PAUL M. WILLIAMS [23/12/16] IS ROMAN CATHOLICISM TRUE CHRISTIANITY? – PART 12

THE ECUMENICAL AGENDA

Introduction

At last, we arrive at the final teaching part in our series looking at the Roman . The fundamental question running throughout this teaching series, the very title of this series has been ‘Is Roman Catholicism True Christianity?’ We began this teaching series by asking a question; ‘are the differences that separate Protestants, Catholics just minor matters of insignificance?’ In the first part of this teaching series we pointed out that if one was to do a Google search to identify the world’s largest religion, one would find that at the top of the list would be Christianity, representing some 2.2 billion people (more than 30% of the world’s population!!). The natural question that arises when being met by such figures is; what type of Christians!! When one looks at the breakdown of these figures, one finds that according to the figures from Pew Research, approximately, 50% of the 2.2 billion Christians are in fact Roman Catholic, with just fewer than 37% comprising of Protestants. Sadly, for many today, the only difference separating these two main Christian groups is one of history and tradition. Indeed, a call goes forth in our day in ever increasing sound, for these Christian groups to unite, after all they will say, don’t we all agree on the fundamentals of the faith!! Sadly, many within Evangelical circles, influential leaders and ministers are regurgitating the same erroneous sentiments!!

For those familiar with Church history, for more than a thousand years, Roman Catholicism dominated Western Christianity with its popery and tradition. Western Europe waned under its iron grip and the light of the true gospel of Jesus Christ whilst flickering in obscure places, generally was eclipsed by the shadow of Rome. Yet, dawning on the horizon, as the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, God was at work across Europe preparing the ground for what would be known as the Protestant Reformation. Next year (2017) marks the five-hundredth anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. For five hundred years, the Church of Jesus Christ has been free from the poisoned chalice of Rome and the gospel has shined forth its light across the world!! However, since the middle of the last century, a full scale attempt has been underway to try and reverse the Protestant Reformation and to bring back home to Rome, the separated Church of Jesus Christ. This movement is known as the Ecumenical Movement and is being spearheading by the Roman Catholic Church in conjunction with the World Council of Churches.

The Ecumenical Movement

The World Council of Churches (WCC) was formally constituted at Amsterdam, Holland, on August 23, 1948. The goal of the WCC is to unite together the worlds Christians from every denomination. It has as its motto, “oikoumene”, which is a Greek word meaning ‘this inhabited world’ from where we get our English word ecumenism. Concerning its purpose, the WCC states:

"The primary purpose of the fellowship of churches in the World Council of Churches is to call one another to visible unity in one faith and in one eucharistic fellowship, expressed in worship and common life in Christ, through witness and service to the world, and to advance towards that unity in order that the world may believe". - World Council of Churches, Self-Understanding and Vision, Purpose https://www.oikoumene.org/en/about-us/self-understanding-vision

As it stands, the Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, yet the two organisations work very closely together for the same common goal of “Christian unity”. Between the years 1962-65, Roman Catholic bishops from around the world convened in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, to hold a solemn general council, known as the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council. It had as its aim to address relations between the Catholic Church and the modern world. On 21st November 1964, the Decree on Ecumenism was solemnly proclaimed by the and brought into effect by Pope Paul VI. The introduction of this document is very enlightening to say the least:

The restoration of unity among all Christians is one of the principal concerns of the Second Vatican Council. Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only. However, many Christian communions present themselves to men as the true inheritors of Jesus Christ; all indeed profess to be followers of the Lord but differ in mind and go their different ways, as if Christ Himself were divided. Such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature.

