Pages

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Hinirang na mga bagong Cardinal ng Iglesia ni Cristo sa Roma


Sa aking nakaraang artikulo noong Enero 22, 2014 nabanggit ko roon ang pagkakaroon ng mga bagong Cardinal ng Santa Iglesia at kahapon nga ay hinirang ang may 19 na bagong Cardinal.

Narito ang mga hinirang na bagong Cardinal mula sa iba't-ibang sulok ng mundo na inaabangan ng mga mamamahayag:

Vatican

  • Pietro Parolin, Titular Archbishop of Acquapendente, Secretary of State
  • Lorenzo Baldisseri, Titular Archbishop of Diocleziana, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops
  • Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Regensburg, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
  • Beniamino Stella, Titular Archbishop of Midila, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy


Europe

  • Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, United Kingdom
  • Loris Francesco Capovilla, Titular Archbishop of Mesembria (Bulgaria)
  • Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, C.M.F., Archbishop emeritus of Pamplona (Spain)
  • Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, Italy


Latin America

  • Leopoldo Jose Brenes Solorzano, Archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua
  • Orani Joao Tempesta, O.Cist., Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Mario Aurelio Poli, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., Archbishop of Santiago del Cile, Chile


North America & Caribbean

  • Gerald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, Canada
  • Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, Haiti
  • Kelvin Edward Felix, Archbishop emeritus of Castries (Saint Lucia)


Africa


  • Jean-Pierre Kutwa, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast
  • Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo, Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso


Asia

  • Andrew Yeom Soo jung, Archbishop of Seoul, South Korea
  • Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., Archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines


Kuwentong Pagbabalik-loob ni Alfie J. Angeles - Dating ADD, lumipat sa INC® ngayo'y Katoliko na!

Seminarista Alfie J. Angeles

THE STORY OF ALFIE ANGELES
Catholic-turned-ADD-turned-INC. At home at last.
Story extracted from The Splendor of the Church Blog of Fr. Abe

“Life not spent in serving the Lord is a life lived in vain.”

Ako ay isinilang noong January 6, 1982 ng mag-asawang Domingo Mangalindan Angeles at Marina Rosco Jugal sa maliit na bayan ng Montalban, Rizal na tinatawag ngayong Rodriguez, Rizal. Nang makilala ng aking ama ang aking ina, ang aking ina ay mayroon nang dalawang anak sa una niyang asawa. Sila ay sina Michael at Marlon Ortazo. Nang una, ang aking mga magulang ay naninirahan sa bahay ng nanay ng aking ama sa Burgos, Rodriguez, Rizal, subalit dala ng pag-uusig noong una ng ilang kapatid ng aking ama ay nagpasya silang manirahan nang bukod sa isang bukid na sinasaka ng aking ama. Dito ay napatunayan ng aking ina na sa hirap man ay maaasahan ng aking ama ang pagtulong ng aking ina. Hindi naman naglaon ay natanggap ng mga kapatid ng aking ama ang aking ina. Ako ay naiwang kasama ng aking lola na si Teodora M. Angeles na kung saan doon ako lumaki at nagkaisip. Tuwing Sabado at bakasyon ay lagi akong pumupunta sa bukid ng aking ama.

Sa murang edad, natuto akong magtinda ng gulay na inaani ng aking mga magulang. Sumasama rin ako sa aking ina sa pagtitinda ng gatas ng kalabaw. Lahat ng aking kinikita ay ibinibigay ko sa aking lola. Ang lola ko naman ang nagbibigay ng baon sa akin araw-araw.

Taong 1988 ay naoperahan ako dahil sa appendicitis. Dito una kong nalaman ang aking pagkahilig sa relihiyon. Natatandaan ko pa noong ako ay hindi pa nag-aaral, ako ay hinanap ng aking mga pinsan at hindi nila ako matagpuan. Makalipas ang ilang oras ay natagpuan nila ako sa simbahan ng Señor de Burgos sapagkat naging ugali na namin noon na sa tuwing darating ang Sabado ay nagsisimba kami. Napansin ko kasi na hapon na ay hindi pa gumagayak ang aking mga pinsan kaya ipinasya kong mauna na sa kanila.

