The Death of Protestantism:
The "Death Knell" of Freedom of Religion?
By Hope of Israel Ministries Staff
Part 1
Is Protestantism, as the world has known it, finished? Has it written its epitaph? Has the "Protestant
Reformation" been undone -- come unglued -- and been betrayed by modern Protestant and evangelical Christian leaders? Has the greatest "sell-out" in all religious history been perpetrated upon an unsuspecting, ignorant, and sleeping church? What are the facts? How close are we to a Satanic-inspired ONE WORLD RELIGION, with the Pope of Rome at the head of a UNIVERSAL Church? Is there any danger to the world with the resurgence of Catholic political and religious POWER -- any threat to the concept of "freedom of religion," the key motive which led to the settlement of North American some 400 years ago?
Several years ago, I climbed to the top of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C., and looked upon the inscription which carried his immortal words for all humanity to read. Jefferson, the third President of the United States, when it was still in its fledgling infancy, wrote:
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man."
Those words were originally written in a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Sept.30, 1800, and captured Jefferson's credo. He was one who feared and was alarmed at the vision of Catholic power in the world -- the very power which had subjugated Europe and chained it to the "Dark Ages" for a millennium of time. The very power which launched the iniquitous Inquisition, as it fought to retain power and influence and control over the minds and lives of men and nations in the Middle Ages.
The Protestant Reformation was launched, and sanguinary religious wars were fought, particularly in Europe, where blood flowed freely, as Roman Catholic tyranny over the minds of men was savagely defended by kings and armies in France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Holland, and throughout Europe. How soon the world forgets. Were it not for the forces of the Protestant Reformation, the world today would be enslaved by the dogma of Catholic creed and all dissent and disagreement would be stamped out furiously, with "heretics" burned at the stake, beheaded, butchered, imprisoned, their property confiscated by the state, and their families ruined and destroyed.
But is the Protestant Reformation now in the process of being "undone"? Is it over? Is Protestantism now ready to back into the waiting arms of the "new" Roman Catholic Church, and acknowledge the Roman Pontiff as the "vicar of Christ" and the head of the universal Church?
Shocking New Developments
Without much fanfare or hoopla or ballyhoo, quietly and surreptitiously, the modern preachers, evangelists, and leaders of the Protestant and particularly the evangelical branches of Christianity have begun working with priests and ministers of Rome, to effect a joint plan, to work together in the future, for the religious evangelization and domination of the world. The key word is, "Together."
Charles Colson, former figure in the Watergate scandal which torpedoed the presidency of Richard Milhous Nixon, and who served time in jail for his illegal activities, we are told, "saw the light" and accepted the Messiah while in prison, and since then has launched a very influential prison ministry and has written several books. Now he and Catholic priest Richard Neuhaus have put together a new Christian manifesto, Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium. For two years, behind the scenes, the two men worked together on the document. Their aim was for the world's top evangelical leaders and Catholic leaders to sign and endorse the manifesto. And their ambition has been fulfilled -- their plan has worked like a charm!
As of this time, over 50 famous evangelical leaders have signed the document, thus in effect surrendering to the Papacy, and joining with the Pope in the future evangelization of the world -- no longer seeking to win converts from Catholicism, no longer attacking Catholic doctrinal errors, but now accepting Catholics as "full Christians," and vice versa. Thus step by step the whole effect of the Protestant Reformation is being undone, dismantled, and destroyed. The Catholic Church once again will hold sway, destined to be the ecumenical leader of all the world's "Christians," except for a few small, fringe "sects" and "cults" which refuse to go along, who will no doubt be branded and dubbed by the Establishment Church as "heretics," "oddballs," and any who criticize and "attack" the new religious Monopoly will be excoriated as "hate groups."
Freedom of religion -- the freedom of the press -- and the freedom to criticize and find fault with religions covered by the new worldwide ecumenical movement will be curtailed. Freedom to preach the true gospel of Yeshua the Messiah will be abolished. Only the Catholic/Protestant/Evangelical brand of Christianity will be tolerated.
