Introduction: Evangelicalism
Derek Poole

Comment: Ourselves Alone
Alwyn Thomson

From the Director
David Porter

A World of Difference
Alwyn Thomson

What is an Evangelical Catholic?
Paddy Monaghan

Decommissioning the Heart
David Bruce

Evangelical Catholics
T. Gordon Hills

Sorting out the Family
David Montgomery

Do They Know Us by Our Love?
John Ortberg

Loyalist Speak
Robert Dunlop

Book Reviews
Alwyn Thomson

< Past Issues Archive

WHAT IS AN EVANGELICAL CATHOLIC?
Between 1972 and 1978 there was a major move of the Holy Spirit in Ireland when some 10,000 Catholics came into a deeper, or first-time, personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Saviour and were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Within a short period there were vital charismatic prayer meetings in nearly every town and village in Ireland. A feature of this revival was its trans-denominational nature - very often God used Catholic Christians to bless Protestant and vice-versa.

In 1978 this revival seemed to dry up as major efforts were made to promote "single identity" renewal within individual Christian denominations, particularly within the Roman Catholic Church. From 1978 to 1988, while many Catholic Christians held on to an inter-denominational vision, most of the 400+ Charismatic Prayer Groups gradually became exclusively Catholic, while some left to form House Churches. This caused a measure of hurt, and gave rise to allegations of proselytism. New Age practices made some inroads and there was a return to more traditional forms of Catholic devotion.

In 1988, a group of Catholic Christians in Ireland produced a 6 page document What is an Evangelical Catholic?, published with the official permission of the Roman Catholic Church. It was updated in June 1992 with comments of welcome from Bishop Joseph Duffy, Dr. George Carey and others. It has now been translated into different languages and has helped build bridges between Christians in many different countries. This led to the birth of the Evangelical Catholic Initiative (ECI).

Motivation
One aim in setting up ECI was to build bridges between Evangelicals in the Protestant and Pentecostal Churches and evangelical Catholics. We believe that what unites us is far greater than what divides. Indeed, what divides Christians in Ireland is often not doctrine, so much as history, culture, language and politics. Another aim was to foster genuine evangelism, while avoiding proselytism. We are convinced that it is only as Evangelical Christians within the Protestant and Pentecostal Churches find their brothers and sisters in Christ in the Catholic Church and vice-versa, that a real spiritual revival will sweep Ireland. The II Chronicles 7:14 principle surely applies that "If my people will humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways and pray God will hear.. heal..and forgive".

Mission Statement
The Evangelical Catholic Initiative has three objectives: (1) To see a Holy Spirit inspired renewal in the Roman Catholic Church, which is Father orientated, Christ-centred and grounded in the Holy Scriptures. In this we need the support of our brothers and sisters in the other Christian Churches. (2) To foster reconciliation among Christians. For there to be effective evangelism in Ireland there needs to be a growth in relationships between believers within all of the Christian churches. (3) To build up Jewish-Christian relationships. As Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal Christians rediscover their Jewish roots they are enriched and find a greater unity together.

What do evangelical Catholics believe?
We believe that every person needs to come to know Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour, to read His Word and to grow in the knowledge of God. Salvation accomplished once and for all on Calvary is a free gift. We cannot earn or merit or inherit it. We need to receive it by faith. As we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour of our lives, we are changed. We enter eternal life today by entering into a living relationship with the living God. We now want to bring the good news to others. In Ireland many Catholics and Protestants have been over sacramentalised and under evangelised.

Our Identity
The term 'evangelical Catholic' helps to define identity. My primary identity is that I am a Christian. I am in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Secondly, I am evangelical (the Greek word for gospel in the Bible is euaggelion, from which evangelical derives). I have been evangelised and discovered the Gospel for myself, and so want to lead others into a personal faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour. My third identity is as a Roman Catholic. It is God's will that Christians live united in one Church under the headship of Jesus Christ. That unity has been shattered into many denominations. By God's providence, I am a Christian in the Roman Catholic denomination. This is the Christian tradition I am working in for a Christ-centred, Biblically based renewal. It stands in need of reformation, but has also within it many Scriptural treasures.

Barriers to Relationships
Most barriers to relationships tend to be cultural, political, historical and linguistic. Many Catholics would react negatively when asked if they were born-again or saved. What many hear in this question are issues of proselytism that go back to famine days. They interpret the question as meaning: 'Have you become a Protestant yet?' However, the Gospel truth is that we are justified through faith in our Lord Jesus. We are justified by faith, not by the language of faith. Many Catholics are born again but may not use this terminology to express it.

Many evangelical Catholics would prefer not to be called "evangelical", because the word has come to have negative connotations for them, invoking images of bigotry, sectarianism, narrowness, and self-righteousness - reinforced recently by the example of self professed Evangelicals involved in the 'Spirit of Drumcree' Group and in the Harryville picket. The word "evangelical" needs to be redeemed, and reinvested with purely biblical connotations, describing anyone, Catholic or Protestant, who has received and is living by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Is it not time for the cold war among evangelical Christians to end?

