An Irish personal evangelistic site. I'm not representing a particular church, but it's broadly evangelical in tone. My aim is to cover topics I've encountered in discussions I've had over the years, mainly here in Ireland..
Questions that Catholics might ask Evangelicals
In this series, I take a brief glance at some very modern worship songs. I’m very much a lover of old hymns. I also take delight in listening to some of the charismatic choruses that were popular back in the 1980’s, when I was a young Christian. For many years, I tended to dislike or … Continue reading Hymns: Living Hope
Sometimes, when someone from an Irish evangelical church talks of when they became a Christian, people are puzzled. Isn’t everyone in Ireland a Christian by default? Such a question doesn’t make much sense in modern Ireland. Firstly, there is much more religious diversity than there was when I was asked that question frequently 45 years … Continue reading Isn’t Everyone a Christian?
As a young Catholic child, I remember hearing about the creation story and Adam and Eve. But shortly after, even as a very young child, I was told in school that it wasn’t literally true. What was important was the spiritual lessons based on it. I was aware that some older people were sceptical of … Continue reading What about Adam and Eve?
From an evangelical perspective, the true Catholic church consists of all true believers everywhere and throughout history. We’ll all be in heaven together, regardless of the denomination. In that sense, we’re already one in Christ. Throughout the New Testament, you do see many verses encouraging unity, even among those who have different views, but you … Continue reading What do you think of ecumenism?
In my discussions with evangelicals, all those years ago, I often raised this question. Very often, people told me that it’s not about what church you’re in. It’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus. But when I dug deeper, it was clear that most of them felt better for having left the Catholic Church. … Continue reading Could you not have remained a Catholic?
For some, the Bible is associated with Protestantism and particularly with evangelicals. Many mainstream Protestants have lost faith in the Bible. It’s seen as a mishmash of legends. Evangelicals, by contrast, see it all as inspired by the Holy Spirit, even down to the very words. In my experience as a Catholic, the Bible always … Continue reading Why do you emphasize the Bible so much?
One can certainly get that impression from some aspects of modern evangelicalism. We must remember though, that evangelicalism is a broad movement. All sorts of awful things can go on in any movement. A lot of churches dislike the term evangelical because it can associate them with dodgy TV evangelists and the prosperity gospel movement. … Continue reading Isn’t it all about money?
In the New Testament, the only mention of priests is in the context of Judaism and various practices associated with the temple. All this ended in AD 70 when the temple was destroyed. The Book of Hebrews deals extensively with how we no longer need priests or sacrifices. Jesus made a once for all sacrifice … Continue reading Do evangelical churches have priests?
Confession, as practiced in the Catholic church, is something that developed over centuries. Evangelicals don’t follow the Catholic pattern. But the New Testament does speak of confession in more general terms. For example, we should confess our sins to God.In the Lord’s prayer, we say “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass … Continue reading Why don’t you practice confession?
When I first met evangelicals, I used to take them to task on this issue. From a Catholic point of view, it just sounds too good to be true. In fact, I first heard this notion in history class in school. Martin Luther said that we’re saved by faith alone. If this is so, from … Continue reading Why do evangelicals say that they’re sure of going to heaven?
Hibernia Gospel 