conducted, and Biblical literacy (at least as far as the New Testament is concerned) is pretty good, all things considered.

And as for missionaries - I’ve had people try to convince me of the truth of Calvinism on Facebook, so nothing would surprise me.

 

[Dubay]

That is changing a lot, however! At least among the Indian Catholics I know, there are plenty of “Bible classes” and courses conducted, and Biblical literacy (at least as far as the New Testament is concerned) is pretty good, all things considered.

And as for missionaries - I’ve had people try to convince me of the truth of Calvinism on Facebook, so nothing would surprise me.

Hope you are right, I went to Catholic high school and did minimal study of the Gospel. Now as an adult I have studied and read the Gospel and I get accused of being a Protestant, go figure.

 

[Onegaishimasu]

Ah, now it is an opportunity for me vent! Many Evangelical churches consider Catholics not to be Christians. So they send missionaries to Catholic countries to spread “the gospel.” The last Protestant church I attended did a short-term missionary trip to Mexico. They even had an ex-Catholic with them to explain to the Catholics that it wasn’t okay to worship saints. In the same church of course a few people would talk about their “Catholic brothers and sisters.”

My “non-denominational” former employer informed me that she knew of few Christians that became Catholics but a lot of Catholics that became Christians. This was right after I informed her that I had become a Catholic. I had tried to explain to her that I believed that the Catholic Church was the original Christian church.:doh2: I guess I didn’t explain it to her very well.

The website of her church has a link to a site for evangelizing Catholics. :sad_yes: I am trying to equip myself when I meet up with her again.

I love the smilies

God bless you ! I remember hearing Protestant born again believers sending missionaries to Ireland.
As an Irish Catholic, I found it unsettling and insulting, although I’m sure they meant well.

 

[nickybr38]

My cousin is a ‘Catholic’ saving missionary. He often goes on missions to predominantly Catholic areas so he can save the ‘lost Catholics’ that are out there.

Yes. I DO find it mildly insulting but then I remember that I too would LOVE to see him convert to Catholicism.

 

[JonNC]

What do you think of this?

…I personally find it a little insulting…but I guess I’m sensitive maybe…I dunno.

The other day I was in the store, and these guys were talking about a missionary in Rome…one of them even said “Yeah no question if they’re Catholic over there.” and how Catholicism isn’t Christian at all if you really just look at at.

Ridiculous. Time would be better spent sending missionaries to non-christian areas.

Jon

 

[Dorothy]

Hope you are right, I went to Catholic high school and did minimal study of the Gospel. Now as an adult I have studied and read the Gospel and I get accused of being a Protestant, go figure.

I am so glad that now Catholics have the availibility of different kinds of Bible studies. I especially like the “The Great Adventure , a Journey Through the Bible”, put together by Jeff Cavins and Sarah Christmyer.

Some of those studies are as short as ten weeks, and the longest are 24 weeks. There is a bit of Scripture reading for homework, and once a week we meet for two hours. A facilitator keeps order in the class (anywhere from 10 to 15 people so far that I have seen) and learns along with the class.

We share the answers to the questions, (no report cards ), have discussion, and watch a DVD for about 45 minutes. For a fee, it comes with great teaching materials. So far three Catholic Churches in my area are using these Bible studies. It is inspiring and helps me appreciate my faith more.

As to Protestants doing a lot of evangelizing…we need to do that also. I also see a lot of good things happening in our Church behind the scenes, but we need more workers. As someone above quoted the verse
“…the fields are ripe for harvest.” The success of much Protestant evangelizing is a wake up call for us to pray, fast, and act!

May the Holy Spirit inspire and bless all of us!

 

[Dubay]

I am so glad that now Catholics have the availibility of different kinds of Bible studies. I especially like the “The Great Adventure , a Journey Through the Bible”, put together by Jeff Cavins and Sarah Christmyer.

Some of those studies are as short as ten weeks, and the longest are 24 weeks. There is a bit of Scripture reading for homework, and once a week we meet for two hours. A facilitator keeps order in the class (anywhere from 10 to 15 people so far that I have seen) and learns along with the class.

We share the answers to the questions, (no report cards ), have discussion, and watch a DVD for about 45 minutes. For a fee, it comes with great teaching materials. So far three Catholic Churches in my area are using these Bible studies. It is inspiring and helps me appreciate my faith more.

As to Protestants doing a lot of evangelizing…we need to do that also. I also see a lot of good things happening in our Church behind the scenes, but we need more workers. As someone above quoted the verse
“…the fields are ripe for harvest.” The success of much Protestant evangelizing is a wake up call for us to pray, fast, and act!

