Dear Bill

Chapter six

My very first public assignment: “Write a book.” Just like that.

I was maybe five years old in the Lord. I had been rebuffed by the core group of our People of Faith catholic charismatic prayer community because of the sin of leaving the catholic religion. (It was hoped this rebuff would conciliate their apprehensive bishop.)

So there I was, stretched out on our sofa, complaining to the Lord that I seemed to be the only one with nothing to do. Just plain bored. And then, “Write a book.” I sat up; it had been so long since I heard from the Lord.

Being my first assignment, I wanted to make it real good. I prayed in tongues for maybe a month or two, asking the interpretation be given in the form of my book. This excerpt from the preface is as relevant today as it was four-plus decades ago….

Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but rather powers and principalities of darkness in which the sword of the Spirit is our most potent weapon, and softening or altering it for the sake of accommodation, or being double-minded in our allegiance, will certainly dull its edges. We are in a battle of good verses evil, truth verses lie, and compromise, while bringing momentary reprieve, weakens the awesome power of Truth, and the cause of Christ suffers.

Compromise. How skillfully we compromise. The more we do it, the more we do it; drinking from its cup makes us thirsty for more. Every christian community is pressured to compromise, and to those capitulating it becomes a way of life. Compromise insults God. Compromise is a return ticket to the yoke of slavery.

I titled the book “A Catholic No More”. It is a message to the many catholics who received Christ during what was (deceptively) tagged ‘the catholic charismatic renewal’ and since returned to their catholic “yoke of bondage”. I termed this phenomena ‘the charismatic cycle’.

When I exchanged catholicism for evangelicalism I thought I would be safe. I wasn’t. Compromise was prevalent. While catholics called their man Father Whoever, evangelicals called him Pastor Whoever. Both had a hierarchical order of government. Both claimed allegiance to the bible they blatantly disobeyed. Both regularly fleeced their sheep (though evangelicalism did so much more efficiently).

“A Catholic No More” is constructed on Matthew 7:24-26….

Jesus: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

My brother, my contention is this: Evangelicalism is not “these sayings of ” Lord Jesus. The buildings, the salaries, the hierarchy, and many etceteras cannot be traced to red words of the New Testament, not even the black words.

Should a catholic make a decision to build on Christ’s words (which includes the entire bible) he/she would no longer be a catholic. And should an evangelical make a decision to build on Christ’s words, he/she would no longer be an evangelical. What would they be?…. Jesus-and-me disciples of Christ.

A catholic priest, now with Jesus, was an amazing example of a servant of Christ. After he gave and gave, he gave some more. Even when no longer catholic, I had to admit he was endued with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Plus he was possibly the most authentic and accomplished orator I ever heard – not because he endeavoured to be, but simply because of his passion for Christ and Christ’s righteousness. But….

But not only was he an ambassador of Christ, he was an ambassador of catholicism. By example, he preached Christ; by example he preached his religion. Though he blessed more than most, he injured more than most. How? His fine attributes were attributed to his religion, making the catholic more catholic and escape from that religion less likely.

I think you know where I am going. You are powerful, influential. You speak, multitudes hear. You are an ambassador of Jesus Christ. You demonstrate the power of God. You are in many ways an example to be imitated. But, but but….

You are also an ambassador of your religion. (And by extension, an ambassador of every christianized religion.) Your ‘success’ is misconstrued evidence Jesus was mistaken when He said the house built on sand will fall; it really is safe to build on traditions of men.

My priest friend once said (paraphrasing): “I don’t accept anything that doesn’t have some reference in the bible.” How can a catholic priest make such a statement? Simple…. stretch, manipulate, misquote, ignore…. just like their evangelical counterparts.

An evangelical might have challenged this priest by asking, for example,“But how can you allow your people to call you ‘Father’ knowing Jesus said, ‘Do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father?’” To which he could respond, for example, “How can you have church membership when the word ‘membership’ can’t be found in the bible you claim to obey?”

Both catholicism and evangelicalism only make sense to the person who realizes that neither are not built on God’s bible.

NOTE: “A Catholic No More” can be located at www.larryjones.ca