What is More than Gold???
More than Gold (MTG) was formed in VANCOUVER Canada in 2004, as a means to use the Olympics as a platform for promoting Church Unity, with the added Roman Catholic agenda to eventually bring people directly under Papal subjection.
More than Gold Canada states “Our journey began in 2004 when leaders of several major faith-based organizations and church denominations in Metro Vancouver / Fraser Valley came together to form the Vancouver-Whistler Games Network (VWGN). It quickly became apparent that interest was being expressed by a remarkable – in fact, unprecedented – range of faith-based groups. In 2008, VWGN launched ‘More Than Gold’ (MTG).”
The name and identity of ‘More Than Gold’ have been successfully used to express Christian involvement in past major sporting events such as the Commonwealth, Pan Am, and Olympic Games. In fact, the More Than Gold theme and logo carry a history that dates back past the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games.
It was developed by the International Sports Coalition, in association with the Southern Baptist Convention, a non-profit organization mandated to coordinate the volunteer efforts of the faith community.
• MTG was designed specifically to serve as an integrated identity for faith-based hospitality without overstepping any denominational or belief boundaries as well as any existing and established brands, particularly that of institutions such as the Olympic Games. • To be part of More than Gold you have to come under their Belief statement is the Ecumenical 1988 translated Apostles Creed.
Scriptures taken out of context are Galatians 3.26-28 (Our common salvation is not collaboration it does not say that all voices were heard, nor does it mean we are equal to the extent that the RCC is Christian in any way, and also the following:
Unity: that was witnessed – Philippians 2.1-4, John 17.23 this is not the unity the Bible speaks of especially when the RCC rejects scriptural supremacy.
•Relationship: friendship and partnership over organization – 1 Corinthians 13 •Inclusivity: that is intentional – 1 Corinthians 12
The Term they use to foster false unity is under the banner of love; the Bible speaks of our love and obedience towards Christ includes our uncompromised attitudes the scriptures that teach on love can also be used as a means of propagating false teaching.
A quote from my book The deception of Love Evangelism (Miguel Hayworth).
“Love Evangelism” is a subject that many emphasise today; what do people mean by “Love Evangelism”?
What is this “Love” of which they speak? Is expressing a corporate, visible form of loyalty and cooperation between Christian religious groups (which they attribute to love) more important than loving the actual truth itself?
What if these Christians share love with each other but cannot agree on fundamentals truths? Does this not strike you as being more like an unholy concoction rather than true Biblical koinonia?
Biblical Christian fundamentalism is being widely rejected because it lacks that maudlin sentimentality that ecumenists call love, but is not.
These liberal inclusivists reject conservative Bible believers as being separatist, schismatic and therefore, “unloving”.
Firstly, I must emphasize that I am not speaking about the need for love in evangelism, but we need to know that we must make a clear distinction between God’s love and what is often confused with a man centred view of love, which is what many Christian people understand about Love.
The aim of this book is to examine these ideas and philosophies and where necessary to challenge them.
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them]”.. Ephesians 5:11
The word reprove means to [1]
- to criticize or correct, esp. gently: to reprove a pupil for making a mistake.
2. to disapprove of strongly; censure: to reprove a wrong decision.
3. Obsolete. To disprove or refute.
4. To find fault with.
One problem with this modern “Love Evangelism” is that people too often overlook error and equate unbelievers with believers. It is felt that by “showing love” unbelievers can be encouraged to attend a Church meeting, and eventually they will, by this “manifestation of love,” desire to follow Jesus. This is nothing more than “Love Bombing” (Love bombing is the deliberate use of an intense, concerted show of affection by a group of people, toward an individual they seek to recruit or otherwise influence.)
God speaks out against such practices:
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14
A whole generation of “Christians” has been persuaded that it is not the will of God to expose the false teachers of today who speak and teach a presumption of the word of God. They have truth mixed in with an error.
Love is seen as a concept where, regardless of whether a person is a Catholic, Moslem, Hindu, whatever, we should love them in a way that makes them feel comfortable with God. That we should not seek to confront sinners with the consequences of their sin.
People are being taught not to preach concerning repentance of sin, to even play down the gravity of their situation, or that believers should not be concerned about the error. In other words, there is to be no distinction between truth and error, “Let God deal with it, we are to love them”. Thus the understanding of “Love” is very much a pretext for overlooking and acceptance of what the person does.
