Why I Left Protestantism for Catholicism

Reading Time: 17 minutes

by Jonathan McMonigal

“The difficulty of explaining “why I am a Catholic” is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.” -G.K. Chesterton

Prologue

On April 11th, 2020, I was confirmed as a Catholic Christian at Holy Transfiguration Melkite Greek Catholic Church. The Melkites are one of many Eastern Churches that share a common unity through the Pope, the Bishop of Rome. East and West are united in one Catholic Church. You may ask how this could ever happen. A Pentecostal leaving behind his upbringing for Rome? Absurd! Today I write in defense of my life, to explain why I had to make this heart heavy choice. Since my conversion, I have been approached by my Protestant kin with mixed results to say the least. I have been accused of joining a dry, dead Church, one full of doctrines of demons and devils. I have felt great shame through my alleged betrayal. But am I really a Judas Iscariot? By no means!

On the contrary, I dare to say that the Catholic Church is the fulfillment of my Christian life. She is my home, the end of my life’s journey. I desire this to be a first step among my people to reunite Christ’s broken body. I only have love in my heart for my Protestant family and friends, and I pray God will reunite us this side of eternity. For all who wish to inquire, I will demonstrate my reasons for joining the Catholic Church. The argument for Catholicism is threefold: first, the Protestant Churches are doctrinally compromised; second, Sola Scriptura is absurd; third, the Pope of Rome is the supreme authority over the entire Church.

Before I start, I would like to extend a loving thanks to all those who’ve shaped my life. Foremost, I owe everything to my family. Thank you for giving me my Christian faith. Second, I owe thanks to all of my friends; it would have been lonely road without yawl. Last, I owe my deepest thanks to my spiritual mentors: my papa Chris McMonigal, Fr. Josiah Jones, and Fr. Joseph Francavilla. They taught me to love Christ. I owe a special gratitude to John Henry Newman, my patron saint. I follow in his humble footsteps. St. Newman pray for us. I hope this work will bring clarity of my life to all who read it. May God open our eyes together! Amen.

Part One: The Crisis of Modernism

Born the son of a pastor on December 6th, 1995, I grew up in a conservative, Pentecostal household. All of my friends from Church and school were of the same mind. Our culture was founded on Christ, and most conversations eventually ended with a reflection on God. This produced a shared antagonism against secular liberalism. It was a simple inverse of our culture; we were Christian conservatives and they were atheistic liberals. Debate was mostly over social issues, the morals of us against them. The Holy Bible was clear on the controversies of the day. We simply followed God’s Word and they didn’t. Ignorance was bliss.

Everything drastically changed for me with the apostasy of the Protestant Episcopal Church (PEC). The de facto historical Church of America, the Episcopalians shocked the nation with their affirmation of homosexual marriage in 2009.[1] This caused a small conservative schism to form in order to retain traditional marriage.[2] Since my grandparents were conservative Episcopalians, I was appalled. How could a once orthodox Church compromise with such liberal morals? Churches were supposed to transform the world, not conform to it. It made no sense.

Protestant Christians of all strides uphold Sola Scriptura, the doctrine that Holy Scripture alone is the infallible rule of faith.[3] Your average Joe could pick up the Holy Bible and know right from wrong.  Scripture was clear on the sin of homosexuality. The Old Testament said: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination”.[4] The New Testament repeated: “Be not deceived: …nor abusers of themselves with mankind [homosexuals],… shall possess the kingdom of God”.[5] I was in utter bewilderment as to how the PEC could justify themselves. They must have knowingly compromised God’s Word for cultural acceptance. Terrified, I entrenched myself in Pentecostalism. My Church would surely never change.

As years went by, a second controversy challenged my faith: women’s ordination. In the Pentecostal tradition, women have always taken a leadership role since our founding at the Azusa Street Revival.[6] This resulted in a proud tradition of Pentecostal Egalitarianism. A child of the Assemblies of God (AG)—the largest Pentecostal denomination—we held a universal right for women to be ordained to the clergy.[7] A family mentor of sweet memory even served as a lifelong female pastor. I had always taken this all for granted, and I merely assumed a male exclusive clergy was just a sexist relic of a bygone era. We obviously know better today.

My presuppositions were shattered one day when I had an exchange with an atheist. After I passionately defended traditional marriage, he exclaimed that we Pentecostals were biblical hypocrites, for we ordained women. He presented the relevant passages, and I was horrified. The Apostle Paul was clear: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve”.[8] The Apostle continues elsewhere: “Let your women keep silence in the Churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the Law”.[9] There are more supplementary passages to back this point up, but it is already painfully clear.

