‘Evangelicals Continue Unity with Catholicism’

Ecumenical church service
(photo by Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle)

In his latest newsletter, former Roman Catholic, now Evangelical Protestant, Mike Gendron had the following:

Evangelicals Continue Unity with Catholicism

Highly influential Evangelical leaders and pastors continue to confuse … by signing unity accords with Roman Catholics. Because of their widespread influence, many … do not know if the Roman Catholic Church is a mission field that needs to be evangelized or a Christian denomination that is made up of brothers and sisters in Christ. … Many of the high profile evangelical leaders who have signed the Manhattan Declaration are listed here.

This unity accord states, “We are Christians (Catholics, Orthodox and Evangelicals) who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences…to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness.” This statement is completely false, deceptive, and misleading. Evangelicals and Catholics do not proclaim the same Gospel. The Catholic Church has distorted the Gospel of Christ and is under the same divine condemnation as the Judaizers (Gal. 1:6-9). Whereas the Judaizers were condemned for distorting the Gospel by adding only one requirement, the Catholic Church has added five requirements for salvation including baptism, sacraments, good works, participation in the Mass and law keeping.

Evangelicals who signed the Manhattan Declaration should consider if they are being disobedient to Scripture. God’s command is clearly stated: “Do not be bound together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14). Not only are Catholics unbelievers, but their their church has issued 100 anathemas on those who do not believe their “infallible” dogmas. Those who signed unity accords with Catholics are also implying the Reformation was a mistake and that Catholics do not need to be evangelized.

More than ever we need to contend for the Gospel and recognize the Roman Catholic Church is a huge mission field made up of over 1.3 billion precious souls. There is no more critical issue in the Church today than guarding the purity and exclusivity of the Gospel. It is the rudder that must guide the Church through stormy waters that have been stirred up by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14).

I looked at the list of the 152 signers and they all look to have come from trinitarian groups. It should be noted that the trinity was not part of the “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)–see also the article: Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity?

Protestant leaders who have looked into the true early Christian church must realize that their churches do NOT hold to sola Scriptura, that the there was no faithful early church that resembled modern Protestantism, and that they have adopted many of the changes and traditions of the Church of Rome. This is detailed in the following free online book and sermons for those wishing more information:

Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan ; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences. These sermons also cover materials not in the book.

The book, Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism, contains almost exclusively Protestant translations of the Bible, as well as quotes from people that Protestant scholars have accepted as true and faithful early Christian leaders, as plus quotes from Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther. The information is there for any Protestant who wants to change in order to actually follow the original Christian faith.

If the original Christian faith was not Protestant, could in instead have been Roman Catholic or Eastern/Greek Orthodox Catholic?

No.

Greco-Roman catholic leaders who have looked into the true early Christian church must realize that their churches do NOT hold to “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3) and that they have adopted many of the changes and traditions. This is detailed in the following free online book and sermons for those wishing more information:

Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.

The book, Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession?, almost exclusively has Greco-Roman Catholic accepted translations of the Bible, as well as quotes from people that Greco-Roman Catholics have accepted as true and faithful early Christian saints, as well as quotes from Greco-Roman Catholic scholars admitting various changes. The information in that book is there for any Roman or Eastern Orthodox Catholic who wants to change to actually follow the original Christian faith.

That said, consider that back in 2015, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew put out a joint communique:

The Ecumenical Patriarch and Archbishop of Canterbury, as spiritual leader of the 80-million strong Anglican Communion made a joint statement between Anglican and Orthodox Churches on the theology of the human person.

In a joint communiqué, the two leaders said that the agreement “celebrates what Anglicans and Orthodox affirm together about the human person, created in ‘the Image and Likeness of God.'”

They said it, “will form the theological foundation for forthcoming discussions on the practical consequences of these theological presuppositions for addressing the key themes, including the protection of the environment, medical interventions, and questions around family life and ethics.”

The statement concluded six years of study on “what Anglicans and Orthodox can say together about the meaning of human personhood in the divine image,” the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue said when they agreed on the final text in September. 11/06/2015 http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/climate-change-action-needs-both-science-and-faith-says-ecumenical-patriarch-35518

The above shows that the Eastern Orthodox and the Church of England had been working together for some time, even before 2015, to see how they could find areas of agreement to promote.

The ecumenical and inter-faith movements are moving ahead, yet they WILL NOT RESULT IN A REAL AND LASTING PEACE.

The Bible does not teach that Christians are to ignore biblical reality and pray that they are to be moved into the type of unity that Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, and Archbishop Welby want. Those groups do NOT truly believe the following:

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Consider the following:

The Church of Rome says that one needs its ‘Living Magesterium’ (which includes many non-biblical traditions of men) for Christians to be complete–that is in conflict with 1 Timothy 3:17.
The Eastern Orthodox calls itself ‘the church of the seven councils.’ Those were councils of men, the first two of which were called by pagan murderous emperors. And those councils accepted many doctrines which are anti-biblical.
The Protestant churches, despite the initial rallying cry during the Protestant Reformation of sola Scriptura, have accepted many of the same non-biblical traditions that the Greco-Roman Catholic churches have adopted.

Jesus, Himself, warned religious leaders to NOT accept human traditions above the word of God–yet those religions have done so. Here are some of the words of Jesus related to that:

7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'” (Matthew 15:7-9, NKJV)

Jesus also warned elsewhere that people would worship Him in vain:

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:21-27, NKJV)

Yes, many who call Jesus ‘Lord’ are worshiping Him in vain as they will not do what He and the word of God say!

