From Israel To Italy

While travelling in the States this summer, a number of people have asked my opinion about the Pope’s re-assertion that the Church of Rome is the only true Church. What this means is that nobody can have salvation outside of the Roman Church and the papacy. This is ancient Rome rising again. Read my last post for insight into Rome’s claim on eternity and power.

This is nothing new. JP2 (previous pope) said the same thing about six years ago in one of his encyclicles. Dr. Al Mohler Jr. wrote a good article in response. I’ve quoted a portion of it here for you:

I appreciate the document’s clarity on this issue. It all comes down to this - the claim of the Roman Catholic Church to the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and the Pope as the universal monarch of the church is the defining issue. Roman Catholics and evangelicals should together recognize the importance of that claim. We should together realize and admit that this is an issue worthy of division. The Roman Catholic Church is willing to go so far as to assert that any church that denies the papacy is no true church. Evangelicals should be equally candid in asserting that any church defined by the claims of the papacy is no true church. This is not a theological game for children; it is the honest recognition of the importance of the question.

The Reformers and their heirs put their lives on the line in order to stake this claim. In this era of confusion and theological laxity we often forget that this was one of the defining issues of the Reformation itself. Both the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church staked their claim to be the true church—and both revealed their most essential convictions in making their argument. As Martin Luther and John Calvin both made clear, the first mark of the true Church is the ministry of the Word—the preaching of the Gospel. The Reformers indicted the Roman Catholic Church for failing to exhibit this mark, and thus failing to be a true church. The Catholic church returned the favor, defining the church in terms of the papacy and magisterial authority. Those claims have not changed.

I also appreciate the spiritual concern reflected in this document. The artificial and deadly dangerous game of ecumenical confusion has obscured issues of grave concern for our souls. I truly believe that Pope Benedict and the Congregation for the Defense of the Faith are concerned for our evangelical souls and our evangelical congregations. Pope Benedict is not playing a game. He is not asserting a claim to primacy on the playground. He, along with the Magisterium of his church, believes that Protestant churches are gravely defective and that our souls are in danger. His sacramental theology plays a large role in this concern, for he believes and teaches that a church without submission to the papacy has no guaranteed efficacy for its sacraments. (This point, by the way, explains why the Protestant churches that claim a sacramental theology are more concerned about this Vatican statement - it denies the basic validity of their sacraments.)

I actually appreciate the Pope’s concern. If he is right, we are endangering our souls and the souls of our church members. Of course, I am convinced that he is not right—not right on the papacy, not right on the sacraments, not right on the priesthood, not right on the Gospel, not right on the church.

Source: Florida Baptist Witness: Publishing Good News since 1884

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I came across some fascinating insights into the Roman Culture during the period of the Roman Empire. These insights became like puzzle pieces that once two of the pieces come together, the thrill begins as each piece quickly moves into position to form the bigger picture. If you, the reader, will take a few moments and look at how these pieces come together, I believe it will give you a broader picture into Italian thinking and culture. And once you have a better understanding of Roman culture, you will be able to relate to the 1 billion current adherents to Rome.

The Mistress of the World

In the period of the building & conquest of the Roman Empire, Rome was in all her glory.

“All the Mediterranean countries lay at her feet…It was the ambition of her rulers to express the splendor of their age by adorning with public monuments every province of the empire. Rome herself towered in her glory as the city on which ‘the looks of men and gods were turned’. The Colosseum with its overwhelming massiveness, the Pantheon with its lofty vaulting, and particularly the Forum of Trajan, a building of unparalleled magnificence and ‘admired even by the gods,’ seemed to proclaim that the Empire and eternity were one. The ancient man was inclined to believe that monuments will last for ever.”¹

Heaven is Now on Earth - Immortalize-Me

This mistress fed upon the attention of her paramours. She welcomed their money, affection, wonder, and deities while she conquested and subjugated their cities and regions. As the mistress aged, she prostituted. She, as a city, took on the attribute of eternity in the eyes of the world. Her buildings would “last forever” — and the men inscribed on those monuments would receive glory and be immortalized. Rome in its power and Heaven in its eternity were wed. There was no place higher; no place would be more glorious.  Therefore, it would be quite understandable for the Ceasar to proclaim himself as god and the people to believe it wholeheartedly. Heaven is now on Earth and the chief, glorified ”person” is obviously the divinity of the city.

It was, therefore, fit to bestow the most precious epithet on Rome and to call it: The Eternal City. The state became an object of worship, a divinity; and the Emporer embodied its divinity as he embodied its sovereignty.