Naging miyembro rin ako ng choir ng Señor de Burgos noong ako ay grade six. Ako ang nanguna sa aming mga magpipinsan sa pag-aaral kung paano magdasal ng rosaryo. Ang mga kabataan sa amin ay naging hilig ang pagdarasal ng rosaryo lalo na noong panahong iyon ay wala pang kuryente sa aming lugar.

Ako ay nag-aral sa Burgos Elementary School Unit I, mula grade 1 hanggang grade 4 at ako ay nagkamit ng ikalawang karangalan at maging sa pagguhit ay nakilala ako, subalit nang ako ay lumipat sa Burgos Elementary School Main, ay hindi na ako nagkamit pa ng karangalan.

Buhay High School

Ako ay nag-aral sa Doña Aurora High School isang pribadong paaralan sa San Mateo. Dito nagpasimula ang aking hilig sa relihiyon. Natuto rin akong makisalamuha sa iba’t ibang tao. Dito rin ako natutong makipagkaibigan at makibagay. Tinatawag nila akong “father” sapagkat nang magtanong ang aking 1st year high school teacher na si Mrs. Sarita kung ano ang nais namin paglaki namin, ang sinabi ko ay nais kong maging isang pari. Maituturing ko ngang coincident o premonition ang nangyari sapagkat ang iginuhit kong pari ay isang Franciscan priest.

Ang unang pagsusuri sa relihiyon

Taong 1995, may pumasyal sa aming mga misyunero ng simbahan ng Mormons. Inanyayahan nila akong makinig sa gagawin nilang pag-aaral. Ako ay nagpasyang mag-aral sa kanilang relihiyon dahil sa kuryosidad sapagkat ang aking mga pinsan noon ay sumama na sa ibang relihiyon. Ako ay nabautismuhan sa relihiyon ni Mormon taong February 1995 subalit hindi ako nagtagal sapagkat ibang-iba ang kanilang mga seremonya na bilang batang bagong anib sa kanilang relihiyon ay hindi magugustuhan ang sistema. Hindi ko na rin napagtiisan ang kanilang mga kakatwang doctrina.

Ang ikalawang pagsusuri sa relihiyon

Dala ng panghihikayat ng aking kamag-anak at kababata noon, ako ay sumama sa relihiyon ng aking pinsan, ang Iglesia ng Dios kay Cristo Jesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan (IDCJHSK) na dito ay higit akong naging masaya sapagkat ang mga kaanib ay matanda lamang ng kaunti sa aking edad. Dito ay nahubog ang aking pagiging isang tao dahil ako ay nasa panahong tinatawag na formative years. Naanib ako rito noong March 30, 1996. Pinag-aralan ko rin ang relihiyong ito, at gaya ng dati, mga kakatwang doctrina ang sumalubong sa akin gaya ng pagpapahaba ng buhok ng babae na hindi maaaring putulin. Ako ay nagtagal na aktibo sa samahang ito ng isang taong mahigit.

Taong 1998, ako ay nagtapos sa High School, kasabay nang aking tuluyang pag-iwan sa samahang ito.

Ang ikatlong pagsusuri sa relihiyon

Noon ay unti-unting sumisikat ang samahang Ang Dating Daan (ADD). Ang lider ng relihiyong ito na si G. Eliseo F. Soriano ay nanggaling rin sa relihiyong aking inaniban, ang IDCJHSK kaya ako ay nagkaroon ng interes na alamin ang kanilang paniniwala. Nagkaroon rin ako ng interes sa relihiyong ito dahil sa kakaibang uri ng panghihikayat niya ng mga tao na makinig sa kanya. Ito rin ang panahon na ako ay pumasok sa kolehiyo.

Taong 2009 naman ay pumanaw ang tanging kasama ko sa bahay, at taong nag-alaga sa akin na totoong ipinagdamdam ko ng lubusan ang kanyang paglisan, ang aking lola.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Ang malinaw na PANDARAYA ng mga MINISTRO ng Iglesia ni Cristo®!

[Article taken from the Iglesia ni Cristo 33-A.D. Blog]

Narito na naman ang isang malaking PANLILINLANG ng mga kaanib ng INC ni Manalo sa kanilang opisyal na YouTube. Hindi lang nila NILINLANG ang kanilang mga sarili kundi maging ang kanilang mga kaanib at mga tagapanood.


