November 5, 2003 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

When it was brought to light that Evangelism Explosion (EE) is training Catholics in Catholic churches, Dr. D. James Kennedy defended the practice and stated no concern that people would thus be brought into the bondage of Roman Catholicism. The problem is not so much that Catholics are sometimes present for EE training sessions. The problem is that the training is actually given by EE, specifically for Roman Catholics, within a Roman Catholic setting. “When asked about this, the senior vice-president of Evangelism Explosion had this to say: ‘As far as we have been able to ascertain to this date, the Roman Catholics who are being trained in Evangelism Explosion in their respective churches are faithfully declaring the gospel in its essence. The effort to bring people into membership in their church, is strictly a secondary concern’“ (Biblical Missions, Jul.-Aug. 1985).

Anyone who believes Roman Catholics are faithfully declaring the gospel, would also find it easy to believe in the tooth fairy! And to call the matter of people joining the Roman Catholic Church a secondary concern is absolute treachery.

Pastor Frank Bumpus of Bethel Baptist Church, Schaumburg, Illinois, tells of a lady in his church that participated in Evangelism Explosion classes in a Catholic church before she was saved. Speaking of Catholic priest Alvin Illig, who has been cleverly trained in the use of evangelical terminology and who is playing a key role in the ecumenical movement, this lady testified, “Pastor, I know that Father Illig. Before I was saved and you baptized me, he led our Catholic church in what they called an Evangelism Explosion.” In one of those sessions she asked what Illig meant by reaching people, and he answered, “I mean reach them for the church.” Pastor Bumpus asked her, “Did he teach you how to lead a soul to Christ?” “Oh no,” she replied, “it was the same old Catholic dogma, bring people to the church” (Frank Bumpus, F.B.F. News Bulletin, Fundamental Baptist Fellowship, Nov.-Dec. 1988).

To illustrate the duplicity of the Catholics in using Evangelism Explosion material, we quote from an interview Dennis Costella of the Fundamental Evangelistic Association had with Catholic Keith Fournier at Notre Dame ‘88’, a large Charismatic Catholic conference. Fournier is the author of Evangelical Catholics, which deceptively attempts to put an evangelical face on the so-called Catholic renewal. When Costella asked about Kennedy’s EE seminars, Fournier replied:

“ ...some of the early planning of our program had a lot to do with a Catholic parish that had James Kennedy’s program ... The gospel is the gospel and everybody knows what the basic gospel truth is ... denominational differences [are] in the follow-up ... there were a couple of things in James Kennedy’s process that we as Catholics couldn’t accept because it wasn’t Catholic teaching. For example, too obvious was the total assurance of salvation ... and the other one is salvation by faith alone. For Catholics we are saved by faith and also through obedience to Christ. We don’t earn our salvation but we believe that there are acts of obedience and cooperation in God’s spirit that are tied up with salvation.”

Do you see the tremendous deception in this? Fournier says the gospel is the gospel, implying that we are all preaching the same basic gospel, yet he goes on to deny the very heart of the gospel, which is salvation through the grace of Christ alone by His blood alone without works or sacraments. He would call this difference merely a matter of “interpretation,” but to add any kind of works to Christ’s grace is a matter of heresy and blasphemy, and brings God’s curse upon anyone who preaches it (Gal. 1:8-10).

Fournier says “we are saved by faith AND ALSO through obedience to Christ,” yet he claims he doesn’t believe in earning salvation. This is Jesuit sophistry at its diabolic best. There is no excuse for today’s Evangelical leaders to be deceived by this kind of duplicity. If a man is not doctrinally strong enough to see through Rome’s deceptions, he is not qualified to be a Christian leader (Titus 1:9-11).

D. James Kennedy thinks nothing of preaching on the same platform with Catholic priests and other false teachers. He was one of the speakers for the April 1980 “Washington for Jesus” rally. Fellow speakers included Catholic priests John Bertolucci, John Randall, and Michael Scanlon; Self-Esteem gospeler Robert Schuller; and a host of radical Charismatics, including Jim Bakker of the PTL, Pat Robertson of the 700 Club, and Demos Shakarian of the Full Gospel Business’ Men’s Fellowship International. Kennedy appeared as a guest with Catholic priest John Bertolucci, and radical Charismatics Paul Yonggi Cho, Oral Roberts, and Demos Shakarian, during the premiere broadcast week for the launching in 1986 of the Rock Christian Network (F.B.F. News Bulletin, Jul.-Aug. 1986). To join in such forums is to put one’s stamp of approach upon the participants.

In August 1988, Dr. Kennedy participated in the ecumenical Congress ‘88’, in Chicago. The Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, brought the opening address of the Congress. This faithful son of Rome was introduced as a “warm, caring, Christ-honoring, Christ-like brother” (Frank Bumpus, “New-Evangelicals United with Catholics and Liberals,” F.B.F. News Bulletin, Nov.-Dec. 1988). Kennedy joined Jerry Falwell in founding the ecumenical Moral Majority, which encouraged Catholic participation. (See “Jerry Falwell.”)

D. James Kennedy participated in the publication of a series of books on evangelism co-sponsored by Tyndale House and the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association. The first book in the series, What Christians Can Learn from One Another about Evangelizing Adults, included articles by D. James Kennedy, Pope John Paul II, Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, and others.

D. James Kennedy was one of the sixty ministers, including Roman Catholic priests, who gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., in July 1986, for the covenant signing ceremony for the Coalition on Revival (COR). COR signers made a commitment “to unity and to a ‘non-quarreling policy’ over doctrinal points such as eschatology, dispensationalism, Christian freedom, tongues, charismatic activity and evangelism” (Christian News, Sept. 12, 1988). COR is committed to an attempt to conform American society to a biblical standardan impossible and unscriptural goal. Kennedy is one of the leaders for COR.

Kennedy was one of the sponsors of the Billy Graham Central Park rally in New York City in 1991. Roman Catholic Cardinal John O’Connor’ and other Catholic leaders encouraged their people to attend, and Graham gave public acknowledgment for this support (Detroit Free Press, Sept. 21, 1991).

In early May 1997, D. James Kennedy featured Mother Teresa on his broadcast. The announcer for Kennedy stated warmly, “who better to speak on love than Mother Teresa.” Completely ignored was the fact that Mother Teresa was committed to Rome’s cursed sacramental gospel, praying to Mary, etc. (See Part XII of our book Evangelicals and Rome.)