Refuting Mike Gendron's "Are Catholics Deceived?"

Mike Gendron will be quoted in black; my responses will be in red.

Deception will always be exposed by Truth. Have you ever realized that you could be deceived and not even be aware of it? Those who are deceived will never know it unless they are confronted with the truth. Many go to their grave deceived about the most important issue we all face, and that is, locating the narrow road that leads to eternal life. Who are you trusting to show you the way and the truth to eternal life? What is your source for truth? Is it absolutely trustworthy? Will it protect you from the schemes and lies of the master deceiver?   The prophet Jeremiah gave us wise counsel for choosing whom we should trust. He said if you trust in man you will be cursed liked a bush in the parched places of the desert. But if you trust in God you will be blessed. You will be like a tree planted by water always bearing fruit, whose leaves are always green. No worries or fears will come upon you in a year of drought or when the heat comes (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

Amen, Mike!  And here, we are about to see that truth will expose the deception you have put forward, whether intentionally or not.  It’s interesting here that, while Gendron is about to launch into decrying Catholics for trusting “in man”, as he’d have you believe, the entire article he wants us to trust and accept as being truthful is written by...God?  No....by a man. So, how trustworthy is Mike Gendron?  Let’s find out.

Who will you trust? Many people disregard Jeremiah's advice and put their trust in religious leaders. Catholics believe that the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church accurately teach what Jesus and His Word reveal. This can be a fatal mistake.

Hold it.  It can be a mistake to trust that God was telling the truth when, after establishing His Church on earth He said that He would guide it in all Truth?  Jesus said He would establish a Church (Mt 16:18-19) and that the Holy Spirit would guide it in all Truth for all ages in the very voice of Christ (Jn 16:13, Jn 14:26, Lk 10:16, Mt 28:20).  Are we not to trust God that the Church is the pillar and bulwark...the support and defender...of truth?  Would Gendron have us believe that 1Tim 3:15 is wrong?   It seems to me that the issue here is that Gendron has an unbiblical view of what God’s Church is and he thinks God only established an invisible body of believers...another topic for another day I suppose.

Those who disregard the objective truth of the Bible and rely only on the subjective teachings of men leave themselves open to deception.

“...subjective teachings of men...” like....Mike Gendron?  Or does Mike enjoy the gift of infallibility?  You see, at the very best, when it comes down to it, the very best Mike can hope for when interpreting or seeking to understand the Bible, is a fallible disagreement with the Catholic view.    If he claims his understanding is THE correct one, then he has set himself up as an authority, and is now completely contradicting himself.

We know God would never deceive anyone because He wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth (l Timothy 2:3). He gave us His Word so we could know, understand and believe the truth (John 17:17).
AMEN! We also know that God gave us a Church (Mt 16:18-19), that we are to go to this Church when an unresolvable issue arises (Mt 18:17-18) and that His Church is the pillar and bulwark of Truth (1Tim 3:15).  We also know that His Word, Christ (Jn chapter 1) is not limited to what is written (Jn 1:1 and Jn 21:25) and that He also left us with His Sacred teachings passed down in a way other than in written form (Rom 10:17, 2Thess 2:15, 2Tim 1:13, 2Tim 2:2).

Would the Pope have a person believe what is not true? Maybe not intentionally, but what if he was deceived by previous popes who were also deceived? How do we know if any of the pope's teachings or dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church are true? The only way we can be 100% sure is to do as the Bereans did --- check everything with the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). If the apostle Paul's teaching had to be verified for its truthfulness, it stands to reason we must use the same standard for any religious leader.

Would Mr. Gendron have us believe that he, as opposed to any Pope, cannot deceive or be deceived, even unintentionally?  The question can be asked of any man:  how do we know if their teachings are true?  I would pose another question:  Where does the Bible say we should go for an infallible answer?  It says, “the Church” (Mt 18: 17-18, 1Tim 3:15, Jn 16:13).

Further, Gendron misapplies the story of the Bereans.  If you read the first part of the story in Acts 17 (verses 1-10), you will see the reason why the Bereans are called “more noble”.  It’s because they received Paul’s spoken words.  You see, those in Thessalonica adhered ONLY to Scriptures and rejected Paul’s preaching.  They were “sola Scripturists” of the 1st century.  His preaching did not match their beliefs about Scripture, so they rejected his preaching.  Yet it is the Bereans, who accepted his preaching compared it to the Scriptures (Scripture + Tradiditon) that were “more noble”.  They accepted the spoken Truth, and THEN checked to see how it applied to the written Truth.  This story in Acts 17:1-11, in my opinion, is a strong argument AGAINST sola Scriptura.

Unfortunately the elevation of tradition along with infallible teachings of popes to the same authority as Sacred Scripture has allowed deception to go unabated in the Roman Catholic Church. Popes and their teachings constantly change, whereas Jesus and His Word are constant and never change.

Hang on a minute. Is Mike saying that Scripture (the Bible) is an authority?  Now, I know that God’s Word is Authority...but to say that Scripture is God’s Word, doesn’t that require an Authority to infallibly declare what is/isn’t God’s Word in the first place?  Afterall, not even Scripture tells us which books belong in Scripture.  And if the Authority that told us which ones do belong is not an infallible Authority, then we can’t really trust that our Bible really is the Word of God, can we?  Fortunately for us, it was Christ, not the Church, that elevated Sacred Tradition and the Church (the Magesterium) as an Authority (Mt 18:17-18; Lk 10:16; Jn 20:21:23; Mt 28:18-20; 1Cor 11:23-24). 

The Apostle Paul revealed the source of all deception, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). You may be familiar with some common deceptions taught by religious leaders today: heaven is a reward for those who live good lives...

Yep, that would certainly be a falsehood.  Thankfully, the Catholic Church does not teach that.

water baptism is necessary for salvation...

Hmm...is he accusing Jesus Christ of teaching a deception?!  Jesus said that Baptism IS necessary for salvation (Jn 3:5, cf. Jn 3:22, Mk 16:16).  In fact, Scripture could not be more clear!  Col 2:11-12, 1Pet 3:21, Acts 3:28, Acts 22:16, Rom 6:3-4, etc...).  In fact, John Calvin pointed out in the 16th century that it was none other than a deception of Satan to deny infants a Christian Baptism.  I wonder if Gendron would explain his position on the man-made tradition of denying Baptism to infants, or in claiming that Baptism is NOT necessary for salvation, and cite an early Christian source (including the Bible) where Christians denied Baptism to infants or believed it to NOT be necessary?  I have a strong hunch he won't find anything pre-dating the 16th century, except where Christians were refuting these non-Christian positions.

purgatory purges and removes sin...

So, is he concerned about purgatory, per se, or with what purgatory *does*?  At any rate, we know there is temporal punishment for sin, even after forgiveness (2Sam 12:13-14) and that we all fall short (James 3:2) and that some who are NOT damned can suffer loss as through fire (1Cor 3:15) and that nothing unclean can enter Heaven (Rev 21:27).  So, I’m not sure what point he’s trying to make here.  Scripture is clear that we will be made clean and purged of all uncleanness.  A place/process where a “purging” takes place prior to entering into Heaven seems pretty darn Biblical to me.

....the sacrifice of the Mass can turn away God's wrath on sinners...

I wonder if there is some source he was planning on providing to his readers so they could verify his claims.  Surely he wouldn’t stoop so low as to make stuff up that isn’t true just on his own whim.  Surely he read this somewhere, right?  Source Please!  Or maybe he is just resorting to deceptive tactics, using ambiguous terms to set up a strawman of sorts?  The Mass is the re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary, re-presented throughout all generations so that ALL may participate in it and that His may always obey His command to "do this as a commemoration of me" (Lk 22:19, 1 Cor 11:24).  

...God's grace can be earned and purchased.

Wow! I’m glad the Catholic Church doesn’t teach this one, either!  The fact that Gendron implies that the Church teaches this shows his lack of honesty in discussing the Catholic Faith. 

Satan has used lies like these to become the greatest "soul winner" in human history. For two thousand years, the master deceiver has perverted the Gospel of salvation by grace. His ferocious wolves, disguised in sheep's clothing, preach counterfeit gospels that seduce people who are ignorant of God's word (Matt. 7:15). A counterfeit Christianity is Satan's ultimate weapon, so he can, one day be worshipped as Christ. His worldwide religious system is taking shape and unfortunately it includes many people in our churches today.

I have to agree with Mike here, except for his last sentence.  It seems as though he insinuates that religion is only a tool of the devil...that God did not give us a religion.  Perhaps his definition of “religion” is different?