Among the evangelical Christian leaders who have endorsed the manifesto, are the following:
Pat Robertson, of the "700 Club," former presidential candidate, very much involved in politics; Bill Seiple of "World Vision"; Bill Bright, of "Campus Crusade for Christ"; J.I. Parker of
Christianity Today magazine; the two highest ranking members of the massive Southern Baptist
Convention, Larry Lewis, head of the "Home Missions Board," and Richard Land, head of the "Christian Life Commission."
Must Not Seek To Convert Catholics
The Colson-Neuhaus manifesto of church unity makes it very plain that "evangelicals" must
NEVER AGAIN SEEK TO CONVERT CATHOLICS! "Witnessing" to Catholics, to get them to convert and forsake the Catholic Church, must stop -- period, end of subject. In addition, all who have proselytized and witnessed to Catholics in the past must now "repent" of these past "sins" in this regard. The manifesto reads: "We confess our sins against the unity that Christ intends." Also, according to the manifesto: "There are different ways of being a Christian."
Colson, in his book The Body, insists that Protestants must stop their attacks on Catholicism, which he feels is not the real enemy, but an ally, and begin working with the Papacy and Roman Catholic Church to fight the common enemy -- immorality and lack of civility in society. (Does this mean any churches which do not go along with the agenda, and which dispute Catholic doctrine and dogma, as well as that of evangelicals and Protestants, would be considered guilty of "lack of civility" and be branded as "hate-mongers," sowing "hate"?)
In the battle for truth, in effect, Colson has called upon evangelical Christians to stop their attacks upon the Catholic Church around the world, to dwell together with them in "peace," and to accept Catholics as brothers in the Church -- despite the fact that Catholics bow down before images, pray to dead saints, worship Mary as the "Mother of God," and hold to a litany of false doctrines, such as the immortality of the soul, an ever-burning hell-fire, Purgatory, the "mass," and preach confession of sins to a priest, and penitence, instead of true godly repentance of sin. Thus Colson has virtually called for the Protestant and evangelical communities to surrender to Rome, give up the fight for truth, abandon doctrinal issues and disagreements, and simply to focus on those areas of agreement -- such as being anti-abortion, which is in the headlines a great deal, today.
In his book Colson criticized the usage of the term "born again." Catholics, including his own wife, are offended by the use of this term, he said. Colson and Neuhaus claim that Protestants and Catholics have been working together arm in arm for years fighting such common enemies as pornography, abortion, and other moral evils -- and that this has smoothed the way for the two groups to unite spiritually, as well.
Colson, a "bright and shining star" of the Religious Right, is supported by all the major TV and radio personalities, such as James Dobson and Pat Robertson. He accepted a one million dollar "Prize for Progress in Religion" from the New Age, financial guru John Templeton last year. As the darling of the religious right, he is leading the way to papal reconciliation with not only mainstream, liberal Protestant churches, but with the evangelical religious right wing! He has become the "pied piper" of the Protestants, playing his flute with spiritual music, leading them back into the claws of Romanism.
Is he in effect a religious "traitor," on the order of a spiritual "Benedict Arnold"?
Although Charles Colson may think what he is doing is right, we should remember that he was convicted as a liar and a perjurer in the Watergate scandal. We should also remember that Yeshua the Messiah said, "You shall know them by their fruits" (Matt.7:20).
With Charles Colson in the vanguard, it seems that all the big names in Protestant evangelicalism have jumped on board the band-wagon headed back to the Catholic church, working in tandem with Catholicism. Among these celebrities are also James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Benny Hinn, Paul Crouch of Trinity Network, Tony Campolo, Billy Graham (the "dean" of evangelism), the National Council of Churches, and the leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention. Even Great Britain's Prince Charles is behind it!
To them all, the Pope is acknowledged as the "Holy Father." All true Christians know that we have but ONE "Holy Father" -- and He dwells in Heaven, not in Rome! For Yeshua the Messiah plainly declared: "And call NO MAN [including the Pope!] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven" (Matt.23:9).
What is behind the sudden impetus of thousands to merge with Rome once again? Is this the
END of the Protestant Reformation? Is the death of religious freedom staring us in the face?
