Lutheran/Roman Catholic Ecumenism

LUTHERAN/ROMAN CATHOLIC ECUMENISM

The May 1998 Forum Letter, published by the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, says that reunion with the Roman Catholic Church is inevitable (Christian News, May 11, 1998). It also reports that three more Lutheran theologians have joined the Roman Catholic Church. These are David Gustafson, Jennifer Ferrara, and Patricia Ireland (not the Patricia Ireland who heads up the National Organization for Woman). The Forum Letter also reported that prominent Lutheran theologian Dr. Jaroslav Pelikan has joined the Orthodox Church. Christian News also notes that Lutheran leaders Dr. Robert Wilkin and Raymond Schulze have also joined the Catholic Church.

In 1990 well-known Lutheran theologian Richard Neuhaus joined the Roman Catholic Church. He had been heading in that direction for a long time. In 1984 he was the first Lutheran to preach from the pulpit of a Catholic cathedral. That same year Neuhaus stated that he believed that by the year 2000 most Lutherans would be reunited with Rome under some form of the papacy. In 1988 Neuhaus published "The Catholic Moment: The Paradox of the Church in the Modern World," in which he praised Pope John Paul II and said that the Catholic Church can and should lead the "church" in proclaiming the Gospel. Obviously Neuhaus, who denies eternal Hell, does not himself know the Gospel of Jesus Christ and does not recognize false gospels. He also has no idea what a New Testament apostolic church is. In 1992 the deluded Neuhaus was one of the signers of "Evangelical and Catholics Together." Other signatories included Pat Robertson, J.I. Packer, Bill Bright, and Charles Colson. These "evangelical" leaders claim that it is important for Bible-believing Christians to join hands with Rome in order to turn back the darkness of paganism. They blindly fail to recognize that Rome herself is a form of paganism and that wherever Rome has held sway over men's lives she has not produced true biblical morality. Wherever Rome holds sway in a land there is widespread immorality, occultism, and atheism. Spiritual darkness cannot produce light. Even Rome's "pastors" have no power to live godly lives and have scandalized the name of Christ by their godless behavior.

All of these former Lutheran theologians who have joined Rome are modernists who deny the infallibility of Holy Scripture. Having rejected the authority of the Bible, they have been deluded into accepting the "authority" of the papacy. Not only are they comfortable with Rome's blasphemous dogmas, but they are comfortable with the theological modernism which controls most Catholic seminaries. Christian News editor Herman Otten, a conservative Lutheran, writes:

"Christian News has often shown that the Roman Catholic Church today, while sounding far more irenic or loving, is actually further away from historic Christianity than it was at the time of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Five hundred years ago Rome did not tolerate theologians who attacked the inerrancy of the Bible, the Virgin Birth of Christ, the physical resurrection of Christ, etc."

Martin Luther should have submitted to scriptural baptism and joined a New Testament ana-baptist congregation in his day instead of establishing a man-made religious institution and thereby bringing more confusion into the world of Christianity.

Rome's daughters are coming home. The end-time one-world "church" continues to form before our eyes.

"But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 17-21)

by David Cloud