Immortality meant either fame or cleaving to one’s home, to one’s earthly abode even after death…The Romans had no conviction that there was any after-life at all, certainly no conviction of an immortal felicity or retribution…The term immortality became a metaphor, signifying one’s being remembered by the people. Cicero said: ‘in exchange for life’s mortal state, you will have gained for yourself immortality…the entire people of Rome accorded to me, not a vote of thanks which would pass with the day, but eternity and immortality’.”²

Emporer + Vicar = Pope

So, we see that Rome afforded itself the prestige of Heaven by abandoning the after-life and glorifying men through memorials and monuments. In that system came the great mix — The Ceasar (a man) became god himself above all other gods. The city, Rome (on Earth), became the desire and abode of all — in life or in death. The glory and fame granted by the people was guaranteed peace and tranquility while following the emporer was promised salvation. Is it any wonder why there was so much bloodshed, intrigue, espionage, and psychological madness around the throne of Rome with that kind of power and belief at stake?

Would it then be that far of a jump for Constantine to wed the ideas of bishop and ruler around the glory of Rome and himself? I find it quite interesting that the title Vicar is used to portray a person in place of God-incarnate on the Earth. And that we would so happen to find this Vicar today — residing in Rome of all places.

What is also fascinating is how much more the Vicar plays emporer rather than pastor if he is a true representative of Christ. He has a monument-temple, outlandish empirical clothing & hatwear, sceptre-staff, ring to kiss when you bow down before him, private and elite palace guards, heads of state for guests, carried around on a throne, a bullet-proof Pope-mobile, a separate “country” called Vatican City, billions of dollars at his disposal, and much more.

Don’t forget the critical theological ramifications where the Pope declares he has the power to forgive sins and to declare who will or will not be a saint through his system. In fact, many popes even to the late JP2 have written that no one can have full salvation outside of submission to the Pope and his declaration. Is this not eerily similar to the Ceasars of old?

Yet, Italy has never renounced the worship of man, the emporer. We know that Rome has not repented of it. Therefore, the nation, accompanied by the peoples of its religious-cultural export ³ remains to this day resistant at best and rebellious as normative. Italy does not want to change rulers. It is still infatuated with being the mistress of the world rather than the faithful and exclusive bride of Heaven.

Biblical Saints vs. Roman Heroes

In Ephesians 1:1 Paul writes to the saints of Ephesus — the living believers. And how do we know they were living? Because Paul says that they “are currently and continually faithful in Christ Jesus.” This is here & now language. In 1 Corinthians 1:2 Paul continues to say that all of those who are found in the Church and are truly believers (the sanctified) because of Christ Jesus are called together by God to be saints. There are at least 40 other references in the New Testament to saints who are all saved & living believers at the time of the letters written to them.

However, Rome set up a system which is much more a carry-over to the ancient gods & practices of its empirical past than obedience to the Scriptures. The glorification of man in the Ceasar’s day was to “secure a person’s eternity” and bring glory to Rome, the eternal city. The ancient Romans would build monuments and shrines to their beloved and inscribe their names to seal their hero-worship status. The hero would be enshrined in Rome and take on a godlike status because they were granted immortality.

The worship of saints that comes from Rome today is very similar:

• To be named a saint is to secure Heaven for you through an earthly decree.
• a Roman saint had to manifest supernatural miracles both while alive — and after death.
• a Pope and council of Rome must approve your sainthood.
• Sainthood takes on a god-like quality – they can do miracles, perform blessings, and hear & answer prayers of others.
• Monuments, shrines, inscriptions, pictures, icons, candles, and more are sold for profit in their names into the millions if not billions of dollars. In fact, there was quite a fuss in Italy when they recognized Padre Pio as a saint and the Vatican (Rome) moved into his home town and set up shop for the expected millions of visitors who were about to throng to the town for prayer to Pio and the purchase of officially blessed relics and icons.
• A saint is set much higher than a common practitioner — Rome respects persons and earthly status but God shows no partiality to these things. ⁴  On this point, we have a very vivid and recent example. After John Paul 2 died, the hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Rome chanted “Santo, Santo, Santo” for days. This means that they were crying for “sainthood” to be granted to JP2. Many people from cardinals on down remarked that they had already begun praying to JP2. And now, JP2 is on the “fast-track” to immortality & intercession hotlines.
• a Roman saint is a glorified hero of a certain area — in other words, you can have a saint to idolize for every function, disease, machine, and house pet under the sun.

Rome is refreshing its heroes. They used to have a calendar here in Italy where every day was devoted to a saint. But they had to discontinue the calendar because there are now too many saints to remember and categorize. So every day must be pick-a-saint day.

In Closing

All worship belongs to Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. And He is the King of the heavenly City, New Jerusalem, the only eternal city which is coming in power and glory. You can only stake your citizenship in one or the other.

Look at these powerful words and promises of Jesus:

Revelation 3:11-12:
I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

Revelation 21:2:
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

~ not as a mistress for her lovers.

In what city will your name be found? Will your future fade with time or flourish with Eternity? Does your King come from the New Jerusalem or the fallen Rome?

1. Heschel, Abraham, The Sabbath, c. 1951, Shambhala Publications, Boston.,  pages 30-31 [back]
2. ibid., page 31-33 [back]
3. what I mean by this phrase is in reference to the hundreds of millions of people around the world who have also imported the Roman doctrines, traditions, and culture - who also need to turn from the papal belief system. [back]
4. Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11 [back]

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Vinedressers in Italy prefer hot, dry summers as opposed to mild ones with ample rainfall. The reason for this is that they say it makes for a sweeter or more flavorful grape.

In John 15:1-17 we read about Israel’s vineyard, its Supreme Vinedresser, and its One, Living Vine. In Israel, the vines would run much closer to the rocky soil to be able to take advantage of the dewfall in the night. Israel has very little rainfall from the early spring to the late fall, yet the vines produce their sweetest grapes in the hot desert when other plants have long died off. The dewfall would be captured beneath the rocks that would protect the  the water from evaporation and allow it to penetrate the ground and nourish the vine’s roots.

There’s a great spiritual analogy to consider between the long, scorching summer and the sweetening of the grapes. The dry heat and minimal rain remind us of the loss of visible blessing (ie. rain from Heaven). We will all suffer spiritual dry times in our lives. But I’m not talking about spiritual weariness as much as I’m equating dry-ness with enduring persecution and/or difficulty.

In other words, Christians who enjoy a vibrant and rich Faith are ones that have most likely endured much for that Faith. The fruit that they bear is much sweeter to others because it’s been under different forms of persecution and has not had much visible, physical blessing to rely upon. Their faith in itself has been trained to be much more dependent on the Lord’s nourishing. 

I regularly hear this reflected from short-term missionaries to poorer countries. They’ll often say something like, “The faith of the people on this field was so joyful and rich.” Or, “They had so little but they were so content and happy.” Or, “We went to bless them and we received a blessing instead.” What blessing was that? Sweeter grapes.

The Western Believer has a hard time understanding persecution. They will often reduce persecution to the idea of physical abuse or worse. However, stop to consider that there can be at least six other forms as well:

1. Spiritual
2. Emotional
3. Mental
4. Governmental
5. Financial
6. Testimonial (reputation, name, slander)

Often, these go unseen but serve to enhance the difficulty and struggle that moves toward the final realm of the physical abuse and martyrdom that we frequently associate with the word persecution.¹

In Italy, we have regularly endured these other six forms of persecution. For years, it was hard to relate the struggles and difficulties of “what we’re going through” to those who don’t have a gridwork to understand it. Sometimes the only explanation we can offer is - growing grapes in progress.

1. Rick Pearcey writes a fantastic article on the nature of persecution in the modern-day can be found here. In the article, Pearcey outlines the process of persecution. The initial forms of persecution will be used to ostracize and demonize. Then, the later forms will be used to destroy. [back]

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Just a note to those of you who follow this blog that my co-contributor here on I2I, Roberto, had to say good-bye (for now) to his father Pasquale on the 7th of January. Pasquale turned 94 last week (meaning that he was born before the Titanic was built to put it in perspective).

We pondered the secrets of old-age that Pasquale knew and placed a few ideas on the table. One said it was because he was Italian (who are generally known for their longevity — I’ve never seen more 90 year-olds riding bicycles anywhere else). Another said it was because he was a Battistuzzi. Pasquale had a brother who recently passed away that was about the same age. Another attributed it to the good wine (Conegliano, where Pasquale was from, prides itself on being a city of the juice). Our Church family partially thinks it’s because of the great care that Adele and Roberto gave their dad. But the best reason came from an African nurse who said, “God wasn’t finished talking with him yet.”

As God has finished His pursuit of Pasquale, one point we should consider is  How does God also talk to us in the grand scheme of things? The Bible lays out many ways.¹ One way the Hebrew worldview explores the Father’s lessons is through the funeral. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says,

It is better to go to the house of mourning
   than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
   and the living will lay it to heart.

Here, Solomon lays out the simply profound point that it is better to seek meaning in your life more from a funeral than from a party. Everybody will be at a funeral someday. It’s the funeral of another (especially those close to us) that “talks” a language of God to those who are still alive. The deliberation over a life teaches us what qualities of wisdom that we should pursue and what foolishness of destruction we should avoid. The funeral aligns the living toward meaning. The funeral is the sound of the gate opening to eternity. That sound will help those who are prepared for eternity and haunt those who are not.

Can we ever prepare for the experience of death? Maybe not. But the confidence that we find in the Bible is that we can prepare for what comes after death (1 Corinthians 15:54-58). It’s a solved mystery! You will either experience death’s fury and total sting - or Yeshua’s victory of everlasting life. Consider funerals — they have something to say.

1. God speaks to His kids through creation, conviction, His Word, circumstances, godly people, destruction of the wicked, the rising and falling of kings and nations, the one-another community of Yeshua, the simple trust of a child etc. [back]

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There are many ways that I could expound on a title like The Jekyl & Hyde Italians. I could easily take up the themes of taxes, laws, manners, or religious practices and we’d have some funny & shocking posts. However, my main description is of the Religious-Secularism that pulls at them from all sides. I actually feel sadness for the Italians and their deep, deep struggle to see the Truth of Biblical Faith which reigns over secularism and through healthy religion.

The Great Divide

Simply, Italians from the day they’re born are confronted and confused with a terrible dichotomy or division to life.

On one side, the Roman Empire tells them that God created the universe in 6 days and is the Source of our origins.¹ This is what the family for generations has had to follow and believe. To deny this is to refute Grandma and discredit the priest. This is their values side of what they know.

On the other side, the Italian (European) public education system pounds naturalistic Darwinism into them from a young age. This theory basically says that chance and natural laws come together and form the origin (and meaninglessness) of life. There-is-no-God atheism is the stew they’re boiling in from Monday through Saturday. This is the idea of science or facts that they know.

What we have then is the common Italian who walks around as secular as can be, living for the pleasure of the moment (or the moments to come), and thoroughly confused as to where they came from and where they’re going.

Here’s the Hard Work

I think one of our greatest tasks as Bible-believing and practicing Christians in Italy is to help Italians to see that God is the source & designer of life, that He does have a plan for life ( Ephesians 1:7-10), that He is know-able, and that they are responsible to Him for what they do with that life.

1. of course, they don’t give the Italian the “why” and they say that God is not know-able apart from them and their mediation [back]

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This is the final, fantastic close of Mr. Scudder’s testimony. We apologize for the long absence this summer, but we’ve had to do a lot of travel and take care of many personal obligations. Getting back to this post, while I may not fully follow Mr. Scudder in the area of “modern tongues”, I would say that his understanding is excellent about the deception of a mixed and/or common faith. Please take a couple minutes to read through his closing and then leave us a comment or two!

Catholics no longer a mission field?

Some Evangelicals are now saying that Roman Catholics are no longer considered to be a mission field since they are ‘Christians’, as evidenced in the document ECT, (Evangelicals and Catholics together).

What a sad commentary to our brothers and sisters in Latin countries, and others who have laid down their lives for the Gospel, and have seen millions of Roman Catholics believe the Gospel. The future of evangelism hangs in the balance.

In my eight years of working with Charismatic Catholics, I have come to the following conclusions.

I had been naive and had neglected to really look into the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church to see what they really believed about the doctrine of Salvation by Grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. I took it for granted that they believed the Gospel of the Bible. I had not prepared and made serious mistakes. After study I found that historically, and conversely, the Roman Catholic Church teaches as dogma, that justification is conferred through her sacraments, and that it consists of inner righteousness whereby a man, it is stated, becomes ‘just within himself.’ The Church of Rome condemns the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone. (Council of Trent)

Any non-Catholic Church that held the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church would be considered a ‘Cult’ by many of the same people who are seeking unity with the Catholics.

I have discovered that most Protestants do not know what the Gospel is ‘according to Rome’! And are easy prey for Roman Catholic apologists because they do not know how to defend sola scriptura or because of their extreme arminianism. Do we once again need a reformation in the ‘Protestant’ Evangelical Churches?

It was the standard practice of the FGBMFI to tell Roman Catholics to stay in the Catholic Church so that they could witness to others and I find this to be true also in many Protestant/Pentecostal churches. I believe this was a very dangerous attitude in that I found those who stayed eventually were lost to the Roman Church once again for various reasons or because they had not been truly born again. I believe most of the ones who had trusted in Christ alone for salvation came out of the Roman Catholic Church.

You cannot stay in a Church, without consequences, that denies we are saved by what Christ did outside of us, and not what we can do to become worthy inside.

“Solo Christo”

“Solo Christo” was one of the cries of the Protestant Reformation. Translated from the Latin, it means “Christ Alone.”

In these times, the growing tendency to emphasize feelings and experiences at the expense of sound doctrine is presenting the world with a ‘feel-good’ religious community, the boundaries of which grow more ephemeral with every new ecumenical pronouncement. This is especially true among Roman Catholics and some Evangelical and some Charismatic Christians. I want to emphasize that not all Evangelicals and Pentecostals are being deceived but some are.

And the lines become more blurred, so that now in some ecumenical meetings, New Agers, Universalists, Roman Catholic as well as “some” true born again Christians such as Evangelicals and Pentecostals are coming together to celebrate their oneness in a quote, ‘Common Experience.’ This is the great deception.

Although speaking in tongues can be valid experience from God it is not always of the Holy Spirit. It can be counterfeited. Satan has counterfeits of every Gift of God. You can receive an experience without being saved, and when this happens it leads to many problems. The major problem is a false sense of security that you are saved, and leads you further away from the true Gospel and many times into the occult. It has been documented that most spiritualists are former Catholics.

If we accept everybody as brothers and sisters because they speak in tongues, then we are heading down a slippery slope, Catholic or otherwise.
(Spiritual experience ALONE can never be the basis for unity. Unity must be based on sound DOCTRINE.)

Some may have a legitimate question about laying hands on unbelievers. Some bitterly regret having prayed for and laid hands on these Catholics who have, according to some Pentecostal testimony, received an alien spirit as a result. Does this mean that “we” transmitted an evil spirit from us to them? NO - in our ignorance God would not allow us to transmit the Holy Spirit or an unclean spirit to a unregenerated person but we have been guilty of helping that person open-up to an unclean spirit.

