We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2018 Rome Scholars Network, taking place from June 18 - 23 2018 in the city of Rome, Italy.
WHAT IS THE ROME SCHOLARS NETWORK (RSN)?
The Rome Scholars Network (RSN) is a weeklong seminar in Rome sponsored by the Reformanda Initiative, partner of the Forum of Christian Leaders (foclonline.org).
The Rome Scholars Network programme includes:
- Text-based discussions on pre-assigned reading selections
- Integrated lectures on Roman Catholic theology and practice, evangelical theological distinctives, historical relations between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and opportunities for dialogue, evangelism and engagement today
- Papers, written and submitted by participants, on an evangelical perspective on Roman Catholic theology and practice that are evaluated by Rome Scholars faculty
- Personal mentoring between each participant and a faculty member
- Excursions and tours of the Vatican and other important historical sites in Rome
- Church involvement alongside a local Italian congregation
WHY IS THE ROME SCHOLARS NETWORK IMPORTANT?
Evangelicalism currently has an incoherent relationship with Roman Catholicism. Many evangelicals are uncertain about what Roman Catholics actually believe. Do they believe in the same Gospel, or something entirely different? This question is important for leaders of evangelical churches and organizations and for hundreds of millions of evangelical believers around the world. We are convinced, in line with the historic Protestant view, that Roman Catholicism is a severely flawed system in need of a radical biblical reformation in its basic theology and practice.
Currently there is no strategy for evangelical leaders and scholars to study Roman Catholicism from an explicitly evangelical perspective and to equip and educate others as well.
RSN VISION
Vision of the Rome Scholars Network:The Rome Scholars Network was designed to create a context for evangelical scholars and leaders:
- To have access to evangelical scholars who are experts on Roman Catholicism
- To study and evaluate Roman Catholic theology and practice in the heart of Roman Catholicism, Rome itself.
- To be trained and equipped to be scholars, leaders and communicators of an evangelical perspective about Roman Catholicism and the biblical Gospel of salvation through faith alone
HEAR WHAT RSN PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING:
From a recent Phd graduate in Renaissance Studies:
"The RSN was life-changing. I left more convinced in the integrity of the true Gospel. When you set the Real Thing against what is false, it dazzles with distinctiveness and beauty."
From a Professor who has taught Church History about Roman Catholicism for decades:
"I have studied Roman Catholicism and taught on it in my church history courses and in a course on RC history and theology, so I was very familiar with a lot. But I was not equipped to do the systemic analysis that we were taught. I did not realize that my knowledge was "atomistic." So, I feel I gained a lot that was very important for me to have as a teacher of church history and theology in Eastern Europe and Russia. Thank you!!!"
From an experienced Missionary in a Roman Catholic country:
I have been to many seminars, workshops and conferences through the years and none have been as important to me as this week at RSN! Eternal life and death hang in the balance! So much deception for so many centuries! It is heart breaking and I am spreading the word to those in our organization that this should be required for anyone thinking of serving in a Roman Catholic dominant country!"
2018 RSN Faculty
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Leonardo De Chirico is the pastor of Breccia di Roma, a church that he helped plant in Rome in 2009, and Vice Chairman of the Italian Evangelical Alliance. Previously, Leonardo planted and pastored an evangelical church in Ferrara, Italy, from 1997 to 2009. He earned degrees in History (University of Bologna), Theology (ETCW, Bridgend, Wales) and Bioethics (University of Padova). His PhD is from King’s College (London); it was published as Evangelical Theological Perspectives on Post-Vatican II Roman Catholicism. In 2015, he published A Christian Pocket Guide to Papacy and in 2017, A Christians Guide to Mary: Mother of God?, through Christian Focus. He is a lecturer of Historical Theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione in Padova, Italy. Additionally, Leonardo is the Director of the Reformanda Initiative / RSN
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Gregg Allison is professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Gregg received his PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is secretary of the Evangelical Theological Society and a book review editor for the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He is the author of numerous books, including Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment, Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine and Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church.
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Mark Gilbert trained as a doctor before retraining as a minister, and has served in Anglican churches in Sydney since 2000. Mark has published a number of resources to help people share the good news about Jesus with people from a Roman Catholic background including The God Who Saves, The Road Once Travelled and Stepping Out in Faith.
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Rachel Ciano lectures in Church History at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, Australia. She has spent time researching Church History in Italy and the UK, so Church History connected with those areas is of particular interest. She specializes in the English Reformation, particularly Thomas Cranmer. She has given Church History seminars at various churches and conferences around Australia, as well as Bible talks at Australian women’s conferences. With her husband, she has ministered in the UK at an Evangelical Anglican Church in Hove, East Sussex.
