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.

Catholic charismatics ecumenism Krause Mariolatry universalism

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