Roman Catholics: Saved or Lost?

By Larry E Miller

Why is this book needed now? Until mid-20th century among evangelicalism the near unanimous view was that most Roman Catholics are lost due to their corrupted gospel. In recent decades increased numbers of big-tent evangelicals have begun to accept Roman Catholics as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Is this a remarkable achievement or tragic compromise? It is my position that it is a tragic compromise, therefore this book is needed NOW.

In Chapters One and Two a history of evangelicalism is provided demonstrating the changes that have occurred as well as a review of the most significant published documents manifesting these changes. These include such documents as Vatican II, Evangelicals and Catholics Together, and other post-1990’s publications. Then summarized are the major factors that have contributed to this precipitous change – transdenominationalism, desire for visible unity, supernatural conversionism, cultural engagement, and decline in doctrinal clarity.

Chapter Three presents an exegetically based definition of the true gospel as penned by the Apostle Paul. In Chapter Four the Roman Catholic official way of salvation is summarized from their own documents, and it is DIFFERENT from that penned by Paul.

Based on decades of ministry as a church planter in the city of New Orleans, in Chapters Five through Nine I present from a “boots on the ground” perspective a practical “how to” regarding effective evangelization of “lost” Roman Catholics. With a God-dependent attitude and the application of this methodology scores, even hundreds, of dear Roman Catholic people came to understand and respond by faith to the Bible-based grace message that saves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664209589

Larry E Miller

Larry E Miller has theological training, Th.M. and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary, and practical ministry experience, having served thirty years as a pastor in the city of New Orleans. It was there he developed a heart of deep concern for the salvation of Roman Catholic people. Following his pastoral ministry, he founded Equippers Ministry International, equipping pastors and other spiritual leaders.

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DEDICATION

To my special friends and ministry advisers,

Johnny Ervin, Keith Randazzo, John Ritchie, Lawrence Sisung.

Also

To my lifetime marriage and ministry partner,

Marcella, I dedicate this book.

Through decades of life experiences, you have been my way marker

as it relates to spiritual development.

Through repeated challenges living with one who is idealistic

and an achiever, you have been my boundary setter.

Through my mental engagement with this project,

often after some early morning work, you have

listened to my ramblings at the breakfast table.

Marcella, you are truly a Mrs. Far-above-Rubies woman

(Proverbs 31), and one who has repeatedly encouraged me by

the depth of respect you have shown for me (Ephesians 5:33).

Together we have given our children a great gift through the example of lifetime devotion

to one another.

CONTENTS

Preface

Part 1 WHERE WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT HERE

Chapter 1 The History of Evangelicalism and Attitudes about the Salvation of Roman Catholic People

Chapter 2 Events and Factors Contributing to This Precipitous Change

Part 2 TWO DIFFERENT GOSPELS

Chapter 3 Clarity of the Biblical-Grace Gospel That Saves: Revelation Recorded by the Apostle Paul

Chapter 4 Official Roman Catholic Soteriological Beliefs

Authority

Sacramentalism

Justification

Grace and Faith

Part 3 EFFECTIVE EVANGELIZATION OF LOST ROMAN CATHOLICS

Chapter 5 Through Preparation of the Sower: The Evangelist

Chapter 6 Through Preparation of the Soil or the Heart of the Unsaved Person

Chapter 7 Through Sowing the Gospel Seed

Chapter 8 Harvesting and Preserving the Fruit

Chapter 9 Telling Your Story

Appendix A Discovering the Riches of God’s Word: Inductive Bible Study Methods

Appendix B Answering the Most-Often-Asked Questions

Appendix C Worldview Understanding

Appendix D Highlights from a Survey of Four Hundred Former Roman Catholics

Appendix E Important Term Definitions

Appendix F Repentance

Bibliography

PREFACE

This book was begging to be written. Why so? At its core this book is about the question Is the Roman Catholic Church part of the authentic Christian community? You might say this issue has been debated by the Reformers, who determined that the answer is a loud no. However, as many or most of you are aware, the landscape of opinion about this issue has been rapidly changing during the decades following the middle of the twentieth century. For evangelical thought leaders, pastors, and serious-minded believers, the time has come for a revisit or fresh look at this highly important issue. I am so convinced of the issue’s importance that I have chosen to invest hundreds of hours of diligent effort to accomplish this project. Major issues that needed attention became clear in my thinking.

First, we need to understand a bit about the history of evangelicalism, thereby tracing the trend among big-tent evangelicals to believe most Roman Catholic are our brothers and sisters in Christ. For the first two centuries of evangelical history, the almost unanimous view was that of the Reformers—that is, the Roman Catholic way of salvation is a different gospel, thus leaving most of them outside authentic Christianity. How and why did this change occur since the middle of the twentieth century? A new wind is blowing among a rather significant segment of evangelicals regarding attitudes toward the salvation of Roman Catholics in general. This new wind of thought leaves many wondering whether most Roman Catholics might be born again after all, thus impacting the perceived need to evangelize them. Ought this issue be of significant concern to serious-minded evangelicals? I say yes. Therefore, I have chosen to include the subject matter for chapters 1 and 2.

Second, the issue of gospel clarity is a growing concern for many today, even among evangelicals. This will be evident when topics such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together¹ are presented. In chapter 2 I present the developments in the late twentieth-century evangelical world that most relate to evangelicals’ understanding of the salvation of Roman Catholic people.

Third, there seems to be a growing lack of understanding about the current Roman Catholic Church view of the way of salvation. Have protestants or evangelicals misunderstood this Roman Catholic way of salvation? Has the Roman Catholic Church changed its salvation theology since Vatican II? During the late twentieth century, quality books have clarified this issue, demonstrating conclusively that the Council of Trent views haven’t been changed. Two such books are The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy² and Protestants and Catholics: Do They Now Agree? by John Ankerberg and John Weldon.³ In chapter 4 below I likely haven’t added much additional light to the subject, but an update appears to be needed. Also, I add an element missing in most of these good works. Throughout the history of evangelicalism, even until the present, most often evangelicals have debated this issue with the position of the Protestant Reformers as the starting point. I am indeed grateful for these courageous men and for their major contributions, and I agree with their basic conclusions. However, on some occasions the Roman Catholics have made the point that we appear to have our own magisterium, and this is the viewpoint of the Reformers. Theological hand grenades have been thrown between the Roman Catholic and Protestants from their fortresses of the Council of Trent and Protestant Reformers. In this important work, I have chosen to go beyond and behind the view of the Reformers to present a solid exegetical-based definition of the gospel from the writings of the apostle Paul. This material is in chapter 3. If we claim the Bible is our ultimate authority, then it appears to me we should argue from our study of these holy scriptures. Others have done likewise, probably even better. But such exegetical work is often not included in a book on this topic.

Also, the attempted breadth of this project needs some attention, perhaps even justification. Each of the first four chapters of this book could have each been expanded into a quite beneficial book. This has been done very capably by numerous respected authors. I have referred to many of them throughout these four chapters. However, as I began this project, I was convinced that a needed addition was something more practical about how then we put boots on the ground and evangelize these trapped and lost Roman Catholics. At one point I considered writing a second book as a sort of sequel dealing with this topic. But here is why I chose otherwise.

As a pastor I saw my role as a shepherd, educator, or equipper, hopefully endowed with enough administrative ability, faithfulness, and God dependence to be effective. Included in this mix was my thinking that I needed to be engaged in exegesis and theology but see they are done in a way not to leave the sheep with an abundance of the theoretical while on the threshold of effective fulfillment in application. I didn’t easily or quickly come to such conviction and practice. Vividly I remember when Paul’s word to Timothy gripped my heart. He penned this aorist imperative: Do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). Though my gifts are primarily teaching and administration, I understood that this exhortation was meant for my application. In ministry I attempted to bridge the gap between the theoretical or academic and the application of the same toward a satisfying and fruit-bearing Christian experience. Therefore, I chose to include chapters 5 through 9 in this book.

l believe I bring an almost unique applicational perspective to the destiny-determining soteriological issue addressed in this book. Please listen to why I may be qualified to do this needed piece of work. By the good grace of God, I have been able to minister for over forty-five years in South Louisiana, thirty years as pastor of a new church plant in the city of New Orleans with its 90 to 95 percent Roman Catholic population. Through the enablement of our great God, we were able to develop and pursue evangelistic methodology, which resulted in scores and scores of Roman Catholic people discovering that salvation is a gift and not a reward. Eventually two-thirds of the people in our church were from a Roman Catholic background. To this day I weep when I replay some of the testimonies of these serious-minded people.

In the 1990s, I did a research project toward a doctor of ministry degree, which included surveying four hundred former Roman Catholics involved in evangelical churches in South Louisiana. The major goal was to determine from the perspective of these former Roman Catholics what methods were most effective and helpful toward them understanding the biblical grace gospel that saves. This research contributed greatly to my bank of information and knowledge about Roman Catholicism. I don’t know of another project like this that has been done. Also, I have conducted numerous training seminars in local churches and with regional pastor groups. I have also done such training in Eastern Europe, where the dominant religion is Eastern Orthodox.

I deeply love and feel passionate toward serious-minded, lost Roman Catholic people. I write not from a viewpoint of pharisaical legalism but from someone motivated by this love and concern. I am challenged to be able to sufficiently express this feeling. Perhaps this quote from the pen of author James G. McCarthy will help.

My family are Catholics, Irish Catholics, as far back as anyone can remember. Both of my parents hail from the Emerald Isle, each from devoutly religious families of eight children. Three of my uncles entered the priesthood and two of my aunts the convent.

My parents immigrated separately to the United States following World War II. There they met, married, and raised eight children. All were baptized. All were confirmed.

On Sundays the McCarthy family filled an entire pew. On weekdays we were represented in virtually every grade of the local parochial school. Catholic high school naturally followed. So did Catholic weddings, usually conducted by one of the uncles who was a priest. My own wedding was performed by four priests—my three uncles and our local pastor.

I thank God for the wonderful family He has given me. I appreciate the education I received from teachers who really cared—especially the sisters of the Holy Names. They instilled in me an awareness of God and the importance of spiritual priorities. Despite their best efforts, however, I did not know God or the biblical way of salvation.

A turning point came when a friend invited me to a home Bible study sponsored by a small Christian church. There I learned of the finished work of Christ and of God’s free offer of salvation. After studying the Bible for several months, I trusted Christ as my Savior.

Two years later I left the Roman Catholic Church. It was the most painful decision I have ever had to make [emphasis mine]. But when I became convinced that the teachings of the Catholic Church could not be reconciled with Christianity as taught in the New Testament, I realized that I had no alternative.

I have written this book because I owe a debt, a debt of love to my Catholic family and friends and the millions of sincere Catholics whom they represent. My motivation in writing is the same desire that Paul had for his kinsmen:

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. (Romans 10:1, 2)⁴

To my new reader friends, can’t you feel the pain and love in the words of James McCarthy? My background wasn’t Roman Catholic. However, while interacting with hundreds of dear Roman Catholics, my heart toward them was at least in some measure like that of McCarthy’s. I trust you will read this book with these expressions in mind.

The primary target audiences for the book are American evangelical thought leaders in denominations, educational institutions, and missions agencies; pastors; and serious-minded laypeople. It will contain sufficient research to satisfy those in the academic community. I write with you, the reader, in mind. I have attempted to provide sufficient theological depth so as to meet the rigors of theological examination. I have included a serious attempt to go beyond historical positions and arguments, something that perhaps too often we evangelicals don’t do. I have attempted to demonstrate that the validity of my thesis is grounded in a serious attempt at accurate interpretation of our authority source, the holy scriptures. I have attempted to balance the material with enough personal reflections and examples to make it more interesting and readable to others. As always, you, the reader, will be the judge. My sincere wish is that the book might be helpful to you. And it would be a thrill to me if some Roman Catholics picked up this book and read it.

I dare to suggest that this book will be worth the price you pay for it and the time required to read it.

PART 1

WHERE WE ARE AND HOW WE GOT HERE

CHAPTER 1

The History of Evangelicalism

and Attitudes about the Salvation

of Roman Catholic People

Previous revolutions in Western Christendom included the Protestant Reformation with a starting date usually considered to be 1517 and the liberal-fundamentalist rupture in the early twentieth century. Is a third revolution now occurring? A new wind is blowing, so to speak, among a rather significant segment of evangelicals regarding attitudes toward the salvation of Roman Catholics in general. Larger numbers of self-professed evangelicals are advocating that most Roman Catholics are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some consider this development indicative of a remarkable achievement, while others see it as a tragic compromise. Still others are shocked by this thinking. The what, why, and how of this controversial trend is considered in chapters 1 and 2.

In this chapter a concise history of evangelicalism is presented because of its interest and because it helps us understand our twenty-first-century religious context. More important to this project, it highlights the evident trend in opinions and attitudes toward the salvation of Roman Catholic people. A concluding portion will summarize the contributing factors to this changing attitude toward the salvation of lost Roman Catholic people.

