I have always been interested in the relationship between Catholics and Evangelicals; and on the larger scale between the Catholic Church, and the various forms of Protestantism. From a very early age I was very ecumenically minded (developmentally appropriate for what ecumenism means to an 8 year old, of course). I remember one day while playing at friend’s house, one of the kids in our group asked my friend, “What religion are you?” “Protestant.” He responded. I found myself very confused. I had never heard the word “Protestant” before. I knew he occasionally attended our church, and my mother and his were longtime friends. And I knew what religion I was: I was a Christian! I was surprised that he did not answer with “Christian.” I think we spent the next few minutes arguing over whether he as a Protestant or a Christian. This story of course shows both of our youthful theological naiveté, and I think my mom cleared up the confusion when I got home, but from then on I remember being fascinated by all the different brands and flavors of Christianity, and how it is still all Christianity.
One of my sets of grandparents was Catholic. I remember attending mass with them and my mom sometimes when they came to visit us, or when we went to visit them. We still went even though my mom was no longer a practicing Catholic. I remember one particular instance as the congregation was preparing to celebrate the Eucharist my mother gave me a quick 1 minute catechesis crash course. I had never taken communion in Catholic Church before; I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t even know that according to official position of the (Catholic) Church I wasn’t supposed to take communion. So like any good boy, I did what my mom told me to do. She told me to cup my hands and when the priest put the wafer in my hand and said, “the Body of Christ” to say “Amen.” And that is how I took my first communion (in the Catholic Church anyway). The incident set me on a long road comparing and contrasting the two branches of Christianity.
In high school, I became friends with a girl who was a devout Catholic. Throughout those years I continued to consider the differences, similarities, strengths and weaknesses of both Catholicism and Protestantism. Together we started and led an ecumenical morning prayer and bible study group at our high school. In college, I began the long road of my formal theological training, studying church history gave me a historical framework for dealing with these issues. Catholic-Protestant discussions were a common theme at Gordon, inside and outside of the classroom. During this time also, one of my college friends was thinking about “converting” from Protestantism to Catholicism. While in seminary, I had an opportunity to work for a ministry that did many programs in a Catholic parish, including leading their confirmation programs. Imagine an evangelical teaching Youth Alpha to 50 Catholic teens as part of their confirmation requirement! Now, I am pursuing a Master of Theology with a concentration in biblical studies at Boston College, a Catholic institution. To the amazement of many Protestants, Catholics actually do read their bibles!
The relationship between Catholics and Protestants and their respective faith communities has always been am interest of mine. Therefore, I am starting a new series on this blog to think about and dialogue through some of these issues. I look forward to the results!
