Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church

by Stephen K. Ray

An exhilarating conversion story of a devout Baptist who relates how he overcame his hostility to the Catholic Church by a combination of serious Bible study and vast research of the writings of the early Church Fathers. In addition to a moving account of their conversion that caused Ray and his wife to "cross the Tiber" to Rome, he offers an in-depth treatment of Baptism and the Eucharist in Scripture and the ancient Church. Thoroughly documented with hundreds of footnotes, this contains perhaps the most complete compilation of biblical and patristic quotations and commentary available on Baptism and the Eucharist, as well as a detailed analysis of Sola Scriptura and Tradition.

Genres: Religion, Catholic, Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity

284 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Stephen K. Ray was raised in a devout, loving Baptist family. His father was a deacon and Bible teacher and Stephen was very involved in the Baptist Church as a teacher of Biblical studies and lectured on a wide range of topics. Steve and his wife Janet entered the Catholic Church in 1994.

In addition to running a family business, Steve spends time researching, writing, and teaching about the Catholic Faith. He is the author of Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church, Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church, and St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study and Commentary.

He is currently producing a 10-video series for Ignatius Press called The Footprints of God: The Story of Salvation From Abraham to Augustine, filmed on location in the Holy Land.

Reviews

[Friar Stebin John Capuchin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conversion story of Stephen Ray, very nicely written and how he came out from his Baptist background and the struggles he has undergone against the authority of the Church has dealt in this book. A must read book for every Catholic who has some doubts about the Papacy and its evolving in the Bible and the history.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that sealed our move to the Catholic Church. A section on baptism, one on the Eucharist, and Steve Ray's testimony of his own conversion to Catholicism all served to bring us closer to the Church.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw some reviews that stated they didn't care for those extensive footnotes but I thought they were awesome!! To see what the early church fathers taught and that it is the same that is taught in the Catholic Church today was great. I had always wondered what was taught by the followers of the Apostles before they even had a New Testament. Stephen Ray's conversion story was great, too, but I liked reading how he arrived there.

[Jody · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, I did not read the book in its entirety. I couldn't get past the first chapter due to the misrepresentation of the teaching of Sola Scriptura that was taught by the early Reformers. He does a wonderful job showing the problems with the modern Evangelical Church of the West and their attitude of Solo Scriptura. The early Reformers knew that the proper understanding of Scripture needed to be tethered to the teaching of the Early Church Fathers and the first four Ecumenical Councils. I believe that Mr Ray held the view of the whimsical idea of Solo Scriptura. Unfortunately most Evangelicals could not identify the early councils or the reasons that they were held. There is so much bad theology taught today in the Evangelical Movement, but if one were to research true Reformed Churches of today, they would find the historical teaching of the Church.Unfortunately many today do not fully understand the Five Solas and their relationship to the early fathers such as Polycarp, Tertullion and Augustine.

[Greg D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read several good "Evangelical-to-Catholic" books but this one wasn't one of them. The book is basically split into three parts: 1) The authors testimony of conversion; 2) The doctrine of baptism; and 3) the Eucharist. That's all. The first part (testimony) was good. The Baptism I never had no problem with and neither do many evangelicals, and the Eucharist wasn't that eye opening except that it proved the early fathers embraced it. I didn't find this book to be as exhaustive and complete as I thought it would be. It seems the author only focuses on several topics and nothing more. I kind of wish I could get my money back.

[Kela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I thought it would be more of a full-length story of the Rays conversion to Catholicism. Instead, the first couple of chapters were devoted to their conversion with the rest of the book explaining some of the key points of Catholic theology. I agree with many of the other reviewers that the footnotes were a bit out of control. If the footnotes take up more of the page than the actual text, maybe the author should edit to include that info in the actual story. I found the footnotes just as informative as the rest of the book so at times it felt like I was reading two books at one time. I'd read the top of the page with the actual storyline, then read the bottom with the footnotes. That got to be a bit tiresome. I borrowed the book from a friend and had to return it, but I plan to borrow it again and make notes on some of the points Ray discussed.

[Brian The Furnace Man · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read half the book and had to put it down. The author’s hermeneutic skills left something to be desired. A proper exegesis of scripture was lacking. His reasoning, often times, made no sense what so ever. I really tried but just couldn’t finish this book. I’ll just leave it at that.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved reading the early Christians writings on baptism and The Eucharist. I wish I could have read more about the early Christians writings on the faith. I loved reading Steve's journey to the Catholic Church, I can really relate being a convert myself.

[Stephen Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an in-depth journey of not just Steve's conversion, but into the roots of the Church both through looking at baptism and the Eucharist. Extensively documented with an abundance of footnotes, references, and explanations.

[Kristyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to call this book read though I haven't finished wading through the last section of reference-y writings. This book presents the clearest understanding of Catholicism I've found.

[Marcos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy bueno. El autor te relata su conversión del evangelicalismo al catolicismo junto con su familia y aclara algunos malentendidos que los protestantes tienen con la doctrina. Dedica un extenso capítulo al bautismo y otro a la Eucaristía y la Presencia Real, argumentando desde las Escrituras hasta los escritos de los Padres de la Iglesia.

El primer capítulo es autobiográfico, pero ofrece refutaciones a la sola scriptura y la sola fide. Los argumentos contra la sola scriptura son firmes y convincentes, pero los contrarios a la sola fide son mucho más débiles. En cuanto al bautismo y la Presencia Real en la Eucaristía, los extractos sacados de las Escrituras y la doctrina enseñada por los Padres de la Iglesia dejan fuera de toda duda su veracidad.

Sin embargo, el libro no está libre de fallas. El autor no dedica ni una sola página a los dogmas marianos, pese a ser un debate primordial entre católicos y protestantes. Al rezo por la intercesión de los santos se le dedica menos de una página. Pese a defender la Presencia Real en la Eucaristía, no se defiende la transubstanciación frente a la consubstanciación luterana. Entiendo que el libro está escrito para evangélicos, que defienden que la eucaristía es simbólica (cosa que los luteranos no hacen), pero si el lector, convencido por los argumentos del autor, ha rechazado esta doctrina, este podría razonablemente preguntarse: "¿por qué no convertirme al luteranismo en lugar del catolicismo? Después de todo, los luteranos mantienen gran parte de la doctrina católica sin tener que aceptar el yugo de Roma".

Por último, la mitad del libro está escrito en notas a pie de página, no exagero. Hay notas que cubren más de la mitad de una página. La mayoría constituyen argumentos que deberían formar parte del texto original. Esto hace la lectura innecesariamente incómoda. Por lo dicho en el anterior párrafo y en este, le doy 4 estrellas en lugar de 5.

[Billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-documented book covers everything that most Protestant needs to know. Good robust proof passages from the early church, also massive footnotes which it doesn't bother me. It helps to notice how Protestants overlooked and misunderstood.

[Nikki Schoenbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was packed full of information but was so difficult to read with the endless footnotes taking up more than half the page. The footnotes and the actual text itself could’ve been two different books.

[Amy Hartle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Catholic apologetics books so far. A must read for anyone interested in converting or even just learning about the early church.

[Keith Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen K. Ray has a CLEAR passion for the Catholic church but this book is a bit schizophrenic. The first, short section is a kind of narrative story of Stephen and his wife's conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism. It reads like a strong argument, and he admits having written it to explain themselves to their friends and family. Makes sense.

However, the second, longer part of the book deals with the topics of Baptism and the Eucharist. These two last bits are essentially exhaustive collections of references to Baptism and the Eucharist from the Old Testament through the New Testament through the Church fathers and up until the present day. Amazing resource to have but in a completely different style and tone than the first part of the book. Really, these should be three entirely separate books or at least two.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few things to know about this book. First, it is comprised of three parts. Part one is a general conversion story with the majority of it devoted to working through some key Catholic theology. Part two discusses baptism in depth beginning from Scripture, to sources from the original church fathers, to Catholic teaching today. Part three discusses the Eucharist in the same way.