My jaw dropped; I couldn’t believe what I had read. My knee jerk reaction was to rationalize away those passages as merely culturally specific. The atheist shrewdly retorted that the same could apply to homosexuality and all other supposed sins. I fell silent, walking away in defeat. I later discovered the AG originally only allowed women to serve as lay ministers but not ordained clergy.[10] The hierarchy of the AG was only even opened up to women as of 2009.[11] Scripture seemed clear, but my beloved Church taught the opposite. Had we compromised just like the Episcopalians? It couldn’t be! I put away the thought. I just ignored the subject and pretended I never even knew about it. My Church could not change God’s Word, it couldn’t!

The final controversy that shook my faith was of divorce and remarriage. No one desires divorce, because most want their marriages to happily last. I thought remarriage was just a sorrowful good. This was reinforced by the Assemblies of God regretfully permitting divorce and remarriage under limited circumstances such as adultery or abuse.[12] As well, famous Pentecostal preachers like Aimee Semple McPherson,[13] Paula White,[14] and Todd Bentley[15] have remarried too. American Evangelicals–whom Pentecostals are categorized under—even have an above average divorce rate.[16] If the Church practiced it, I assumed the Bible had to teach it.

On the contrary, our Lord Jesus Christ laid down this precept: “And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another committeth adultery: and who so marrieth her which is put away shall commit adultery”.[17] In utter disbelief, I discovered that the Azusa Street Revival had banned all remarriage after divorce.[18] As well, Stanley Frodsham—an early General Secretary of the AG—boldly said that remarriage was only acceptable after a spouse’s death.[19] This contradicted the modern AG position. I was appalled; were we really no better than the Episcopalians? It sadly seemed so.

The acceptance of these compromises is plainly sinful. We became an assembly of hypocrites, changing doctrine when culturally convenient. If we want to uphold Biblical morality, then we must stop subverting it ourselves. God’s precepts reveal His divine nature, so that we can know God through His morals. In a holy analogy, the nature of human marriage reveals the divine covenant.[20] Christ is the bridegroom to His bride the Church.[21] Heterosexuality reveals the diverse love of Christ for His Church. Male exclusive ordination displays the headship of Christ over His Church. The indissolubility of marriage shows the eternal commitment of Christ to His Church. If we cannot know morality with timeless certainty, then we cannot know God. Without knowledge of God, there is no salvation.

All of this compromise is the sour fruit of Modernism. This is the heresy “that the religious soul must draw from itself, from nothing but itself, the object and motive of its faith. It rejects all revelation imposed upon the conscience…”[22] The Episcopalian bishop John Shelby Spong is the epitome of a Modernist, as he denies a personal God, the Incarnation, and even the Resurrection.[23] Christianity is judged as a pious myth, open for multiple modern interpretations.

The grandfather of Modernism is Friedrich Schleiermacher, a 19th century liberal Protestant pastor who grounded theology in subjective feeling rather than objective reason.[24] This was his reaction to Enlightenment philosophy. Rationalism struck down the viability of revealed faith in favor of reason alone.[25] Empiricism grounded knowledge in natural experience to the exclusion of the divine miracles.[26] Idealism demolished the ability of human reason to trust even the senses to know anything beyond appearance.[27] If a man can never truly know the world, then he cannot know God by it. Thus Enlightenment philosophy ends in agnosticism.

This is the skeptical descent Schleiermacher sought to escape. Although a Christianity based in subjective feeling is impervious to skeptical criticism, it is also baseless. Christianity becomes whatever one feels it to be, so skeptics like Bishop Spong retain the loving feeling of Christ while discarding dogma. If the liberal culture says Our Lord is not the Son of God but just a human teacher, then the Modernist clerics will echo that. What a disgrace and a fraud!

This is the crisis of Modernism. The Episcopal Church is but one of many casualties. For instance, here is a list of once orthodox Churches that have changed on homosexuality: the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America,[28] the United Methodist Church,[29] the Presbyterian Church USA,[30] the Disciples of Christ,[31] United Church of Christ,[32] Moravian Church in North America,[33] and the Mennonite Church USA.[34] Bishop Spong would be proud. How long until the Pentecostals of today became the apostates of tomorrow? The thought seized me with dread.