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Dr. Trent Hyatt joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ in 1967 and spent two years working on the campuses of Northern Illinois. He married his wife, Vivian, in 1969 and began studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in New Testament Literature and Exegesis in 1973. He and Vivian went to Europe in the fall of 1973 to be a part of a team to start the CCC ministry behind the iron curtain. From 1974 to 1991, Trent led the ministry in East Germany. He received a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Basel in 1994. From 1995-2012 he led the Institute for Biblical & Theological Studies for E. Europe & Russia. He is now a teaching and research fellow for the institute.
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Reid Karr has been employed by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention since June of 2009. He is serving as a church planter and Field Leader for Italy. Reid is co- pastor of Breccia di Roma in Rome, Italy. He is working on his PhD on the theology of evangelization in contemporary Roman Catholicism (Union Theological Seminary). Together with other leadership in the church he shares a vision to plant churches throughout Rome. Additionally, Reid is the Associate Director for the Reformanda Initiative, which aims to equip evangelical leaders to better understand and engage with Roman Catholicism.
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 Vatican File #144. What Happens If Catholics Think the Pope Is a Heretic?
by Leonardo De Chirico
December 1st, 2017
Roman Catholics as individuals and groups may have different opinions about the Pope. After all, the Church of Rome is not a monolith, and even Popes polarize the assessments of the Catholic people. But what happens when negative voices become more frequent, more outspoken, more radical in their criticism, as seems to be the case in recent months? While public opinion is still heavily influenced by the overall positive image that Francis has, and continues to consider him as a kind of “hero”, within Catholic circles the “wait-and-see” approach toward some awkward aspects of his teaching is coming to an end. Groups of intellectuals, priests, and even cardinals are voicing their growing embarrassment and are doing it publicly and with a severe tone. In raising their concerns, what they point to are not some peripheral elements but important matters of doctrine. The irony is that the one who is supposed to guard the Roman Catholic deposit of faith is charged with allegations of introducing confusion, if not heresy.
Coming to Terms with Recent Criticism
There are at least three criticisms against Pope Francis that are worth considering. Let’s briefly look at them chronologically. ... CLICK HERE TO FINISH READING VF144
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 A Christian's Pocket Guide to Mary: Mother of God?
by Leonardo De Chirico
A Christian's Pocket Guide to Mary offers a biblical account of Mary's character, contrasting this 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. De Chirico writes with the authority of thorough research as well as personal experience of the traditions surrounding Mary which have become so integral to Roman Catholic worship.
Read what others are saying about the book:
Leonardo De Chirico, one of the leading evangelical thinkers on Roman Catholicism, including its post-Vatican II phase, knows all the ins and outs of the history and theology of Catholicism, from years of study and first-hand experience in Padua and Rome. Against the temptation to think Mariology is just a side-show in Catholicism, he shows how it fits hand in glove with the Roman Church's doctrine of grace.
-Paul Wells, Emeritus Professor, Faculté Jean Calvin, France, Editor in Chief of Unio cum Christo
This is the book I have been searching for! De Chirico's A Christian's Pocket Guide to Mary is unique in clearly and succinctly bringing together in one place Mary in the Scriptures and Mary in the history of Christian thought and practice, right up to the present day.
-Rachel Ciano, Lecturer in Church History at Sydney Missionary and Bible College; church-planter in a multicultural, urban area of Sydney.
Never before have I read a more masterfully written book on the subject. Leonardo De Chirico marries scholarship with an easily readable style that makes the book extremely useful both for personal and group studies. It is a concise and well researched masterpiece from one of the world's leading experts on Roman Catholicism and recommendable both to Catholics and Protestants who want to understand one of the most misunderstood and controversial issues in Church History.
-José Hutter, Chairman of the Theological Commission of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance
Leonardo De Chirico is one of my most trusted authorities on Roman Catholic doctrine. He has gained my confidence because he is always equally charitable, winsome, and well-informed. In this short book he demonstrates what the Roman Catholic Church teaches about Mary and aptly proves why so much of it is opposed to the plain teaching of the Bible. I heartily commend it to you.
-Tim Challies, Blogger at www.challies.com
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Understanding and Evaluating the Roman Catholic View of Mary
Why are Roman Catholics so enamored with Mary? Why did Pope John Paul II cry out to Mary when he was shot? How is it that Mariology is a major feature in both traditional and present-day Roman Catholicism? Where did Mariology come from and what is theologically at stake in it? This talk by Leonardo De Chirico will answer these questions and highlight the need for a biblical reformation in Mariology.
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Roman Catholic Theology and Practice
Gregg Allison gives an evangelical perspective of Roman Catholic theology. In his recent book, Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment, Allison considers major aspects of Roman Catholic theology, using the recent Catechism of the Catholic Church as his guide. The relationship of nature and grace, Christ’s connection to his church, and the seven sacraments all enter into the discussion, as well as the question, ‘Is the Reformation over?’
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