A lot of Christians today call for “inclusiveness.” Being “inclusive” means that we can fully accept, in all areas of the Christian church people of other belief systems, (including practising Gay, Lesbian and Transgender people).
A lot of Christians today call for “inclusiveness.” Being “inclusive” means that we can fully accept, in all areas of the Christian church people of other belief systems, (including practising Gay, Lesbian and Transgender people). Such broadness then is a direct negation of the Biblical doctrine of separation.
Again they disobey what God has said: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you” 2 Corinthians 6:17
How can we “Be Separate” if we compromise and allow error? When truth is compromised, it becomes tainted. It becomes a deadly poison, contaminated.
The deception of Love Evangelism
More than Gold UK
Looking Back at 2008, a year long event called Hope 2008 was one of the initiatives that More Than Gold included playing an important part in the push towards full ecumenical unity. Hope 2008 was set up to introduce the idea that churches need to work together irrespective of their distinct denominational positions.
The unity (false ecumenism) displayed among participating churches was emphasised at the expense of sound doctrine. Community events (evangelisation) were heavily weighted towards entertainment and social action. This ‘acceptable’ transformation gospel replaces the real thing and eventually teaches believers to turn away from the genuine article.
More than Gold UK History –
Then in the 80’s and early 90’s some sports mission agencies helped the local churches develop partnerships. These made it possible for the churches to offer a broad range of officially sanctioned initiatives including – [Link]
| • Giving out water to the crowds • Hosting athletes’ families • Providing chaplains in the athletes’ villages • Staging events with creative arts performers • Contributing translators and literature resources |
The origin of More Than Gold UK
A series of events led to establishing More Than Gold in the UK.
| • In July 2005, the world learned London was to be the host city for 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. And Christian Leaders throughout the UK started to discuss their response to this unprecedented opportunity.
In March 2006, some denominations and organisations met to discuss the establishment of More Than Gold as the key way to engage with the Games. In January 2007, More Than Gold was launched at Westminster Central Hall. Those present included Lord Coe, Tessa Jowell MP, Archbishop Rowan Williams and Archbishop Cormack Murphy-O’Connor. In 2008, More Than Gold was established as a Charitable Trust under the chairmanship of Lord Brian Mawhinney with the CEO, David Willson, appointed later that year. In 2009, the Executive Committee was established |
Though the 1700 years history of the institution that is the Roman Catholic Church.
This institution has set down many roots and works hard at internal organisation much more than Evangelicals realise. Since Vatican II, the Church of Rome has worked tirelessly to remove the evangelical-catholic divide and managed to bring many evangelicals into ecumenical unity, without revealing the true intended nature of this relationship.
Additionally, there are whole Protestant denominations that are decidedly liberal, yet they operate with disorientated evangelicals and Catholics, all together. Many ‘ecumenical evangelicals’ are now so disconnected from sound doctrine and discernment that they cannot in truth bear the name evangelical any longer.
Global Day of Prayer 2006
Since 2006, the Global Day of Pray took all these groups into a deepening ecumenism that has openly partnered with the Roman Catholic Church for the past five years.
The initial meeting was 20 February 2006 at Holy Trinity, Brompton where Jonathan Oloyede explained his vision for the Global Day of Prayer is starting in the capital and spreading across the UK. Nicky Gumbel hosted this meeting and facilitated by Joel Edwards (EAUK) with Jane Holloway (World Prayer Centre)
On the 05 May 2006 “Christian Churches and organisations, announced an exciting London Ecumenical Prayer Celebration that will enable Londoners to join with millions of Christians from across the globe as part of the 2006 ‘Global Day of Prayer.’