The second thing you need to know is that the footnotes are out of control. But once you get used to it and realize that it's just the format he chose to use, it reads fine.

The third thing you need to know is that it might seem a bit redundant at times, but for me it just added to my conviction that the evidence is overwhelming. And I found his arguments so incredibly logical and his insights so illuminating.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thorough research book encompassing what troubles most Protestants with Catholicism. The author obviously spent a lot of time researching the bible's claim, the church's claim and the early father's claim on infant baptism and the Eucharist. This book is not made for an easy read and is not for the casual reader. The book makes so many references to other books and texts, you'll have a "to-read" list that could take years to finish.

[Katie Revier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will be completely honest in saying that I merely skimmed the last half of this book. I just began to find Ray's format lacked cohesion and his excessive use of footnotes was disorganized and confusing. I also felt that the information, while good and true, gets extremely repetitive. I think this book is best intended for skeptics of the church or shared in a group bible study setting.

[Melissa Cavanaugh (melissasbookbliss) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of one family’s conversion to Catholicism from Evangelical roots. The research and attention to detail is the most thorough I have yet seen. Very inspiring! “We have come into port, we have found the oasis, we are home.”

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful read

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much information you need to read it twice - once without the footnotes, and again with the footnotes!

[Bill Comstock]

Recommended in Rod Bennett - Four Witnesses

[Luke Pierik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contrary to the title’s suggestion, only a third of the book recounts the conversion of Stephen Ray and his wife. He briskly - though with plenty of footnotes - details their initial resistance to Catholicism, subsequent exploration of church history, and ultimate “crossing the Tiber”. The remaining two-thirds of the book holds extensive quotations from scripture, church fathers, and Catholic councils to document a historical consensus about Baptismal efficacy and the Real Presence of the Eucharist.

I agree with other reviewers that it would have been in the author’s interest to expand the conversion testimony into a complete book and relegate the remaining sections to another publication. But as it stands, I think these last sections provide the most value for readers as a resource to understand fundamental doctrines of the historic church.

It is worth highlighting that this text’s primary opponent is American Evangelicalism. Indeed, for someone ignorant of the church history, this text could seem to indicate that the Catholic church is *the* historic church. But Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, at least, can hold to views of Baptismal efficacy or Real Presence that also correspond with the church fathers. Strangely, genuine Catholic distinctives like Papal infallibility, Marian dogmas, and purgatory are scarcely mentioned. So while this text provides an interesting testimony and comprehensive references, it does not give a compelling case for accepting Catholicism as the one, true, apostolic church.

[Virginia Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by former Baptists, this book is an account of a husband and wife’s conversion to Catholicism. The author meticulously walks through his conclusions and answers many of the questions that I - and I would imagine most potential converts - have about Catholicism and dispels many of the “rumors”. My chief complaint is about the footnotes. They should be no more than a sentence two, not multiple paragraphs. It makes for difficult reading, but I do appreciate the author’s references to scriptures, as I’m not willing to take his word as the gospel truth. Pun intended.

Section 1 covers their conversion experience and conclusions drawn during their research. The author reviews the concept Sola Scriptura in depth in this section, a chief cornerstone of most Protestant denominations. Section 2 covers baptism in excruciating detail. I skimmed over this part and hit the summary at the end as this is not a topic I question. The third and final section covers the Eucharist, another point of contention for Protestants. This section was another section that I skimmed but I’m sure I’ll come back to it as it is a newer concept for me.

Overall, I found the book to be very helpful and well researched. It is not as dry some theological writings and the author sprinkles his own experiences throughout.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an incredible wealth of persuasive dialogue on why the Catholic church is the one true Church established by Jesus Himself, and why sacraments such as Baptism and the Eucharist are absolutely essential to Christianity. The author was a passionate Fundamentalist protestant who sought to discredit Catholicism by reading the early works of the Church fathers, many of whom were contemporaries of the Apostles or taught directly by those men. The more he researched, the more he realized that those arguments he'd heard and then parroted all his life were false and had no foundation in truth.