All this should come as no surprise to those who know the Scriptures. For this scenario was revealed by Christ and the apostles as a warning of things to come. Jesus announced that right before His second coming the deception will be so convincing that even the elect might be deceived (Matt. 24:4,11,24). The deceit will come from false prophets, false teachers and false Christs, who will snare people from both inside and outside the church. Peter warned people of spiritual deception, "There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies...and will bring the way of truth into disrepute" (2 Peter 2:1-2).

[snipped from end and placed here...since it follows the same line of thought]...There are consequences for those who do not seek God's truth through His Word. Those people who blindly put their faith in religious leaders are most susceptible to deception. Many assume that religious leaders would never seduce anyone with a false plan of salvation. Yet Luke warned, "Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:30).
Other people choose not to let truth interfere with their lives. They turn away from it and listen to teachers who say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim. 4:2-4). Truth demands a response. The choice is to believe it and conform, or reject it and go our stubborn way.

There are people who are devoted to God, but do not know Him personally because religious leaders conceal the source and authority of truth. People who have been indoctrinated with false teaching have difficulty believing the truth. They are always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth (2 Tim. 3:7). Acknowledging the truth requires a "turning away" from all unbiblical doctrines....[end snip]

Oh, the irony, that anyone who knows Scripture and actual Catholic Doctrine will know that there is NOTHING in Scripture contrary to Church teaching, or vice versa, and that no Christian group/denomination/etc...is immune from deceiving or being deceived by their own leaders, especially when they reject the Authority of the Church Christ established and rely on their own personal interpretations of Scripture (2Pet 1:20), potentially twisting it to their own destruction (2Pet 3:15-16).

Satan uses deception to prevent people from being saved. God uses the truth to proclaim salvation to all who believe it. Man is either saved by believing God's truth (Ephesians 1:13) or condemned by believing Satan's lie. Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers by perverting God's truth through false religious systems (2 Corinthians 4:4). Any religion that teaches salvation is obtained through human effort and merit is nullifying the grace of God to its followers. We are saved by grace, "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works, if it were, grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6).

It’s a good thing we have Christ’s Church to be the pillar and bulwark of Truth (1Tim 3:15) for us and the Holy Spirit working in that Church (Jn 16:13) to guide us to all Truth through that Church (Jn 14:26).  

The truth will set you free. How can we avoid falling prey to these subtle and scheming impostors? Our only defense is to experience the emancipating truth of Scripture (John 8:32).

Wait a minute!  Mike just talked about consequences  for those who don't seek truth through God's Word, and for deception.  Yet here he is making God's Word say what Mike wants it to say...deceiving his own followers.  Jn 8:32 doesn't say “Scripture”.   Obviously, we know the Scriptures are part of Truth.  But to replace words based on our own fallible beliefs, as Mike has just done here, is deception (though, perhaps unintentional, right Mike?).  Let’s see what this passage actually says:
“...[A]nd you shall know the [Scriptures], and the [Bible] shall make you free.”  No!  No, it doesn’t say that at all!  It says, “...and you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free.”  (Jn 8:32)  I don't see anywhere where TRUTH is made equivalent to “Scripture”...as though it's the sole source of Truth.  Where does the Bible say that Scripture is the sole source of Truth, Mike?   Maybe he meant to include Jn 8:31, “Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine...”.  Even still, I don’t see anywhere in Scripture that says “My Word” is equal to “Scripture” [ONLY Scripture].  Nowhere at all.  In fact, the only Word spread among the disciples prior to the writing of the NT was His SPOKEN Word.  I don’t see anywhere where He says to write His Words down anywhere.  Gendron doesn’t expect that we should believe that Christ means ONLY the written Word here does he?  Because that isn’t what Christ said...and we only want to believe what Christ said...right?!

We must know and live the truth.

Amen!

All teaching must be filtered through God's Word.

Hmmm...I could almost agree here, except I have a suspicion that Gendron’s definition of “God’s Word” is limited to ONLY what has been written in Scripture.  In that case, I’d like to see a Bible verse that explicitly states we are to use the "Bible alone" for this purpose.  (Such a verse doesn’t exist.)

We are to use the Bible to lovingly correct and rebuke all teaching that contradicts God's inspired word (2 Tim. 3:16).

