Why Evangelical megachurches are embracing (some) Catholic traditions

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Bushum said:
You think the Church Fathers were talking about a 30,000 denomination microcosm of churches all encompassing the universal Church?
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I believe the church fathers were talking about the people of God wherever they are located.
 
Well Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Churches and Churches of the East… 😉

Point is though, the people of God started dividing themselves into ever changing little corners from the moment the apostles and disciples set out from Judea.
 
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TheLittleLady said:
Would you show me where this teaching is found in the Catechism or another official document of the Church?
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When a protestant says a eucharistic prayer over bread at one of their services, for example, then it is only pretend transubstantiation and not actual. As I said before, sorta like playing house or make-believe. Nothing has changed in that bread, regardless of how warm and fuzzy it makes them feel. It’s still just regular old bread.
 
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You are walking back your earlier claim that they just role play and that nothing’s real.

There is real, genuine Christianity in those who are validly baptized. Their love of Christ is not role play.
 
Yes, that is what our church said back when I was a Lutheran, some time ago.
 
TheLittleLady said:
You are walking back your earlier claim that they just role play and that nothing’s real.
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Not at all. What part of “role-playing or make-believe” would lead you to think that I am ‘walking back’ my initial statement that they are playing house or make-believe?

You do understand, LittleLady, that the protestant denominations lack a valid eucharist, don’t you?

So while some protestants may adopt a eucharistic prayer in their services, theirs is only ever plain old bread.
Do you understand this?
 
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The article describes a move towards more liturgical worship, not necessarily a move toward Catholicism. The author describes some who have indeed moved to other more traditional churches, Orthodoxy, in some cases, but not Catholicism:

“Some former evangelicals used vibrant seeker churches as a stepping stone, eventually leaving for Orthodox, Anglican or Presbyterian communions. For many, leaving evangelicalism for Catholicism would mean losing careers, even family and friends. Ken Craycraft, a theologian who was received into the Catholic Church from a Church of Christ background, says, “In certain segments of American evangelicalism, including the Church of Christ, becoming Catholic is worse than becoming an atheist, and I say that without irony because, not only are you saying you’ve renounced belief; you’re embracing evil, you’re embracing the anti-Christ described in Revelation.”"
 
The Church does not teach that non-Catholic Christians are playing make believe.

Lacking valid orders is not the same as role playing.

Charity compels us to refrain from mocking non-Catholics.
 
Padres1969 said:
Well Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Oriental Churches and Churches of the East… 😉

Point is though, the people of God started dividing themselves into ever changing little corners from the moment the apostles and disciples set out from Judea.
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Yes, but the above four communions all retain apostolic succession, the sacraments, liturgy, veneration of Mary and the saints, etc…
 
Your triumphant and condescending attitude is contrary to the spirit of ecumenism and dialogue called for by the Catholic Church and lived by recent popes…
When a Protestant community adopts elements of tradition, it moves them closer to Catholicism. That is positive…it can prepare the way for greater unity and potentially even conversion / full communion.
Very few people come to accept all of Catholicism in one swoop. Its generally a gradual process. Moving towards a belief in the Real Presence, even if lacking valid orders, is a step in the right direction…
 
These Evangelical megachurches are as phoney as three-dollar bill.
 
They do, but many of their contemporaries such as Arian and Gnostic Christianity which persists to this day do not per the RCC.

That has to be one of the most interesting things to encounter from the outside on this board. The notion that the early Christian Church was unified in what today is the RCC. When in fact the Church has been splintered from almost the moment Christ ascended into heaven and the apostles began spreading out.

Certainly the Roman emperors in the 300’s trying to force unity through councils like Nicea brought the bulk of the family back together for a time (but not all mind you), but even that didn’t last long with the Eastern and Oriental Churches breaking in quick succession a century later, and with the Great Schism itself building from around the same time peaking in 1054. The big difference with Protestantism is that those splits were directly from what was and is the modern RCC and they were much more accelerated in time and number due to a modernizing world (and continue to accelerate into the 19th-21st centuries).
 
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Nigel7 said:
When a protestant says a eucharistic prayer over bread at one of their services, for example, then it is only pretend transubstantiation and not actual. As I said before, sorta like playing house or make-believe. Nothing has changed in that bread, regardless of how warm and fuzzy it makes them feel . It’s still just regular old bread.
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I would agree it is just bread. However, i hope you don’t explain to your 6 year old that pretending to be a princes while playing dress up means absolutely nothing. There is efficacious value in these things!

Peace!!!
 
Nigel7 said:
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TheLittleLady:
Would you show me where this teaching is found in the Catechism or another official document of the Church?
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When a protestant says a eucharistic prayer over bread at one of their services, for example, then it is only pretend transubstantiation and not actual. As I said before, sorta like playing house or make-believe. Nothing has changed in that bread, regardless of how warm and fuzzy it makes them feel. It’s still just regular old bread.
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You are making authoritative polemic statements here which only serve to prove your ignorance. Can you name even one Non- Catholic denomination that even tries to accomplish transubstantiation?
 
lanman87 said:
In unity with the historic Christian church, we believe and confess the Apostles’, Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds as accurate representations of Scripture’s teaching
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Very interesting statement. What historic Christian church does this refer to?
lanman87 said:
In addition to these historic formulations, we are situated within the evangelical and reformed traditions.
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another puzzler, they reject the traditions of the historic Christian Church yet follow other traditions?

I just find this very interesting.
 
And that’s the point with Anglo-Catholics who hold that they are part of the Catholic Church, in the Anglican tradition.

And of course I’m aware of Apostolicae curae, a hobby of mine for 20 years,plus. Anglicans don’t affirm it. RCs/ECs should, at the appropriate level of theological certainty.
 
Most protestant ecclesial communions in Sweden use the words universal/worldwide or a word “allmännelig” that translates to catholic but means more like “for all (mankind)”.
 
Padres1969 said:
I’ve seen some non denominationals that modify that line to read “One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church”
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If they don’t want to use the word “catholic”, it would be more correct to substitute “universal”. Means the same thing. “Christian” doesn’t.
 
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