Although this "conversation" has existed for thirty years, it has never truly been an "official dialogue" as its Roman Catholic participants have claimed. In fact, the talks were not established by any vote of SBC Convention messengers and were originally the product of efforts by Roman Catholic officials who were carrying out the ecumenical directives of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). Informal "talks" with moderate SBC theologians and leaders began soon after Vatican II and progressed quickly to informal, then to formal "conversations." Since the early 1970’s Roman Catholic participants and news services have incorrectly reported the "conversation" as an "official dialogue."

(Most evangelicals do not realize that the terms "talks" "conversation" "dialogue" and "official dialogue" - when defined within the context of Roman Catholic ecumenical efforts – are associated with progressive steps toward ecumenical "full visible unity" with the Roman Catholic Church. This purposeful course of ecumenical strategy is mapped out in the post-Vatican II encyclical Ut Unum Sint.)

In 1994 a member of the SBC’s Resolutions Committee added a paragraph onto a resolution to the Convention and the ongoing RCC/SBC conversation was thereby encouraged to continue under the guidance of the Home Mission Board’s Interfaith Witness Department.

Thus, even after the conservative restoration of the SBC, the RCC/SBC Conversation-Dialogue has been maintained, a left-over from the days of a more liberal-leaning SBC. The manner in which the dialogue’s Roman Catholic participants have publicly misrepresented the work of this group has added to the confusion created by the ecumenical movement’s inclusion of the false gospel of sacramental faith.

Frank Ruff ought to know what he’s talking about; for over thirty years he has been an "official observer" of the SBC, working for the SEIA, an arm of the National Council of Catholic Bishops. In his work for the SEIA, RCC priest Frank Ruff is a member of the RCC/SBC dialogue, attends SBC convention meetings and SBC Executive Committee meetings, etc. In this way, Mr. Ruff builds relationships and gathers information in order to teach Roman Catholic missionaries (Glenmary Home Missioners) how to deal with Southern Baptists as they plant Roman Catholic missions in rural areas of the U.S. where there are few Catholics and where Southern Baptists are often strong.

Mr. Ruff uses his kindly, personal demeanor to even recruit Southern Baptists to speak to RCC missionary trainees regarding what Southern Baptists believe. These unwary Southern Baptists may think they are "witnessing," but in fact, they are helping Mr. Ruff to teach these Roman Catholic missionary trainees how to counter the beliefs and witness of Southern Baptists they will meet in rural areas from Virginia to Mississippi.

Most Southern Baptists are completely unaware of the aggressive ecumenical agenda of the SEIA. Most have no idea that throughout the U.S. the Roman Catholic Church employs operatives such as personable, mild-mannered Frank Ruff.

Christians today need to regain an understanding of what true followers of Christ in the past lived and died for. And we need to wake up to the fact that Roman Catholicism has an ominous history with an ecumenical agenda that is funded and staffed at a world-class level. We need to quit playing ecumenical games with those who have a stated agenda to counter our witness for Christ and absorb us into "full visible unity" with the Roman Catholic Church. Of course, most of us would probably never be so gullible, but we need to look beyond our own selves. We put our children and grandchildren at eternal risk by our toleration of such ecumenical involvements.

And make no mistake; ecumenical involvements sponsored by Roman Catholic operatives are not just about social, moral, or cultural issues. These talks, conversations, and dialogues purposefully use the vehicle of cultural issues (again, see Ut Unum Sint), but the overall goal for Rome is to compromise all opponents theologically and then eventually to absorb them visibly.

Southern Baptist Dr. Timothy George has been involved in both the official RCC/SBC dialogue and the ECT Alliance. Dr. George recently endorsed the Vatican’s Declaration Dominus Iesus in which Rome again asserted her supremacy over all other churches, claiming that the Roman Catholic Church is the unique repository of salvation on earth.

The world does not need another ecumenical "joint statement" that downplays the differences between the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and the false sacramentalistic gospel of Roman Catholicism. If the "evangelicals" involved in these consultations were being consistent with the true Gospel and were honestly confronting the false gospel of Romanism, I can not imagine their being interested in another joint statement to be used by Rome to deceive the public.

In the New Testament Paul confronts the Judiazer heresy, condemning as "accursed" anyone who would dare to promote such deceptive error. Since Roman Catholicism is the obvious heir to the Judiazer heresy (a works-gospel of sacramental faith), how is it that evangelical leaders think it is a good thing to give the world the impression that those who trust in or promote a sacramental gospel may be considered as genuine Christians?

Former RCC priest Richard Bennett writes: