The RADEN Report                                         May 8, 2001

Rome And Daughters Ecumenical News

special...

Continuing coverage of the announced closure of the RCC/SBC Dialogue.

The following letter is provided for your information. The letter referred to was made available to news organizations by the SBC’s North American Mission Board. Over the past few months, various national news services have posted articles relevant to this letter. Thus, it is appropriate to address this in the public forum. Dr. Reccord is the President of the North American Mission Board; Dr. Yarbrough is Vice-President, Evangelism.

May 8, 2001
Dear Dr. Reccord and Dr. Yarbrough,

I am grateful to hear that the RCC/SBC Dialogue will be coming to a close. At the same time I am concerned about some of the things you stated in your official notification of termination. Your February 7th letter to Roman Catholic Bishop Kendrick Williams (attached) may shed light on a fundamental misunderstanding relevant to the issue of ecumenical involvements. Please let me explain...

The first sentence of your letter to Mr. Williams states, "May this letter find you prospering in health as also your soul prospers."

Brothers, it seems obvious you are assuming that this man’s soul "prospers." I don’t want to sound unkind, but the truth of the Gospel is that for Mr. Williams’ soul to prosper, he would have to be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Otherwise, as the Bible points out, Mr. Williams is lost without Christ, and the condition of his soul is "dead in trespasses and sins," hardly a healthy situation.

As a Roman Catholic bishop, Mr. Williams is a member of that religion’s hierarchy and a part of the Roman Magesterium. Thus, he has publicly committed himself to the propagation of the official teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. According to publications of our North American Mission Board’s Interfaith Witness Department, the sacramental faith system of Roman Catholicism is NOT the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, tragically, Roman Catholicism proclaims another gospel, a gospel that can not save. (See footnote.)

Your opening sentence to Mr. Williams is drawn from 3 John 2, which says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." This verse is addressed to Gaius, a man who is in Christ, having believed in the one Gospel of our Lord. The Bible gives no assurance of salvation to those who trust in sacramental religious works, but rather quite the opposite is true (see Galatians 5:1-12).

Although I assume it is unintentional on your part, in effect you have affirmed this man’s faith... a faith in a sacramental system of merited grace obtained through religious works. I can certainly understand that many today do not realize Roman Catholicism promotes another gospel; I was once unaware of this myself. But now, having been a SBC missionary and pastor in a Catholic dominated area for almost twenty years, I have come to understand the deceptive false gospel of Roman Catholicism and the tragic lostness of these dear people.

Of course, I consider it probable that you were just trying to be polite and you had no intention of affirming this man’s belief in another gospel. Dear brothers in Christ, in the context of eternity and of God’s Word, it is never polite to suggest to someone who trusts in another gospel that he may be saved.

I am confident that you would never give such assurance to a Mormon or a Jehovah’s Witness even though they would also claim to have a faith in Christ. Therefore, I am puzzled as to why you would even hint at this assurance to a man who personally oversees the proclamation of another gospel to more than one million souls in the Lexington, Kentucky area. Are you saying that you believe those who promote a sacramental system of faith may also be our brothers and sisters in Christ? Is this what you see as part of the "mutual understanding" gained over the past thirty years of ecumenical dialogue?

Whatever the reason for this mistake, your letter points out why it is not a good idea for leaders of our Convention to conduct "official dialogues" or "official conversations" with members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Certainly, we should never close the door to communicating or defending the Gospel with any person or group. Historically, though, we have done this while purposefully avoiding such "official dialogues" that are so easily misunderstood or misrepresented by others. Just for example...

The most recent report from the RCC/SBC Dialogue spoke of the commonality of "our Christian faith," and Catholic news media quoted Dialogue member Jeff Gros saying that since the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention are "the two largest Christian denominations in the United States," the Dialogue’s work "should lay the common ground for witness together...."

Recent comments by Dialogue member and RCC priest Frank Ruff confirm that Roman Catholic participants view the Dialogue as an effort toward "Christian reconciliation" between the SBC and the Roman Catholic Church. Ruff goes so far as to say that this ecumenical effort is the work of the Holy Spirit and that the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs will continue its efforts with or without the benefit of an "official" dialogue.

So, you see, regardless of our intentions, such "official dialogues" have been misused to say that we accept practicing Roman Catholics as our brothers and sisters in Christ. For us to do so would contradict our historic stand on the Gospel as explained in The Baptist Faith and Message. Therefore, your statement that although this "round of talks" is drawing to a close, "the North American Mission Board does not rule out the possibility of future meetings" raises more questions than it answers.