Una po, itong taong sinasabi nilang dating pari ay HINDI PO tunay na pari sa IGLESIA KATOLIKA. Isa po siyang pari ng isang denominasyong nagpapanggap na Katoliko.

Logo ng ACC
Si Mr. Christopher Yu po ay dating kaanib ng "Apostolic Catholic Church of Beloved Ingkong, Inc." isang Protestanteng iglesiang may katunog na pangalan at HINDI po siya affiliated sa Vatican. Maari nating maihalintulad sa "Independente" ang kanilang iglesia. Kaya't malaking PANLILINLANG po sa kanilang mga kaanib at tagapanood na sabihin nilang si Mr. Yu ay isang paring "Katoliko". 

Narito po ang munting sulyap kung ano at sino ba ang mga Apostolic Catholic Church na ito?


Pangalan: Apostolic Catholic Church of Beloved Ingkong
Polity: Episcopal
Leader: John Florentine L. Teruel
Founder: John Florentine L. Teruel and Maria Virginia Peñaflor Leonzon
Origin: July 7, 1992
Place: Philippines Hermosa, Bataan, Philippines
Separated from Roman Catholic Church
Members: unknown
Official website: http://www.acc-ingkong.org/

Ang sambahan ng Apostolic Catholic Church Ina Poon-Bato sa Quezon City

Continue Reading HERE!!!

Alam niyo ba kung ilan ang mga kaanib ng tunay na Iglesia sa buong mundo?

Photo from Catholicism Series
Marami pong mga "Pastor" o "Ministro" ang nagsasabing wala raw sa bilang ang kaligtasan ng tao.  Tama po sila sa puntong 'yan. Ngunit sa kanilang pangangaral nagnanais din silang DUMAMI ang bilang ng kanilang kaanib.

Sa katunayan ay patunay raw na "kinasisihan" ng Dios ang kanilang relihiyon sapagkat dumarami raw ang kanilang mga kaanib.

Kung ang batayan pala ng pagpapatunay na sa Dios o hindi sa Dios ang isang relihiyon ay ayon sa dami ng kaniyang kaanib, lalong lumalabas na ang Iglesia Katolika pa rin ang TUNAY sapagkat ayon sa istatistika, ang Iglesia Katolika ang siyang may pinakamalaking bilang ng mga kaanib sa LAHAT ng mga relihiyon sa buong mundo.

Ayon sa Adherents.com, Katoliko pa rin ang may pinakamalaking bilang ng kaanib:

The Catholic Church is the world's largest religious body. The lists below indicate places that are "most Catholic" or places with large numbers of Catholics.

Ito naman ang sinasabi ng CIA tungkol sa Iglesia Katolika:

Catholicism (or Roman Catholicism): This is the oldest established western Christian church and the world's largest single religious body. It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical structure with the Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at the Vatican. Catholics believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head of the Church from a direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle Peter. Catholicism is comprised of 23 particular Churches, or Rites - one Western (Roman or Latin-Rite) and 22 Eastern. The Latin Rite is by far the largest, making up about 98% of Catholic membership. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. The Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of Christianity.

Top 10 Nations with
Most Catholics

NationPercentNumber of
baptized
Catholics
Brazil 86.50% 134,818,000
Mexico 95.30 86,305,000
USA 26.00 ~61,000,000
Philippines 83.60 58,735,000
Italy 97.20% 55,599,000
France 82.10 47,773,000
Spain 94.20 36,956,000
Poland 95.40 36,835,000
Colombia 91.90 32,260,000
Argentina 90.70 31,546,000
Germany 34.80 28,403,000

Source: 1998 Catholic Almanac: Our Sunday Visitor: USA (1997), pg. 333-367. Except U.S. figures, which are from general sources.


Heto naman ang ayon naman sa Wikipedia:

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.2 billion baptised members.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Panawagan ng Santo Papa sa mga Pentecostals!

Sa kapulungan ng mga Pentecostals (Evangelical groups) na idinaos sa Estados Unidos, nanawagan ang kanyang kabanalan, Papa Francisco ng Iglesia ni Cristo tungo sa Pagkakaisa ng Lahat ng Kristiano.