This includes:-
Evangelical Alliance UK & African/Caribbean Evangelical Alliance
Premier Radio,
God TV
Christians in Parliament
Roman Catholic Brentwood Diocese
Rt Rev Bernard Longley, who is the RC Auxiliary Bishop of
Westminster 2007 (Now Birmingham),
Rt. Revd. Thomas McMahon of the RC Diocese of Brentwood 2007
& 2008 Mgr John Armitage, Vicar General of Brentwood RC
Diocese on stage GDoP 2007 West Ham
Anglican Chelmsford Diocese
Rt Rev David Hawkins; Anglican Bishop of Barking; London GDoP chairman)
Faithworks – Steve Chalke, Malcolm Duncan
Ichthus Fellowship – Roger & Faith Forster
Pioneer Network – Gerald Coates
KICC – Pastor Matthew Asimolowo
Jesus House – Brent – Pastor Aru Irukwu
Redeemed Christian Church of God
Church of God Prophecy
New Wine – John Coles
Soul in the City
Share Jesus International
Holy Trinity, Brompton,
Glory House, East London Albert Adulele /Jonathan Oloyede
Transform Newham
Westminster Chapel, London
The former pulpit of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. The leadership of the Chapel under Rev Greg Haslam hosted some Global Day of Prayer (GDoP) meetings and rallies to be a focal launch point for London churches. The Ecumenical Prayer Celebration was hosted by Westminster Chapel, London on 4 June 2006.
This was very significant when one considers that Dr. Lloyd-Jones was perhaps the most fervent champion of historic evangelicalism which by necessity will always maintain separation from Rome and Liberal theology. Any church that does not maintain this separation is anything but evangelical; it is, however, fraudulent and adulterous. How come Westminster Chapel with its evangelical history could be host to the Global Day of Prayer, the largest global ecumenical initiative in the world to date.
The London GDoP ethos
Unity, Prayer, and Transformation will be the key themes of the London celebration. The event aims to capture the Spirit of the Day of Pentecost where the Church was united in prayer and commission across cultural, racial and geographical borders.”
Dr. Jonathan Oloyede says his vision for London is to see “Every congregation in the city linking arms to pray in true unity. London will link up with other praying cities, counties and networks this summer like Trumpet Call and Prayer Week for the transformation of the United Kingdom. We encourage every church in London to be represented at Westminster (Chapel) on Saturday and pray in their services the next day, Pentecost Sunday”.
A 21-day prayer chain of local churches, prayer networks and praying Christians from all streams (Methodists, Baptists, Anglicans, Charismatic Catholics, and Pentecostals, etc.) w.ill precede the event and be launched on 12 May 2006 at The City Temple, Holborn Viaduct EC1 during the Awaken Conference, led by Julie Anderson.
More Than Gold’s Apostacy.
More Than Gold 2012 has a strong Catholic presence at the organisational level which assists Rome’s future desires for a lopsided unity. It is an ecumenical route that Rome hopes will bring the Protestant world back into submission under the Papal wing.
Evangelicals have become so weakened that the invitation from the growing Neo-ecumenical movement appears irresistible. They are not aware that Pope Benedict has the plan to bring in the global unity of every stream of Christian under the Vatican’s yoke by 24th November 2012. The Holy See has announced 2012 as the year of faith.
Catholic World News reports: The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has prepared a set of recommendations for pastoral work during the coming Year of Faith.
Porta Fidei
Last October 11, Pope Benedict XVI released Porta Fidei, an apostolic letter proclaiming the Year of Faith, which will begin on October 11, 2012, and continue through November 24, 2013. The CDF statement notes that the initiative, “is intended to contribute to a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus and the rediscovery of faith, so that the members of the Church will be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the Risen Lord, capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to the door of faith.”
The opening and closing dates of the Year of Faith carry particular significance. October 11, 2012, will mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, and the Vatican notes that the special year should be “a propitious occasion to make Vatican Council II and the Catechism of the Catholic Church more widely and deeply known.”
The Year of Faith will involve a series of initiatives, organized at different levels of the Church, the CDF notes.
• At the worldwide level, Pope Benedict will preside at a solemn opening celebration for the Year of Faith. The Vatican plans special ecumenical efforts, pushing toward Christian unity, including “a solemn ecumenical celebration in which all of the baptized will reaffirm their faith in Christ.”
At the national level, Episcopal conferences will be encouraged to focus on “the quality of catechesis,” and to ensure that the teaching of the faith is in
“complete conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The bishops’ conferences will be strongly encouraged to use all available media outlets to promote that goal.• At the diocesan level, the CDF calls for “renewed creative dialogue between faith and reason in the academic and artistic communities,” and for penitential celebrations, with a particular emphasis on asking God’s forgiveness for sins against the faith. • At the parish level, the Year of Faith should be centred on the community liturgy, and specially the Eucharist, the CDF says. All other initiatives should be based on that foundation.
The Vatican statement noted that a special secretariat will be established within the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization to promote initiatives connected with the Year of Faith, and a dedicated website will be set up for the same purpose.