Sounds good (minus Mike's man-made tradition of sola Scriptura being implied).  So, what does that verse ACTUALLY say?  It says all Scripture is “profitable” or “useful” for such...but Gendron’s statement seems to suggest that it is ALL we are to use, or that Scripture is “sufficient”, or that we “must” use it.  The problem there is that, this isn’t what the Bible says.  In fact, if it weren't for an authoritative Church, we would not know which Scriptures belonged in the Canon of the Bible in the first place.

The Scriptures must become our ultimate authority in all areas of our faith.

Does "ultimate" equal "sole" source of authority?  Really, no matter how he spins it, this ends up being the man-made tradition of sola Scriptura...invented by a man in the 16th century.  And if Scripture is the “sole” authority, then the person making this claim must necessarily show where Scripture explicitly states this...and it doesn’t even hint at it.  God's WORD (Christ) is our authority.  And God, Himself, in the Person of Christ, has chosen to give us His Word both orally and in writing, through the authority of His Church.  Jesus, Himself, said that it is the Church which is this authority (Mt 18:15-17, Mt 18:18, Jn 20:21-23, Lk 10:16). 

We must cling to Jesus who came to testify to the truth (John 18:37) and who is the truth (John 14:6). We are to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around our waists (Eph. 6:14). It is through living the truth that we are sanctified (John 17:17). Does the church where you worship submit to the truth of the Gospel? It is of vital importance to God that you worship Him in truth (John 4:24).

Hurray for the Catholic Church which lives this daily!  No where else can we find a Church that fulfils the OT prophecy of Malachi 1:11, “ “For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, My Name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My Name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My Name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts. ”  Yep, “incense”, and a “pure” offering, offered every hour of every day in every nation...only in the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.


It was a lack of faith in God's purpose, plan and word that separated Adam and Eve and their offspring from God. They chose to put their faith in the deceiver, which brought spiritual and physical death to us all. How divine for God to use the very instrument that separated us from Him--faith, to restore us back to Him. It is now through faith in God that we receive His gift of spiritual and eternal life (Ephesians 2:8).

It was actually disobedience on the part of Adam and Eve, and pride that made them want more than what they had. So, Mike, define “Faith”.  I can guarantee that when you do, it will either result in an unbiblical theology, or a Catholic one.

The object of our faith determines who we are --- a child of the devil (John 8:43-45) or a child of God (John 1:12); how we live --- as slaves to sin, or slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16-18); and how we will spend eternity --- under the wrath of God or in his loving presence (John 3:36). Faith in anyone other than Jesus, and in anything other than His Word will allow deception to creep into our lives. Those who follow the traditions, opinions and philosophies of men and reject Christ and His Word will be condemned on the last day (John 12:48). By contrast how wonderful are the words of Christ that those who believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus and His Word teach...
  • You are saved by faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). (It’s actually “by grace yo uhaev been saved, through faith"...but whatever.  Mike, really?  Can you please stop misquoting God's Word?  And what about all the the other ways that Scripture says we are saved, like "repentance", and "baptism", and "eating His flesh and drinking His blood"?  NOW, please show us the verse that says “by faith alone”...(James 2:24).
  • All who rely on observing the law (commandments) are under a curse (Galatians 3:10). “Law” = “commandments”??  I’m not seeing where Scripture says that.  And what is the curse, according to Scripture?  Mike, do you believe that man must have to obey the 10 Commandments?
  • Salvation occurs at the moment you believe the Gospel (Ephesians 1:13). That’s a far stretch of that verse in its context, but look what it says:  we were included in Christ when we HEARD the message of truth and believed.  The spoken Word (Tradition)  has saved us, according to Mike's use of this passage.  
  • Jesus purifies sin (Hebrews 1:3). AMEN!
  • You can know for sure you are saved (1 John 5:13). ...have been saved, are saved, are being saved...working out salvation with fear and trembling.  Scripture, when taken as a whole, flatly rejects assurance of salvation.
  • The sacrifice of Jesus is finished (John 19:30).  Yet we are commanded to commemorate it and participate in it...amen!  And how exactly are people of ALL generations, through ALL time supposed to participate in this once-for-all sacrifice?  The Mass, of course!