Narito ang kanyang mensahe (salamat sa link mula sa Catholic World Report):


Narito ang pahayag ng nag-upload ng video:

"Pope Francis recorded a message of reconciliation and unity between the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church for Kenneth Copeland Ministries, a group of Pentecostal Christians in the United States. Bishop Tony Palmer, a bishop from a Pentecostal Christian community, did the camera work with an iPhone. The bishop also serves as international ecumenical officer for the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, a group that is not affiliated with the Anglican Communion, and which takes a much simpler view of the path to full Christian unity than the pope and the mainline Christian churches do. The translation used for the English subtitles on the video are not precise, but the pope's sincerity is clear."

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

KIM YU-NA, Koreana! Katoliko! Olympian!



Nakakatuwang isipin na ang isa sa mga hinirang na kampion sa nakaraang Sochi Olympics 2014 sa Sochi, Russia ay walang iba kundi si KIM YU-NA ng Korea.

Si Ms. Yu-Na ay ipinalaking Katoliko ng kanyang mga magulang. At sa tuwing siya'y sumasali sa mga kumpetisyon sa larangan ng sports siya'y panandaliang nananalangin sa pamamagitan ng pag-ANTADA ng banal na KRUS.

Hindi siya katulad ni Manny Pacquiao na nagku-krus noon ngunit di kalauna'y nasilaw sa yaman at kapangyarihan at tinalikuran ang pananampalatayang nagpanalo sa kanya.

Ipagmalaki natin si Kim Yu-An na sana'y manatili siyang matatag sa kanyang pananampalatayang Katoliko at manatiling inspirasyon ng mga kabataas sa Korea at sa buong mundo.

Mabuhay ka Kim Yu-Na, ipinagmamalaki ka ng buong Santa Iglesia Katolika! Ang tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo!

PANLILINLANG ng pekeng IGLESIA (raw) ni Cristo

Narito na naman ang isang malaking PANLILINLANG ng mga kaanib ng INC ni Manalo sa kanilang opisyal na YouTube. Hindi lang nila NILINLANG ang kanilang mga sarili kundi maging ang kanilang mga kaanib at mga tagapanood.


Una po, itong taong sinasabi nilang dating pari ay HINDI PO tunay na pari sa IGLESIA KATOLIKA. Isa po siyang pari ng isang denominasyong nagpapanggap na Katoliko.

Logo ng ACC
Si Mr. Christopher Yu po ay dating kaanib ng "Apostolic Catholic Church of Beloved Ingkong, Inc." isang Protestanteng iglesiang may katunog na pangalan at HINDI po siya affiliated sa Vatican. Maari nating maihalintulad sa "Independente" ang kanilang iglesia. Kaya't malaking PANLILINLANG po sa kanilang mga kaanib at tagapanood na sabihin nilang si Mr. Yu ay isang paring "Katoliko". 

Narito po ang munting sulyap kung ano at sino ba ang mga Apostolic Catholic Church na ito?


Pangalan: Apostolic Catholic Church of Beloved Ingkong
Polity: Episcopal
Leader: John Florentine L. Teruel
Founder: John Florentine L. Teruel and Maria Virginia Peñaflor Leonzon
Origin: July 7, 1992
Place: Philippines Hermosa, Bataan, Philippines
Separated from Roman Catholic Church
Members: unknown
Official website: http://www.acc-ingkong.org/

Ang sambahan ng Apostolic Catholic Church Ina Poon-Bato sa Quezon City
At hinggil naman sa kanilang quotations galing kay Cardinal James Gibbons ay isang malaking panlilinlang na labas sa Sampung Utos ng Dios "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor."

