My Roman Holiday
Welcome to the start of my journey
I have pulled Roman Catholic Theology: An Evangelical Assessment, by Dr. Gregg Allison of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, off the bookshelf for another review. I will be a guest student in his class and want to be prepared. In particular, I’m revisiting his discussion of the way the Roman Catholic Church intertwines nature and grace, what Dr. Allison calls the “Nature-Grace Interdependence.” Here is a five minute video I found where he explains it:
Background on how I became Catholic: In 1980, at seventeen, I was a young Christian, troubled by Paul’s exhortations for Christian unity in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction. 11My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,”a or “I follow Christ. 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? “
I looked in the phone book of my small town of 2500 citizens, and counted seventeen Baptist churches (Southern, Free Will, Missionary, Independent, and some others), a couple Lutheran churches, a few United Methodist churches, some Presbyterian and about twenty other non-denominational churches. I heard stories of arguments breaking out in Bible Studies, resulting in congregations splintering to form their own community. “Is this where we are?”I asked myself. I had heard of the Protestant Reformation, but in my mind, that was just a political war. I didn’t think of Catholics as different from Protestants. I just thought of churches as either fancy or casual (oh, to be so innocent again)!
So began my quest for authentic Christianity. As a freshman at the University of Tennessee, I eagerly awaited the study of the Protestant Reformation in my Western Civilization class. By the end of that study, I was still unsatisfied. It seemed to be taught from only one perspective, that of the Protestants. The temptation is to associate the corruption of the institutional church, at that time led by Pope Leo X, with the entire theology and faith practice of Catholicism. That didn’t seem logical. There were indeed some bad agents and corrupt practices by the priests and bishops of that era, but that didn’t mean the core beliefs were wrong. It didn’t mean that their worship was wrong. That was my logical sense working. My empirical sense told me that the Catholics I had come into contact with throughout my life didn’t seem corrupt or superstitious at all. They were genuinely beautiful people from my memory and experience. In fact, in sixth grade, a very devout Catholic classmate witnessed to me about her love for Jesus. I thought I loved Jesus too, but her love seemed so personal and humble. My relationship with Jesus was more casual and kind of nominal compared to my rosary praying, mass-attending elementary colleague. Regarding my Western Civilization class’ treatment of the Reformation, I just felt like there had to be “more to the story,” so to speak, than the caricature I was left with: “Catholic Church BAD, Protestant Reformers GOOD.” Besides, I was a child of the 70s, and my deep affection for the Catholic Church was grounded on the cold, hard cultural lenses of Sister Maria in The Sound of Music and Sister Bertrille (Sally Field) in The Flying Nun. So, there’s THAT.
So, if my Western Civilization study of the Protestant Reformation only provided me with one side of the divide among Christendom, where was I to go to get the Catholic perspective on this critical issue? That question led me back to the yellow pages to find a Catholic priest, which landed me in the office of Father Robert Hofstetter, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was 1981, I was eighteen, a freshman in college, and found my way to one on one instruction with this affable and energetic priest. Now you know the beginnings of my quest.
My substack newsletter is a memoir of my journey from that original quest. What began in 1981 continues today, forty years later, where I sit re-examining the claims of the Catholic Church. I practiced as a devout Catholic for twenty-five years, earned a Master’s Degree in Ministry from a Jesuit University, taught adult education, led retreats, guest-hosted on Catholic radio once or twice, consulted for Catholic Schools for the Seattle Archdiocese, and worked primarily in the area of apologetics and education on staff at an 800 family parish. To use a modern metaphor, I drank the kool aid, made the kool aid, and served the kool aid! I still love so many things about the Catholic Church. I do not know if I am a committed ex-Catholic or just taking an appreciation tour of Protestantism—I only know that in 2016 the Lord led me to re-examine the claims of the Roman Catholic Church. Those claims as “the one true church, holy and apostolic” which were so compelling to me through my twenties, thirties, and forties, fall short today. Yet, I’m not so sure I’m finding better answers anywhere else. Currently, I worship and live out my discipleship in a wonderful, small, non-denominational evangelical community, called Grace Fellowship, in Kingsport, Tennessee.
The issues I will be reflecting on literally cover just about every issue that divides Christianity today, as well as some that divide our world and nation. Here are a few prominent ones that come to mind:
sacraments (aka, ordinances)
the role of Aristotle (and philosophy in general) in Christian theology
worship (liturgical, non-liturgical)
where faith and politics intersect
women in ministry
Divine Revelation
authority
Stay tuned for the questions I took to the good priest (now a Monsignor), and his answers for me. Stay tuned for the long ride of my faith quest. Perhaps you’ll find your own questions and answers as you ride along. My prayer is that you’ll be inspired to ask yourself where your assumptions about God come from and which ones need to be challenged.
Enjoyed reading this.
This is so good! I’ll look forward to hearing about your past journey Angie!