The Pope and his church teach...
  • You are saved by faith plus works. More appropriately called “faith working through love”, yet Mike has misrepresented the Church AGAIN...this time explicitly.  The Catholic Church teaches we are saved by grace, through faith, working in love, just like the Bible says...Gal 5:4-6, cf. James 2:14-24.
  • Obedience to the commandments is a condition for salvation. Hmm...I’d like to see the actual Church teaching he is referring to...too bad he didn’t provide that source to support his assertion or to show the context of the teaching he may be referring to.  Mike, do you believe that Christians are bound to the 10 Commandments?  Or is it okay to, for example, murder someone, or worship a false idol?
  • Salvation is a process from baptism through purgatory.  Huh?  Seriously...where is the source for this?  Mike, you have a bad habit of telling lies about the Catholic faith.  I hope you are doing this out of gross ignorance, as opposed to intentionally.  But as often as you have been corrected, it seems hard to believe that you are not doing this on purpose. 
  • Purgatory purifies sin.  Well, purgatory is a purging, as it were, such as that demonstrated in Scripture.  I guess you can call it what you want to, but the Church gave it the name "Purgatory" since that's it's function.  It's a means by which we experience temporal punishment prior to entering into Heaven.  Afterall, nothing unclean can enter Heaven, right?
  • You are condemned if you claim to be saved.  Again, WHAT?  This is blatant misrepresentation...a lie.  Apparently Mike really does believe we don't have to obey God's commandments...because one of them was a prohibition against baring false witness; and this is a false witness by Mike. 
  • The sacrifice of Jesus continues in daily Mass.  No, it is commemorated...a re-presentation of the once=for=all sacrifice on the cross, just like Jesus said to do in Luke 22:19 (cf. 1Cor 11:24).
  • As you can see these two teachings [false dichotomies Mike invented, and false witness that Mike has put in writing] directly oppose one another. You must make the choice as to which is true and which is deception. Your choice will determine your eternal destiny.  And being solidly steeped in Scripture, and having an honest desire to seek Truth, wherever it may lead, will help in making that choice.

Comments

  1. Hmm... Sounds like Gendron is just another protestant who conveniently forgets it is the Church who gave us the bible - not the other way around.

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  2. A little history on Mike Gendron...he's a cradle-Catholic (according to his bio) who was later saved from the "errors" of "Romanism". Yet much of what he asserts about the Catholic Faith is, well, just plain wrong...misconceptions about what we really believe, etc... His sincerity (or not) aside, this should scream out to every Catholic, especially parents, of the importance of proper catechesis. It's one thing to KNOW the Faith and reject it on its own merit...quite an unfortunate other thing to reject it based on a misunderstanding or an ignorance of what we really believe.

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  4. Anonymous Discerner,


    In response to my questioning of Gendron claiming that the Church teaches that "...the sacrifice of the Mass can turn away God's wrath on sinners..." you posted a You Tube video. I watched it and honed in on 9:50 as you suggested.

    (I did not post your comment with the link because I do not advertise for intentional misrepresentation of Catholic Doctrine. I asked for the Catholic teaching, not the non-Catholic misrepresentation of Catholic teaching. If you want to show the Catholic teaching, show me from an authentic Catholic source.)

    Anyway, one must keep in mind context. The YouTube video you posted presents the Mass as a re-sacrifice of Christ. The problem there is that the Mass is NOT such. It is a commemoration of Christ's once-for-all Sacrifice, just like Christ tells us to do when He says, "do this in remembrance [in commemoration] of Me".

    Authentic Catholic teaching on this Catholic Doctrine please, if you wish to discuss the Mass.

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    1. Anonymous Discerner, I apologize that I forgot to address your question. You asked whether the Mass was a propitiation...whether the Mass does in fact turn God's wrath away from the sinner through an offering.

      The answer is: it depends on what you mean by "wrath", and how you understand what "God's wrath" is and isn't. I can't do any justice to an explanation here...it's rather beyond my experience and eduication. But here is an excellent article that delves deeply into two views of this topic (I believe you will find this to be very even-handed):

      http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2012/08/imputation-and-paradigms-a-reply-to-nicholas-batzig/

      In Christ,
      Dave

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    2. ...and here is a much shorter explanation, taken from a thread I started at Catholic Answers Forums on this very question:

      http://forums.catholic.com/showpost.php?p=10722863&postcount=9

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  5. I would partly agree and partly disagree. First, it WAS a Catholic council that decided the canon of Scripture. That is certainly a point in favor of the Catholic view.

