Comment:

This a more a human question than a theological one. Why is it that most of your responses are anti-Roman Catholic?  At the least seems that way.

Response:

I want you to know that I take this very seriously. I REALLY do not want to be anti-Catholic or anti-any Nicene Creed accepting "Christian" group. Traditionally, Protestants have made a target of Roman Catholicism. They tend to make a "straw man" of the Roman church and fail to notice their own failings. Jesus spoke rather strongly about the need for all of us to take the plank out of our own eye before we try to judge our brothers. This hypocritical approach is not a Christian one. I am prepared to admit that I myself fall into this unfortunate error at times as well, but I am personally committed to not doing this.

Having studied out Christian theology a lot in the past several years, I have concluded that Roman Catholic theology is, as a rule, closer to biblical theology than most of what I find in Protestantism. I find Catholic teachings on free will, for example, to be more balanced than Protestant/Reformed theology. I find Catholic teaching on end times, on the role of the Holy Spirit and on salvation to be closer to biblical teaching than much of what is found in evangelical Christianity.

I am in the process of publishing a Church history. I find the story of Catholicism to be a mixed bag. There are many practices of the Roman Church which are clearly not biblical and many which are counter to biblical teaching. To be honest with you, some of the practices of Catholicism makes it an easy target for critics (having a pope, praying to/through saints, belief in purgatory, elevating Mary and so forth). I am not afraid to point these out when it is called for. However, I do not believe that the Catholic Church, despite some rather obvious failings, is completely corrupt or that it is somehow the worst of Christian groups. I see many strengths there and I believe other believers can learn from the Catholic traditions.

So, if I am coming across with a strong anti-Roman Catholic bias, I will happily accept any feedback from our readers and repent if needed. Did you have any specific comment at the site in mind? If you can give me a specific example, I can better respond to your criticism. I already said that I do not deny that I might be guilty of having an unbalanced critical approach to the Roman church at times. Please let me know of one or two specific examples, and I will happily respond.

John Oakes