*****************
“If anyone comes with another doctrine, do not receive him….for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
Holy Bible 2 John 10-11 KJV.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Galatians 5:1. KJV

*********

Bill Scudder

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We touch on the idea of ecumenism in this post. Since I have arrived in Italy, I regularly hear for the call to “unite” through ecumenism. I was once asked to teach in the religion class at the local high school on ecumenism. I did. I said it doesn’t work. I showed why it doesn’t work. I told them this with as much love and charm as I could muster. I wasn’t invited back.

Here are a few of the pitfalls of ecumenism as I see it:

1. Culture is king. If you’re sincere enough in your religious culture, then you can have salvation too.
2. Culture = Religion. Your culture is just as valid as mine and if you obey the dictates of your culture then we’re all serving the same god.
3. Ancient texts = Sacred texts. Every time you refer to Scripture with a person who is “ecumenical” they constantly refer back to old documents that were discoverd here or there. Aged does not equal Holy.
4. Lack of definition. Ecumenism survives on muddy terms.
5. No Judgment. Hot-potato-topic. God won’t punish us because we’re all good to go anyway.
6. Sincerity = Salvation. If you just feel deeply about what you’re doing (right or wrong), you’re good to go my man. Therefore, we can all work together because we’re all sincere about our religions.

Well, let’s continue on with Mr. Scudder’s testimony about how he encountered Universalism (Ecumenism).

Universalism

A Catholic Priest who was a sought after speaker in the Catholic Charismatic movement and spoke at many FGBMFI chapters, was speaking one night to a large group during one of our FGBMFI conventions. After his talk he gave an altar call to come and be ‘born again.’ I had an uneasy feeling, and after the service was over, I approached to ask him some questions. I asked him if Jesus was the only way to be saved, and he said very plainly, ‘NO.’ I asked, ‘Do you have to be born again and believe in Jesus Christ to be saved and he said ‘NO.’ What did he mean by ‘born again’?

It was obvious he meant that if you received tongues or any kind of subjective feeling, that this was proof of being born again, having nothing to do with being born from above by the Spirit of God or believing in Christ alone for salvation.

At that point I rebuked him for what he said and he got very angry and began to shake. I reported him to FGBMFI but nothing came of it. There are several kinds of Roman Catholics. The Catholic church is not as united as they would like everyone to believe. There is the liberal that believes God is the Father of all and no-one is lost. Then there’s the one that believes that if you do good works and are baptised you will be saved. And another traditional pre-Vatican 2 Catholic that believes that only through the Roman Catholic church can you be saved. Then there are all those in between.

The Roman Catholic religion in its quest for ecumenism is now playing both sides as is seen in Vatican II.

An article published by the Dallas Morning News on Saturday March 20th, 1999 of an ecumenical meeting held in Dallas, Thanksgiving World Assembly, shows the other side.

What is important about this meeting is that it was attended by a Nigerian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic religion named Francis Arinze.

His comments are chilling and revealing. An illustration of Roman Catholic ecumenism, which ices out the Gospel and makes mockery of the ministry of Jesus Christ, is found in Arinze’s answer to the question, “Can you still get to heaven without accepting Jesus?” His answer, not surprising, but chilling and ominous, is: “Expressly, yes!”

He says, “God’s grant of salvation includes not only Christians but Jews, Muslims, Hindus and people of good will.”

WHAT DOES THE POPE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?

Note the following quote (Dallas Morning News, 12-09-00):

By Peggy Polk
and Robert Nowell

VATICAN CITY, Dec. 6 (RNS)–Tempering a controversial Vatican declaration on salvation, Pope John Paul II said Wednesday that all who live a just life will be saved even if they do not believe in Jesus Christ and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Pope blatantly contradicts the Bible

© 2000 Discerning the Times Digest and NewsBytes
On March 26, 2000.
The popular Catholic Pope John Paul II blatantly contradicted the Bible on December 7 when he proclaimed “Heaven is open to all as long as they are good,” even for “those who ignore Christ and his Church.”
The Bible clearly teaches only those who have accepted Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation will be saved.
The December 8, Electronic Telegraph reported the Pope as saying that “Heaven is open to all as long as they are good.”

POPE’S WORDS BEFORE THE “ANGELUS”, VATICAN CITY, OCT. 1, 2000 (ZENIT.org)

3. The Holy Spirit is not only present in other religions through authentic expressions of prayer. “The Spirit’s presence and activity”, as I wrote in the Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, “affect not only individuals but also society and history, peoples, cultures and religions” (n. 28).Normally, “it will be in the sincere practice of what is good in their own religious traditions and by following the dictates of their own conscience that the members of other religions respond positively to God’s invitation and receive salvation in Jesus Christ, even while they do not recognize or acknowledge him as their Saviour (cf. Ad gentes, nn. 3, 9, 11)” (Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue)

As you read this portion of the testimony, you’ll notice a very common practice that we see permeated all through Italy. That practice is taking both sides of an argument when it’s convenient to do so. You stay in control that way.

Purgatory was a way to do this. It was a ready-made tool to make money through indulgences. To the question, “Are you going to heaven or hell?” purgatory provided a great answer, “BOTH.”

Well, purgatorio has too much historical baggage now. So, today, it’s being conveniently disgarded, ignored, or downplayed. It was once a stalwart dogma. What happened? Universalism came on the scene all shiny with lasers & smoke. It cleaned out the old, dirty laundry and made room for all kinds of fun new icons and gadgets from the neighbor kids. It’s the new Universalism 2.0. “Are you going to heaven or hell?” U-2.0 answers, “Yes. Heaven. Everybody.” It’s all the rage.

Beware Bible believer! Ecumenism is nothing more than a way for Romanism to wrap its cloak around your Church.

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My home internet has been down for three weeks now (How did I survive such an ordeal? Ninja Skills). So, part 2 took a little longer than anticipated. Thank you dear precious readers for not abandoning us during the dog-days of summer.

This article-testimonial is getting very interesting. In this next section, Mr. Scudder writes about the Mary of Rome visiting the States. In other words, Mr. Scudder identifies the seduction of the Roman Mary and deviation from the Scriptures that “she” brings. Read on:

MARY BECOMES THE FOCUS

Many Catholic Charismatics have migrated to Mary, whom they see as the Holy Spirit’s more interesting spouse¹ The Catholic Charismatic fellowship at Dayton University reported to the news media that since their ‘experience’ they have been giving more devotion to Mary. In the statement nothing was said about Christ.

That does not mean that we do not honor Mary at all for her physical part in the birth of
Christ but we cannot venerate her more than the Scriptures allow or make her in any way spiritually responsible for our salvation.

Contrary to popular expectations, the sign of tongues that Catholics recieved brought back to Catholicism those who had fallen away, reviving their idolatrous practices. Some typical comments from Catholic charismatics illustrate this:

“Our devotion to Mary was filled with sanctification.”

“The sacramental life of the church has become richer in meaning.”

“I came to a better understanding of the eucharist as a sacrifice, and I came back to frequent confession.”

“At that time I discovered a profound devotion to Mary.”

Is the spirit that is active in the Roman Church, the Holy Spirit? In speaking of Him, Jesus said, “He will guide you into all truth”. This is the particular characteristic of the Holy Spirit. It is characteristic of an evil spirit to lead one into only part of the truth.

Now, one of the most marked effects of the Catholic charismatic movement is to lead its followers into part-truth, part-error as, for example: spontaneous prayer AND the rosary; the adoration of Christ AND the Holy Sacrament; reading the Bible AND the veneration of Mary.²

There are several testimonies from people who had been baptised by the “Holy Spirit”, one while reciting his rosary, another while singing a hymn at mass, and yet another while on her knees praying to the Holy Virgin. These testimonies are quite sufficient to prove that the spirit who baptised these people is in contradiction with the Scriptures and cannot, in any way, be the Holy Spirit. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit consists, not of doubting His work, but of attributing such error and such dreadful idolatry to His divine person. To quote Charles Foster, “When the experience of the Holy Spirit is put before doctrine and salvation, seduction is certain…”

Read the above portion of his article twice. This is a well-written evaluation with very little to argue with…

Part 3 (Universalism) in a few days…

1. At first, my (Rob’s) experience was that the Romans had added Mary as a 4th person of the Godhead to make a Quadernity. However, the more I looked into this “addition” the more I realized that it was a “substitution” where the Holy Spirit was fully replaced. [back]
2. This is an excellent point! I wouldn’t qualify this solely among Catholic Charismatics but among Catholics in general. The spontaneous prayer part wouldn’t be allowed “outside” the sacred building called the Church. [back]

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I’ll be taking a few posts¹ to share the experience of a charismatic businessman² from Ohio. I do not know the author personally but a relative of mine is acquainted with him. The story shares Mr. Scudder’s “cooperation” with an ever-popular group called Catholic Charismatics. I do agree with a number of the conclusions³ that Mr. Scudder has come to as a result of these encounters, and I wanted to share them with you. I believe if you know the Truth that you will find this interesting as well.

The Slippery Rise of Ecumenism⁴

It started when I was voted in as President of a local chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International. We had a dinner meeting once a month and a breakfast meeting once a month. At the dinner meeting we would usually invite a Christian businessman to give his testimony. I also held a Bible study and prayer meeting in my home.

Catholics began to come to my home prayer and Bible study meeting, including a priest. The first thing this priest did was kneel in front of me, as if I could impart something to him. Later I knew that he wanted me to pray that he would receive tongues. Later that night I sat down with him and the scriptures and tried to explain to him the plan of salvation. My words and scriptures seemed to address deaf ears. His “religion” seemed to have a shield around him so the “Gospel” could not be heard.

