Friday, December 18, 2009

Not sure what I think about this

Lynnie asked today if I'd seen this video yet, and I had not. It is compelling and a clear gospel call. From the Catholics.



Thoughts?

8 comments:

Sharon said...

Oh I have thoughts...

Let Jesus "edit your life story"...
Come to Jesus b/c of all the good things He can do for you? "Find a more abundant life"?

How about starting by acknowledging that we are dead in our sins and have offended a holy God?

We don't come to God for help to have our best life now. He rescues us from the eternal punishment we've earned by giving us Christ's righteousness.

I guess in a 2 min. video they didn't have time to go into things like the "true" gospel of works righteousness and sacramentalism.

Christina said...

Wow.

Well, yes, it could have been more clear on many points, but I heard, basically, "be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus," which is definitely a good start to be sharing with a world that needs to be reconciled to God... and one that many "Christian" churches today shy away from sharing.

My concern would be that it says "Catholic" all over it and unfortunately, the Catholic "church" still preaches a false gospel of salvation through works. Which is what most "Catholics who come home" because of the video will hear if they do choose to return to church. And that won't save them from anything.

That's the sad part.

Russell said...

Compelling but not clear. A gospel call without submission or repentance?

I watched and listened to it three times and there are lots of nice things in there. But if a person said yes. I want that. I agree to everything in that video. They would not be saved. If that message can't save it can't be called the gospel.

David said...

Here's my question: is there a one or two minute video of equal or better production quality that does fully explain the gospel and point people to the true church?

If so, I'd like to see this video.

If not, why doesn't it exist? Would such a video help further the gospel?

David Wolfe said...

"no do-overs?" So Catholics no longer believe in purgatory? Or, to follow up on Christina's point, what does it matter if Catholics come 'home' when every time they take communion, Christ is re-sacrificed in the Mass by the preist for our sin? How is that a clear gospel call? The more we fall, however unintentioned, into the belief that 'catholics are Christians too' the more we'll end up with Manhattan Declarations, and the more we'll cheapen the deaths of tens of thousands of Reformation martyrs. I don't want that on my conscience.

David wolfe said...

And David, I can't quite find it in two minutes, but close enough and pretty dang clear. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/MediaPlayer/2389/Video/

Sharon said...

Russell: Thanks for the link Wolfe, but it clearly lacks the production value of the catholic version.

skinnyspice said...

I actually expected to like this *more* than I did...but the message appears to be that Christianity is about morality and that our salvation is a joint effort between us and God --- not something that Jesus is the author and finisher of.

I heard at a church history conference that Catholics and protestants have identical definitions of the words "justification" and "sanctification". The difference is the ORDER they come in in our theology. For a protestant, it is first justification and then sanctification. For a Catholic it is first sanctification then justification. I thought this was the simplest and clearest definition I'd ever heard (and it's not a slam against anyone, but actual official theology). Hearing and understanding that left me less ecumenical however.