Once I recognized that sola scriptura failed on its own terms, I began also to see that only the Catholic Church could rescue the Christian belief in an infallible and therefore authoritative Bible. The concept of the Bible alone as the ultimate standard for faith and life was both central to my understanding of divine authority and at the same time profoundly weak when tested biblically, theologically, philosophically, and historically. I’ll let Cindy chime in here for herself, but I’ll share that for me the principle of sola scriptura was simultaneously the most difficult and the easiest obstacle to overcome.
We make that appeal a lot at CtC, but we do so because it is important: Is the Catholic Church the Church that Christ founded or not? The answer makes all the difference in the world. And so I for one came into the Church not understanding how or why the Marian dogmas were true, nor how transubstantiation “works.” But I was resolved to believe them on faith: to assent to them as divine truth precisely because the Church proclaims them and because the Church cannot err with respect to faith and morals. I’m still making myself the judge of the truth. I also realized something else that’s summed up by one of the Pontificator’s Laws: if there’s nothing that the Catholic Church teaches which I believe just because the Church teaches it, then I’m really still playing the Protestant. In the end, the question for us came down to this: is the Catholic Church what she claims to be-namely, the Church that Christ founded? If so, then it’s not possible for these dogmas to be false, whether I am able to understand their basis or not. MarkS, I’m not Jason or Cindy, but for my wife and me (as probably for many) the Marian dogmas presented significant obstacles because of our Reformed background. My wife and I entered the Church together as well we helped each other on the way with things that we were reading and discovering. My question for Jason and/or Cindy: As you studied the Catholic position and considered its arguments on its own terms, as well as the best “protests” that your reformed tradition has to offer, what was or were the most difficult objection(s) to Catholicism that you had the hardest time overcoming? How did you overcome them?Įxcellent podcast. I also appreciated Jason’s article from earlier this year. Great podcast and many thanks to Jason and Cindy for sharing their story together. It was my favorite podcast to be a part of. You will hear how a married couple approached this journey not only as individuals but as companions. You must listen to this podcast, especially if you and/or your spouse is thinking deeply about the Church.
#Christ centered exposition download#
Or download the mp3 by right clicking here and choosing ‘save target as.’Ī written account of Jason and Cindy’s story is available in “ An OPC Pastor Enters the Catholic Church.” Tags: Conversion Stories He is completing a two year course of study with the Diocese of Rockford’s Diaconal Program. Jason and Cindy currently live in Rockford, IL, and have four children.
Jason earned his Master of Divinity from Mid-America Reformed Seminary (Dyer, IN) in 2005, and subsequently served for five and a half years as pastor of Trinity OPC in eastern Pennsylvania. In this episode, Tom Riello, a former PCA pastor, interviews Jason Stewart, a former pastor in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and his wife Cindy on the topic of their conversion to the Catholic faith in 2011.
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