For the first time, I was a dissatisfied Christian. The AG still held fast to core orthodoxy, but I no longer trusted their interpretative reliability. They tragically opened the door for Modernism by obscuring God’s Word, and once you give the Modernists an inch they will soon take your Church. This began my two year long journey to discover the true Church. Church history was my intermediary witness between Scripture and the Churches, so it would confirm orthodoxy and expose Modernism. I became a fanatical student of history, and I compared every early Church document against Holy Writ. As water is purest at the spring, doctrine is most orthodox at the early Church. Little did I know this methodology would win me to Catholicism.

The New Testament finds a narrative sequel in Church history. The first extant work we have is the epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. The third bishop of Rome in succession from St. Peter, St. Clement was a disciple of the Apostles and a companion of St. Paul.[35] He writes to the Church at Corinth to correct a schism they hatched against their ordained clerics. St. Clement intrigued me by his reference to the Apostolic succession of bishops. He said the office of bishop prevents schism by the authority of Apostolic lineage.[36] This was an idea alien to my Protestant mind. I thought only the Catholics made such a grand claim. I simply shrugged it off.

I moved on to the epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians. A disciple of the Apostles, St. Polycarp was appointed by them bishop of the Church of Smyrna, one of the seven Churches of Revelation.[37] He writes to the Church at Philippi to edify them in the Gospel against heresy. It was a pleasant read but something specific dropped my jaw. St. Polycarp quoted what we Protestants considered to be an Apocryphal book of the Catholic Bible, the Book of Tobit.[38] He quoted it in passing just like any other divine book. I was in utter disbelief. If the Catholics were right on the canon, what other things could they be right about? No, I tucked that nervous angst away. This was the same distress I felt when reading of Modernist compromises in the Church.

The next Church writer only aggravated my Protestantism further. A disciple of the Apostles,[39] St Ignatius is the second bishop of Antioch in succession from St. Peter.[40] He wrote seven epistles to various Churches on his road to martyrdom at Rome. St. Ignatius mentions ecclesiology as being a threefold hierarchy of bishop, priest, and deacon.[41] He states obedience is required to the bishop by the faithful as to God Himself.[42] Most shocking of all, he says: “Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church”.[43] This is the first extent use of the controversial phrase “Catholic Church”, and it is exclusively linked to the bishops. I began to feel alarmed.

As I reflected on these three Apostolic successors, I realized that we Pentecostals were outside this Catholic Church. We simply elected bishops out of thin air, while St. Clement testified to a direct line of ordination from the Apostles. St. Ignatius said there is no Church apart from this succession of bishops, so this by definition excludes us. All of this echoes the words of St. Paul to obey and submit to Church authority,[44]for the clergy were personally ordained by Apostolic investiture.[45] To make matters worse, St. Polycarp quotes the Apocrypha as Scripture. It seems Christians are compelled to listen to this bishop in accepting the Apocrypha. For the first time, I was haunted with the specter that Rome might be the true Church.

In haste I moved on to other authors. St. Justin the Martyr—at Rome of course—wrote to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in defense of Christianity.[46] He mentions that at the Church service the bread and wine are “transmuted” into the body and blood of Christ after the prayer of consecration.[47] This is called by St. Justin “the Eucharist”, and it is only available to the baptized at the liturgy.[48] This disturbingly alludes to the Catholic dogma of transubstantiation. The Eucharist was the central focus of the early Church, and it contradicted our Pentecostal focus on ecstatic worship. This realization was extremely uncomfortable.

The next authors are even more intense. St. Irenaeus was a bishop of Lyons and a disciple of St. Polycarp.[49] In his polemic against the Gnostic heretics, he proclaims that all Churches must agree with the Church of Rome, for She holds “preeminent authority” in Her succession from St. Peter and Paul.[50] If a bishop is the center of a Church, then it seems the bishop of Rome is the center of the entire Church. What Pentecostal could say this? I was dumbfounded. The next apologist was Athenagorus of Athens, who also wrote to the Emperor. Athenagorus noted the high morals of the Christians against pagan slander.[51] He references the Christian morals of sex only for procreation,[52] the prohibition of remarriage,[53] and the condemnation of abortion.[54] These are the morals Modernists hate, and again the Catholic Church is famous for upholding them today. The historical continuity simply amazed me.

The picture painted was of an early Church full of distinctly Catholic ideas. The Apologists referenced seeds of Catholic dogma. It is easy to see how concepts like Papal preeminence and the Eucharist fully bloom from antiquity into the Middle Ages. There is a direct continuity of doctrine in this Catholic Church. Both I the Pentecostal and my foes the Modernists stood outside it. Were we innovative bedfellows together? It seemed so but for different reasons.

