Talking with an Evangelical

[kenl314]

There are numerous things to be learned from these street-preaching “evangelicals”. First, they have a fire for their Faith- which unfortunately many Catholics do not. Most on this website do, but you know what I mean.
They also know quite a bit about the Bible, and actually read the Bible on a regular basis. We all should be doing the same.

Aside from that, you obviously know that there are over 30,000 Protestant denominations currently and none of the agree 100% regarding faith and doctrine. Ask him which Protestant denomination is correct? Which one is more “right” than the other?

One of the biggies is the case for loss of salvation. Many are Calvinists and believe that one cannot lose salvation after one receives it. Catholics do not believe this, and many Protestants do not believe it either. What does he believe? Most likely, he believes that Once saved, always saved- regardless of anything else.
Ask him if this makes sense… just think about some scenarios. To me, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
They will say that if someone is saved and then a month later premeditates a murder, and murders someone 1st degree, then they are still saved. Because when they claimed a personal relationship with Jesus they didn’t really do it, or didn’t mean it with their heart. What if they did? That would mean the would still go to Heaven the day after they commit an atrocious murder. ???
Anyhow- there are plenty of things to talk civilly about. You need to make it clear the many Catholics DO have a personal and real relationship with Jesus- in the way they do. Some do not, but that is another subject. Only God can judge that for sure.

God Bless,
Ken L.
“Top Ten Most Influential Christians”, author

 

[BillB2]

I am an Evangelical Protestant who is in the process of discovering Catholicism. I will probably convert.

1. Hit them with Apostolic Succession. It is , by far, the best argument for Catholicism. It is something that 95% of Evangelicals are not aware of. You will have a ton of scripture supporting it and it is almost impossible to argue against. Do this and don’t waste time on point by point doctrinal differences. If they see the truth of AS, everything else will fall in place.

That is what convinced me.

 

[eddy714]

onthisrock
I find the book “strangers at your door” to be a great resource book. as well as the "apologetic s’ series…quick references to objection from all angles. I love how you chose to be ecumenical over “right” you rock my friend!

Thanks a lot Brethren for the support I try I do listen and read but I am a little slow on catching in to things but I am really working on it.

I have had discussions with people on line but it is way different because sometimes I won’t know the bible verses and I will look them up. So this time I will have to make note I kind of know where the talk will lead to anyways, But I have always kept my cool because it is there personal opinion vs our Catholic Doctrine that any Catholic will agree too.

kenl314
First, they have a fire for their Faith- which unfortunately many Catholics do not

I hear you Brethren on that one, he was impressed that I knew about that Bible and that I wasn’t confrontational at all. He said that other Catholics that he would talk to would be to confrontational. I learn to keep my cool because we are spreading Gods word in in a peace manner. I do pray for Catholics to become more knowledgeable of their faith (With exceptions to the ones in these forums ). I know I have a lot to learn also that why I thank you all for your wonderful posts.

peace2u2
And last, if you seek the truth about the Catholic religion, go directly to the source and see what their beliefs and practices are not to a Protestant religion to see everything they don’t believe in the Catholic religion.

I kind of know where the talk will lead to I think he will be the penalty kicker and I will be the goalie deflecting all those balls coming my way lol, and will avoid this → :slapfight:

BillB2

1. Hit them with Apostolic Succession. It is , by far, the best argument for Catholicism. It is something that 95% of Evangelicals are not aware of. You will have a ton of scripture supporting it and it is almost impossible to argue against. Do this and don’t waste time on point by point doctrinal differences. If they see the truth of AS, everything else will fall in place.

Yes I was planing to do that but I will 1st go with infant baptism as that was one of the subjects we left unfinished. I do have a couple notes I will make a list of Bible verses that can cover it all and the rest is in Gods hands.

And WELCOME TO OUR FAITH :extrahappy:
It would be nice if you kept us in mind about your journey

God Bless Pax Tibi

**
NEWS FLASH!!!**

He called me yesterday to let me know when I wanted to meet up, so the ball now is in my court. I told him I would call him on Wednesday regarding the time but we settled for next Saturday. He says he has a room on his church that we can go to but I might just tell him if he wants to meet up at a Starbucks. It has an outdoor patio and i think it will be more pleasant ( with the SoCal weather ). He told me that he thinks I am blessed for the way that I speak of God and I told him thanks but that its all in the grace of God not mine, and that I am his humble servant and his will goes threw me.

So I will let you Brethren know how it all goes .

 

[eddy714]

peace2u2
When sharing and defending your Catholic Faith, start with one topic at a time. Evangelical’s like to confuse by switching from topic to topic especially when the topic starts to make sense from a Catholic perspective and they start to feel uncomfortable.

Yea I know he likes changing topic a lot he would go from Spanish Inquisition to how the Church didn’t allow people to have Bibles, to infant baptism and so on. So having a sit down with him will be the best thing and and of course I can listen more. As last time I was in a street corner with him and cars honking and all kinds of distractions.