There are 70 million Roman Catholics in the United States (over one billion worldwide), practically all of whom trust in the false sacramental gospel of Roman Catholicism. If we as Southern Baptists are going to be effective in reaching the people of North America for Christ, then we must come to understand that the largest religious group of unreached people on this continent (and in the world) is made up of those who believe they are Christians but trust in an unbiblical system of faith that composes a false gospel.

I urge you to direct our North American Mission Board’s attention to this vital need. Please consider that it is imperative for our executive leaders to not give mixed signals regarding the Roman Catholic faith. Also, please direct our agency resources to produce additional materials that will help all Southern Baptists understand the urgent need of our Roman Catholic family members and friends. (A professionally made documentary video might be an excellent place to start.)

Sincerely,
Jerry Moser, pastor
Bayou DuLarge Baptist Church

Footnote:

Quotes from Sharing Our Faith with Roman Catholic Friends, Produced by the Interfaith Witness Department. Written by Dr. Daniel R. Sanchez.

"Catholics define a Sacrament as: ‘a sign instituted by Christ to give grace.’ Catholic theology teaches that saving grace is obtained by observing the Sacraments." (p.22)

"The Catholic Church teaches that salvation is uncertain, mediated, and sacramental. In contrast, evangelicals base their concept of salvation in the Scripture... that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and not through sacraments." (p.24)
cc:

Mark Dever

Richard Land
Timothy George
Albert Mohler
Rudy Gonzalez
Paige Patterson
William Gordon
Philip Roberts
Don Kammerdiener
NAMB Trustees
Morris Chapman
Posted on the RADEN Report

Although some have denied that the official RCC/SBC "Conversations" is a "Dialogue," (1) some members of the SBC team have used this term, (2) news reports have used this term, and (3) for years the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Intereligious Affairs [SEIA] has labeled this as one of several "Official Dialogues" that they are involved in.

NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD, SBC
NAMB

February 7, 2001

Most Rev. J. Kendrick Williams
Bishop of Lexington
Catholic Diocese of Lexington
1310 West Main Street
Lexington, KY 40508-2040

Dear Most Rev. Williams:

May this letter find you prospering in health as also your soul prospers.

As you know, Southern Baptists have been conversing with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church through various initiatives for nearly thirty years. Many people of a sincere conscience from both denominations have made it their work to arrive at a mutual understanding of each other’s faith. We at the North American Mission Board (NAMB) are thankful for all the efforts over the years to encourage such an understanding.

Upon our meeting held last year on September 8 at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, the representatives of the NAMB (Drs. Phil Roberts, Rudolph D. Gonzalez) reported to brothers Jeff Gros and frank Ruff the board’s decision that this round of Roman Catholic/Southern Baptist conversations should draw to an end. Both parties agreed to meet in September of 2001 to finish discussion on the topic of Soteriology, followed by a final meeting in 2002 when a report on the conversations would be drafted. The meeting for 2001 is graciously being hosted by Dr. Paige Patterson, president of Southeastern Seminary. The details of the final meeting in 2002 have not been finalized.

Please consider this letter as an official notification of termination according to the above stated agreement. The future being what it is, and with all of its surprises, the North American Mission Board does not rule out the possibility of future meetings that might be undertaken. A new round of talks would need to be agreed upon by both parties.

Sincerely,
Robert E. Reccord, President North American Mission Board
John O. Yarbrough, Vice President, Evangelism, North American Mission Board

 

Cc:

PDr. Mark Dever
Dr. Timothy George
Dr. Rudy Gonzalez
Dr. Jeff Gross
Dr. Don Kemmerdiener
Dr. Richard Land
Dr. Al Mohler
Dr. Paige Patterson
Dr. Philip Roberts

The RADEN Report is a news and commentary service purposed to inform and educate the body of Christ regarding the dangers of ecumenism. For our purposes, ecumenism is defined as cooperative ventures of an evangelistic nature with individuals and/or groups which promote errant doctrine. Much of the New Testament was written to oppose the false doctrines of men who claimed to be Christian teachers, yet were bringing in "destructive heresies." According to Jude we are to "earnestly contend for the Faith that was once for all delivered unto the saints." This we aim to do and to encourage others in this part of God's work. If we can be of assistance to you in this way, please let us know. Additional copies (hard-copy) of RADEN are available, as well as other resources. Why not pass RADEN on to a friend? If you would like to read the ECT document, click here.  We also have the ECT put together into booklets, if you would like for us to send you one or more, request it by email.   Please include your home address and how many you would like.

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