Let us now highlight two prominent theologians of East and West. The greatest of ancient biblical scholars, St. Jerome was a secretary to the Pope and translator of the famed Latin Vulgate Bible.[55] He wrote in defense of the veneration of holy relics,[56] the perpetual virginity of Mary,[57] and prayer to saints.[58] This all repulsed me of course. Moving on to the greatest of ancient preachers, St. John Chrysostom was bishop of Constantinople and a contemporary of St. Jerome.[59] He as well promoted Catholic ideas like a male exclusive clergy,[60] prayers for the dead,[61] and the sinfulness of homosexuality.[62] What a pain these two men are to Protestants and Modernists alike! Maybe we Pentecostals are just a conservative form of Modernism ourselves?

Finally, let us assess the great St. Augustine. He needs no introduction as the most influential theologian of antiquity.[63] Here is a short list of his unabashedly Catholic ideas: infant baptism,[64] Purgatory,[65] the intercession of saints,[66] the sin of remarriage,[67] the sinlessness of Mary,[68] the necessity of faith and works,[69] the Sacrifice of the Mass,[70] the canonicity of the Apocrypha,[71] the authority of the Catholic Church,[72] and the preeminence of Rome.[73] I found the whole of Medieval Catholicism in the mind of St. Augustine. It was simply astounding.

The catalogue of early Church authors is practically inexhaustible, and this was just a taste of a few. The more I drank of the early Church the more of the Catholic Church I found. As St. John Henry Newman once said, “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant”.[74] I could maybe excuse a few authors, but what Pentecostal can bear them all? They are like an overwhelming deluge of Catholic ideas drowning both Pentecostalism and Modernism away. My spirit was broken, my heart heavy. In tears I realized the early Church was the Catholic Church.

I now end part one of my story. Holy Scripture opened my eyes to the crisis of Modernism, and Church history exposed various Protestant compromises. I do not wish to speak ill of my beloved fellow Christians. However, I do oppose Churches which openly change Biblical doctrine. History recalls that Churches which compromise on morals soon compromise Christ. Bishop Spong didn’t come in a day. The antidote to Modernism is Church history, and the authors lead to Rome. This is an argument from probability; the accumulative witness of the early Church for Catholicism is more so than not. This isn’t certain proof, but it was enough to give me a crisis of faith. Rome probably was the true Church, but a lifetime of anti-Catholic hatred restrained me. In part two, we will discuss my desperate adventure in Anglicanism to escape Rome. Until then, I advise to visit a Catholic Church, talk to a priest, and read “On Development of Doctrine” by St. Newman. May the Lord Jesus Christ be with us all! Amen.

Notes

[1] “LGBTQ in the Church—History”, The Episcopal Church,

https://episcopalchurch.org/lgbtq/history.

[2] Handley, Paul. “The Anglican Communion will finally split in 2009”, Virtue Online,

https://virtueonline.org/england-anglican-communion-will-finally-split-2009.

[3] MacArthur, John. “What Does Sola Scriptura Mean?”, Ligonier,

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-does-sola-scriptura-mean. 

[4] Leviticus 18:22 (KJV)

[5] 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (KJV)

[6] Miller, The Women of Azusa Street, pp. 5-7.

[7] “The Role of Women in Ministry”, The Assemblies of God, https://ag.org/Beliefs/Position-Papers/The-Role-of-Women-in-Ministry.

[8] 1 Timothy 2:12-13 (KJV)

[9] 1 Corinthians 14:34 (KJV)

[10] Blumhofer, Restoring the Faith pp. 120–123.

[11] Fowler, Megan. “Assemblies of God Elects First Woman to Top Leadership Team”, Christianity Today,

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/august/assemblies-of-god-elects-first-woman-general-secretary-donn.html.

[12] Kennedy, John. “Domestic Violence Debate”, The Assemblies of God,

https://news.ag.org/en/News/Domestic-Violence-Debate.

[13] “Fascinating Facts about Aimee Semple McPherson”, Challies,

https://www.challies.com/articles/facts-about-aimee-semple-mcpherson.

[14] Funaro, Vincent. “Megachurch Pastor Paula White Marries 3rd Husband Former Journey Rocker Jonathan Cain; She’s His 4th Wife”, The Christian Post,

https://www.christianpost.com/news/megchurch-pastor-paula-white-marries-3rd-husband-former-journey-rocker-jonathan-cain-shes-his-4th-wife-138804/?bcsi-ac-4d57fec82d0c41f9=271918E500000005J+gropLDxe5ZOWvq724vqz0j3yiLAAAABQAAAKkAggCAcAAAAAAAAE8EAQA=.

