Protestants and Catholics: Do They Now Agree?

by John Ankerberg, John Weldon

Protestants & Catholics have battled for centuries over how a sinful man is forgiven by a holy & righteous God. Recently some of evangelical Chritianity's most highly respected leaders have linked hands with Catholics in an unprecedented accord by signing an agreement entitled "Evangelical & Catholics Together"...
Have doctrinal differences been eliminated?
What was decided about justification by faith - the one issue upon which Martin Luther said the church stands or falls?
Which side changed its views?
The authors delve into the hisory of the Catholic church & discuss the sacraments, penance, confession, the rosary, indulgences & Purgatory.

297 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

About the author

John F. Ankerberg (born Dec 1945) is the host of a nationally syndicated evangelical Christian television talk show. The show is broadcast from Chattanooga, Tennessee via satellite and highlights contemporary Christian viewpoints and debates among well known Christian scholars.

Ankerberg holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary and is an ordained Baptist minister. He is the author or co-author of numerous books including Darwin's Leap of Faith: Exposing the False Religion of Evolution (Harvest House, 1998), and The Secret Teachings of the Masonic Lodge: A Christian Perspective (Moody, 1990).

He is married and has one daughter.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FAMED APOLOGETICS DUO CRITIQUE THE "EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS TOGETHER" DOCUMENT

John Ankerberg and John Weldon have written a number of apologetics book together, such as 'Fast Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses,' 'The Facts on the Mormon Church,' 'Behind the Mask of Mormonism: From Its Early Schemes to Its Modern Deceptions,' 'What Do Mormons Really Believe?: What the Ads Don't Tell You,' 'The Facts on Halloween,' etc.

Ankerberg wrote in an introductory section of this 1995 book, "On January 19, 1995... I participated in a private meeting with ten Evangelical Christian leaders. Among those at the meeting were individuals who had signed the 'Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission' statement in 1994... The purpose of our meeting was to see if we could avert a permanent breach between those Evangelical leaders who signed it and those who didn't... we asked our friends to remove their names from the document. But they declined to do so. Next, we asked if they were willing to revise the ECT document itself since they wouldn't recant of their participation. Again, they declined... To us... they did not intend to imply that Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, or liberal Protestants who deny justification by faith alone are brothers and sisters in Christ."

They state, "when one thoroughly examines what Rome teaches concerning the sacraments, especially baptism and the Holy Eucharist, it becomes impossible to deny that a system of salvation by works is taught in Roman Catholicism---no matter what Catholics may claim otherwise." (Pg. 87) Later, they add, "if the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by faith-works... biblically how can Jesus actually be the Savior of those in the Catholic Church? And if he is NOT their Savior, how can He be their Lord? If He can be, then don't Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons also have a legitimate claim to say that Christ is THEIR Lord and Savior? And if they can do that, isn't the meaning of Scripture being twisted to suit anyone's private interpretation?" (Pg. 144)

They point out, "Nowhere in the 'Evangelicals and Catholics Together' statement do we hear from the Evangelicals' side how Roman Catholics (those that Evangelicals have historically defined as being 'outside of Christ' and therefore as not participating in Christian unity) have now suddenly become biblically qualified to partake of that unity." (Pg. 140)

They admit, "all this is certainly not to say that the Catholic Church is devoid of genuine Christians---there are many of them. Catholics may indeed have experienced true regenerating faith. But the real question is one of commitment to biblical truth and the importance of spiritual growth based on it. The issue then becomes, "Can Christians remain in the Catholic Church without compromising their faith and/or their spiritual growth?" (Pg. 193) But they conclude, "The fact that [Catholicism] accepts many Christian doctrines is irrelevant. That it teaches salvation by works proves that it is not a Christian religion. The fact that some people are saved within the Roman Catholic Church only means that some individuals, like Luther, have found salvation by God's grace because they studied the Bible---or because Christians witnessed to them and they were saved by hearing the gospel." (Pg. 219)

There are certainly better Protestant critiques of Catholicism available (e.g., 'Reasoning from the Scriptures with Catholics,' 'The Roman Catholic Controversy,' etc.); but if one wants to focus on the ECT document itself, this book does well enough.

[Michael Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of the year candidate. An excellent look, though dated, at the 1994 document evangelicals and Catholics together. The big question is really whether Catholics and evangelicals are brothers and sisters in Christ. Do Catholics and evangelicals agree enough on conversion, justification and sanctification, to be considered as a part of the same believing family?Ankerberg and Weldon use much documentation in their argument for religious separation.

[Danny Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad someone wrote a book. Such as this

[Ldrhc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking book. Why do Baptists hate Catholics so much and why do other Christian religions spend so much time worrying and disapproving of Catholicism? This book was given to me to read by some aquaintances who are Baptist.