As a starter, the definitions of two key terms, Christian and evangelical, are presented.

It is easily observed that the term Christian is used in different and confusing ways. One could approach these definitions in different manners, which some have. From my perspective, there appear to be at least four main ways it is used. First is what could be called the cradle Christian and describes those who were born into a Christian family and would mark Christian in a survey or census rather than marking Muslim, atheist, none, or something else. This is usually how our culture identifies Christians. While living in New Orleans, my wife had a hairdresser from Lebanon. Though he had no or little interest in what we might consider authentic Christianity, he was from a historically Christian family in Lebanon and considered himself to be a Christian, certainly not Muslim or nothing.

Traditional Christians would claim to be part of historical Christendom and likely be committed to early creeds such as the Nicene Creed. They would likely have some involvement in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Protestant churches. The Manhattan Declaration, much of which is quite good and with which I am in agreement, begins with We, Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians. From my perspective a better beginning would have been something like, We, Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestants branches of Christendom. Then perhaps include a statement like, It is beyond the purpose of the Declaration to evaluate which of these are authentically Christian.

Values Christians are those who adopt Christian values and principles as a way to live life but are not, nor do they feel the need to be, regenerated. While I was a pastor in New Orleans, a young lady in our church spoke lovingly of her father, a pastor. This young lady revealed to us that her father would declare that he wasn’t saved because he was never bad enough to need such salvation.

Authentic Christians are those who are in the body of Christ by means of being justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ, regenerated by God, the Holy Spirit, and baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ.

The terms evangelical or evangelicalism will be repeatedly used in chapters 1 and 2. The term evangelical itself is being debated and often misused. Collin Hansen wrote,

We will gladly explain that an evangelical testifies of the evangel, the good news that the one and only Son of God has come into the world to save sinners … Yet all is not so clear within the evangelical camp … Simply labeling ourselves evangelical no longer suffices.

We are conservative, progressive, post conservative, and preprogressive evangelicals. We are traditional, creedal, biblical, pietistic, anticreedal, ecumenical, and fundamentalist … We are everything, so we are nothing. If the descriptor evangelical cannot stand on its own, then it has little use.⁵

In spite of this lack of a clear evangelical identity, Hansen goes on to affirm that it supplies much-needed dynamism to Christianity in the West … Whatever their differences, evangelicals pledge allegiance to Christ alone, the only hope for self-absorbed sinners in any age or place, any stage or race.⁶

There appear to be three major groups attempting to define evangelicals: cultural commentators, historians, and theologians. Cultural commentators such as journalists and TV personalities often follow the pattern that likely began in the 1970s. The watching public was just beginning to notice evangelicalism. Hansen penned, "It took a peanut farmer from Georgia to convince mainstream media to recognize the broader evangelical movement. Jimmy Carter’s candidacy sent journalists on a hunt to understand what he meant by saying he was ‘born again.’ As Carter marched on to victory over President Gerald Ford, Newsweek declared 1976 ‘The Year of the Evangelical.’"⁷ Evangelicals began to be seen as an influential political bloc. Eventually they were seen as mostly white Republicans. Certain evangelical leaders experienced access to power previously unknown. As an example, Tony Perkins, director of the Family Research Council in Washington, DC, was invited to help write the Republican Party platform in 2016. The jury is still out as to whether this access to power will be a net positive when one also considers the danger of allowing such interest and activity to either depreciate or compromise the importance of a clear gospel message.

When historians such as George Marsden and Mark Noll write about evangelicals, they attempt a reasonably good effort toward giving unprejudiced historical facts. But inevitably, when they move to some evaluations, one notes the evidence of bias, sometimes theological bias. Though they claim the mantle of historian rather than theologian, their efforts do include some theology. However, what distinguishes this group as a separate category is their inclination to define evangelicals more along the lines of those who see themselves as following certain broad traditional evangelical beliefs and practices. In The Spectrum of Evangelicalism, John Stackhouse penned, Evangelical denotes an individual or a corporate entity that belongs to a historical movement known as evangelicalism.⁸ In the same book, Roger E. Olson has similar thoughts when he expresses the view that attempting to define the terms evangelical and evangelicalism is interesting but ultimately futile. It is a movement more than a well-defined theological position. Olson stated that some critics observed that he was talking about sociology, whereas they are talking about theology when they assert that evangelical boundaries exist. He further expressed the opinion that the only recourse for solving this problem of evangelical identity is to turn to history, thus the historian. Further, Olson stated that the evangelical movement has drawn into itself broad streams such as the puritan-Presbyterian one and the pietist-Pentecostal one.⁹ If two such groups with rather diverse theology can be thought of as within evangelicalism, then it must be a movement rather than a theology. This is enough to give us a flavor of the primarily historical approach to defining evangelicals.

While all historians would agree that theology is a component of evangelical identity, many theologians believe theology is the primary component to defining evangelicals. There must be boundaries to have definitions and identities, and these boundaries are theological ones. At the turn of the twentieth century, fundamentalism arose as a reaction to Protestant doctrinal liberalism. These reactionary conservatives saw themselves as fighting to defend biblical authority and the gospel. Theological wars were initially waged at Princeton Seminary, led by men like B. B. Warfield and J. Gresham Machen. Fast-forward to the twenty-first century and follow below the statements by Kevin Bauder and Al Mohler. Many have considered theology to be the key component needed to define evangelicalism.

A focus on the meaning of the term euaggelion is central, since it relates to the core purpose of this study. For many of you, this will be like a primer, but be patient with me. I include this material here for two reasons. First, because it relates to the authentic Christian identity above. And second, because as we pursue the next portions of this project, it is paramount that we keep the gospel message, which brings salvation to individuals, as the central anchor. We need to keep the main thing the main thing. And the basic, core meaning of euaggelion is the main thing.

The term euaggelion is used seventy-six times in the New Testament, sixty times by Paul. According to lexicographers Thayer¹⁰ and Vine,¹¹ the term originally meant a reward for good tidings. Later the idea of reward was dropped, and the word referred to the message itself, namely good news. Prior to the death of Christ, according to Thayer, it meant the glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up. After the death of Christ, euaggelion may be briefly defined as the glad tidings of salvation through Christ; the proclamation of the grace of God manifested and pledged in Christ. Vine adds, Of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith, on the basis of the expiatory death, his burial, resurrection and ascension.

I quote Harold Hoehner, writing about Ephesians 1:13.

The term salvation indicates rescue or deliverance, as seen later in the epistle … referring to the sinner who is dead in trespasses and is saved or delivered by grace (2:5). The truth of the message is the good news of deliverance of people from their bondage to sin. Many different messages proclaimed by the world as deliverance are false and bring people into greater bondage. Those messages contain falsehoods and deception, whereas here Paul is showing the message of truth—the good news of deliverance."¹²

Further, Hoehner notes that in Ephesians 1:13 the word for truth, aletheia, is a word that has been discussed thoroughly.¹³ It occurs frequently in classical literature and its basic idea is what is in contrast to a lie, or what is reality or actual as opposed to what is false.

Enough. The term euaggelion, transliterated evangel and meaning the gospel, has a definite and clear meaning. Note well that it speaks of the salvation of individual people.

The Beginning of Evangelicalism

Historians such as George Marsden, Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism (1991), and Mark Noll, The Rise of Evangelicalism (2003), and others after them have usually traced the beginning of evangelicalism to the First Great Awakening (1730s and 1740s).

These historians agree that commonly the term evangel is seen as the central idea in defining or describing what an evangelical is. When discussing the term evangel or the gospel, three major emphases are most often included.

• Commitment to the core doctrines of the gospel as revealed in the Bible, which was considered the final authority for faith and practice

• The necessity of supernatural conversion

• Some level of involvement in social action

Historically the challenge has been to understand and apply in a balanced fashion each of the three components in the culture and times as well as maintaining a desirable and healthy balance between the three.

Others have added a fourth issue to the discussion. Pietism grounded in European puritan thinking may have been a greater part of this movement than some historians have thought or included in their presentations. Such pietism included a seriousness about living a holy and vigorous Christian life. Perhaps this is assumed by the authors under the supernatural conversion component mentioned above.

This review will focus on the needed doctrinal content of the gospel, since a goal of this chapter is to trace the changing attitudes toward Roman Catholics and their salvation. And this is part of our goal of dealing with the greater question: Are most Roman Catholics authentically Christian, or do they need to be evangelized? And if they need to be evangelized, are there more loving and effective methodologies in doing so?

The leaders of this First Great Awakening were generally recognized to be George Whitefield, an English Anglican cleric; John Wesley, an English cleric; and Jonathan Edwards, an American revivalist preacher and congregationalist theologian. The movement wasn’t about doctrine in particular, since most established churches were committed to historic Reformation theology. However, these revivalists and associates perceived that established churches like the Anglicans and Congregationalists were characterized by dead orthodoxy, overly committed to particular forms of worship and guilty of presumed regeneration.

Therefore, these revivalists were convinced there was need for spiritual renewal and an emphasis on personal conversionism through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Their methods were largely mass, open-air campaigns; often preaching was done by itinerant preachers, with a strong emphasis on emotionalism.

Scholars have debated the degree of actual long-term impact of these revivals, but most agree it was significant. The issues at hand are illustrated by these events recorded in Whitefield’s journal, a very interesting and informative description of the events of those days. (The following is from the introduction of Mark Noll’s The Rise of Evangelicalism.¹)¹⁴

On Friday, September 19, 1740, George Whitefield sat down for a theological conversation with the Anglican clergy of Boston Massachusetts. Whitefield was at the start of some of the most extraordinary preaching tours of that or any era … From early in 1739 he had taken the radical steps of preaching out of doors, and with smashing results. While thousands thronged to hear his affecting message of the new birth in Jesus Christ, nervous leaders of the Church of England and some members of the upper classes worried about the threat to public order. On his second trip to North America Whitefield was faced with some resistance. On the morning of September 19 Whitefield was taken to meet the governor, and then attended prayers at Boston’s Old North Anglican Church. After the service, he was escorted to the home of Dr. Thomas Cutler, the Church of England’s commissary and senior minister in New England. It was time to face the music.

Whitefield later reported in his published journal that the five Anglican clergymen whom he visited treated him cordially but also that they wasted no time before bombarding him with accusatory questions:

• "We hear you called Gilbert Tennett, the Presbyterian revivalist in New Jersey, a ‘faithful minister of Jesus Christ.’" Whitefield averred that he did indeed think Tennett was a faithful minister.

• How come your supposed friend and colleague, Charles Wesley, supports the Church of England so vigorously but you do not? Whitefield replied that he believed God had changed Wesley’s mind on this subject and that now Wesley was as willing to work with non-Anglicans as Whitefield was.

• We have heard that when you were in Savannah, you allowed a Baptist minister to take part in a communion service that you led. Could this really be true? Whitefield replied that not only was this rumor true but also that he was, as a properly ordained minister of the Church of England, to receive communion from the hand of a Baptist.

At this point, Whitefield then went on to make a most important general statement: It was best to preach the new birth, and the power of godliness, and not to insist so much on the form; for the people would never be brought to one mind as to that; nor did Jesus Christ intend it.

Whitefield’s fellow Anglicans could not be convinced, but they had heard him articulate a defining principle of Protestant evangelicalism. In the evangelical movement that began with these revivalists, and that would spread over the course of centuries to touch every continent of the globe, the foundation was unswerving belief in the need for conversion (the new birth) and the necessity of a life of active holiness (the power of godliness).

At the end of the eighteenth century, evangelicalism was characterized as follows:

First, it was committed to carrying forth the same principles as championed by the great Protestant leader Martin Luther, summarized as follows. ¹⁵

• It stood for justification by faith instead of trust in human works as the path to salvation.

• It defended the sole sufficiency of Christ for salvation instead of the human (and often corrupted) mediations of the church.

• It looked to the once-for-all triumph of Christ’s death on the cross instead of the repetition of Christ’s sacrifice in the Catholic mass.

• It found final authority in the Bible as read by believers in general instead of what the Catholic Church said the Bible had to mean.

• And It embraced the priesthood of all Christian believers instead of the inappropriate reliance on a class of priests ordained by the church.

Second, it was committed to the idea of the necessity of a supernatural rebirth for individuals, in their case facilitated through a revivalistic methodology.

Third, it included some level of commitment to social action.

Fourth, it was trans-denominational.

The prevailing attitude toward Roman Catholicism at the end of the eighteenth century was that it held to a corrupted view of the gospel as defined in the holy scriptures; therefore, the people within its grip were in need of salvation.

Evangelicalism during the Nineteenth Century

Throughout most of the nineteenth century, there continued mostly the same emphasis, with little change to the four characteristics at the end of the previous period as stated above. What has been called the Second Great Awakening occurred in 1790–1850. Some have called it the age of Wilberforce, More, Chalmers, and Finney.

Generally this Second Great Awakening has been considered of more lasting impact. Though this may be true, the methodology appears to be used to an excess so