Nat Crawford - Executive Coach, Speaker, Leader

Well, folks, this is the last week focusing on the areas of agreement and disagreement between Roman Catholics and Protestants. You can go back and read part 1  and part 2 to get caught up if you missed. As you can see there are some important areas of agreement and many pivotal areas of disagreement. This week, we'll look at the last of these areas of disagreement: Mariology and Purgatory. Mariology  - Catholics hold Mary, the mother of Jesus, in high esteem. They first believe Mary was a virgin before, during, and after Jesus' birth. Protestants and Catholics agree on Mary's virginity before Jesus' birth. Catholics believe Jesus' birth caused her no pain and no change in her womb or hymen. Catholics view of her permanent virginity is drawn from Scripture (Luke 1:34), tradition, and reason. Protestants use Scripture and common sense reject Catholics position. Next is the immaculate conception. Catholics believe Mary was free from the "stain of original ...

Last week we started looking at the areas of doctrinal disagreement between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. To read it, click here . There are some major differences in the areas of Scripture, infallibility of the pope, and justification. This week we'll look at our two more important topics: Sacramentalism (the sacraments) and Ecclesiology (the church).  Sacramentalism - The Catholic Church declared infallibly that the sacraments "of the New Law were not all instituted by Jesus Christ our Lord...let him be anathema." This excommunicates virtually all Protestants. Sacraments, or holy thing, has two aspects: the outward symbol and the grace it conveys. The Catholic Church states, "The sacraments...not only point externally to salvation; they contain and betwo the salvation they signify."  Catholics have seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, extreme unction, [holy] order, and matrimony. Baptism, communion, and holy orders hold importa...

Now we turn our focus to important areas of disagreement between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. The goal here is not to be divisive or to put down anyone. Rather it is to take an honest look at the key differences and why each denomination holds to their views. On that note, let the fun begin. Apocrypha - A serious divide between Catholics and Protestants is over the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha is an additional eleven pieces of text that the Roman Catholic Church add to the Protestant canon of Scripture. It was adopted and made infallible at th Council of Trent in1546. Any who reject these are anathema. Issues are both doctrinal and canonical. Doctrinally the Apocrypha supports prayers for the dead resulting in a belief in purgatory. Canonically the Apocrypha does not test the true test of canonicity. Catholics support the Apocrypha for eleven reasons: 1) There is reference to events mentioned and mirrors some general thoughts found in it. 2) The New Testament quotes the Septua...