Copy
In this newsletter, you will find the latest Vatican File, information on the 2019 Rome Scholars and Leaders Network, and new video resources from our team! Thank you for your ongoing interest and participation in this ministry.
View this email in your browser

Newsletter N.23

Pope Francis gave an in-flight interview in which he said that in the ecumenical movement we have to take from the dictionary a word: proselytism. See more: http://evangelicalfocus.com/blogs/3718/Either_Ecumenical_or_Proselytizer_No_There_is_a_Better_OptionVatican File #155.
Roman but Not Catholic: A Book Review
by Leonardo De Chirico | Nov. 1st, 2018


What remains at stake with the Roman Catholic Church 500 years after the Protestant Reformation? This question is of capital importance given the general ecumenical climate, which blurs differences and even finds them disturbing to talk about. The book Roman but Not Catholic: What Remains at Stake 500 Years after the Reformation provides timely food for thought in assessing the historical and theological implausibility of Rome being “catholic” and “Roman” at the same time. Written by two evangelical scholars (Kenneth Collins, professor of historical theology at Asbury Theological Seminary, and Jerry Walls, professor of philosophy at Houston Baptist University), this work is an engaging exercise in historical theology that helpfully grapples with the defining claims of the Roman Catholic Church: on the one hand, its claim of  “catholicity” (universality), and on the other, its “Roman” structure. This combination is essential to the self-understanding of the Roman Catholic Church, but it is highly questionable on various grounds. The book is a well-argued critique of the very fabric of Roman Catholicism.

Roman and Catholic?
First, let’s have a look at the main claim that shapes Roman Catholicism. Its catholicity has a Roman element so intertwined that it is an inextricable part of the whole. “Roman” is not just a geographical reference, but an essential and constitutive part of a system that is both Roman and catholic, or better still, “Roman Catholic” in a single breath. The romanitas of the system is co-essential with its catholicity. According to Jaroslav Pelikan, “the name ‘Roman Catholic’ conjoined the universality of the Church over the entire world, which has long been the content of the term ‘Catholic’, with the specificity of only one single see”, that of Rome.

Within the Western tradition, then, Roman catholicity is a long-established union of catholic universality and Roman particularity, catholic plurality and Roman unity, catholic comprehensiveness and Roman distinctiveness, the catholic totus (whole) and the Roman locus (place), catholic fullness and Roman partiality, catholic breadth and Roman narrowness, catholic elasticity and Roman rigidity, the catholic universe and the Roman center, catholic organism and Roman organization, the catholic faith and the Roman structure. Roman Catholicism wants to affirm both. But is it a warranted claim biblically or even historically?

Pointed Critique
Having briefly described the nature of the combination of Roman and Catholic elements in the Roman Catholic Church, the main critique of the authors is intelligently summarized at a number of points in the book. For example, ...

CLICK HERE TO FINISH READING VF155

We are now accepting applications for the 2019 Rome Scholars & Leaders Network.


Come study in Rome with evangelical leaders and expert theologians like:


Gregg Allison (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Matthew Barrett (Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Rachel Ciano (Sydney Missionary & Bible College)
Leonardo De Chirico (IFED Italia, Reformanda Initiative)
Mark Gilbert (Certainty 4 Eternity)
Trent Hyatt (Inst. for Biblical & Theological Studies)
Clay Kannard (Worldventure Italy, Reformanda Initiative)
Reid Karr (IMB Italy Leader-Church Planting, Reformanda Initiative)
Scott Oliphint (Westminster Theological Seminary - Philidelphia)

What have previous participants said about their experience at the RSLN?


From a seminary professor:
"The Rome Scholars Network brings practitioners and scholars to the same table to learn how best to engage Roman Catholic theology and practice in the 21st century. I grew immensely in my understanding of the Roman Catholic Church and appreciation for how important it is for evangelicals to carefully evaluate Roman Catholicism as an overall system of belief before seeking to make decisions about how to engage in my particular contexts. The faculty and other participants offered invaluable insights and conversations toward that end."