On the topic on the veneration of images, Gibbons has previously stated the official teaching of the Catholic Church by quoting the Council of Trent which says: “The images of Christ and of His Virgin Mother and of the other saints are to be had and retained especially in churches and a due honor is to be given them NOT BECAUSE any virtue or divinity is believed to be in them that for which they are to be honored, nor any prayers be made to them, nor do we placed our hope in them as what the heathens do who placed their hopes in idols BUT BECAUSE the honor which is given them is referred to the originals which they represent.” If you read slowly, you will notice that although the Church teaches her children to honor sacred images but the reason for doing so is not because we ascribe any power, virtue or divinity to them (which is what the pagans do as can be found in many biblical passages condemning idolatry) but this honor is only relative which means that this is done in their relation to the originals represented. This attitude is very much like the manner we treat the statues of our national heroes and statesmen. The honor given to their statues and monuments are referred to the persons being represented. When a husband kisses his wife’s picture no one will be so foolish as to think that the man is in love with a dead picture (unless the man is a fool) but we instinctively would say that the particular act of affection is directed to the wife which is represented in the picture. This is what Gibbons meant when he said “the act which is called the worship of an image is really the worship of Christ Himself” no more no less. Now if you try to insert your own interpretation which the Cardinal did not meant to say then you are doing a great injustice to the author you just cited. I remember that in the same book and in the same topic Gibbons warned those who will falsely accuse Catholics of idolatry “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” -Source: The Splendor of the Church Blog

Ganyan ba ang "iglesiang" aaniban niyo? Ang gumagamit ng PANLILINLANG upang manghikayat ng bagong kaanib? Tandaan, tanging si Satanas lamang ang ama ng panlilinlang! At yan na nga po ang INC ni Manalo sa Pilipinas!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Dr. Wesley Vincent Ph.D. - Bagong Kaanib ng Iglesia ni Cristo

Isa na namang kwento ng pagbabalik-loob sa Iglesia ng isang Protestante. Dati-rati siya'y "Bible-Only" Christian ang paniniwala niya ngunit sa pamamagitan ng masusing pagsusuri sa katotohanang katangian ng tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo ay napatunayan niyang ang Santa Iglesia Katolika ay Biblical at ang kanyang itinuturo ay taliwas sa paniniwala ng mga Protestante. Sa awa at tulong ng Banal na Espiritu ay naibalik na sa tunay na Iglesia si Dr. Wesley Vincent, Ph.D. at ng kanyang pamilya.

A Bible-Believer Becomes Catholic by Believing the Bible – Conversion Story of Wesley Vincent Ph.D.
Source: CHNetwork.org

Our devout, fundamentalist-evangelical family of six children attended Sunday School, Sunday morning and evening worship services, Wednesday evening prayer meeting, and choir rehearsal after prayer meeting — even when traveling. My parents alternately took us to Nazarene and Baptist congregations. Nazarenes taught Arminian doctrine; that sinning resulted in loss of salvation. Baptists taught “once saved – always saved – safe and secure for eternity.” As early as grade school I became aware that different denominations taught contradictory doctrines, yet logic dictates that only one can be correct. Fundamentalist-evangelical pastors taught the precepts: (1) the Bible is the only authority; (2) salvation is by faith alone; and (3) the requirement to live according to biblical morality while simultaneously believing that our actions (works) had nothing to do with salvation. Fundamentalists erected legalistic barriers around immoral behavior in order to avoid any occasion for temptation.

I never remember not believing in Jesus Christ, though our family had faith, we were not happy. There was, however, one bright spot in my childhood: Bible Club.

The late Allan Emery, Jr. and his wife, Marian, held Bible Club in their living room for 50 to 90 teenagers every Thursday night. Allan was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. These loving Christians made everyone feel special and welcome at Bible Club — Protestant, Catholic, or un-churched. On alternate weekends, twelve teens were taken to Whisperwood, their New Hampshire farm, for weekend retreats. The strict rule was no more than two weekends, per teen, each year. One year, because the Emerys knew about each teen’s home life, every weekend they found a way to “need” one more boy. I was that fortunate boy. The Emery’s personal commitment led me to view them as being “Christ to me.” Bible Club was a godsend where my first happy memories were formed and where I met, courted, and (in 1975) married Paula (the perfect girlfriend) in the Emery’s flower garden.

Innate desires

Besides Bible Club, two other childhood factors influenced my faith journey. I had an intense yearning to participate in communion, but to receive communion in my childhood church required being twelve years of age, baptized, and a member. After communion one Sunday, at about age eight, I discovered that the communion trays of Matzo crackers and cups of grape juice were left unattended in the kitchen. On subsequent communion Sundays, after the ushers returned from disposing of the trays, I would ask to use the restroom and proceed to reverently serve myself communion. When our family moved to a new congregation, communion was infrequent. Later, as a busy student at Wheaton College, the congregation I attended never seemed to have communion, yet my deep desire for communion never faded.

