August 29, 2000 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The following article from the Belfast Berean (of Northern Ireland) was sent to me by Cecil Andrews of Take Heed Ministries:

AN OPEN LETTER TO PAM JOHNSTON [chairperson] FOCUSFEST MINISTRIES

[Sent via e-mail 14th February 2000]

Dear Pam,

In recent weeks I have been contacted by a number of people expressing concern over 2 seminars that are scheduled for inclusion in your FOCUSFEST gathering planned for 9 -11 June at the University of Ulster, Coleraine. The seminars in question are listed in your programme as follows.

"What is an evangelical Catholic? am & pm. The terms Îevangelicalâ and ÎCatholicâ would be deemed by many to be mutually exclusive. In this seminar, Eugene Boyle, Northern Ireland secretary of the Evangelical Catholic Initiative, explores from a personal perspective, what it means to be Îevangelicalâ within the Roman Catholic Church."

First of all it is important to recognise that Mr. Boyle is still identifying himself with the Roman Catholic Church and has not renounced his desire to be identified with that religious grouping. How then does the Roman Catholic Church fare when the Word of God tests its teachings?

To avoid any possible allegation of bias or prejudice on my own part I plan to answer that question by quoting from the writings of a former Roman Catholic - Mr. Bill Webster.

In his book ÎSalvation, The Bible and Roman Catholicismâ Mr. Webster wrote: ÎIt is quite clear from this that in Roman Catholicism faith in Christ alone is not sufficient for salvation. It is also necessary that one keep the Ten Commandments, be baptised, become a member of the Roman Catholic faith and partake regularly of the sacraments. It is not Jesus alone but Jesus plus all these other things. Significantly all these other things are practically identical to the Judaiserâs system and teachingsâ. [p. 91-92]. Mr. Webster then goes on to list 15 practices/teachings held in common by the Judaisers and Roman Catholicism.

When carefully examined it is quite evident that Roman Catholicism is the modern-day equivalent of the false Îgospelâ of the Judaisers -- only more so because Rome has added many more requirements for salvation than the Judaisers ever insisted upon.

Did the Apostle Paul invite these Judaisers who were perverting the true Îgospelâ and proclaiming a false Îgospelâ to come forth and publicly Îexplore from a personal perspective what it means to be Îevangelicalâ within the Judaisersâ? No, he did not. Rather he pronounced an Îanathemaâ upon their false Îgospelâ and rebuked those who would associate with them such as Peter [see Galatians 2:11-21].

Those who claim to be ÎEvangelical Catholicsâ can only fall into one of two categories.

Either they are Îfalse brethrenâ or Îerring brethrenâ.

Whichever category they fall into, the response of true believers to their Îgospelâ, that is a Îgospelâ linked to and identified with Roman Catholicism, must be one of rejection of and separation from [see Galatians 1:6-9 & Ephesians 5:11] this grave error.

I would like to demonstrate why the terms ÎEvangelicalâ and Î[Roman] Catholicâ are in truth Îmutually exclusiveâ and to do so let me begin by quoting from their own [Evangelical Catholics] leaflet ÎEvangelical Catholics are committed to a respect for and obedience to the teaching authority of the Pope and Bishops of the Catholic Church unless that obedience goes against oneâs conscience as enlightened by Scripture and Church teachingâ.

In the foreword [page 5] to the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church the Pope wrote concerning it ÎI declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faithâ. Paragraph 1129 of that Catechism states ÎThe Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvationâ. Surely true believers can see that this is the modern-day equivalent of the ÎGalatian errorâ.

The crunch question is this -- do Evangelical Catholics accept the teaching of Paragraph 1129? If they do they are promoting a modern-day ÎGalatian Gospelâ. If they donât they should cease calling themselves ÎCatholicâ for their own Roman Catholic Church condemns them with its own Îanathemaâ. The Council of Trent [Session 7: Canon 4] declares ÎIf anyone says that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous and that without them or without the desire of them men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification, though all are not necessary for each one, let him be anathemaâ

The following question must also be put to those claiming to be both ÎEvangelicalâ and Î[Roman] Catholicâ. Do they believe that a believerâs Îjustificationâ before God is preserved and increased through good works? If they answer Îyesâ then they are rebuked by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:16 & Galatians 3:11. If they answer Înoâ they are once more condemned by their own Roman Catholic Church. The Council of Trent [Session 6: Canon 24] declares ÎIf anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God THROUGH GOOD WORKS, but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of its increase, let him be anathemaâ.

In times past I have sat under and profited from ministry by a number of men involved in your Îparent ministryâ namely ÎEVANGELICAL MINISTRIESâ and so IT IS WITH GREAT SADNESS THAT I HAVE BEEN MOVED TO WRITE TO YOU. However, the reality is that the very purity of the true Îgospelâ is at stake. I hope that upon careful consideration of my letter you will agree that to afford a platform at your conference in June to Mr. Boyle would be to disobey the instructions contained in Godâs word as to how to deal with either Îfalse brethrenâ or Îerring brethrenâ. I would therefore, for the sake of the true Îgospelâ, ask you to withdraw these planned seminars from your programme.

Your servant for Christ and His Îevangelâ