In recent times more than ever before, He has been rousing divided Christians to remorse over their divisions and to a longing for unity. Everywhere large numbers have felt the impulse of this grace, and among our separated brethren also there increases from day to day the movement, fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the restoration of unity among all Christians. - Decree on Ecumenism, Introduction http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis- redintegratio_en.html

Another powerful UK Ecumenical body that exists to unite the Church as one visible body is ‘Churches Together in England’. In 1990 members of 20 churches in England worshipped together in the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Southwark where their representatives formally signed the Basis and Commitment of Churches Together in England: `Churches Together in England describe themselves as:

“…a visible sign in England of the Churches' commitment as they seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another, and proclaim the Gospel together by common witness and service. Its strength comes from people from different traditions finding new ways to work and worship together. - What is Churches Together in England? http://www.cte.org.uk/Groups/233854/Home/About/About.aspx

Founding member Churches include: Church of England, Baptist Union of Great Britain, Methodist Church, Independent Methodist Churches, United Reform Church, Wesleyan Holiness Church, Salvation Army, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales)!! Recent members include Church of God of prophecy (2005), New Testament Church of God (2006) and Elim Pentecostal Church (2009)!!

On paper, such goals as those of the World Council of Churches, the Roman Catholic Church and Churches Together in England, seem to be very noble and commendable. However, one has to pause and ask the question; what is this unity based upon? Is the unity that is being called for, the same unity that Jesus prayed for? One will not, the reference in the above article to “the Gospel”. What gospel is this? Some 52 000 words on in our study, having surveyed the religion of Roman Catholicism, we can concur with 100% accuracy and confidence that Roman Catholicism does not have a gospel and cannot by any stretch of the imagination, be considered Christian if by Christian, we mean that taught and defined in the New Testament!! Whether, by its claim to be the only true Church of Jesus Christ by virtue of the fact that it alone is the God appointed Church, its bishops, the only God appointed successors of the apostles and its pope the only supreme head of the Christian Church who by his authority can infallibly define dogma and authentically interpret the Word of God consisting of both Scripture and Tradition. Whether by its claim to be the recipients of the sacramental system which it maintains as necessary to impart divine life and saving grace to those who are the recipients of them in true faith. Whether it be the Marian dogma’s concerning Mary’s perpetual virginity, and bodily Assumption, and the unbiblical place to which Mary is venerated in prayers of devotion to her and the titles afforded her such as – Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix. Just one of the above would be bad enough to put a group professing Christianity firmly outside the stables of orthodoxy and true Christian fellowship; yet Rome bears the shame of having them all to its name and yet in the days in which we are living in, is received into the Church without any questions being asked!! This ought not to be the case!! Roman Catholicism as we have demonstrated at every step of this teaching series is thoroughly unbiblical in its beliefs, doctrines and practices. If there was one religious organisation that deserves to be labelled with the word cult, it is the religion of Roman Catholicism that masquerades as Christ’s true Church on earth and yet in belief and practice is an absolute contradiction of all that the New Testament teaches!! Who were the subjects of Christ’s high priestly prayer when He prayed “that they all may be one”?

20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (Joh 17:20-21)

The answer to the question is given in the text; “…them which shall believe on me through their word”. Which word was this? The word of the apostles, that same gospel which Rome flatly denies and contradicts. The first Church received the word of the apostles and continued steadfastly in their doctrine (Acts 2:41-42). The unity being propagated by the World Council of Churches, in collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church is not the unity for which Christ prayed for by virtue of the fact that it has a different gospel!! Whilst Roman Catholics are not amongst the members of the WCC, the WCC does include among its membership, most Eastern Orthodox bodies which concerning the sacraments and Mary, believe exactly as Rome does!! What is really being sought for is a unity without the truth of the gospel which by very definition cannot secure any union since it lacks the very substance to unite. It is by one Spirit, namely the Holy Spirit that believers have been baptised into one body in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). It is on this basis that we are spiritually united and as such have become part of the body of Christ (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 12:27). The unity being proposed by Rome is a false unity!!

