I really enjoy listening to Father Larry Richards on CD, YouTube, ETWN, etc. Father Larry has been instrumental in my Catholic journey especially his 22 CD set - Knowing Jesus and His Church which is awesome and affordable. My wife, Brenda, likes his CD's better than any Catholic centered CD's that she has listened to.
My question centered around discussing the Gospel message with my Protestant Father that basically says, "Christ Crucified, grab your Bible and join a good Bible believing church."
Quick Note: Yes, I believe in Christ Crucified and that the Bible is the inspired word of God. But I think that the advice of joining a good Bible believing church is too all over the place when it's all said and done. There are SO many differences of opinion based on private interpretation of scripture that how does one define a good Bible believing church?
Father Larry basically said this, "Catholics and Protestants all believe that we are saved by Grace. It's what Jesus did for us not what we do for him. We are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. It's what Jesus did for you and me on the cross. How we live this Grace and how we receive this Grace is where we're going to have our fundamental differences. However, it's ok to have those differences. Build on what you agree on first and slowly build on that instead of what you disagree on."
I do think that all ( Catholic or Protestant ) of us should remember that we need to start with what we agree on not what we disagree on. At the end of the day, Catholic Christians love and worship the same Jesus as Protestant Christians. However, there are a lot of differences between Catholics and Protestants. I have found that most Protestants are misinformed about Catholicism. There are some that are outright anti-Catholic and others that see Catholics as fellow Christians. So Father Larry's advice with starting on what we agree on is crucial. If a fellow non-Catholic Christian believes Catholics are doomed for hell and need to be born again, the conversation will be far different than a non-Catholic Christian that sees a Catholic as a fellow brother or sister in Christ.
Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians should stop arguing about what they disagree on and focus on what they agree on and share the Gospel with those that don't know Jesus. Yes, that includes me. I need to get better at a lot of things. I'm a sinner saved by grace that loves Jesus Christ.
Remember Father Larry said, "We are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. It's what Jesus did for you and me on the cross." So shouldn't Catholics and Protestants be focused on Matthew 28:19?
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