Besides a desire for communion, I was drawn to the story of Christ’s birth and the Ave Maria (my mother’s favorite music). Our beautiful (Catholic) Advent Calendar was a treasured Christmas tradition; however, because my mother was the choir director in all the congregations we attended, and my father was a deacon, we children were advised never to discuss these topics with other members. None of the congregations we attended were open to ecumenism with other Protestant denominations and utterly rejected the Catholic Church. The serene image of Mary brought a sense of peace to me, especially as a child in an unhappy family. Interestingly, the Emerys were the only Protestants I knew who openly recognized Catholics as Christians. Although Paula, who was Catholic, joined me in Protestant congregations, the Emerys never encouraged her to leave the Catholic Church.

A jigsaw of interpretation

Living with many mutually contradictory doctrines made understanding the faith similar to trying to complete a complex puzzle from a combination of different jigsaw puzzles stirred together. As a teen I viewed the contradictions with perplexity. For example, altar calls in the Nazarene congregations (when only members were present) made sense based on the Arminian doctrine of the possibility of losing one’s salvation. However, in the “once saved – always saved – safe and secure for eternity” Baptist congregations, altar calls to members seemed utterly absurd. In one congregation, this only impacted one mentally feeble woman who tearfully went forward each time and “finally accepted Jesus — again.” As an adult, maintaining the theological tension between contradictory biblical interpretations eventually led to a minimalistic faith. That is, the acceptance of Jesus was the only necessary aspect of the faith; nothing else mattered. So after college, since both Paula and I were employed at different evangelical agencies with weekly chapel services led by pastors and missionaries, we readily substituted the chapel services for Sunday attendance. But there persisted a desire to find a church that taught all of what we knew Scripture taught.

In 1979, a move to a small New England town resulted in a limited choice of congregations. Two of the local congregations were so theologically liberal that the pastors were more likely to quote sentimental poems than Scripture. One fundamentalist congregation was pastored by a high school graduate whose exegesis was agonizingly embarrassing. Another congregation was so unreceptive to newcomers that not a single member of the congregation, or the pastor, greeted us.

Discounting the Catholic church in town, Paula and I hesitantly visited the remaining small Episcopal chapel. The beauty of the liturgy and the opportunity to receive communion at every service was such a blessing that that congregation became our spiritual home. Two years later, in 1981, we moved again for graduate school and attended a large, active, Episcopal congregation with dynamic liturgy, powerful sermons, and some of the best music we have ever enjoyed. Yet, sadly, it was in that congregation where it became evident that, while the words were biblical, a double-speak was at play. The realization that something was amiss occurred after learning that the rector’s “wife” was actually still married to an ex-parishioner. Gradually, it became evident the evangelical and biblical language was actually code for left-leaning political messages.

Without describing every issue, my Protestant experience confirmed that there was no congregation in which I could trust that all (or only) biblical truth was being taught. Certainly, much truth was taught at all the congregations we attended, but never was “all truth” (Jn 16:12) taught. In fact, it took only a few sermons to identify some false, unbiblical doctrine being proffered. It became increasingly evident that every pastor and member — not the Bible — was his or her own final authority. Utter discouragement with the contradictory theological doctrines led us to live our faith on our own for more than two decades. During that time many evangelical clients came to my practice specifically because I am listed with insurance companies as a Christian psychologist. Often, what these clients believed and practiced was foreign to what I previously knew to be evangelicalism. This made it apparent that evangelicalism had changed radically during those two decades. Many aspects of moral living were also conspicuously absent.

“Correcting” Scripture

These experiences made it obvious that the “once saved – always saved – safe and secure for eternity” doctrine was “a different gospel” (Gal 1:6-7). The carefully guarded and entrenched belief regarding their prerogative to a personal, private interpretation of Scripture insulated these individuals from recognizing the fallacy of their beliefs and practices. I came to recognize that the schismatic nature of Protestant denominations is likely due to this non-biblical and faulty assurance that individual believers are guaranteed to be led into “all truth” (Jn 16:12). Yet, as I later discovered, Scripture is clear that only the Apostles, individually (Jn 16:12), and “God’s household, which [is] the Church of the Living God, the pillar and bulwark of truth” (1 Tim 3:15) were given any assurance of acquiring “all truth.”