The Ecumenical Agenda & Eastern Orthodoxy

When looking at the history of the Roman Catholic Church in part two of this series, we saw that up until the turn of the last millennium the Latin West and Greek East, were considered one and the same communion with very little differences in doctrines between the two. Both accept the authority of Sacred Tradition, the necessity of the sacraments and both venerate the Virgin Mary. In 1054 AD however, there took place a historic and significant split between the two occasioned by the assertion of the Latin West in the universal authority and infallibility of the pope; a position which the Eastern Orthodox Church rejected. Over the last century and into this one, since Second Vatican Council in the 60’s, great efforts are underway to bring the two back into a communion; after all, they represent the closest traditions, both springing out of the same poisoned well. Perhaps the two most well-known is the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox religion is comprised of some 300 million members worldwide and represents a family of Churches. The head of the Eastern Orthodox Church is the ‘Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople’. In 1964, just over 5o years ago, a historic meeting took place in Jerusalem by the then Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. To put this epic event into context, it had been the second time in 525 years and the first in over 100 years, that that an Ecumenical Patriarch was meeting face to face with a Roman Pontiff!! When asked before the meeting took place about the purpose of meeting, Patriarch Athenagoras responded by saying: “I came here to say ‘good morning’ to my beloved brother, the Pope. You must remember that it has been five hundred and twenty-five years since we have spoken to one another!” In 2014, another meeting took place in Istanbul between the two, this time in the person of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Bartholomew called the process of reunification “irreversible” and Pope Francis said:

"I want to assure each one of you here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith…The one thing that the Catholic church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, 'the church which presides in charity,' is communion with the Orthodox churches." - National Catholic Reporter, Francis and Bartholomew issue resounding, historic call for Church reunification, Nov. 20, 2014 https://www.ncronline.org/news/global/francis-and-bartholomew-issue-resounding-historic-calls-church-reunification

It’s one thing to see calls for unity amongst the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, both as I before mentioned, spring out of the same rot of apostasy and both have no gospel since they preach a sacramental salvation. Yet, what are we to make when such calls for unity are being called for by evangelical, born-again Christians? There’s no doubt about it, those posing the greatest challenge to the aims of the Catholic Church for ecumenical unity, are the evangelical Christians, since they have their modern revival out of the 16th century reformation which was encapsulated in the ‘five Solas’. So fundamental and so irreconcilable were the differences between Rome and those reformers that they broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, in our lifetime, we are witnessing the unprecedented reconciling of Protestants back to Rome!!

The Ecumenical Agenda & Evangelicals

In the minds of many professing evangelicals, the Protestant Reformation is already over!! The fundamental schism that arose when the true Church severed from Rome is now being reversed as those within the Church are calling for the Church to reunite with Rome. Phyllis Tickle, was a leading voice in the Emergent Church movement up until her death in 2015. She expresses well the spirit of the age with chilling accuracy when she writes:

“The Reformation…was to answer the question… Sola Scriptura, scriptura sola… While we may laugh and say the divisiveness was Protestantism’s greatest gift to Christianity, ours is a somber joke. Denominationalism is a disunity in the Body of Christ and, ironically, one that has a bloody history… Now, some five hundred years later, even many of the most die-hard Protestants among us have grown suspicious of “Scripture and Scripture only.” We question what the words mean - literally? Metaphorically? Actually? We even question which words do and do not belong in Scripture and the purity of the editorial line of decent of those that do. We begin to refer to Luther’s principle of “sola scriptura, scriptura sola” as having been little more than the creation of a paper pope in place of a flesh and blood one. And even as we speak, the authority that has been in place for five hundred years withers away in our hands.” - The Great Emergence, Phyllis Tickle, p46-47

With a singularity of purpose and intent, evangelicals are marching to drum of ecumenism and truth is being trodden under foot!! I want now to give an overview of some of the major movements in the evangelical world towards unifying with Rome. We will begin with the last century and work our way into up to today. This by no means will be exhaustive, but will be sufficient to give an insight into how far we have come!!

Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millenium

In 1994, a historic document was released in North America, containing the signatures of leading Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, it was titled Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT). Key players in drafting up the document was the late Chuck Colson and the Roman Catholic scholar Richard John Neuhaus. Other leading Evangelicals adding their endorsement to the document was Pat Robertson (founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network), Dr Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, Dr Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary (described by many as arguably the most influential seminary in America); Dr Mark Noll of Wheaton College (often called the Harvard of the Evangelicals) and last but not least Dr J. I. Packer (the much celebrated and well-respected scholar of the Reformed Faith). The document ECT is broken into seven sections: In the introduction we read these now familiar and well-worn words:

“We together pray for the fulfillment of the prayer of Our Lord: "May they all be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, so that they may they be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me." (John 17) We together, Evangelicals and Catholics, confess our sins against the unity that Christ intends for all his disciples”

What sins are these for which we must confess? This statement is nothing short of an apology for the reformation that brought a severance from Rome and led to re-formation of biblical Christianity. It is to offer up again the char grilled bodies of many of the reformers who paid with their lives for holding fast to the truth of Scripture!! In section I, ‘We Affirm Together’, we read: “We affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ…All who accept Christ as Lord and Savior are brothers and sisters in Christ. Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ… However imperfect our communion with one another, however deep our disagreements with one another, we recognize that there is but one church of Christ.”

How in the light of what we have learnt in the course of the teaching series can we dare to utter such baseless and misinformed words? Catholics would have no problem in affirming that Jesus is Lord and Saviour and no problem with affirming that we are justified by faith. It can affirm all of this and yet mean something entirely different. Rome’s sacrament system is not the grace and faith coming via faith alone in Christ alone and for that reason, the word ‘alone’ is missing from the statement!! In section III of the document, ‘We Search Together’, a list of differences that exist between Evangelicals and Catholics are given which include:

 The church as an integral part of the gospel or the church as a communal consequence of the gospel  The sole authority of Scripture (sola scriptura) or Scripture as authoritatively interpreted in the church.  Ministry ordered in apostolic succession or the priesthood of all believers.  Sacraments and ordinances as symbols of grace or means of grace.  The Lord's Supper as eucharistic sacrifice or memorial meal.  Remembrance of Mary and the saints or devotion to Mary and the saints.  Baptism as sacrament of regeneration or testimony to regeneration.

Having listed these points of difference, the document then goes on to try to fill the chasm by asserting:

“..Among those recognized as Evangelical Protestants there are significant differences between, for example, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Calvinists on these questions... Again, we cannot resolve these disputes here. We can and do affirm together that the entirety of Christian faith, life, and mission finds its source, center, and end in the crucified and risen Lord. We can and do pledge that we will continue to search together…”

It is of fundamental note that the differences listed above most certainly do divide. These differences are differences unto condemnation, and are not to be compared with the differences existing between Evangelical Protestants. Historically, Baptists, Pentecostals and Calvinists whilst having differences on secondary matters of doctrine, yet all are agreed on the fundamentals which separate from Rome!! If one is standing in the truth of the gospel, how can one then begin a search with another who denies the truth to hopefully arrive at a better understanding of truth? This language is the talk of double-speak and nothing short of a whitewash. How can we affirm the crucified and risen Christ when Rome has another Jesus, one who is re-sacrificed on Catholic altars as a propitiatory sacrifice for sins and then digested each Mass! As well as theological whitewash and double-speak, a large portion of the ECT document concerns itself with social ecumenism. What is social ecumenism you may ask? Social ecumenism is the position that we can unite with Roman Catholics for the purpose of tackling the big social evils of our day such as abortion, and euthanasia. In section IV ‘We Contend Together’, we read:

The pattern of convergence and cooperation between Evangelicals and Catholics is, in large part, a result of common effort to protect human life, especially the lives of the most vulnerable among us… the unborn child has a right to protection…We, therefore, will …multiply every effort-in order to secure the legal protection of the unborn… We will do all in our power to resist proposals for euthanasia…

Whilst these are all good and noble ends and purposes worth fighting for, the ecumenical smoke screen has been cleverly mastered to bring about a unity with Rome through the side door. A trumpet call going forth across the Evangelical world saying, ‘the end justifies the means’ and that it is perfectly okay to work side by side with our Roman Catholic neighbour on social and moral evils for the common good of society. Once again, we must be on guard against the leaven of ecumenism. Our primary goal must be to bring the truth of the gospel to our Roman Catholic neighbours that they might come into eternal life! This last comment leads nicely onto what perhaps the most disturbing section in the document, section V, ‘We Witness Together’.

