| Review – Letters
Between a Catholic and an Evangelical |
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by Fr. John R. Waiss
and James G. McCarthy
Publisher: Harvest House
Review by Tom Gilbert
Rare it is to find honest and thoughtful dialogue on the issues that divide
and often separate Christians. The differences between Protestants and
Catholics can seem overwhelming. The perception of a wide chasm on doctrine
can be a stumbling block to acceptance and a diversion from the real Gospel message.
The ultimate goal of a book like this, Letters Between a Catholic
and an Evangelical (Harvest House),
should be to promote unity within the body of Christ, not dissension. There is certainly common
ground that all Christians stand on. Nevertheless, it seems inevitable that a project
like this gets bogged down in the differences. The big question at the end of it all is does it matter? To
the many Christians – both Protestants and Catholics – it matters greatly.
There is a lot of history behind the arguments and there are the fundamental starting points.
Is God’s Word as found in Scripture sufficient, or does Tradition play
a part? How is a person saved? What do the bread and wine from the Last Supper represent?
Dialogue is good. Unity is good. Disagreement can be profitable if
it expands our understanding and embracing of ultimate Truth. Who has
the full understanding of this Truth? The answer to this question both
men seem to be in agreement on: the Holy Spirit. The discernment of
what the Spirit is saying unfortunately is diluted by human understanding.
Maybe that is inevitable.
You can tell that both Fr. John R. Waiss (Catholic priest) and James
G. McCarthy (evangelical minister) have a good friendship. Their correspondence
via emails, letters and phone calls are their methods of communication
throughout this unique book. Each exchange is always prefaced by greetings
and concerns for each other and their friends and family.
Once they jump into the topic, however, it is often like someone rang
the bell for the next boxing round! They both hold strongly to their
positions. At first this was bothersome. As I proceeded through the
book I began to appreciate it more. Clearly explaining each doctrine
and the teaching behind it and the understanding each man has is necessary,
even if it gets frustrating.
This book is lengthy, as are the discussions. Be prepared to set it down frequently. I had to because
my mind needed some “space” to contemplate the arguments and discussions.
It’s not light reading.
Maybe Catholics and Protestants will always have differences.
Interpretations of salvation, scripture, teaching and ruling
authority, worship, sacraments, Mary and the saints; these
can be weighty issues.
What
helped me most during reading was to prayerfully
discern as best I can the universal truth, regardless of
denomination. In the end, Catholics and Protestants are
in agreement about the Trinity,
the Bible being God’s revealed Word, and that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Redeemer and Savior of a lost world.
It is refreshing to see books like Letters
Between a Catholic and an Evangelical. If people will
approach such reading with an open mind then perhaps we will move closer
to bridging the differences that divide us.
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Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy
Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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