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...

Last week we started looking at the areas of doctrinal agreement between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. To read it, click here. We saw there is much agreement about revelation of Scripture, God, and human beings. We also observed a good amount of agreement on mankind. This week we'll look at our agreement about Christ, Salvation, the Church, ethics and last things. Christ - Both Catholics and evangelicals share a creedal sources, Athanasian and Chalcedonian, for the doctrine of Christ. Central to theology of Christ is He was Son of God, who became man to redeem humans to God. This redemption was through is death and resurrection.Christ is found in the Old Testament through prophecy and would be through three offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. It is by the Old Testament that Christ and His work is understood, thus central to the New Testament. To understand Christ, one must understand both the deity of Christ and the humanity of Christ. Jesus was wholly God as well as the So...