I am a 29 yr old male that is in love with his faith and this is by the verse that I began to live by:

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

Pax Tibi

 

[peace2u2]

Yea I know he likes changing topic a lot he would go from Spanish Inquisition to how the Church didn’t allow people to have Bibles, to infant baptism and so on. So having a sit down with him will be the best thing and and of course I can listen more. As last time I was in a street corner with him and cars honking and all kinds of distractions.

I am a 29 yr old male that is in love with his faith and this is by the verse that I began to live by:

Pax Tibi

Good luck!

Say a prayer before you meet with him asking God to send His Holy Spirit to you with the gift of Courage to speak His Words of Truth about the Catholic Church that His Son, Jesus established and also the gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding so that you may better share the truth with all you come in contact with.

I will also pray for contrite and repentant hearts to be led home to the fullness of His Catholic Church.

I was looking up one of my favorite Scripture verses as I noticed your favorite comes from the same letter and came across this website. Check it out

catholicbible101.com/catholicbibleverses2.htm

“… for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” 1 Peter 2:3

Peace2u2

 

[onthisrock]

First, when it comes to evangelicals, note that I are one

My first point would be to express my faith in a way he can understand. When many hear Catholics speak about Baptism and Holy Communion they wrongly assume (in many cases) that the Catholic speaking to them has faith only in these “ceremonies” rather than the Lord Jesus Christ who is behind them. We (protestant evangelicals) should not do this. The answer is to share your faith in Christ that is expressed in your obedience to Him in receiving Holy Communion. I trust that ultimately, your faith is in Christ. Tell him that.

Also note that we tend to put a lot of stock into one’s “testimony” - meaning how we were first converted. I have such a story - my wife and my kids, having grown up in the church, have a testimony that is not dramatic and clear. Many evangelicals cannot tell you when they first came to faith - but that does not mean they are not saved. For all of us, the important thing is where we are, not how we got there.

In regards to Baptism, if I understand Catholic theology correctly, one’s Baptism is affirmed by the adult in confirmation. This is the case in our Protestant Evangelical church as well.

I would also encourage you to get into the Bible. It couldn’t hurt

Finally, these folks sound much more like “fundamentalists” than evangelicals. IMHO Catholics can be and are evangelicals. As a Free Methodist Minister I have known very evangelical Catholic Priests and laypeople. Being an evangelical simply means that one believes in the good news of salvation by Grace through Faith in Christ. That’s why Catholic Churches participated in Billy Graham crusades.

By the original definition, a fundamentalist is someone who believes in the Virgin Birth and Deity of Christ, the inspiration of Scripture, the sacrificial death of Christ on the Cross, the bodily Resurrection of Christ, and His Second Coming. It was an early 1900s response to Protestant Theological liberalism - and an effort to put divisions aside and rally around the “fundamentals” of the Faith. By the original definition a Catholic could easily be a “fundamentalist”.

Sadly, this is not what the term means today. Today, “fundamentalist” means that one “majors in the minors” by preaching against things like women wearing pants. They spend a lot of time attacking other evangelicals. Those who started the movement would be very disappointed.

As you may have guessed, I am quite friendly towards Catholics, and although we differ on many important issues, I expect that the vast majority of folks in heaven will be Catholic and Orthodox. We are brothers and sisters in Christ - there is one Lord, one Faith and one Baptism - that unites us in Christ. Even though we are not all Catholic, we are all catholic - members of the body of Christ.

There is only one IF affecting the above: If we really have faith in Christ. Many Protestants do not have this faith and many Catholics do.

Grace and Peace,

Vince

You are absolutely right…people who are evangelizing…which is pretty much everyone on this site…you need to meet the person where they are in their understanding. Ie…if you speak of the trinity to a Mormon, you can not assume he believes what you do, as their idea is completely foreign to Catholics, and most main stream Protestants. I was raised Lutheran, so I feel I have a pretty good grasp on this concept. I think back to what I “knew” and what i know now. When you have a belief from childhood, or adult formation, you can not possibly grasp anything else until you do a little research on what other beliefs are. I know the Bible VERY well, but I actually came to the Catholic Church because of this. I had only memorized bible verses as a Lutheran, but when I decided to read from cover to cover, all I said over and over was…"that’s “Catholic”! I actually would drive about 40 miles away from my home as my family were anti-Catholics. I had to find out what the Bible was about. I also needed to be able to defend my faith to others at times. but like you said…you really have to meet someone where they are, and not assume that they have any type of particular belief without them fully explaining their position first…You would make a fine Catholic:thumbsup:

 

[eddy714]

Good luck!

Say a prayer before you meet with him asking God to send His Holy Spirit to you with the gift of Courage to speak His Words of Truth about the Catholic Church that His Son, Jesus established and also the gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding so that you may better share the truth with all you come in contact with.

I will also pray for contrite and repentant hearts to be led home to the fullness of His Catholic Church.

I was looking up one of my favorite Scripture verses as I noticed your favorite comes from the same letter and came across this website. Check it out

catholicbible101.com/catholicbibleverses2.htm

“… for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” 1 Peter 2:3

Peace2u2

Wow thanks Brethren I printed out the information and will make notes of of that thanks a lot .