The one drawback in reading this book is how heavily it is footnoted. However, that is also its true benefit - he states nothing without extensive backup from numerous different sources. It just makes it a bit slow to read as many pages have more footnote than actual text from the author. But it's not just dry sourcing in the footnotes - it is quotations and explanations so as long as you can follow it from page to page easily, all the information is there.

I would encourage anyone who has doubts about the Catholic Church, or is interested in know WHY we believe what we do, or wants an introduction to the early writings, to read this book. There is a full bibliography in the back which will lead to particular books.

[Talkador · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book every Christian should read (and I say that as someone who has been Protestant my entire life). It thoughtfully explores the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism and asks honest, challenging questions. Protestants in particular should take a hard look at the authenticity of their faith and seriously reconsider whether the Reformation was truly the positive movement it’s often portrayed to be. The evidence presented in favor of the Catholic position—especially regarding baptism and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (transubstantiation)—is compelling. What struck me most was learning that even Martin Luther, despite his break from the Catholic Church, appeared to continue defending these doctrines.

One thing I found lacking in this book, however, is any serious discussion of the troubling developments in the Catholic Church following the Second Vatican Council. After that council, the Church seemed to veer drastically off course, and much of what was once sacred and true in Catholicism appears to have been lost. The Tridentine Mass, salvation through Christ and His Church alone, the central focus on the Eucharist, confession, and the general decline of the Church—all of this deserved some attention. It would only be fair if the author were to write a book addressing those issues as well.

[Augustus Raymond · Rating 1 out of 5]

For all the bibliography, I found the research and extremely brief argumentation quite limited and easily answered online by groups such as Ligonier, Apologia, Canon, etc as well as forums such as Puritan Board. Yet, like all converts to Papacy from Bible-Believing backgrounds, the reasoning for drowning in the Tiber were not a pursuit of Holiness, but an avoidance of conflict and desire for beauty (he admits such of he and his wife in the introduction). Many of his accusations against Protestantism apply very narrowly and sources he cites are very cherry-picked (for instance, many of his champions of transubstantiation elsewhere called The Lord's Supper symbolic). Of course, he cleverly evades explicitly though soaks his words in that pervasive doctrine: Sola Ecclesia, the church has ultimate authority. Yet for all the heresy, the most grievous problem is his lack to mention The Gospel: That Jesus became Man to die for sinners and call them to Himself and now reigns for eternity. This is purposely absent from Romish doctrine and literature, where the emphasis is on self betterment rather than absolute surrender to God alone.

[Marc Washburne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Stephen Ray takes us on a journey from the time of Christ to Second Vatican Council. He explores, in depth, both Baptism and Holy Eucharist. Thoroughly documented with hundreds of footnotes, this contains perhaps the most complete compilation of biblical and patristic quotations and commentary available on Baptism and the Eucharist, as well as a detailed analysis of Sola Scriptura and Tradition.
If you are a convert to the Catholic Church, or thinking about it, or teach Catholic classes such as RCIA...you need a copy of this book for your library. I can find no other author who, in 1 volume, brings out how the TRADITIONS of the Church spoke so clearly for centuries. Jerome, Augustine, Ambrose....and dozens more are here. Ray decisively shows WHY Catholic Tradition is vital to Christian faith. Catholics believe in Sacred Scripture AND Sacred Tradition....the pillars which support the Catholic faith.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Stephen Ray describes how when he was younger he was a devout evangelical baptist. He began to study his faith starting with teachings of Jesus, his apostles and the early church fathers. After detailing what he learned, which led to his conversion to the Catholic Church, he spent most of his writing detailing what the early church fathers taught about the efficacy of baptism and the Holy Eucharist.

These teachings have remained consistent throughout the centuries and are still taught and believed by the Catholic Church today. I’m sure I’ll be referring back to this book in the future as I strive to grow deeper in my faith.