A Roman Catholic Praetorian Guard

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Colson Calls for Common

Ground Against Postmodern

Secular Naturalism 

 

On the second day of the symposium Colson widened the discussion to include ‘the possibilities for greater understanding and unity on the issues where there was common ground instead of fighting about denominational differences that divided them. Those differences were far less important than the urgent need to champion the biblical worldview of God’s creating and redeeming work against the growing postmodernist view of militantly secular naturalism.” Ibid., 380.

 

RCs Have Sense of “Being Led”

This caused the dynamic of the meeting to change. The 24 Roman Catholic and evangelical particants had a sense that they were “being led.” Ibid.

 

Colson Encounters “Direct

Personal Experience of the Power

of the Holy Spirit,’” Calls for

Bold Statement

That afternoon Colson ‘encountered what he believed to be ‘a direct personal experience of the power of the Holy Spirit.’ Describing this phenomenon in a letter to Neuhaus two days after the meeting. Colson wrote:

‘Somewhere during the second afternoon I sensed a real moving of God’s Spirit. I think we all became aware that perhaps this was not just another symposium but that we might be, as you put it, on the edge of something very historic, an opportunity, a window in time if you will. Dare we believe that God is calling us to make a bold statement that could influence the course of His church in the decades to come?’” Ibid., 380, 381.

 

Colson “On Fire”

Colson got very enthusiastic and “on fire’ and declared in ringing tones, “’Together we can do it!’” Ibid. Colson put this down to ‘the Holy Spirit in the room, ‘inspiring us, driving us all forward.’” Ibid. The Jesuit Avery Dulles was present.

 

ECT Drafting Committee Drafts

Initial Statement

The next few months the ECT drafting committee met regularly to prepare an initial statement for public endorsement. The committee consisted of Colson, Neuhaus, Kent Hill (a leading evangelical theologian) and George Weigel (the pope’s biographer).

 

ECT Convergence and

Cooperation 

 

The theme of ECT’s first public statement released in New York on March 29, 1994, was ‘” convergence and cooperation between Evangelicals and Catholics.’ The principle subheading of the statement – ‘We search together,’ ‘We affirm together,’ ‘We contend together,’ ‘We witness together.’…” Ibid.

 

Endorsed By RC Luminaries and

Evangelical Leaders

 

The statement was endorsed by Roman Catholic luminaries such as the Jesuit Avery Dulles, Cardinal John O’Connor of New York, Archbishop Francis Stafford of Denver, Michael Novak (another leading theocon), and Bishop Carlos Sevilla of San Francisco.  Evangelical leaders such as Pat Roberson also joined.

 

Evangelicals Initially Accuse

Colson of “Overturning the

Reformation,” Betraying

Justification, Attacking Gospel

 

But the initial backlash of evangelicals was terrific, accusing Colson of “overturning the Reformation,” “striking the most devastating blow against the gospel in the past 1,000 years,” and “betraying the doctrine of Justification by Faith.” R.C. Sproul and D. James Kennedy attacked fiercely. Colson argued back that the Catholic and Protestant interpretations of sola fide, (faith alone) could be reconciled, that he was not the betrayer or compromiser.

Sproul Declares RC Not a

Christian Church

“R.C. Sproul would have none of it. On one occasion he publicly declared in a lecture at Colson’s hometown of Naples that ‘the Roman Catholic Church is neither a Christian body nor a Christian church.’” Ibid, 385. Colson shot back that if are going to write off 900 million Catholics, then you have to write off the Orthodox 300 million, as well as the Episcopalians and mainline Presbyterians, leaving but a small, select group to defend against 2 billion pantheists and 1 billion Muslims.

 

Justification by Faith Alone

Just here is important in the extreme that God’s true remnant people clearly understand the great truth of Righteousness by Faith in Jesus Christ alone, Justification by Faith, the great truth that launched the Protestant Reformation of the Sixteenth Century.

 

We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8) The only righteousness that God will accept in the judgment is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are clothed with the great garment of Christ’s righteousness as we surrender our heart, mind, and will to Jesus Christ, and by faith accept the great gift of Christ’s righteousness.

 

“But now without (separately, asunder, apart, alone) law a righteousness of God has been revealed, having been witnessed by the law and the prophets, a righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ upon all the ones believing, for there is no difference – for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely through His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, Whom God placed before a propitiation (expiation) through faith in His blood as a demonstration (sign, proof) of His righteousness through the passing over of the sins happening before in the patience (forbearing) of God, for the demonstration of His righteousness in the present time, in order for Him to be just and the One justifying the one who believes in Jesus.” Romans 3:21-26. (Greek.)  

The difference in the matter of justification between the true gospel of the Reformation and Roman Catholicism, is the true righteousness by faith in Christ, or justification, has not one thread of human devising in it, depending solely upon Christ and His righteousness alone, while Rome’s position includes human devising.   

When one gives up the great Biblical Reformation truth of justification by faith in Christ alone, one has no defense whatever against sin, and has gone over to the camp of Rome. 

J.I. Packer’s Support of Colson

Turns Tide; RC and Evangelical

Scholars Support ECT

The ECT wars rolled on. The Roman Catholic leaders got very little flak. As time passed, Colson’s side pulled ahead in the battle. Dr. J.I. Packer’s support of Colson turned the tide of battle in Colson’s favor. ECT gained momentum in scholarly circles. More and more Catholic and Evangelical theologians engaged in ECT seminars. Publications grew in stature and numbers, publishing papers on sola fide, sola scriptura, communion of saints, role of the Virgin Mary, scripture in the Catholic tradition, tradition in life and thought of twentieth century Evangelicals, and sanctification.

Cooperation Becomes

Respectable

The waves and ripples of this widened and spread. Cooperation between Catholics and Evangelicals became respectable from prison ministries, mission service, and local parishes. Courses were offered, such as Alpha Course, an evangelical course running in over seven hundred Catholic parishes, with the blessing of the hierarchy, cardinals, and archbishops.

 

ECT Communio Sanctorum: An

Extraordinary Realignment of  

Religious Alliances

By 2002, when ECT put out Communio Sanctorum, there was little criticism from any quarter. Neuhaus declared that ECT would not have happened without Colson. On March 30, 2004, the New York Times credited ECT with providing the major impetus of “’an extraordinary realignment’ of religious alliances within the American Christian community.” Ibid., 388. (Emphasis mine).

 

In the midst of all this, in 1997 the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the historic “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification: Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church.” Martin Luther would have rolled over in his grave, had he known.

 

Sea Change

 

The result of Evangelicals and Catholics together has been profound. Campus Crusade, the Navigators, Young Life, and Promise Keepers, reached out to Catholic as never before. The Jesuit Cardinal Avery Dulles has continued the dialogue with ECT. The change has been described as a ‘sea change.” Ibid., 411. Colson is the one who influenced George W. Bush to set up an Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.  (Ibid., 411). Colson and his evangelicals, along with the Roman Priest Neuhaus and the theocons have dictated national policy on issue after issue.

 

RC Talk Show Hosts Now

Controlling Congress

Today Roman Catholicism and Evangelicalism are united on issue after issue, as they fight the culture wars together, aided and abetted by a mass of Roman-trained and oriented talk show hosts, whom Trent Lott declared, are now controlling congress.

 

This battle that will end in the triumph of the Image of the Papacy, and Rome’s principles in this country, and the ultimate decree regarding the Mark of the Beast. It is prophecy unfolding before our very astonished vision. And Blackwater is in the thick of it.

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