    However, 2 Timothy 3:16 does not only refer to the spoken word. It appears to refer to the written Scriptures -- in fact, the root word of "scripture" MEANS writing. Specifically, it refers to the Septuagint which the apostles used as their source for the teachings of what is now the Old Testament. In fact, this verse is a strong argument for including the apocryphal books that have been left out of the Protestant canon.

    Scripture alone should be enough for a person to be saved. No spoken word from God can contradict it because God cannot lie or contradict himself. The role of Tradition - as well as the confessions or statements of faith that exist in many protestant sects - is to guide the interpretation of Scripture, not to replace it.

    I also agree that the church Christ established was the Catholic church. I would say, however, that the Reformation was the Catholic Church's temporal punishment for its corruption, and that if God can work (and even bring the Messiah) through kings even though his will was to have judges, and if his grace, once rejected by the Jews, can pass to the Gentiles, then he can also work through non-Catholic churches to save people and to promote righteousness and justice in the world. And indeed he IS working and saving millions of people through the evangelical churches - just as Satan is working through false teachers like Fr. James Martin (Society of Misrepresenting Jesus) to deceive, if it were possible, even the elect. The failure of the Vatican to properly discipline heretics like him says a lot about its own corruption, and I believe that goes all the way to antipope Francis himself. You may not like what Mr. Gendron says about the church vs the Bible, but you have to admit his concerns about the antipope and some of his controversial quotes are well-taken.

    Finally, on the point of faith vs works, you are right that salvation is by God's grace. Our faith in God makes that salvation available to us, and works are the evidence of salvation. Those who say we are saved BY works get it backward: we are not saved because we do godly works; we do godly works because we are saved. I would agree, though, that the Scriptures teach that obedience is necessary to maintain salvation, and that salvation can be lost through apostasy or blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I think the one who came closest to the truth on that point was Arminius. So I end up believing in neither the once-saved-always-saved theology Gendron seems to advocate nor in the revolving-door salvation taught by Catholic and Wesleyan churches. On the contrary, the Scriptures say loss of salvation is FINAL. It cannot be undone. Fortunately, it cannot happen inadvertently; apostasy and blasphemy are very intentional acts.

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    1. Hi, Mike. 2Tim 3:16 certainly refers to written Scriptures. I don't remember saying it only referred to the spoken Word, but I also recognize that my responses (in the original post) are not all too well put-together. This may have been my very first attempt to refute someone's false portrayal of the Catholic faith (and that was before I had ever intended this site to become a "blog"; it was originally just a reference place for me to go as needed.)

      Interestingly, the "role of Tradition" is also to rightly interpret Scripture, to settle disputes in that regard, and preceded the Scriptures (the NT Canon, at least). Of course it doesn't replace it. No one said it does. That would be like saying God's spoken Word replaces the spoken Word that was written. Nonsensical, right? ;-)

      It's not that I don't like what Mr. Gendron says about the Church, when he correctly represents the facts. I do have a problem with his blatant and continued misrepresentation about what we actually believe. It's dishonest. And that is why I originally posted this article; to attempt to set the facts straight. He really does pose a false dichotomy.

      Whether Pope Francis is an "antipope" isn't for you or me to decide. While I take issue with him on a number of issues, he is still in the Chair of Peter, and I respect the Office, because it was established by Christ, Himself. Good person or bad person sitting in that chair...doesn't really matter in regards to what the Church really is, and Who established it.

      I don't pretend to understand all the nuances regarding "salvation", particularly because lots of people decide they want to have their own definitions for "salvation", and "works" and "faith" and "saving faith", etc. Scripture is clear that we are saved by grace, working through love. Scripture is equally clear that faith apart from works is dead. Scripture is equally clear regarding sin that is mortal, and sin that is not, and that Christ gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and I don't see it as a revolving door anymore than I see sinners as revolving sinners.

      At the end of the day, we, and millions of other people, may disagree on what such-n-such means in the Scriptures. Thanks be to God that He gave us His Church to guide us in that and to settle such disputes, lest we end up wasting our own personal time on them (Tit 3:9).

      May the peace of Christ be with you, brother!

