Wednesday, September 28, 2016

False Prophets?

A high school friend of mine went on to become a preacher at a small independent Christian church.  Recently he posted a link on his Facebook page with this display.

What followed was a deluge of over 400 replies from followers of countless denominations and sects claiming they alone had the truth and all the others were false prophets.   The original False Prophet post came from something called the Christian Resistance, whatever that means.  It always amazes me how so many Bible-only Christians claim they alone hold the correct interpretation of Scripture.  Despite their varying beliefs, they all unite to agree the Catholic Church is unbiblical, even though they would not have a Bible to quote without the Catholic Church.

Refuting such claims for a Catholic is almost futile in the hostile environment of a protestant forum.   To the credit of a few fellow-Catholics, several responders did try to defend the Church although their message was likely lost in the din.  Sharing our faith with others is difficult when they have preconceived ideas that have been reinforced erroneously over many years.

Today, I watched a DVD I recently purchased from CatholicAnswers called The Three Secrets to Sharing the Faith, by Catholic apologist Trent Horn.  In it, he recommends the Socratic method of asking questions to those who challenge us about various issues of Catholicism.  Trent addresses the problem I often face when an opportunity arises to share our faith.  I get flustered if I can’t produce a quick reasonable response someone opposed to some aspect of Catholic teaching or practice.  Impromptu encounters offer brief opportunities for evangelization that may never come again.  I have often been kept awake at night, thinking of what I should have said during a conversation I had earlier in the day. 

Trent Horn’s video presentation demonstrates that not knowing all the answers need not prevent us from engaging in conversation, even when the opponent may seem more knowledgeable than we are.  Sometimes, all we need to do is question the challenger about what he believes and ask how he knows it is true.  Often they are regurgitating false information passed on by anti-Catholics that cannot be substantiated when pressed.  Trent also tells how to keep discussion civil and positive.  If you have found yourself in an uncomfortable position when challenges come up, I would recommend grabbing a copy of the DVD.