Doctrinal Differences
There are real doctrinal differences, but these are often exaggerated and misunderstood. In any case, doctrinal differences are a call for dialogue around the Holy Scriptures, and mainline Evangelical Protestants are now moving down this path in most parts of the world. Let us look briefly at two areas of difference - the Eucharist and Mary.

The Eucharist
Evangelical Catholics strongly affirm the Roman Catholic Church teaching that there is only one all-sufficient sacrifice for sins, accomplished once for all on Calvary. We fully endorse the agreement set forth in The World Alliance of Reformed Churches/RC International Dialogue in 1977, "We believe we have reached a common understanding of the meaning, purpose and basic doctrine of the Eucharist, which is in agreement with the Word of God and the universal tradition of the Church. We gratefully acknowledge that both traditions, Reformed and Roman Catholic, hold to the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist; and both hold at least that the Eucharist is: (1) a memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord (2) a source of loving communion with Him in the power of the Spirit, and (3) a source of the eschatological hope for His coming again.

We also affirm a statement from the Anglican/RC International Commission on the Eucharist, in 1981, "Christ's redeeming death and resurrection took place once and for all in history. Christ's death on the Cross, the culmination of His whole life of obedience, was the one perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. There can be no repetition of, or addition to, what was then accomplished once for all by Christ."

Some Evangelical Protestants seem not to want to hear what our Church affirms on the once for all nature of the sacrifice of Christ. They seem unwilling to accept that this is the official teaching of the Catholic Church.

Mary
Mary is God's guarantee that His Son truly took on human flesh. He who was God drew His humanity from Mary, his mother, through the Holy Spirit. Mary is a model for us of walking in obedience, in humility and in the fear of the Lord. Luke 1:48 tells us that all generations will call her blessed. Jesus himself points out that Mary's blessedness is in hearing the word of God and observing it. Mary, as a disciple, is saved by faith in Jesus. Mary's natural relationship to Jesus as His mother was put in proper perspective by Jesus, in Matt. 12:48-50 ("Who is my mother? ... For whoever shall do the will of my Father...is my brother and sister and mother.").

In gratefully acknowledging the unique role of Mary as Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see no scriptural warranty for ascribing to her any other role in excess of that. Jesus Christ alone is the one Mediator between God and human kind. However, we do believe that Evangelical Protestants, rather than reacting against Mary, should begin to state positively what part they believe she played as a "handmaid of the Lord" in God's purposes. This would bring us closer in our understanding of this magnificent woman of faith.

How many evangelical Catholics are there in Ireland?
The 1993 edition of Operation World by Patrick Johnstone of WEC International estimated the number of evangelical Catholics in Ireland at 2.6% or 100,000. Our estimate would be considerably higher than this. They are to be found in all of the 1,400 parishes in Ireland. They might be participants in an Alpha Course or a Parish Prayer Group or Bible Study, in a Cursilio or Focalare Group, or they may just be ordinary parishioners or clergy.

Plea for Acceptance
Is it not time for the cold war among evangelical Christians to end? Surely we need to allow the Holy Spirit to remove the suspicion and prejudice from our hearts so that we can find one another across the divide, listen to each other's testimonies and build friendships. Many Evangelicals feel threatened when they hear that a Catholic, who knows Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour, still worships God in the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps we need a revelation from God to see that the Body of His Son extends through all the Christian Churches. Then, like Peter, in Cornelius' house, we might also affirm: "I now realise ... that God does not show favouritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right." Acts 10:34.

ECI Activities
ECI organises conferences, produces a newsletter and various pamphlets e.g. "Will I go to Heaven when I die? - no doubt about it" (a 16 page evangelistic tract). A second tract for Catholics entitled Why you need to read the Bible is published with ecclesiastical permission and has proved very popular (140,000 in print. 50 were sent to each of the 1,400 parish priests in Ireland, (sponsored by a N.I. evangelical Protestant businessman!). For three years ECI sponsored a Christian Leaders Conference, now an annual Charismatic Renewal Leaders Conference attended by mainline and Pentecostal/New Church Leaders. ECI also strongly promotes the Alpha Bible Study Course in various parishes and ran an Alpha Leaders Seminar last March. We are also involved in networking across the denominations and in supporting a major 2 year prayer initiative beginning shortly. ECI's reconciliation work recently attracted a grant from the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.

Moment of Grace for Ireland
We now have a second cease-fire and political talks will start in mid-September. Let us believers truly humble ourselves, seek God's face, turn from our wicked ways and pray, then surely God will hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land. This is a moment of grace for Ireland; as believers let us not be found wanting. Following the example of churches in South Africa, could not all evangelical Christians in Ireland commit themselves for a period of two years to praying for one hour per week towards these three goals: The removal of sectarian attitudes from all our hearts; Christ-centred, biblically based revival, North and South; A just political solution in Northern Ireland.

May Ireland again be a light to the nations, giving glory to God. Amen.

Paddy Monaghan is secretary of the Evangelical Catholic Initiative in the Republic of Ireland. Since 1980 he has worked part time as an evangelical Catholic lay missionary and part time in a small financial consultancy practice. He lives near Dun Laoghaire in County Dublin.