[15] Gaines, Adrienne. “Todd Bentley’s New Wife Breaks Silence”, Charisma Magazine,

http://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/570-news/featured-news/7046-todd-bentleys-new-wife-breaks-silence.

[16] “CCF Civil Rights Symposium: Fifty Years of Religious Change: 1964-2014”, Council on Contemporary Families, https://contemporaryfamilies.org/50-years-of-religious-change.

[17] Matthew 19:9 (KJV)

[18] Seymour, William. “The Apostolic Faith: A Doctrinal Overview”, Sermon Index,

http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=39714.

[19] “‘Til Death Do Us Part: Early Pentecostals on Divorce and Remarriage”, The Old Landmark, https://oldlandmark.wordpress.com/2007/09/02/17/. 

[20] Ephesians 5:31-32 (KJV)

[21] Revelation 19:7-9 (KJV)

[22] Mercier, Desire, “Cardinal Mercier’s Letter on Modernism”, Catholic Culture,

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=7792.

[23] Spong, John Shelby. “Charting the New Reformation: The Twelve Theses”, Progressive Christianity,  https://progressivechristianity.org/resources/charting-the-new-reformation-part-iii-the-twelve-theses.

[24] Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 286.

[25] Aveling, Francis. “Rationalism.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 10 Jun. 2020, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12652a.htm.

[26] Siegfried, Francis. “Empiricism.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 10 Jun. 2020, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05407a.htm.

[27] Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, pp. 194-95.

[28] Kwon, Lillian. “ELCA Opens Ordination to Noncelibate Homosexuals”, The Christian Post,

https://www.christianpost.com/news/elca-opens-ordination-to-noncelibate-homosexuals.html.

[29] Hodges, Sam. “Diverse leaders’ group offers separation plan”, UM News,

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/diverse-leaders-group-offers-separation-plan.

[30] Kuruvilla, Carol. “Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Embraces LGBT-Inclusive Definition Of Marriage”, The Huffington Post, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pcusa-lgbt-book-of-order_n_6885966.

[31] Martinez, Jessica. “Disciples of Christ Church Votes to Affirm Homosexuality, Transgenderism; Allows Openly Gay Leaders”, The Christian Post, https://www.christianpost.com/news/disciples-of-christ-church-votes-to-affirm-homosexuality-transgenderism-allows-openly-gay-leaders-100495/.

[32] “United Church of Christ endorses gay marriage”, NBC News, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8463741/ns/us_news/t/united-church-christ-endorses-gay-marriage/#.XuGlFzOSmUk.

[33] Comer, Matt. “Southern Moravians approve marriage for gay clergy, members”, Qnotes, https://goqnotes.com/59892/southern-moravians-approve-marriage-for-gay-clergy-members/.

[34] Smith, Samuel. “Mennonite Church USA’s Largest Conference Leaves Denomination Over Homosexuality”, The Christian Post, https://www.christianpost.com/news/mennonite-church-usas-largest-conference-leaves-denomination-over-homosexuality.html.

[35] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.4.10 (NPNF)

[36] Letter to the Corinthians 44 (ANF)

[37] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 4.14 (ANF)

[38] Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians 10 (ANF)

[39] John Chrysostom, Homily on St. Ignatius (NPNF)

[40] Eusebius, Church History 3.36 (ANF)

[41] Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians 2 (ANF)

[42] Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians 3 (ANF)

[43] Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 8 (ANQF)

[44] Hebrews 13:17 (KJV)

[45] Titus 1:5 (KJV)

[46] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 4.11.8 (ANF)

[47] Justin Martyr, The First Apology 66 (ANF)

[48] Justin Martyr, The First Apology, 65 (ANF)

[49] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 5.20 (ANF)

[50] Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.3 (ANF)

[51] Peterson, John Bertram. “Athenagoras.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 16 Jun. 2020, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02042b.htm.

[52] Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians 33 (ANF)

[53] Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians 33 (ANF)

[54] Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians 35 (ANF)

[55] Saltet, Louis. “St. Jerome.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 14 Jun. 2020, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08341a.htm.

