“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”
How many times have you spoken with a fellow Christian who has shared this kind of news about a mutual friend? “Did you hear about John?” he will say. “I heard he became a Roman Catholic.” Or perhaps, what may be even more common today: “I heard he became Eastern Orthodox.” Sadly, such conversations are far too familiar for those of us who have spent a significant amount of time within Protestant Christian churches.
These types of conversions away from Geneva and toward Rome or Constantinople have been occurring for years. However, if one is acutely tuned into Christian culture in the United States, one should recognize that they seem to be increasing in frequency, especially among young evangelicals. I cannot tell you how many young Christians I speak with on a weekly basis who tell me, “I am Roman Catholic” or “I am Eastern Orthodox.” When I am told this, I can’t help but ask them, “How long have you been Catholic?” To which I am routinely given the answer of a year or less.
This begs the question: Why does there seem to be a mass (pun intended) exodus away from Protestantism and toward Romanism? I believe there are three primary reasons for these types of conversions in our day: (1) the present culture of the world, (2) the failings of Protestantism to combat secular culture, and (3) Roman Catholic apologists promising what they cannot deliver.
The Present Culture of The World
If you find yourself living in a Western country, then you find yourself in a culture that is consciously hostile to the Christian faith. The Scriptures say, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isa. 5:20). The reality is, that twenty-first-century Western culture is the very embodiment of this text. We live in a time where actions advocated as virtuous are the same actions that the law of God says are evil and degenerate.
God states that homosexuality is an abomination (Lev. 18:22, 20:13, Rom. 1:26-28, 1 Tim. 1:8-11), but our culture insists not only on tolerance for such lifestyles but also on consideration of homosexuality itself as virtuous. God commands, “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15, 22:7, Hos. 4:2), but the world deems it virtuous to steal when advocating for increased taxation and wealth redistribution. God commands, “You shall not murder” (Deut. 5:17, Ex. 20:13), but our culture promotes murder and death when advocating for the execution of unborn persons in the womb of their mothers.
Western culture is a cesspool of degeneracy that consciously seeks to be the direct antithesis of Biblical Christianity. What God calls evil, they call good, and vice versa. The sad truth is that we have lived in such a society for so long that we now have an entire generation of young people who know nothing more than the mass acceptance of the culture of death.
What happens when people start to realize that this secular culture can never give them life? Some may attempt to find an alternative. One may say to themselves, “I live in a world dedicated to the unraveling of every traditional value that the West has historically defended… maybe I should find an alternative worldview that defends tradition.” And such are the initial steps into Romanism.
Instead of seeking Christ alone (Solus Christus) to redeem the fallenness in this world on theological grounds, people are seeking the alternate claims of tradition and culture (and an unfounded claim at that). But the truth is that you can only dispel the darkness of this world by an appeal to the light of the world, Jesus Christ (John 1:6-13, 8:12). Mere claims of tradition will never bring light into darkness.
The Failings of Protestantism to Combat Secular Culture
Of course, the other logical question to ask is, “Why not find an alternative within Protestantism?” Why is it so common for those seeking an alternative to the fallenness of this world to run into the arms of Rome or Constantinople? To answer this, we as Protestants do need to accept some of the blame. For the last century, Protestants have failed in their God-given call to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). Yes, it is true that humanists/secularists/naturalists/atheists are advocating a culture of death. It is also true that we Protestants handed the culture over to them.
God has called His elect people to be the salt and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). That is to say, God expects us to be the moral preservant (salt) and the moral instructor (light) of this world. Not only have Protestants abandoned the public sphere altogether with our advocacy of political pluralism, but we have also allowed that same humanism and darkness to infest the American pulpit. We do not build anything anymore! Most “Protestant” churches these days are anti-confessional, anti-creedal, anti-historical, “community” churches that meet in strip malls and attempt to entertain individuals into the “kingdom.”
Of course, there are still some confessional and faithful churches out there, but they are few and far between. What is truly sad is that young evangelicals look at the state of the world and the state of “Protestant churches” and think to themselves, “This is not the place to find an alternative to Woke-ism.” Most of these churches look more like the world than they do a Christian church. It is easy to see why these young evangelicals are rejecting what they think Protestantism is. In most cases, their only experience with “church” is light shows, coffee bars, twenty-minute topical sermons, and a watered-down gospel that teaches a weak synergistic Jesus waiting for you to open the door of your heart to Him. It is easy to see how someone can have their ears tickled by Roman Catholic apologists who promise more than mere entertainment.
Roman Catholic Apologists Promising What They Can’t Deliver
Finally, we must also point out that those young evangelicals seeking an alternative to the degeneracy of modern culture and witnessing the ridiculous shenanigans of some churches that call themselves Protestant are also having their ears tickled by Roman Catholic apologists. That is to say, they are being convinced of a specific type of argumentation that is demonstrably false and, in many cases, no longer aligns with what Rome herself advocates. Most of these young converts are looking to distance themselves as far as possible from liberalism and social darkness, ironically turning towards Pope Francis.
Many Roman Catholic apologists are converting people to a form of Roman Catholicism that no longer exists. We are told that it is Rome who has upheld the historic Christian faith for 2,000 years. We are told that this sacred tradition is infallible. However, such Romanist claims do not hold up to historical scrutiny and are blatantly laughable in the era of Pope Francis. I find it truly ironic that those who have sought to convert to Rome have done so at the very moment that Rome herself has taken massive strides toward the same Woke-ism and moral degeneracy of the culture of death that converts seek to escape.
I understand the appeal. I understand the appeal of a moral standard that has stood the test of time and has never wavered, changed, or bent to social pressures. But the truth is Rome has wavered, changed, and bent to social pressures, and she continues to do so. If you are looking for an objective moral standard that is unchanging, will never bend to external pressures, and will never waver from the truth of The Gospel and The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, then you will only find such a standard in the Holy Scriptures themselves.
How do you fight against the darkness of this world which you despise? How do you displace the darkness in the culture around us? By looking to God and His law as the only infallible and final authority in your life. Rome won’t get you there. Rome is unable to deliver on her promises of moral virtues and a 2,000-year-old sacred tradition. She doesn’t have it. She is morally and theologically bankrupt.
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Fred Beall
Fred Beall is an author and Reformed Christian apologist. He is happily married to his wife Rose, and together they homeschool their two boys. Fred is the author of The Collapse of the Watchtower: A Critique of Jehovah’s Witnesses from a Vantillian Presuppositional Perspective. Actively involved in the Church of the King in McAllen, TX, Fred contributes to teaching and preaching. Professionally, he serves as a Registered Nurse with a specialization in Nephrology.
March 6, 2024
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