The Reformation Continues

This year will be the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was started by a monk in Wittenberg named Martin Luther, who nailed a 95 Thesis on a door and sent a letter to the Bishop on October 31st, 1605. The Reformation did not accomplish what Luther wanted, reforming the Roman Catholic Church. Now thanks to renegade and bizarre Pope, Catholics are starting to read the Holy Bible and fufill the hopes of Luther. Catholics I know who read Scripture feel changed, they notice a difference in themselves and those who read the Bible. A Reformation is coming to Catholic Church, and it was stirred by the Antipope Francis I, whose attempts to merge Catholicism with other religions has failed, at least in major demographics of the Church. What Luther hoped was that Church of Rome would come out of their idolatries and heretical trust in Canon Law, and return to Scriptures and pure faith of the Apostles.

The biggest obstruction to a full fledged Reformaiton in the Catholic Church is the Madonna or Cult of Virgin Mary, and Cult of Saints. The gripe of Medieval cultism still holds sway over many souls in Roman Church, and sadly the Madonna who is realy Artemis and Ashteroth in disguise, not the mother of Jesus; she is called queen of heaven, the same title of Ashteroth that the Prophet Jeremiah confronted (Jeremiah 44). The best solution is to encourage Catholics to keep reading Scripture, and in time they will notice, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Timothy 2:5), "Jesus Christ, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved," (Acts 4:10,12), "Jesus replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him," (Luke 4:8), "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit," (1 Peter 3:18),

and "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved" (Romans 10:9-10), "They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth," (1 Timothy 4:3), "Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh," (Colossians 2:18, 23), and "Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us," (Romans 8:34). The Roman Church has a long way to go before reform can topple the Medieval traditions and Papacy, but the interest in Scriptures by both clergy and laity is a start that Martin Luther could only pray for.

At this time the Roman Church is splintering, much how the strains of Protestantism splintered from the mother church in 16th century. Catholics ae splitting between traditionalists who are vexed by the Pope's new frontier of Universalism, and those who want to join the new order. The traditionalists finding their old church violated by doctrines of devils () are now examining their beliefs and seeking guidance from Scriptures, at long last. It is quite possible we may see a full fledged schism in our life time, with the church splitting in two. The recent child abuse controversies have called into question the Medieval traditions of the Roman Church, and how "they will forbid marriag,e but God made threse things," () has lead to priests doing pernicious acts, because celibacy solution to Investure Controversy in Middle Ages, but now reform must happen or the Roman Church will not survive. Pope Francis I idea of reform is actually to make the Roman Church null and void, by joing with other religions in pluralistic and post modern new order which will create a Vatican and Roman Church that is but shadow of itself. In lay ranks of Roman Church there is hope to lead the Church towards what the Protestant Reformers had dreamed of, but its in its infancy, and still needs time before the child can walk away from Antipope and Medieval traditions that were invented by misguided pilgrims who were recent pagan converts to Catholicism. The two pronged path to reform is to encourage Scripture reading and to expose the idolatry of the cults within the Catholic Church. Protestant brothers and sisters should not underestimate this moment, do not decry, "just join our churches," if Rome falls through reform it will liberate many souls that are enslaved and will never leave the gilded halls of their churches. This is moment in history, when Luther's vision can be realized, and Christ can finally tear the veil once more () and allow these Catholics to know Him intimately, not through a Medieval cult of saints that was invented to appease Saxons and other pagans.

We must tread gently, and softly. I have high respect for Catholicism, because there are many in their ranks that do know Jesus personally, there is even Charismatic Catholics, and on Doctrine of Trinity they are like us Protestants, and not in error of Eastern Orthodox theology. We must pray and encourage this new renaissance in Catholic Church, this return to sources (Scripture). Do not be cruel, crude, or unkind, remember this is a tender moment when at last the Catholic Church can come out of the cults of Middle Ages and return to a pure and simple devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3-4). Ask questions, and help those who ask for study guides. This is a major moment in Church History, and if we don't act cold towards these Catholic brothers and sisters, we could see after five hundred years, the goal of Reformation being achieved in the manner Martin Luther had dreamed but did not see in his life time.