Delving Into The Protestant's Dilemma

Delving Into The Protestant's Dilemma | CWR | Christopher White

An interview with author and apologist Devin Rose about how the Reformation's consequences point to the truth of Catholicism

During the Lenten season Catholics devote special time for prayer, penance, and acts of charity in preparation for Easter. However, a sometimes overlooked—yet integral—part of this liturgical season is that it’s also a special and important time for candidates preparing to convert to the Catholicism at the Easter Vigil.

In 2001, Devin Rose underwent that same process and today he’s an active Catholic apologist, specializing in answering Protestant objections to Catholicism. His new book, The Protestant's Dilemma: How the Reformation's Shocking Consequences Point to the Truth of Catholicism (Catholic Answers, 2014),offers a catechetical style manual that addresses common Protestant critiques with insightful and accessible explanations.

Recently, Catholic World Report spoke with Rose about his new book.

CWR: Your own personal journey from Protestantism to Catholicism began as you considered the fact that Catholics have seven more books in our Bible than Protestants do. Why would this really matter?

Rose: It matters because the doctrines we believe in come from the Scriptures, God’s revelation. If we are missing books, we will be either omitting doctrines or erring on doctrines because we lack part of the divine revelation that God gave to us. If we include spurious books that God did not inspire, we will mistake mere human ideas for divine truth and err that way.

Knowing the canon of Scripture with ironclad certainty is essential in both the Catholic and Protestant paradigms.

CWR: Protestants, as you note, strongly reject the papacy because they see it as granting power and privilege to one man. Is the papacy really Biblical, and if so, do we really need it?

Rose: The papacy is Biblical. However, like many truths of our Faith, the Holy Spirit has deepened the Church’s understanding of these truths over the centuries. So we don’t find exhaustive explanations of, say, papal primacy in the Bible. Instead we find actions done and promises made by Christ that only make sense if God established St. Peter and his successors as the principle of unity of His Church. We need it because God decided we needed it.

CWR: Many Protestants still adhere to the Nicene Creed that affirms belief in "One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church." Have they simply changed the meaning of these four marks of the church or are we in agreement here?

Continue reading on the Catholic World Report site.