As Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States April 15–21, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) 16 million members and the nation’s 67 million Roman Catholics agreed on some doctrinal matters but not all.
Catholics and Southern Baptists believe in the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, the virgin birth and that Jesus was sinless, died on the cross for man’s sins, rose again and ascended to heaven.
“When you’re talking to Catholics, you don’t have to convince them to believe in God, Jesus Christ or the Bible,” said Tal Davis, interfaith coordinator in the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) evangelization group. “Most Catholics do. But there are still significant differences.”
Davis added that Catholics have moderated their views of Southern Baptists and other evangelicals over the last 30 to 40 years and for the better.
“We’re never going to completely change each other’s minds, but we do agree on a host of public policy issues,” said Davis, citing “life issues” such as abortion, stem-cell research and euthanasia. Both groups are close on other moral issues such as the promotion of family life values and the war against drugs.
Davis said Catholics generally tend to be more liberal on other national issues, such as war and the death penalty, issues on which the Vatican has taken particularly strong stances.
At one time, the Catholic Church considered Protestants and evangelicals to be apostates — defectors from the faith. In the last few decades, there has been ecumenical dialogue among the Vatican and a number of other denominations that did not include the SBC. However, last year, the Vatican released a statement reasserting that non-Catholic churches were defective or not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”
The definition of “church” is one major contrast between the two.
Southern Baptists understand the church both as a local body of baptized believers and as the universal body of Christ, which includes the redeemed of all the ages.
According to Davis, Catholics believe the true church is the Roman Catholic Church, God’s “church on earth” — a highly structured and regimented institution across the globe, including some 1 billion members, 16 percent of the world’s population.
“Second to Christianity itself, the Roman Catholic Church is, in fact, the oldest—organized, longest-lasting institution on earth, dating back to the sixth century. The Catholic Church is headed by a pope who Catholics deem as having infallible authority, the successor to Peter,” Davis said.
Southern Baptists reject the notion of an earthly hierarchy and instead believe in the New Testament model of spiritual authority being vested in the local church. They also believe in the New Testament teaching about the individual’s accountability for salvation.
Another NAMB expert on Catholicism is Bill Gordon, resourcing consultant for the board’s personal and mass evangelism team.
Gordon and Davis both agree two sticking points between evangelicals and Catholics are their respective views on salvation and sin.
“Catholics and Southern Baptists agree Jesus died on the cross and rose again to atone for our sins. But Catholics see salvation as a lengthy process requiring the seven sacraments,” Davis said. These sacraments comprise baptism at birth, confirmation, the Eucharist, holy orders, anointing of the sick, matrimony and penance.
“To get access to the grace of God, Catholics have to go through the Catholic Church and the sacraments. We Southern Baptists think that’s unnecessary and, in fact, is a hindrance to God. We go straight to Jesus Christ for salvation by faith alone. No works are involved. You can’t save yourself and you can’t add anything to God’s plan of salvation,” Davis said.
Gordon said another major difference between the Catholic Church and evangelicals is each group’s definition of sin.
Catholics differentiate between two types of sin — mortal sins and venial sins, Gordon said. Mortal sins are more serious than venial sins.
“They recognize they are sinners but think their sins are only venial or minor and that they can take care of venial sins themselves through good works and purgatory, a temporary place after death.
“Most Catholics don’t see the need for salvation, because they don’t consider their sins as mortal, the major sins that can send a soul to hell if not confessed to a priest.” Gordon added that according to statistics, only about 26 percent of Catholics go to confession once a year or more.
Gordon said evangelicals, on the other hand, believe any sin is enough to send a person to hell. They also believe sin should be confessed immediately and directly to God.
For additional NAMB information on the Catholic Church, access http://www.4truth.net and click on “denominations.” (BP)
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