Imagine going to Rome right after they flipped on the death penalty. In the grand scheme of things, not a big issue. But it does demonstrate something. First, you are a slave to the current Magisterium no matter how obviously they contradict Scripture and their own history. No matter how smart you are, you must commit at least a little bit of intellectual suicide.
Then once you’re committed to your new path, the mental gymnastics come in.
“The reasoning of that council isn’t infallible but the conclusion is.”
“Well even though God explicitly commanded the death penalty…”
“That deuterocanoncial book that was canonized when people thought it was a historical book is really a work of pious fiction.”
“A full fledged papacy wasn’t there from the beginning but it developed…”
The warnings were there before these people made such dumb decisions.
As a former Protestant who completed my journey into the Catholic Church last month, I have a unique (and quickly fading) perspective on the Protestant worldview, how they view Catholicism, and what kinds of conversations might lead them to the fullness of the faith.
I spent hundreds of hours evaluating the arguments on all sides. It became clear to me that the key debate is about sola scriptura. This is the “reason behind the reason” for much of what Protestants and Catholics disagree on. Pull on that thread, and Protestantism unravels—regardless of the denomination.
Sola scriptura is key, but neither side talks about it. Protestant pastors don’t talk about it because it debunks itself upon close examination. Catholic pastors don’t talk about it because it’s not part of the faith.
This combination of behaviors creates a chasm of silence surrounding the biggest barrier to Church unity. If nobody talks about sola scriptura, how can Christians be reunited? The future of Western civilization requires unity, and unity demands answers to this question.
The only group that consistently talks about sola scriptura is Catholic converts, especially recent ones. We noticed the chasm, saw what was on the other side, and navigated through it. This is a journey that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.
I wonder if there’s some way for Catholic converts to build a visible bridge between these two worlds. Think of it as a beacon in the distance, something everyone knows about, an invitation to talk. What might that look like? I’m looking for crazy ideas, including ones that may seem totally impractical. This could be the moonshot that saves Western civilization.