“It is understandable that Christians who bear witness to the Gospel try to persuade others that their communities and traditions are more fully in accord with the Gospel …We condemn the practice of recruiting people from another community for purposes of denominational or institutional aggrandizement… as much as we might believe one community is more fully in accord with the Gospel than another, we as Evangelicals and Catholics affirm that opportunity and means for growth in Christian discipleship are available in our several communities”.

This statement gets to the heart of the damnable nature of ecumenism. If our Roman Catholic neighbour is our brother or sister in Christ, simply belonging to another denomination, then there is no need to engage them with the Gospel. Indeed the document goes as far as to ‘condemn’ the practice of recruiting people from another community. At best this is an absolute tragedy and at worst an utter betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ who commanded us to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations!! Since Roman Catholics do not have a gospel and are themselves lost and in need of the gospel, this document serves to confirm the Roman Catholic in their sins and send them to hell with our approval!!

Alpha Course

It is not just North America where we see such leanings towards ecumenism. In England, we have the world famous Alpha Course which is an ‘evangelical’ course which seeks to introduce the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions. Over 15 million people worldwide have attended an Alpha course (2½ million in the UK). Amongst many of the fundamental flaws in the Alpha course, one of its most eminent is that it is ecumenical!!

“In one sense it is not so important what denomination we are—Roman Catholic or Protestant; Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Anglican or House Church. What is more important is whether or not we have the Spirit of God.” - Quote taken from Alpha Course Manual

In a revealing interview between Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church (one of the largest in USA) and Nicky Gumbel, who shaped and popularized Alpha into what it is today, Nicky Gumbel said:

“Alpha runs in every arm of the Church. It’s growing the fastest in the Catholic Church. There are a billion Catholics in the world…But the course runs exactly the same no matter the denomination. In Alpha, we stick to the foundational pieces of the Christian faith we all agree upon: Jesus, the cross, the resurrection, the Bible, prayer. What unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us. We focus on what unites us. We present a united front to the world. In every different part of the body of Christ—Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, non-denominational, Catholic, Pentecostals, Bulgarian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox—Alpha crosses all divides. No matter the church, Alpha sticks to the same key ingredients: food, a presentation of the gospel, and talking.” - Interview with Nicky Gumbel, taken from the website of Willow Creek Community Church (since removed) (Video) Bishop Rys endorses Alpha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEqzS1rOGhw

In 2014, Nicky Gumbel met with Pope Francis and praised him as an amazing man! In 2015, Nicky Gumbel addressed a gathering of nearly 900 Catholic bishops, priests and laity. He said “I love the Catholic Church – she is leading the way in evangelisation”. Christian Today, the UK’s largest online Christian news provider reported Gumbel’s address.

“He spelled out his Alpha recipe for success, but said key to his current thinking was the 2013 encyclical of Pope Francis on evangelisation and the joy of the gospel, Evangelii Gaudium. Everyone, not just Catholics, should read the encyclical and put it into practice. He said he was reading and re-reading it. "If every Christian in England put Evangelii Gaudium into practice the nation would be transformed," Gumbel said, adding that the Church would also be revitalised and transformed.” - Christian Today, Nicky Gumbel: 'The Catholic Church is leading the way in evangelisation' http://www.christiantoday.com/article/nicky.gumbel.the.catholic.church.is.leading.the.way.in.evangelisation/58774.htm

