A few weeks ago Jay and I went to a luncheon with Matt Maher. Matt wrote one of my favorite songs “Lay it Down” which you can watch HERE. Matt is also a Catholic and is not ashamed to say it.
Growing up in the church I’ve heard plenty about how Catholics aren’t Christians and are really messed up in their theology. In my Spiritual Formation class we’ve spent a lot of time on spiritual disciplines, but I’ve always wondered why evangelicals are only known for focusing on 2 disciplines: study and worship.
A book I’m reading, Satisfy Your Soul, says this about Catholics and Protestants:
“Protestant Reformers of the 16th century separated from the Roman church over critical matters, such as papal authority, justification by faith or by works, the veneration of Mary, and praying to the saints. And like most other evangelicals, I had rejected the idea of receiving any spiritual instruction from the ancient church. But having gotten to know many wonderful, vibrant Christians in the Catholic renewal movement, I’d come to realize we had made an error. The Reformers threw out a great deal of spiritual wisdom, insight, and important practices.”
As Matt shared about what it meant to be a Catholic who loved and believed in Jesus, he challenged us Christians to begin at a place of respect for one another. In my formation course I’ve been greatly challenged to venture into the practices known as “Catholic” (meditation, solitude, contemplation, etc) and mostly unpracticed by evangelicals. And I too, think we have made an error by ignoring all of what Catholicism has to offer. Yet even as Catholics have something to offer evangelicals it does not change our huge differences between one another.
I’m sure many of you have plenty of reservations about what Catholics have to say about God and Jesus…so I wonder what you have to say about all this.
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