Bridge of Reason

I recently watched an interesting discussion between Kris Vallotton, a senior leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California and a young female student enrolled on the church’s School of Supernatural Ministry. What was interesting about this exchange was that the student was a Roman Catholic. Jessica Bond happily announced that Pope Francis was her pastor, and this prompted Vallotton to share his story of when he met the Pope. Vallotton said that he was part of a group of 40 charismatics that had been invited to the Vatican to meet the Pope. He recalled how Pope Francis told them about the time that he was baptised in the Spirit. This prompted Jessica to say how much she loves the Pope. When Vallotton met the Pope back in 2016, he posted about the event on his social media. He said this: ‘I had the privilege of meeting Pope Francis today with some other pastors. He is really a great man; I love him a ton!’ I am pretty sure that if social media existed at the time of Luther, Calvin, Cra...

  The Roman Catholic Church stands or falls on the doctrine of apostolic succession. It is from this doctrine that the Church claims its supreme authority. Now, the Roman Church is not the only church to believe this doctrine, but they are the only church to claim unique and complete authority from it. The Catholic apologetic website, Catholic Answers says that the Roman Church, unlike ‘separate’ churches, can lay claim to being the true church by means of apostolic succession. What is apostolic succession? Apostolic succession is the idea that bishops in the Roman Church are the successors of the apostles to whom Jesus gave the authority, to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It presupposes that the original twelve apostles ordained others to be apostles through the laying on of hands. In doing this, they conferred upon them the same authority they had been given. These apostles (bishops) then ordained others, who in turn ordained others, who in turn… well you get the id...

"Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" [1] At the time of the Reformation, the Church of Rome taught that the Word of God consisted of both the written word (The Bible) and the unwritten word (Tradition). It held that both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition were both infallible and of equal value. The Roman Catholic Church believes the same today. What does the Roman Catholic Church mean by tradition? The website Catholic Answers says that: Divine Tradition comes from God, either through the written word of the Bible or through the oral teaching of Christ himself or his apostles. Because it is revealed by God, divine Tradition may not be altered by men. [2] The Reformers vehemently denied that this ‘divine Tradition’, said to be found within the Roman Catholic Church, was in anyway comparable with God’s written word. For them, the Bible was the true only rule of faith for the Christian. The Protestant Church believes the ...

  The Council of Trent was the 19th ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. It met from 1545 to 1563 in Trento, Italy in response to the ever-growing influence of the Protestant Reformation. The Council was particularly concerned about a former German monk named Martin Luther. He was teaching that a person could be saved by faith alone, in Christ alone, without the need for the sacraments and ceremonies offered by the Roman Catholic Church. It was his doctrine of ‘sola fide’ (Latin for ‘by faith alone’), amongst other things he taught, that angered the Council, causing them to gather and respond forcibly. They were furious that Luther was preaching and teaching that salvation could be obtained outside the visible Church. Extra ecclesiam nulla salus The Roman Catholic Church taught, and continues to teach (though they seek to make it a little more palatable these days) extra ecclesiam nulla salus, which means that ‘outside the Church there is no salvation’. It teaches that ...

The magisterium of the Catholic Church  is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God. The Catholic Church gives equal weight to Scripture and Tradition and Tradition is defined as the handing down of Jesus’ teachings from one generation to the next. We will see that this definition, taken alone, is correct and biblical. If it was that straight cut and simple Catholics would probably be Protestants. The magisterium comprises the pope and his bishops, and it is they who are responsible for that faithful transmission of Jesus’ teaching, and they who are charged with interpreting what has been handed down. Scripture and Tradition are considered one, single sacred deposit, and this magisterium is not independent of this deposit. A major error in the cults is faith in an organisation. Every cult has its magisterium, Jehovah’s Witnesses with their governing body, Mormons with their apostles and prophets. It is helpful to remember that the chu...

As we continue on Tuesdays to look at the claims of Catholicism, we consider the fact the Catholic Church, according to Scripture, makes too much of Mary. We should, I believe, all make more of Mary. Mary is the mother of our Saviour, called by the angel, ‘favoured one,’ and told she had, ‘found favour with God.’ Her relative Elizabeth called her, ‘blessed among women.’ Her humility and obedience are a model for us all. Who can fail to be impressed by this young woman’s reply to the angel, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ (Lk.1:26-45) Would that we, when considering the purposes of God, should be so abandoned to praise as was Mary in the Magnificat (Lk.1:46-55 ) We should make more of Mary, but the Catholic Church makes too much of Mary. They Testify of Me Mary is mentioned by name twelve times in the New Testament, most of them in the birth narrative. Looking at those occasions when she is mentioned it is hard to understand how Cath...