I became a friend with this Priest and we began to attend other meetings together. More Catholics started coming to all of our meetings and I invited a Catholic professor from Ball State University to come and speak to our fellowship.

It wasn’t long until many of these Catholics were seeking and receiving tongues. At the time I just took it for granted that they were already saved and were receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Priests, nuns, and others were beginning to receive tongues. I was guilty of believing that tongues was an indication that we shared the same Holy Spirit experience, and the same Jesus. This was due to my ignorance of the ‘Gospel according to Rome,’ for which I have no excuse.

I was invited to teach a course one night a week for six weeks in a Roman Catholic Parish, St. Monica In East Peoria, Illinois. Priests, nuns, and others were present. I taught on the gift of Salvation. At the time I was not prepared for what I was confronting and because all present at the meetings deemed themselves already saved because of the Roman Catholic religion. I don’t believe I addressed the subject in the right way. There was a spirit of bondage given to them by Rome and they had a dependence on their infant baptism and other doctrines of Rome which nullify the Gospel.

I was invited to attend Catholic Charismatic prayer meetings at Bradley University as the only non-Catholic present.

One of the Catholic prayer groups were speaking in tongues and receiving unbiblical interpretations of a sinful nature, supposedly coming direct from Mary, ‘the mother
of Jesus’. Which was further proof that the unsaved were receiving ‘tongues’ from a spirit other than God. Charismatic Catholics often become more devoted to Mary after receiving a tongue that was not from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit only glorifies Christ.

One of the common declarations of Marian worshippers is that Mary is actively giving new revelations (extra-biblical), new signs, & new miracles. In my experience with thousands of devoted Marians - not one time has a person hungered after and followed Christ Jesus more after any “encounter” or hearing of an encounter of Maria. Whether you’re a cessationist or continuationist - all believers must pose the question on some kind of tongue or spiritual manifestation to see its veracity and authenticity — Is Christ glorified? 1 John 5:6

Part 2 in a few days…

1. The goal here is to raise an awareness to what is out there & how Rome works in the Western world. Please remember that Rome’s pattern has been to umbrella –> imitate –> absorb and that’s what I’m striving for through these posts. [back]
2. Bill Scudder, Dayton, Ohio, USA Azusa755@sbcglobal.net Permission is given by the author to copy this testimony to be used in any way provided it is reproduced in its entirety including my e-mail address without change and that the following disclaimer be included. This testimony may be pasted on any other site but does not mean I agree with all other documents or links listed there. [back]
3. I will list-out the conclusions that I agree with and add some commentary on them after each post. [back]
4. A movement promoting worldwide unity among religions through greater cooperation and improved understanding. [back]

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Last night, I was watching a local program from our provincial capital of Pordenone. The special was The Da Vinci Code & the Catholic Church. There were many interesting points that the monsignor attacked and defended. But here is something I noticed again and again: The monsignor representing the Roman Empire never quoted from the Scriptures during the hour I listened to the program.

Of particular interest was the subject of celibacy and priests being allowed to marry. The DVC obviously brings some negative publicity to this unscriptural practice. So, the monsignore was asked to defend Rome’s position on the subject. The host of the program started the question like this, “You are a great theologian, so let me ask you, there are Protestant pastors in our area who have their churches and are married and have families…” I laughed because there’s about 10-15 of us that would be classified as that. I made it on TV.

The monsignore started on the point that many “around” the empire were allowed to marry; just not the priests. Finally, he arrived at the priests. Here are the three points that he made for enforcing a man-made tradition that disobeys the law and order of God:

1. “Celibacy is not a divine pronouncement; it is an ecclesiological one.”

Ok, I’d like to ask, “To the Romanists — what’s the difference? You’ve set the empire up to be the voice and oracle of God — so why do you stress that there is a difference as if the priests have a choice to follow the Catholic pronouncement or the Divine pronouncement if there’s one handy?” Do the priests really have a choice to follow not follow Rome’s pronouncement on the basis that it’s not divine?

Also, are you unwittingly admitting that the ecclesiological pronouncement isn’t really in accord with the Scriptures?

And then, if it’s not in accord with the Scriptures — aren’t you really saying that Rome is above the authority of the Word of God? — eeeeeh, just wondering.

2. “A priest can’t be devoted to the flock if he has a wife.”

This is very common to hear among Italian priests. Let’s interpret this phrase: A wife & kids are a big distraction; a detriment to a minister and the calling. They are definitely not a help.

Obviously, I don’t expect him to understand this in any way, but a wife who is committed to the Bible and the Bride is a synergy and joy and not a detriment to the minister. AND, it’s Biblical — no, really, it is. 1 Timothy 3:2-5

How can a man (a priest in this case) be devoted to the Truth and the flock while at the same time denying God’s natural law & order? To love God is to love His ways.

They call themselves “priests”. Ok, even the Old Testament priests were encouraged by God to marry and to multiply. God saw this as honoring to Him. He originally designed it that way.

3. “A family is an expensive thing to have. It costs a lot to take care of children and a home.”

