What The Catholic Church Teaches

Those of you who frequent this blog may remember that on October 31 of last year, I wrote a post commemorating Reformation Day. I thought that it would be instructive for people to realize that it's not just Halloween - something far more important happened on that day of the year.

In my post, I mentioned what the Reformers stood for and against and what they accomplished. It was a call to remembrance and to thank God for His protection of the message of the Gospel.

Now, I don't usually keep an eye on previous posts and their comments. And so when a friend pointed me to a response to that post, I went back and read it. The responder's name is David, and he runs a joint blog with my friend Betty. Their blog focuses on Canadian politics, and is (I think) quite insightful. David's comments on contemporary social issues and the link between legalization of gay marriage and polygamy are worth reading.

David, in his response to my post, disputed my assessment of Catholic beliefs. Now, as a Protestant born and raised, I have to be careful that when I describe Catholic beliefs, I do so fairly and accurately - and this requires doing my homework! So to me, this was a chance to review my facts, check my sources, and ensure I was not bearing false witness.

Also, it's vital that we conduct such discussions in a spirit of grace and gentleness. The truth is worth the discussion and debate, but that debate must be done in keeping with the example of Him we are seeking to honour. David disagreed with me, but he did so graciously and with respect. I pray I did the same.

If anyone's interested in my response to David, it can be found here in the comments thread:

Happy Reformation Day!

And, if anyone's interested, here are some sources I used in formulating my response:

Catholic:

Canons of the Council of Trent

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Protestant:

Cambridge Declaration of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

Calvin's Statements on Grace Alone: Conversion of the Will, and Justification by Grace Alone