Evangelii Gaudium (Eng. The Joy of the Gospel) is a 42,000 word apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis on the church’s primary mission of evangelisation in the modern world! Rome is no more qualified to preach the gospel than and English gradate is to lecture on Mathematics! Yet Gumbel recommends every Christian in England put Pope Francis’ exhortation into practice!! Other Ecumenical Efforts

We are just scratching the surface of the depth to which ecumenism is exploding into the Evangelical Church. In January 2014, an Anglican bishop by the name of Tony Palmer was sent on a special envoy by Pope Francis to deliver a video message from the Pope to a Kenneth Copeland Ministries leader’s conference. Kenneth Copeland is one of the foremost leaders of the Charismatic Movement and a staunch advocate of the false prosperity gospel. The video sent by Pope Francis, recorded on an iPhone, calling for ecumenical unity was unprecedented and can be viewed in full here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrS4IDTLavQ).

What are we to make when “America’s Pastor” Rick Warren – best-selling author and Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church, the eight-largest evangelical Church in the U.S. – calls for evangelicals to unite with Roman Catholics? When Joel Osteen – the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church the largest evangelical Church in the U.S. – makes a special trip to the Vatican and praises Pope Francis for his efforts in trying to make the Church more inclusive and to take everybody in?

Then there is the rank compromise with evangelicals sharing platforms with Roman Catholic priests and friars in ecumenical gatherings across the world. Take for instance, the largest Christian event in the history of the USA, “Together 2016”; a Christian ecumenical event, held in Washington D.C. which had as its aim to unify 1 million Christians in prayer. Some of the largest names in Evangelical Christianity took part in the event including notable speakers and musicians including: Ravi Zacharias, Francis Chan, Josh McDowell, Hillsong United, Kirk Franklin, Lecrae and…Pope Francis!! The organiser of the event Nick Hall, said “We believe it’s time to lift up a message of hope. There’s all kinds of division, so we’re praying for healing and we’re praying for change”. Pope Francis gave a specially recorded video message and can be viewed here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfVvuCNhkF4).

Mike Bickle is the founder director of the International House of Prayer and is a very influential leader in the Charismatic Movement. Bickle is way off in many of his doctrines and practice as it relates to the Holy Spirit and rightly deserves the label of a heretic. In 2012, IHOP teamed up with Roman Catholics to host the first ever ‘Ecumenical Catholic Track’ at Bickle’s annual Onething Conference. 2015 saw the likes of leading evangelical Francis Chan, share a platform with Catholic music worship leaders Mat Maher and Audrey Assad along with a Roman Catholic Friar and a Roman Catholic Priest! The voice on the following video clip is that of Francis Chan. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aStA3phc3SQ)

Even evangelical and Catholic worship leaders are teaming up to wrote songs in the spirit of ecumenism. Mat Redman is one of the most popular and influential evangelical Christian artists, his songs are sung by millions each Sunday. In 2015, Mat Redman led the worship at the largest youth gathering for Roman Catholics in the UK called ‘Flame 2’. Prior to this in 2009, Matt Redman teamed up with a Roman Catholic musician, Mat Maher to write an ecumenical song titled ‘Remembrance’. Maher said that the reason for them both teaming up together to write this song is that they thought it would be great to write a worship song that teaches people about the spiritual nature of communion, without diving into theological differences! The words to the first verse and chorus are simply shocking!!

Oh, how could it be, That my God would welcome me Chorus into this mystery. Say take this bread, take this wine, By Your mercy, we come to Your table Now the simplemade divine for any to receive By Your grace, You are making us faithful

In finishing this teaching part and series, I have endeavoured to answer the question assigned me at the beginning: ‘Is Roman Catholicism True Christianity’. In short, the answer to the question is NO!! Rather than sacrificing these differences on the altar of so-called unity, the Church of Jesus Christ needs to hold fast to an eroding gospel and faithfully preach it. Having seen the infinite gulf that separates the truth of a biblical gospel from that of Rome’s, we cannot chose to ignore these differences for to do so is to be plunged back into darkness!!