A Study in Contrasts
Richard Neuhaus, on the other hand, is an interesting study in contrasts. Ever since 1989 Herman
Otten, the publisher of the Christian News newspaper has been issuing warnings about the New Age-oriented, anti-Protestant teachings and view of Richard Neuhaus. According to Otten's findings, Neuhaus was at first an ordained minister of the conservative Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod), and was forced to answer formal charges of heresy. He quickly changed denominations, and became a minister of the ultra-liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Finally he abandoned the pretense of Protestantism altogether, and converted to Roman Catholicism! According to Herman Otten, Richard Neuhaus, Catholic priest --
-- worships Mary as redeemer, contending that Mary is the mother of all humanity. [Strange, I thought Eve was, for we read: "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living" (Gen.3:20). Mary, on the other hand, was merely the human mother of the Messiah -- no small role, but certainly she was not the redeemer of mankind, but her SON is our Redeemer and Saviour!]
-- denies the miracles, like the few loaves of bread and fish being miraculously multiplied to feed several thousand people, Neuhaus says they are "myths." Myths? But the apostle Paul wrote, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (II Tim.3:16), and Yeshua declared, "Thy word is TRUTH" (John 17:17), and "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Neuhaus himself is the one believing in "myths"!
-- claims Jews do not need Yeshua the Messiah to be saved -- they can be saved and still reject Yeshua as Lord and Master. Thus, according to Neuhaus, there are many ways to "heaven," and believing in the Messiah is only one. But again, is this viewpoint scriptural? Yeshua the Messiah said, "I am the door of the sheep . . . I am the door: by ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:7-9). He said also, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME" (John 14:6). Furthermore, Peter declared, after he and John healed a man crippled from birth at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple: "Be it know unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN given among men, whereby we MUST be SAVED" (Acts 4:10-12).
-- says that the Bible contains errors and that "tradition" is EQUALLY AS VALID as the Scriptures as the rule for Christian conduct and practice. Tradition? Are the Scriptures in
error? Yeshua said, on the contrary, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but
BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD"
(Matt.4:4). As for the importance of "tradition," Yeshua declared point blank: "Howbeit IN VAIN do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of MEN. For laying aside the commandments of God [i.e. the "word of God," as Neuhaus does], ye hold the tradition of men . . . Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition . . . Making the word of God of none effect through your TRADITION, which ye have delivered: and many such like things you do" (Mark 7:713).
-- denies the resurrection of the Messiah as a historical fact. Yet this was the theme and core of the preaching of the New Testament apostles and saints! The apostle Paul wrote, "For I delivered unto you that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he ROSE AGAIN the third day according to the Scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain alive unto this present, but some are fallen asleep" (I Cor.15:3-6).
-- denies a literal hell for sinners. Yet Yeshua plainly taught a literal Gehenna fire at the end of the age to consume the wicked. He declared, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting (aeonian) fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt.25:41). He thundered to the religious hypocrites of His day, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how shall ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt.23:33).
-- is a radical left-wing ideologue who demonstrated against the Vietnam War, and helped promote Marxist civil rights causes.
Two of Neuhaus' top associates are Rabbi Sol Bernards and Rabbi Leon Kienicki, both of whom are officials with the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Another of his associates is radical Marxist priest "Father" Daniel Berrigan, who once got press attention by flinging blood on his enemies' property. Neuhaus and Berrigan were co-chairmen of the anti-war group, "Clergy Concerned About Vietnam."
Showing his true "spots" even before he became a Catholic, Richard Neuhaus, while still a
Lutheran minister, predicted: "By the year 2000, most Lutherans will be united with the Papacy."
His prediction may well turn out to be a "prophecy"! With the help of the Vatican, and the
Jesuits, Neuhaus set up an organization in New York City called the "Center on Religion and Society." Although its name was recently changed to "Institute for Religion and Public Life," its functions and purpose remain the same. With the financial support and guidance from Rome, Neuhaus is being used in a grand crusade to DESTROY what remains of the last bastions of Protestantism. With his help and the collaboration of Charles Colson, the Protestant Reformation could be undone -- the intervening centuries rolled back -- and all the Western world brought back under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Pope at Rome!