The Bible tells that the ecumenical/inter-faith movement will end in destruction (Revelation 18 & 19). This is not something that Roman Catholics or the Eastern Orthodox or the Protestants should want (see also Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? and Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction!).

The Greco-Roman Catholic and Protestants have adopted religious practices with more in common with Babylonianism than original Christianity.

In Zechariah, the Bible warns against a coming ‘daughter of Babylon’ and shows that proper unity will not happen until after Jesus returns:

10 Look out! Look out! Flee from the land of the north — Yahweh declares- for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven — Yahweh declares. 11 Look out! Make your escape, Zion, now living with the daughter of Babylon!

12 For Yahweh Sabaoth says this, since the Glory commissioned me, about the nations who plundered you, ‘Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. 13 Now look, I shall wave my hand over them and they will be plundered by those whom they have enslaved.’ Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me! 14 Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion, for now I am coming to live among you -Yahweh declares! 15 And on that day many nations will be converted to Yahweh. Yes, they will become his people, and they will live among you. Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you! 16 Yahweh will take possession of Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his choice. (Zechariah 2:12-16, New Jerusalem Bible-NJB)

The ecumenical and inter-faith movements that the Vatican, many Protestants, and certain Eastern Orthodox leaders are promoting are clearly condemned by the Bible and should not be encouraged.

The Apostle Paul also taught that true unity of faith would not happen until after Jesus returns:

13 until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. (Ephesians 4:13, NJB)

Those who believe this unity comes prior to Jesus’ return are in error. We do NOT become perfect in this life nor attain the fulness of Christ now–that happens with the first resurrection:

49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:49-53, NKJV).

13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, NKJV)

So, being perfected in unity with Jesus does not happen until He returns.

Actually, when Jesus returns, He will destroy the unity of nations that are against Him:

11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and voices could be heard shouting in heaven, calling, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.’ 16 The twenty-four elders, enthroned in the presence of God, prostrated themselves and touched the ground with their foreheads worshipping God 17 with these words, ‘We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, He who is, He who was, for assuming your great power and beginning your reign. 18 The nations were in uproar and now the time has come for your retribution, and for the dead to be judged, and for your servants the prophets, for the saints and for those who fear your name, small and great alike, to be rewarded. The time has come to destroy those who are destroying the earth.’ (Revelation 11:15-18, NJB)

19:6 And I heard what seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean or the great roar of thunder, answering, ‘Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun;… 19 Then I saw the beast, with all the kings of the earth and their armies, gathered together to fight the Rider and his army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, together with the false prophet who had worked miracles on the beast’s behalf and by them had deceived those who had accepted branding with the mark of the beast and those who had worshipped his statue. These two were hurled alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. 21 All the rest were killed by the sword of the Rider, which came out of his mouth, and all the birds glutted themselves with their flesh… 20:4 Then I saw thrones, where they took their seats, and on them was conferred the power to give judgement. I saw the souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God’s word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not accept the brandmark on their foreheads or hands; they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 19:6,19-21; 20:4, NJB)

Notice that Jesus will have to destroy a world of armies unified against Him. Then He and the saints will reign. That is when there will be proper unity of the faith. Even the NJB, a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible, concurs. The nations will be united AGAINST Jesus.

Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, and others need to be concerned about the type of unity that is actually being promoted. They promote a biblically unclean faith.

Notice what the Apostle Paul taught Christians should do about such religions:

14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”

17 Therefore

“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 ‘I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18, NKJV)

That is why the Continuing Church of God is NOT part of the inter-faith and ecumenical movements of this world.

In summary, those pushing the ecumenical agendas:

Are unbelievers of the original and true Christian faith, and hence are biblically unclean,
Do not contend earnestly for the original Christian faith,
Do not properly reverence the word of God,
Therefore, the Bible says to be separate from them (see also Revelation 18:1-4)

All true Christians are to avoid the false ecumenism that many leaders of the world’s churches are promoting.

Yet, more and more who claim Protestantism are pushing for it.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and three video sermonette are also available: Pope Francis signs ‘one world religion’ document! and The Chrislam Cross and the Interfaith Movement and Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan ; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church. Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs .
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians? A related sermon is available: The Second Commandment, Idols, and Icons.
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? A related YouTube video would be Origin of the Cross.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are? Here is a link to a related sermon: Eastern Orthodox 40+ Similar Beliefs to the CCOG.
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Sola Scriptura or Prima Luther? What Did Martin Luther Really Believe About the Bible? Though he is known for his public sola Scriptura teaching, did Martin Luther’s writings about the Bible suggest he felt that prima Luther was his ultimate authority? Statements from him changing and/or discounting 18 books of the Bible are included. Do you really want to know the truth?
The Similarities and Dissimilarities between Martin Luther and Herbert W. Armstrong This article clearly shows some of the doctrinal differences between the two. At this time of doctrinal variety and a tendency by many to accept certain aspects of Protestantism, the article should help clarify why the genuine Church of God is NOT Protestant. Do you really know what the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught and should you follow his doctrinal example? Here is a related sermon video: Martin Luther and Herbert Armstrong: Reformers with Differences.
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they? Two related sermons are available Scripture and Traditions and Tradition and Scripture.
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.