What divides Christians? Very much and very little. We all agree that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, was born into 1st century Palestine to a Jewish virgin and…
In his conversion story the renowned Catholic philosopher and author, Dr. Peter Kreeft, recalls one fateful day in college. He was in “Church History” class. To stimulate thought-provoking discussion amongst his Calvinist students, the professor provocatively lamented at how absurd it would sound to the early Christians if they were to respond to the question “Who founded your Church?” with “John Calvin.” This controversial reflection stirred the mind of young Kreeft into a state of deep inquiry.
That day in class, Dr. Kreeft was compelled to ask a profoundly bold question; and that question catapulted him in the direction of the Catholic faith. His question went something like this:
If two Christians, a non-Catholic and a Catholic, could travel back in time to the earliest centuries of Christianity who would be more “at home”? The non-Catholic or the Catholic?
After a thorough critical investigation, the answer became clear. The early Church was Catholic, through and through. Although it was in a more primitive form, he found that the early Christian Church had a shocking resemblance to the Catholic Church of modern times. So he became Catholic. He had to. He loved Truth too much.
Have you ever wondered how in the world the early Christians endured such suffering at the hands of their persecutors — and with joy?
What was their secret?
Read More The Secret of the Early Martyrs
We Catholics do something that most Protestants think is quite strange: we pray to saints. That is, we plead the intercession of Christians who have died and gone to heaven before us (and angels, too). Our separated brethren often see this as unbiblical — a disservice to God. The objecting Protestant typically holds that this practice attributes to mere creatures what should only be attributed to the Creator – the ability to intercede for others before God. It is also seen as communicating with dead people, an abomination(Deut 18:11). In objection they quote the bolded portion of the following passage:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus…” (2 Tim 2:1-5 RSV)
How would you respond?
One day at work, a woman inquired about my religious background. I told her I was Catholic. She immediately responded by “warning” me about a couple things, including that God has commanded his people, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image…[and] Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them…” She bluntly pointed out that this is exactly what Catholics do and completed her untimely analysis by reminding me that God has strictly forbidden such idolatrous actions. She was a Jehovah’s Witness. I patiently listened, half-stunned and half-disappointed that I didn’t have time to engage her about this rather weak objection to Catholicism. Has anything like this ever happened to you?
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