[56] Jerome, Against Vigilantius 5 (NPNF)

[57] Jerome, Against Helvidius 2 (NPNF)

[58] Jerome, Against Vigilantius 6 (NPNF)

[59] Socrates, Ecclesiastical History 4.3 (NPNF)

[60] John Chrysostom, On the Priesthood 2.2 (NPNF)

[61] John Chrysostom, Homilies on First Corinthians 41.8 (NPNF)

[62] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 4 (NPNF)

[63] Portalié, Eugène. “Life of St. Augustine of Hippo.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 14 Jun. 2020, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm.

[64] Augustine, On Merit and the Forgiveness of Sins, and the Baptism of Infants 1.10 (NPNF)

[65] Augustine, The Handbook on Faith, Hope and Love 69 (NPNF)

[66] Augustine, Contra Faustum 20.21 (NPNF)

[67] Augustine, Of the Good of Marriage 32 (NPNF)

[68] Augustine, On Nature and Grace 42 (NPNF)

[69] Augustine, Homilies on the First Epistle of John 10.1 (NPNF)

[70] Augustine, Letters of St. Augustine of Hippo 98.9 (NPNF)

[71] Augustine, On Christian Doctrine 2.8 (NPNF)

[72] Augustine, Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus 5 (NPNF)

[73] Augustine, Letters of St. Augustine of Hippo 53.1.2 (NPNF)

[74] John Henry Newman, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine 1.5.3

Works Cited

Athenagoras. A Plea for the Christians. Translated by B.P. Pratten. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0205.htm.

Augustine. Against the Fundamental Epistle of Manichaeus. Translated by Richard Stothert. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 4. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1405.htm.

Augustine. Contra Faustum. Translated by Richard Stothert. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 4. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1406.htm.

Augustine. Homilies on the First Epistle of John. Translated by H. Browne. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 7. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1702.htm.

Augustine. Letters of St. Augustine of Hippo. Translated by J.G. Cunningham. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102.htm.

Augustine. Of the Good of Marriage. Translated by C.L. Cornish. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 3. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1309.htm.

Augustine. On Christian Doctrine. Translated by James Shaw. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 2. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1202.htm.

Augustine. On Merit and the Forgiveness of Sins, and the Baptism of Infants. Translated by Peter Holmes and Robert Ernest Wallis, and revised by Benjamin B. Warfield. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 5. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1501.htm.

Augustine. On Nature and Grace. Translated by Peter Holmes and Robert Ernest Wallis, and revised by Benjamin B. Warfield. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 5. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1503.htm.

Augustine. The Handbook on Faith, Hope and Love. Translated by J.F. Shaw. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 3. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1302.htm.

Blumhofer, Edith L. Restoring the Faith: The Assemblies of God, Pentecostalism, and American Culture. University of Illinois Press, 1993.

Eusebius. Church History. Translated by Arthur Cushman McGiffert. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 1. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1890.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2501.htm.

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11 Responses

  1. Hello I believe you either keep looking again for the truth , or put on a new set of glasses the Roman Catholic Church a swingers club for gay priests and Bishops. The Roman Catholic Nuns are also going through alot problems themselves with child abuse accusations. My advice to finding the true Church is look for its Holiness, you won’t find that in a Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church should be barred by United States of America from operating in this country, that Church is sick and perverted and dangerous for people spiritual growth and saftey.

    1. Unfortunately you gave no biblical reason, none, why the Catholic Church should be banned. Very unfortunate that you seem frustrated or clouded by worldly views or through criminal act(s) by few priests as representing beliefs of the One True (Universal) church. Please, please read church history, find out how the early church started, and why the Catholic Church was the first church started. Your research will inevitably lead you to the Catholic Church, or at least help you deal with why you’re frustrated. May God help carve a path for you in the discovery. We’re all learning to live like Christ. Yours in the service of the Lord.
      Benji

      1. The reason not in the Bible, the Roman Catholic Church runs itself like organized crime syndicate. Bribery of a California official, raping young children, extortion and so on I believe is a very good reason for shutting down this criminal organization.

  2. Protestants and Roman Catholics are just two sides of the same coin. The same pick and choose group.

    1. For people like Frank S., life sucks then you die. I have studied Catholic history for 40 years and so much is ugly. People are simply sinful. However, for every sinner, there is a Mother Teresa, St Vincent De Paul, and so many others. It’s always refreshing to read of someone’s road HOME. God Bless.

      1. You have one mother Therese, but you a whole Church filled with Child molestation, good choice of a Church. Maybe you can join in on the rest of them.

  3. Thank you for your testimony. I had a similar awakening a few years ago myself. I never wanted to be Catholic. Now I’m grateful to be in full communion with The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

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