The Roman Road

I have several friends who are Catholic, so I decided to learn at least a little something about the teachings of that faith. I've grown to have great respect for James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries. I read his blog frequently and decided to purchase a couple of his books. Delivered to my door last week were, The Sovereign Grace of God, and the one I'm currently reading, The Roman Catholic Controversy. From reading James' blog, and listening to his webcast, The Dividing Line, I knew he had a phenomenal understanding of Scripture, and this book affirms that he knows of what he speaks. He takes the reader through the origins of Catholic doctrine - what they believe and why they believe it. He then carefully and biblically refutes the claims made by the Church in Rome. It's quite an astounding read, and I highly recommend it. And not only to gain insight into the Catholic Church, either. It's a great resource book to aid in building a solid, biblically-based foundation which enables you stand firm in the Truth.

James exhorts, "When Christians encounter falsehoods in any arena, their first obligation is to present the Gospel of Christ in a clear, convincing manner. There are times when other issues must be addressed in order to facilitate that clear presentation, but such preparatory topics should be handled as quickly and efficiently as possible. They should not obscure the primary reason the Christian is engaging in dialogue with the person who is trapped in a false system. Anyone who goes into such a situation seeking only to win an argument is already on the wrong basis. And tearing down someone else's beliefs without providing a positive presentation of the truth is likely to produce a disenchanted agnostic who rejects all religion, or a surface-level "convert" who withers and dies in time. A Christian who shares with those who have a pre-existing faith system should always seek to use the hightest standards of honesty in bringing such a person to a knowledge of the truth."

Wise words for us all.

In reading this book, I have learned as much if not more about my own faith - why I believe what I do and from whence it came - as I've learned about the Catholic faith. My fervent prayer is that God would sovereignly open the eyes of those who are indeed caught up in a false system.