From a church planter serving in a Roman Catholic Context:
"Although being a church planter in a highly Roman Catholic context, I was pretty ignorant to the in-depth teachings of the Vatican. The RSLN was a great opportunity to meet with people from all over the planet and sit under the teaching of world-class Evangelical scholars on Roman Catholicism. I learned a great amount and left with a desire to continue learning and engaging with Roman Catholicism so that I can be better prepared to share the one true gospel of Jesus Christ with my Catholic friends."

From theological trainers serving in a European, Roman Catholic Context
"The RSN provides participants with a truly unique opportunity to study Roman Catholicism from world-renowned experts and practitioners...to the best of my knowledge there is nothing quite like it." 

"I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church, ministered for years in a culture dominated by it, received a four-year graduate theological degree from a highly respected evangelical institution, and yet participation in the RSLN was, in many ways, an eye-opener for me. The people who lead the project wonderfully combine their love and commitment to the Gospel with immense historical, academic and personal expertise in the complex reality of Roman Catholicism. This is a much-needed initiative that enriches and equips the Church for its ever-challenging mission to proclaim the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to the dying world around us."
 
APPLY TODAY
2019 RSLN Brochure

Upcoming Conferences


Conference in Croatia (14-16 Feb 2019)
European Leadership Forum (Wisla, Poland) 18-23 May 2019
Rome Scholars Network 2019 (17-21 June 2019)
Pastors' conference (Yverdon, Switzerland) 7-9 November 2019


Speaking Engagements


Presentation of the book, A Pocket Guide to Mary. Mother of God?, and debate with Catholic theologian, Alberto Cozzi (Milan) 28th Nov 2018
Debate with Catholic theologian, Giorgio Sgubbi (Imola, Bologna) 5th Dec 2018

Lecture at Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando, FL) 27th March 2019
Lecture at Reformation Bible College (Sanford, FL) 28th March 2019

FEATURED CONTENT

Four Theological Mistakes of Roman Catholicism Related to the Sacraments - Leonardo De Chirico
 
The word sacrament is central to the definition of Roman Catholicism. The Church is considererd as a sacrament. There are seven Roman Catholic sacraments dispensing God’s grace. Moreover, there is a “sacramental economy” that undergirds the Christian life. The sacraments also define the structure of the Roman Church in that only those who have received the sacrament of order can celebrate them. The talk highlights four mistakes related to the Roman Catholic understanding and practice of the sacraments.
 
Mother of God: A Biblical View of Mary - Leonardo De Chirico

Why is Mary so important to Roman Catholic spirituality? How did the Catholic practice of prayer to Mary originate, and why has it achieved so much popularity? Michael Reeves, President and Professor of Theology, Union School of Theology, interviews Leonardo De Chirico, Director, Reformanda Initiative and Pastor, Breccia di Roma Church, on the subject of his latest book, A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Mary. He offers a biblical account of Mary’s character that contrasts with the Roman Catholic traditions which have developed throughout history, distorting her nature from an obedient servant and worshipper of God to a worshipped saint herself.
Thank you for your on-going interest and support. Please continue to ask people to sign the document and subscribe to the Reformanda Initiative newsletter.

http://IsTheReformationOver.com/
Click here to read the full Statement
Evangelical leaders who have signed the Statement.

Those who want to support the Reformanda Initiative financially may do so with a donation to the Kyra Karr Foundation

 http://kyrakarrfoundation.com/make-a-donation/.
And above all, pray that God will be honored and His gospel will shine forth in whatever we do.


Leonardo De Chirico
Reformanda Initiative, Director
  
The Reformanda Initiative exists to equip and resource evangelical leaders to understand Roman Catholic theology and practice, to educate the Evangelical Church, and to communicate the Gospel.
Copyright © 2018 Reformanda Initiative, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
Reformanda Initiative · Via di S. Eufemia 9 · Rome, Rm 00187 · Italy

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp