There was a time when Catholicism was abhorred by Protestants all over the world. It began to take center stage when Luther set ablaze the sparks of the reformation. The horrors of the medieval church and its sales of indulgences caused Luther to search the scriptures to counter act these abuses. What he found shocked him. As a Catholic monk he could not believe what scriptures had to say about the church he loved. Yet as he studied more and more he knew he had only one thing to do, it was to break free from the vice grips of Catholicism. In the church he loved he discovered the face of…

Fast forward to America circuit 1960’s John F. Kennedy is running for president of the United States. Many in America are wondering about the intentions of this young Catholic presidential nominee. Will he take his marching orders from Rome or will he be loyal to the freedoms of which so many have shed their blood to keep intact, the freedoms of liberty of conscience and freedom of religion. In an attempt to quench the fears of the public, JFK during his presidential run, flew down to Houston Texas from Washington to assure the people that,

"I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters — and the Church does not speak for me."

Sure enough he won and the people’s fears of Catholicism abated but there lingered some cautious awareness within Protestants that,“As late as 1966, when Pope Pius VI spoke at the United Nations, President Lyndon Johnson visited the pontiff at his hotel. Had St. Peter’s successor come to the White House, there would have been an unholy uproar.”

Fast forward once again to America to the time of this presidency and how the times have changed. This time we have a president from Texas, who in his presidency has gone from Texas to Washington to tell the people that,
"The best way to honor Pope…, truly one of the great men, is to take his teaching seriously; is to listen to his words and put his words and teachings into action here in America. This is a challenge we must accept."

How the times have change from Luther to Pope Benedict. Some argue that this is a good thing by saying, “it is time we stop religious intolerance and move forward in brotherly love.” How are we to unite in brotherly love if we continue this distrust of Catholicism whose acts of kindness through their school and hospital networks make them a powerhouse for good in this world? Sounds reasonably and I agree that it sounds reasonable the Bible also agrees that this argument sounds reasonable.

You see as Martin Luther studied his Bible and discovered truths about the abuses of the church of his day he also discovered the fascination the world would one day have for Catholicism. Yet what shocked him the most was that he discovered in the Catholic system the face of... 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 and the whole world wondered after the...

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Gio Marin is the pastor of the College Station and Waller Seventh-day Adventist Church in the state of Texas. He graduated in December 2007 with a master of divinity degree from Andrews Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Send him an email at {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © Copyright 2008 by Gio Marin.