THE CATHOLIC WORLD February 2007 ••• Volume 241, Number 1436

Catholics and Evangelicals: Understanding Each Other Jeffrey Gros, FSC

The Catholic Church, along with estant Christianity developing from the arship within these communities. The Orthodox and historical Protestant 19th and into the early 20th century we diversity within Evangelical movement is churches are committed to working to can note a parting of the ways between as startling and stimulating as anything restore full, visible unity in response to Christians who worked together in reviv- we might fi nd among Catholic, Ortho- Christ’s prayer recorded in John’s Gos- als, religious education and social bet- dox or Protestant believers, churches or pel: (17:21), “That they all may be one.” terment in the mid-nineteenth century. scholars. We fi nd however, in the United States The issues that led to this polariza- and increasingly across the globe fel- tion centered on biblical interpretation Catholic Evangelical Relations low Christians who do not share with us and the denial, in some quarters, of Outreach to Evangelical Christians this common reading of the Bible. These classical teachings of the Christian faith who were less than enthusiastic about Evangelical, Holiness and Pentecostal that included miracles, the virgin Birth ecumenism was pioneered by Ameri- Christians now make up about half of all and the bodily resurrection of Jesus, as can Catholic leadership. In the 1970s American Protestants (50 million). well as differing approaches to science Father Thomas Stransky, C.S.P. began to 2006 was a historic moment in Unit- and morality. In the early 20th century a build bridges to international and North ed States church history: the coming to- series of booklets were published called American Evangelical leaders. Father gether of a new ecumenical relationship The Fundamentals, giving name to this Kilian McDonnell, O.S.B. was a found- with the creation of Christian Churches movement and a sociological category ing member of the Society for Pentecos- Together in the USA. This body includes now part of common parlance. tal Studies. Glenmary Home Missioners fi ve families of churches, the Eastern and Not all Christians who pride them- under the leadership of Father Frank Ruff Oriental Orthodox; the Ethnic, especially selves with the name Evangelical how- began to work closely with Southern African American churches; and the his- ever, are to be considered Fundamen- Baptists across the South. Already in the toric churches of the Reformation. What talists. Evangelicals are characterized 1970s the Vatican and U.S. Conference makes the new gathering historic is the by a high doctrine of the Bible, a “born of Catholic Bishop began to follow these presence of two families previously ab- again” conversion experience, and a leads and established a Baptist, a Pente- sent from any United States ecumenical devotion to classical morality and fam- costal and an Evangelical Roman Catho- constellation, the Catholic Church and ily values. As Christianity moved into lic Dialogue on Mission. The statements the Evangelical, Pentecostal and Holi- the 1920s and 30s, the wedge within from these dialogues, while not oriented ness family. If this national gathering is American Protestantism deepened. toward visible unity, provide a rich re- to bear fruit in the lives of our people, New Evangelical institutions arose that source for mutual understanding, seek- we will need to deepen our understand- paralleled the more traditional, liberal ing to resolve historic tensions on issues ing of one another. Protestant structures. A century ago like religious liberty, proselytism, and In this article I would like to touch Pentecostalism emerged, with roots in mutual distrust. on three points: (1) Who are the Evan- the Baptist and Holiness revivals, and The U.S. Conference of Catholic gelicals and where do they fi t in Ameri- then quickly separated from them. By Bishops during the 1980s continued can religious history? (2) What is the the 1940s the Evangelist Billy Graham a dialogue with the Southern Baptists, common heritage that Catholics and was gave a certain respectability to the the largest U.S. denomination and one Evangelicals share? And (3) What are the Evangelical movement. Journals like in which much distrust of Catholics still specifi c challenges and hopes between Christianity Today, and schools like survives; a dialogue that continued until Catholics and Evangelicals in the Ameri- Fuller Seminary, Wheaton and Gordon the Southern Baptists withdrew in 2001. can Hispanic community? Conwell demonstrated a more schol- The personal leadership of William Car- arly and culturally engaged form of dinal Keeler, and before him Chicago’s The Evangelical Churches Evangelicalism. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin paved the way Those of us outside this stream of Today the National Association of for Evangelicals, Pentecostals and Holi- Christianity tend to lump a whole series Evangelicals is the primary ecumenical ness churches to be founding members of diverse churches under the common agency for the movement that brings of Christian Churches Together in 2006. title: Evangelical. Yet, under this umbrella Evangelicals into common witness and There had been a Catholic presence in are signifi cant differences. Baptists know dialogue. The Society for Pentecostal the National Association of Evangelicals that they are not Pentecostals. Nazarenes Studies, the Wesleyan Theological Soci- (NAE) since 1983. The Faith and Order do not want themselves confused with ety and the Evangelical Theological So- Commission of the National Council of the Churches of Christ. As we see Prot- ciety are structures that promote schol- Churches is a venue where Catholic, Pentecostal, Holiness and Evangelical toric Hispanic populations in the United well below the 70 percent now claimed. scholars build bridges, beginning during States by Catholic and Protestants min- In places where the Catholic Church has the 1980s and 90s. The success of this isters. Approximately 70 percent of His- little infl uence or appears resistant to ec- Faith and Order dialogue and the link of panics identify as Catholic, though many umenism there are potential problems. the Bishops’ Conference with the NAE come from cultures where church going For here even the historic ecumenically for two decades enabled a formal dia- was not a priority and where popular, open Protestants are going out to min- logue to be initiated with the Evangeli- family devotion was the mainstay of their ister to the sick and dying, educate the cals in the 21st century. faith. Of these 30 percent of non-Catholic young in the faith, and provide welcom- In many local situations, Catholics Hispanics, 70 percent are Pentecostal, a ing churches for prayer and worship. If and Evangelicals share Bible study, work potential source of strain in ecumenical there is no outreach to Evangelical His- in service of the poor, participate in the relations. Many newly arrived Hispanics panics, where there is already a fear and pro-life movement, live in neighbor- Catholics have never met a Protestant lack of ecumenical understanding; mis- hoods together and marry one another. and do not know how to distinguish an understanding, tension and polarization Not all of the anti-Catholicism has been ecumenically minded Methodist or Pres- will deepen. dispelled, nor has all of the prejudice byterian from an aggressively offensive Christ calls us to be instruments of against Evangelicals and Pentecostals Pentecostal evangelist or non-Christian reconciliation, across racial and ethnic been dissipated from the Catholic com- Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. lines, within the Christian communion, munity; but as someone who grew up in Many Evangelical Hispanics have and in the face of a polarized and acri- the South, witnessed the unpleasantness come from a dominant Catholic culture monious society. Ecumenical dialogue the surrounded the 1960s Kennedy elec- where they have been a minority. Values between Evangelicals and Catholics is a tion and having experienced Evangelical they see as central to the Gospel were fi rst step. We need to celebrate the prog- students dropping my class because I am not observed or recognized because of ress that has been made in Evangelical Catholic, I can celebrate the ecumeni- their minority status and often their fami- and Catholic reconciliation, and rejoice cal progress that has occurred, and be lies have been divided between Catholic at the challenges the Lord has provided energized by the challenge before the and Protestant branches. Here there is a us in building unity among Christians. Church to deepen and expand its out- great deal of misunderstanding between ______reach to the Pentecostal, Evangelical and Catholic and Evangelical Protestants. In Holiness world. this context ecumenical initiative, dia- Brother Jeffrey Gros F.S.C. is profes- logue and catechesis are crucial. If the sor of church history at Memphis Theo- The US Hispanic Presence Catholic Church does not take Hispanic logical Seminary and a former associate An even greater concern for the ecumenism, catechesis and education as director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical Evangelical/Pentecostal relationship is a priority, one can expect the percentage and Interreligious Affairs of the United outreach to the newly arrived and his- of those identifying as Catholic to drop States Conference of Catholic Bishops.