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    2. I should add, in regards to Reconciliation, it is a true blessing to have. Nowhere else in the world can you KNOW you are forgiven for sins you have committed. I hear from people all the time who tell God they are sorry for [whatever] and they *think* they feel His forgiveness...sometime they are even really certain about it. But then, doubt sets in. Not so in the Catholic confessional. When the Priest says, "...and I absolve you of your sins...", there is no doubt whatsoever.

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    3. Thank you David. Glad am NOT the only one who is wearied by the Protestant misrepresentation of Catholic beliefs. Often I just pray about it and let it go but this time, when I heard him on Jan Markle's radio channel, I thought that a disenchanted Catholic like himself is not the right person to measure the TRUTH of what we believe. So happy I came across your blog. Thanks.

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  6. saw a couple of Mike's recent videos. Most of his presentations are the same from start to end, word for word, and even inflection has not changed over the years. Well until a couple of months ago when he started telling his audience that He and his uncle "Cocelebrated" (sic) Mass with Padre Pio when Mike was 13 or 14. In a second video he described himself as a good friend of Padre Pio who after he became a protestant discovered Padre Pio was a fraud. He also tells a story of how he saw Padre Pio at his window waving at souls Padre Pio released from heaven.
    After hearing this I wrote a series of emails to Mike who admitted that he does not speak Italian and while his uncle passed away he did not speak Italian either.
    While he could have been to San Giovanni the Monastery Padre Pio lived in, it would seem nothing short of a miracle that he and his uncle "Cocelebrated" with Padre Pio. Padre Pio died in 1968 before the Ordinary Form of the Mass was approved and Con-celebration became licit. From 1964-1968 Con-celebration was traditionally only permitted by newly ordained priests at their ordination Mass when they knelt at the foot of the altar and offered the Mass with the bishop who had just ordained him. The second occurrence was when a Bishop was consecrated and con-celebrated with the Bishop who consecrated him and his (usually two) co-consecrators, all at different altars near the primary altar. In 1964 until 1970 Con-Celebration was also permitted at Major events like General Chapters (formal meetings of Religious Orders with a large group of members of the order) So Padre Pio who until his death used the Pre-Vatican II Missal and followed the Rubrics of the Mass closely, would not have con-celebrated as it was forbidden in the Latin Rite.
    As to being a close friend of Padre Pio as he claims, it's possible if his uncle met Padre Pio, he could have spoken Latin with him, but Mike not speaking Italian or Latin, and the schedule Padre Pio kept (he could take two to four hours to celebrate Mass because he was so engaged in the rite) and several up to seven or eight hours a day in the confessional hearing confessions in Latin or Italian (the two languages Padre Pio spoke) It seem unlikely Mike would be a close friend of Padre Pio as he claims. Gee if he is making up stories about Padre Pio his buddy and pal, I wonder if he could be making things up about other things.

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  7. You write that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15) but you fail to note that Jesus said his Father's words are truth (John 17:17). Thus, Jesus tells us what the truth is; it's God's word. The church is to guard the written word of God, and neither add to it or subtract from it. Traditions of the church cannot attain to the same authority as God's written word which is truth according to Christ. Jesus said his words are 'spirit and they are life'. The Bible is plain about the command to not add to its words through the teachings and traditions of man. The church received its commission to guard the written Word, not change it or add to it. The Book of Revelation finished the revelation given to us and completed the written word and gives us the final warning of not adding to it (Revelation 22:18-19). 'No early church council decided on the canon. It was God, and God alone, who determined which books belonged in the Bible. It was simply a matter of God’s imparting to His followers what He had already decided. The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.'

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    1. “You write that the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15) but you fail to note that Jesus said his Father's words are truth (John 17:17)...”

      Well, I didn’t write that, God did…in 1Tim 3:15. God’s Word, not mine, is that the church is the pillar and foundation (or “bulwark” or “ground” in various translations) of truth. So, you should take this argument to God is you disagree with it. And I didn’t “fail to note” that God’s Word is truth; I simply noted God’s Word (which is truth) tells us that the church is the pillar and foundation/bulwark/ground of truth.
      I agree that it was God who determined which books belong in the Canon of Scripture. And He did this via His church which he established, who did in fact decide on the Canon (guided by God). And this makes perfect sense because, as God said, His church is the pillar and foundation of truth. (And again, you can disagree with that if you want, but it’s God with whom you disagree….not me…those are His words.)

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