Some Protestants have come full circle, in that they are no different from Roman Catholics in their study of Scripture and acceptance of its authority. What they do is rely too heavily on the leadership or teachers of the church and fail to take the Word of God at face value for what God is telling them--in other words, they should become Bereans (cf. Acts 17:11), and search things out whether they are so. The whole concept of being a Protestant is to question authority just as Martin Luther uttered: "I dissent, I disagree, I protest!" We must question authority, for no one is infallible, not even the Pope who claims to speak ex-cathedra. Our authority from the Reformation was sola Scriptura, or the Scripture alone and this was one of its slogans during the drive to find its identity.
If you just rely on one person for inspiration or instruction or drink of just one fountain, you will lose the power of discernment and could become vulnerable to the Jim Jones phenomenon, where the whole church decides it doesn't even need the Bible anymore, since they have God's voice on earth to pontificate it. One consequence of not searching things out is that the church tends to become set in its ways and loses balance and perspective of the influence of new ideas and reform: Semper reformanda was another slogan of the Reformation and we should never become complacent and think we've "arrived" at the perfect church or orthodoxy--we are always in the process of reform--Martin Luther, et al. didn't finish the work and they would be the first to tell you this.
But note that Reformation is not just in doctrine or what is called the dogma of the church, but also in practice, worship, outreach, and missions because we should always be open to new ideas and applications. We are not to change the gospel message though since that would bring Paul's curse (cf. Gal. 1:6-9). But customs and norms of society change and, though we are not exhorted to keep up with the times, we will see that not only fashion but customs and what is acceptable changes through time; for example, in my day as a youth it was unheard of to go to church dressed in blue jeans!
There is no one-size-fits-all for worship nor for church order and government, and there are Roman Catholics who are better Protestants than Protestants, in that they regularly read the Bible, question the Pope and priest or clergy's authority and have more zeal and love for the Lord and His work. One thing about Catholics that should be commended is their mission work (for they are responsible for bringing the message of Christ to all of Latin America) and all the outreach work they do in hospitals, schools, orphanages, and charities.
A Christian is not saved en masse, in that it's according to what church he attends--God will not ask us what denomination we were affiliated with at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The problem seems to be the reverse, in that many believers are content just to be theologically correct and rule out the experience with Christ and the joy of serving Him, not to mention worship. Catholics may seem to be disinterested in theology but what matters most to God is having your heart in the right place, more than doctrine being impeccably correct.
However, we are all theologians and have a slant on the doctrines, whether we realize it or not, and we cannot escape theology! But knowledge about God must be translated into an acquaintance of God or a true relationship. Knowledge is not just an end in itself but must lead us to a closer walk--to know Him more clearly, to follow Him more nearly, and to love Him more dearly (as Richard of Chichester said). We are never to look down on our brother as a poor specimen simply because he's not in the know or doesn't know his way around theologically. We may be quite conversant on Bible themes and hardly know our Lord at all, because it's all second-hand knowledge.
What God teaches us and what we learn for ourselves has much more impact on our souls. The danger is intellectual pride in thinking we are a cut above other believers by virtue of knowledge alone. You can know the Lord with little theological training, and you can be a stranger with much training. But in the final analysis, we will desire to go on and know the Lord and to search things out and know the scoop when we come into a living relationship with our Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!
If you just rely on one person for inspiration or instruction or drink of just one fountain, you will lose the power of discernment and could become vulnerable to the Jim Jones phenomenon, where the whole church decides it doesn't even need the Bible anymore, since they have God's voice on earth to pontificate it. One consequence of not searching things out is that the church tends to become set in its ways and loses balance and perspective of the influence of new ideas and reform: Semper reformanda was another slogan of the Reformation and we should never become complacent and think we've "arrived" at the perfect church or orthodoxy--we are always in the process of reform--Martin Luther, et al. didn't finish the work and they would be the first to tell you this.
But note that Reformation is not just in doctrine or what is called the dogma of the church, but also in practice, worship, outreach, and missions because we should always be open to new ideas and applications. We are not to change the gospel message though since that would bring Paul's curse (cf. Gal. 1:6-9). But customs and norms of society change and, though we are not exhorted to keep up with the times, we will see that not only fashion but customs and what is acceptable changes through time; for example, in my day as a youth it was unheard of to go to church dressed in blue jeans!
There is no one-size-fits-all for worship nor for church order and government, and there are Roman Catholics who are better Protestants than Protestants, in that they regularly read the Bible, question the Pope and priest or clergy's authority and have more zeal and love for the Lord and His work. One thing about Catholics that should be commended is their mission work (for they are responsible for bringing the message of Christ to all of Latin America) and all the outreach work they do in hospitals, schools, orphanages, and charities.
A Christian is not saved en masse, in that it's according to what church he attends--God will not ask us what denomination we were affiliated with at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The problem seems to be the reverse, in that many believers are content just to be theologically correct and rule out the experience with Christ and the joy of serving Him, not to mention worship. Catholics may seem to be disinterested in theology but what matters most to God is having your heart in the right place, more than doctrine being impeccably correct.
However, we are all theologians and have a slant on the doctrines, whether we realize it or not, and we cannot escape theology! But knowledge about God must be translated into an acquaintance of God or a true relationship. Knowledge is not just an end in itself but must lead us to a closer walk--to know Him more clearly, to follow Him more nearly, and to love Him more dearly (as Richard of Chichester said). We are never to look down on our brother as a poor specimen simply because he's not in the know or doesn't know his way around theologically. We may be quite conversant on Bible themes and hardly know our Lord at all, because it's all second-hand knowledge.
What God teaches us and what we learn for ourselves has much more impact on our souls. The danger is intellectual pride in thinking we are a cut above other believers by virtue of knowledge alone. You can know the Lord with little theological training, and you can be a stranger with much training. But in the final analysis, we will desire to go on and know the Lord and to search things out and know the scoop when we come into a living relationship with our Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!