How do you respond to
your one-time Catholic friend or relative who makes it a point to
inform you that they now attend a “non-denominational” church and
find it so fulfilling? Your approach might be to ask them to
consider the following:
* They were already
part of a non-denominational church, the Catholic Church, that has
taught a unified doctrine worldwide since being established by Jesus.
* In spite of the
unique “non-denominational” designation, their new church merely
qualifies as a separate sect in the Protestant movement, since they
professes Christianity outside of the Catholic Church.
* Any communion
service their new church may have is symbolic regardless of their
belief, since the power to consecrate the bread and wine was given
first to the Apostles, then only to the bishops and priests ordained
in and through the Church.
* Although their new
church might profess adherence to biblical teaching, it disregards
the most obvious one of Church authority. Note that in Acts
18:24-26, Apollos was an authority on Scripture, had received
instruction in the Way of the Lord, and spoke and taught accurately
about Jesus, yet even he needed and heeded authoritative
representatives of the Church as they explained the Way of God more
completely.
* The novelty of
this new church is due in part to its members believing whatever
suits them, since there is no creed or list of beliefs that they
together proclaim. Jesus, however, stated in Mark 3:25 that a
household split into factions cannot last very long, and in John
chapter 17 He expected and prayed for complete unity among His
followers. In Acts 20:20,27, St Paul made it a point to declare that
at no time did he ever shrink from proclaiming the entire plan
of God. Only in the Catholic Church does this same unity and
fullness of the faith continue to be taught.
You might consider
concluding your discussion with a loving invitation to your friend or
relative to return home to the unified, Apostolic,
non-denominational, Catholic Church.
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