Spoken like a real Italian. A family is a bottom-line issue; not a creation mandate. In Italy, the people marry and have kids based more on their financial schedule and outlook than any moral or Scriptural guideline.

“We (the empire) own these guys. We don’t want that money going to some distracting, costly family. How would we get privately rich that way?”

I know the arguments of the monsignore are both outdated & debunked, but they keep on using them — because if one of these “dogmas” falls, the rest of the fortress falls too — and Rome would lose control.

Here, I’ll let the former pontiff speak for himself¹

He will support and encourage priests, who, called by God’s grace, have freely assumed the commitment of celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven, and remind himself and them of the evangelical and spiritual grounds of this choice, so important for the service of the People of God. In the reality of the Church and the world today, the witness of chaste love is, on the one hand, a form of spiritual therapy for humanity and, on the other, a form of protest against the idolatry of instinct.

I don’t think my wife would appreciate our marriage being termed as idolatrous instinct. She’s not around to “fulfill the animal in me.” Marriage is a beautiful thing… forced celibacy is silly.

1. JP2 in a 2003 encyclical “Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores”, point 21 [back]

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Welcome back for those of you who picked up reading the I2I blog in the Fall of 2005. With great pleasure, I2I is going to shift gears into a co-blog format. Brother Roberto Battistuzzi is teaming up with Brother Rob Krause to write about our insights & experiences in Italy, how Jesus of Nazareth has changed our lives, and how Romanism and Secularism impact the land of Italy and much of the world.

Along with a new site design with a number of user-friendly features¹, we’ve also written a new “About I2I” page to explain more clearly how we see I-2-I.

So, on Monday - June 5th, we’ll be up and running again as we get the last pieces put into place. We hope to bring posts to you weekly. Please feel free to comment and share your insights with us too.

Rob & Rob

1. a great navigation bar, Bible verses popup on the site when you mouseover, most recent comments published in the sidebar, and streamlined organization [back]

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“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” Gal.5:1

During a holiday in beautiful Austria, we were encouraged to visit a delightful town on the shores of a lake, Zell am See. It is a well known ski resort and is located in a beautiful setting, with towering mountains all around. We were enjoying a welcome break after 8 years in Italy, where we have been challenged in many ways and especially in the Christian spiritual realm. While walking around this town, we came across the Catholic Church which dates back many centuries, (as many of these
churches do!). As part of our stay in Italy is evangelizing Italians, we have spent many months of study in an effort to get to grips with the reason for such spiritual oppression in that country. Many friends and visitors have commented that they “feel” oppressed in their spirits whenever they come to Italy. We are now realizing more and more that the Vatican
and, therefore, the Catholic Church play an enormous role in this. One can argue the point, but the religion of any country has an effect on the whole population. Whether one has separation of Church and State or not, the religious beliefs of the country’s political establishment shapes the way a country is run through it’s laws and other things. If one has a very strong spiritual influence like the Vatican has in Italy, then that shapes not only the political system but also the psyche of the population. The purpose of this blog is not to go into details of this, except to give two simple examples :

1. One of the first “duties” of a newly elected Italian Prime Minister is to visit the pope (sic).
2. By law, Italians have to sign away a percentage of their tax to either the Catholic Church or two other religious establishments. It is called the “Otto per mille” or “Eight per thousand”. In other words,eight euro out of every thousand euro paid in tax goes to the designated institution. There will be a more detailed blog on this later.

So what has all this to do with the photo? Quite a lot.
I walked into the church to see what was inside.As I turned to walk out, this sculpture caught my eye.It was at the back, almost hidden.Above it, to the left was a statue of the “madonna” holding what is supposed to be baby Jesus.The contrast was enormous.On the one side , this pathetic representation of our Glorious Lord and on the other a jewel studded statue of the “mother” of Christ.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. In a flash of intuition, I suddenly realized:”this is it!!” I have yet to see anything graphic that condenses everything that I have studied over these few years regarding the spiritual bondage of catholics,
and sadly, more and more Protestant denominations than this statue.
Jesus, the Anointed One, is still considered as a dead figure on a cross or as a baby in the arms of a woman.
Yet He is the soon returning Glorious, Resurrected, God the Son.
The problem in Italy and other predominantly catholic countries is that Yeshua Mashiach is held captive in the minds of people. Catholics will more than likely pray to other “gods” or “godesses”, (read saints and madonnas), than to the True and Only God.
The striking thing about this sculpture was not only that the representation of the Lord was chained to the wall, but that it was behind bars too!
Almost as if to say, “We must make doubly sure that Jesus is not freed, just in case the truth comes out and we lose an empire of a billion plus subjects.”
If you think I am exaggerating, come and experience Italy for yourselves.
This is the reason that we pray and intercede for a Holy Spirit led Reformation in Italy. May the King of Kings break the chains of religious bondage and apostasy so that hundreds of million of prisoners will see the light and experience the glorious freedom from sin.
Grace and shalom

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