Why not join the Roman Catholic Church?

The title of this contribution is purposefully ambivalent. It can be read as a rhetorical question: when there are so many good reasons to join the church of Rome, why should Protestants refrain from taking this step? The most important historical reason for the Reformation was the state of the church: the authority of the office, and the episcopacy were spoiled by abuse of that power. The access to Christ and his grace were blocked. To what degree is this reproach still viable? In recent years, from a Reformed and evangelical perspective, there have been many changes in that Church that have caused a rapprochement, and that have prompted many Protestants to become Roman Catholic. However, the title can also be read differently: as an argumentation against joining the Roman Catholic Church. Accordingly, this chapter will elaborate upon both possibilities and offer a number of remarks on the choice itself

The Relevance of Neo-Calvinism for Church and Theology

Neo-Calvinism is increasingly popular in the United States, but far less so in the Netherlands where it originated. Written from the context of the Free University (Vrije Universiteit) founded by Abraham Kuyper, this article presents six elements of Neo-Calvinism which together establish it as an important and relevant worldview for our time. The first is that it attempts to create a 'priestly' connection between gospel and culture. Next there are Neo-Calvinism's notion of the sovereignty of God, its conviction that humans are elected to something, and its belief that this world - even in its fallen state - is and remains God's world. The last two elements are the trinitarian spread of its theology and the fact that it exercises the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love

Why not join the Roman Catholic Church?

The title of this contribution is purposefully ambivalent. It can be read as a rhetorical question: when there are so many good reasons to join the church of Rome, why should Protestants refrain from taking this step? The most important historical reason for the Reformation was the state of the church: the authority of the office, and the episcopacy were spoiled by abuse of that power. The access to Christ and his grace were blocked. To what degree is this reproach still viable? In recent years, from a Reformed and evangelical perspective, there have been many changes in that Church that have caused a rapprochement, and that have prompted many Protestants to become Roman Catholic. However, the title can also be read differently: as an argumentation against joining the Roman Catholic Church. Accordingly, this chapter will elaborate upon both possibilities and offer a number of remarks on the choice itself