May the Holy Spirit inspire and bless all of us!

The Catholic church has adopted plenty of Protestants beliefs and practices and vice versa.

Together in harmony we celebrate truth in God.

 

[Mystophilus]

What do you think of this?

…I personally find it a little insulting…but I guess I’m sensitive maybe…I dunno.

The other day I was in the store, and these guys were talking about a missionary in Rome…one of them even said “Yeah no question if they’re Catholic over there.” and how Catholicism isn’t Christian at all if you really just look at at.

And Catholics do not want to convert Protestants?

As soon as either party decides that their way is “the right way”, they are going to believe that they should convert the other party out of simple kindness to the unenlightened.

 

[JonNC]

And Catholics do not want to convert Protestants?

As soon as either party decides that their way is “the right way”, they are going to believe that they should convert the other party out of simple kindness to the unenlightened.

Or, we can choose to see the Holy Spirit in each other, and dialogue in Christian charity to resolve our differences, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Jon

 

[Mystophilus]

Or, we can choose to see the Holy Spirit in each other, and dialogue in Christian charity to resolve our differences, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

That is what we hope for.

 

[Farsight001]

Don’t have time to find all the links now but you can google this…

bob Tebow’s mission is to evangelize the Phillipines. This country is +/- 80% Catholic yet he says that something like 65% have “never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ”.

Grrrrrr

Check out his website then check out Phillipines stats.

Sorry can’t provide now, but wanted to mention it.

This is exactly what I came here to post about. From what I remember, he said that 85% of the Philippines had not heard the gospel, conveniently the exact same percentage of Catholics living there. They asked a rather large Catholic organization in my city for donations for their mission trips too. In other words, they literally asked Catholics to pay for their mission trip to convert people away from Catholicism, and hoped no one would notice.

Luckily, I only know of one person who donated, and I convinced him not to do it again.

 

[andrewstx]

Ah, now it is an opportunity for me vent! Many Evangelical churches consider Catholics not to be Christians. So they send missionaries to Catholic countries to spread “the gospel.” The last Protestant church I attended did a short-term missionary trip to Mexico. They even had an ex-Catholic with them to explain to the Catholics that it wasn’t okay to worship saints. In the same church of course a few people would talk about their “Catholic brothers and sisters.”

My “non-denominational” former employer informed me that she knew of few Christians that became Catholics but a lot of Catholics that became Christians. This was right after I informed her that I had become a Catholic. I had tried to explain to her that I believed that the Catholic Church was the original Christian church.:doh2: I guess I didn’t explain it to her very well.

The website of her church has a link to a site for evangelizing Catholics. :sad_yes: I am trying to equip myself when I meet up with her again.

I love the smilies

“her church” is not evangelising anyone. What they are doing is Proselytising, and ther is a big difference.

 

[Georgia]

For over thirty years, I was a in a church that had members who thought that Catholics were barely Christian at best and maybe not at all at worst. I cannot guess how many times I heard things like “Oh, I think there could be some Catholics in Heaven.”
We contributed to and supported a number of missionary efforts to nominally Catholic countries. I always thought that a waste of effort, believing that they should try to reach places that are non-Christian. I suppose that could be what they thought they were doing, but it hit me as sheep-stealing.

 

[rebecca123]

I don’t think it’s right to send Protestant missionairies in Catholic lands obviously, but like one of the posters said, we’ve been trying to convert each other for years. What is the Journey Home on EWTN? It seems pretty evangelical to me.

 

[JRKH]

I don’t think it’s right to send Protestant missionairies in Catholic lands obviously, but like one of the posters said, we’ve been trying to convert each other for years. What is the Journey Home on EWTN? It seems pretty evangelical to me.

There are so many different views and approaches on the subject of “conversion”. I have no real problem with Christians who accept each other and engage in reasoned, charitable dialogue. The stories shared on the Journey Home certainly fall into that category. I repeatedly here the guests and the host say that they love and appreciate their previous faith tradition…and do not feel that they have given anything up but rather have become fulfilled…
To me - this is how it should be…

The problem comes in with those groups who ARE virulently anti-catholic, do not consider Catholics to be Christian and actually see us as little or no better than pagan. We cannot have a good dialogue with such people until we are able to overcome this misconception that they have. Unfortunately most “Catholics in the pews” are ill prepared either catechetically or emotionally/spiritually to deal with them.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the truly sad thing in all of this is that these people find as many converts as they do. This points, once a gain, to the need for better catechesis within the Church.

Thank God for CAF, CHN, EWTN and many other ministries that seek to help both Catholics and non-Catholics know each other better.

Peace
James

 

[revert_jen]

Plenty of Catholics no little or nothing about the bible. It does not have emphasis relative to tradition.

I think, given that every faithful Catholic hears at least four Bible readings a week at Mass (including the psalm), and that many other parts of the Mass are from the Bible as well, saying that Catholics know “nothing about the Bible” is absurd.

Catholics (converts and (to a lesser extent) reverts generally excluded) frequently don’t have a lot of contact with the Bible outside of Mass, but that doesn’t mean that we have “never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” We hear the good news (=gospel) every single week: Jesus Christ, who is God, became also man, suffered and died for our sins, resurrected, and because of this we have the possibility of Heaven that He won for us.

If you don’t get that out of the Mass, you’re not paying attention.

–Jen

 

[Georgia]

I think, given that every faithful Catholic hears at least four Bible readings a week at Mass (including the psalm), and that many other parts of the Mass are from the Bible as well, saying that Catholics know “nothing about the Bible” is absurd.

Catholics (converts and (to a lesser extent) reverts generally excluded) frequently don’t have a lot of contact with the Bible outside of Mass, but that doesn’t mean that we have “never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” We hear the good news (=gospel) every single week: Jesus Christ, who is God, became also man, suffered and died for our sins, resurrected, and because of this we have the possibility of Heaven that He won for us.

If you don’t get that out of the Mass, you’re not paying attention.

–Jen

Well put! There is a perception that Catholics know little about the Bible. That may be because many people identify themselves as Catholic, but who attend Mass only twice a year. Also, there isn’t the emphasis on memorizing parts of the Bible we had in my former tradition. Catholics hear the Bible in Mass, but they may not know where to find the passages. My former faith practice had organized memorization contests for the children, complete with prizes and recognition in church.

Yes, Catholics are truly Christian and actually get more of the Bible than others may. If one attends Mass every day for three years, the Bible is pretty much covered other than reading some genealogy.

In my home town that is probably at least 90% non-Catholic, it isn’t unusual to hear something like “Christians, Catholics and others should…” The perception is out there.

 

[JRKH]

I think, given that every faithful Catholic hears at least four Bible readings a week at Mass (including the psalm), and that many other parts of the Mass are from the Bible as well, saying that Catholics know “nothing about the Bible” is absurd.

This is certainly true but Dubay’s comment was somewhat different. His comment that, “Plenty of Catholics no little or nothing about the bible”, is rather different than your statement above.
I can attest that for most of my life - as a child ant then asa non-practicing adult -I was not aware that so much of the mass was lifted, more or less verbatim, from Scripture. Of course I know that the Epistle and the Gospel were but beyond that I did not give it much thought.

Catholics (converts and (to a lesser extent) reverts generally excluded) frequently don’t have a lot of contact with the Bible outside of Mass, but that doesn’t mean that we have “never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” We hear the good news (=gospel) every single week: Jesus Christ, who is God, became also man, suffered and died for our sins, resurrected, and because of this we have the possibility of Heaven that He won for us.

I think that this is really the primary difference between the Catholic, especially in many so called “Catholic countries”, and the evangelical protestant.who goes out on mission.
Catholics actually have a good sense of what is in the bible, but we can’t cite chapter and verse.

If you don’t get that out of the Mass, you’re not paying attention.

Amen…

Peace
James

 

[Matthew_Holford]

Ah, now it is an opportunity for me vent! Many Evangelical churches consider Catholics not to be Christians. So they send missionaries to Catholic countries to spread “the gospel.” The last Protestant church I attended did a short-term missionary trip to Mexico. They even had an ex-Catholic with them to explain to the Catholics that it wasn’t okay to worship saints. In the same church of course a few people would talk about their “Catholic brothers and sisters.”

My “non-denominational” former employer informed me that she knew of few Christians that became Catholics but a lot of Catholics that became Christians. This was right after I informed her that I had become a Catholic. I had tried to explain to her that I believed that the Catholic Church was the original Christian church.:doh2: I guess I didn’t explain it to her very well.

The website of her church has a link to a site for evangelizing Catholics. :sad_yes: I am trying to equip myself when I meet up with her again.

I love the smilies

Good! That’s correct. It isn’t okay to worship saints. We only worship God.