Past Olympics and the Churches.
Through More Than Gold, churches in all the host cities and nations have risen to the challenge and opportunity the Games offer.
By working together under the same flag, there have been some notable outcomes including –
Atlanta 1996 Olympic and Paralympic Games where well over 20,000 Christians were involved in some aspect of the programmes through which:
• Three quarters of the homes used for hosting athletes’ families were provided
• Over 3 million cups of cold water were given to spectators at no cost to the official organising committee
• Over 45 sports clinics for disadvantaged youth were run, involving over 2,000 young people
• Over 300,000 hospitality bags of lip balm, sunscreen, tissue, and sweets were distributed to visitors at hospitality locations
• Over 300 cultural performances were staged on high traffic pedestrian corridors within the city
Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games
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Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics where the Christian community worked together to that:
• They provided the largest number of homes for hosting the athletes’ families• They provided the distribution point for 3000 meals a day to be served to official volunteers • Over 25,000 hospitality bags were distributed that included lip balm, sunscreen, tissues, mints, sticking plasters and hand lotion
• Over 30 performance groups were staged including some sanctioned by the local government to perform on city stages on the pedestrian corridor
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle describes More Than Gold as
‘The largest ever ecumenical venture the world will have ever seen’.
Every major denomination and over 80 Christian agencies are already on board and are working hand in hand to serve the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This will be the world’s largest ever ecumenical venture focussing on cementing unity under the guise of the Olympics in this More Than Gold event it prides itself on being broad and inclusive. Matthew 7:13-14 – King James Version (KJV)
‘Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it’.
With the Olympics being Global it offers the opportunity to put ecumenism beyond the UK but worldwide to “build upon the successful visit of Pope Benedict XVI and for Catholics to find ways of being more visibly and directly involved with Christian and public life within the UK”.
“Within the 2012 Games, there are seeds of all sorts of good ideas and good initiatives.”
The seeds of More Than Gold are not the seeds of salvation through the gospel.
These ‘More Than Gold’ seeds cannot prepare people for the Kingdom of God as the Biblical gospel does; for the knowledge that one will stand before a Holy God on the Day of Judgement; is Scriptural and used of the Spirit to convict of sin; something which jolly social initiatives are not designed to do.
In this they state “Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, who attended the launch of More Than Gold in September 2007 along with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, Tessa Jowell, then Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and former Cabinet minister Lord Brian Mawhinney, said: “I see More Than Gold as a push to Christians across all the venues of the country where events will be held, to make a real contribution to the lives of those who will be our guests and our friends………”
“The Catholic Church’s coordinator for the 2012 Games, James Parker, will be a part of the UK tour along with his ecumenical counterparts. “This face to face tour,” he said, “is a great way for church leaders, Christian schools, and even local sports clubs, to begin to form their vision and to plan ahead for 2012.”
However, distant churches might be from Olympics cities and venues there is still a huge interest in the 2012 Games and, therefore, some great opportunities open to the entire Christian community.
“This particular ecumenical tour is also a first for Catholics in the UK. The Catholic Church has never taken the opportunity to be involved in planning at such an early stage as this at any previous Olympic and Paralympic Games in history. Neither has it ever chosen to be a key player alongside other denominations in this way. We have the chance to become the blueprint that Catholic brothers and sisters across the globe can look to in the future.”
“More Than Gold is building on the experience of churches that supported the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and sought to serve forthcoming major sporting events before and after the 2012 Games, such as the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.”
More than this with it comes the Catholic Church in England and Wales statement on this issue:
“With hundreds of churches already planning their response to the 2012 Games, country-wide events will help all wishing to make the most of the opportuity.
On Your Marks is the title for eighteen presentations in major centres during May and June. They come from More Than Gold, the agency established by the main denominations to help churches respond to the 2012 Games.
The tour follows a series of vision setting events last year attended by over 1,200 church leaders. The focus this time is on helping churches turn inspiration into local activity.
(Under the Banner of Ecumenism) “Says David Willson, CEO of More Than Gold, ‘Athletes around the world are in training. The UK public are thinking about which events to attend. And it is time for churches to be making their own plans. This tour gives them the help they need’.”
On Your Marks goes to Esher, Oxford, Rochester, Welling, Chiswick, Stratford, Bristol, Weymouth, Worthing, Chelmsford, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Leicester, Newcastle, Cambridge, London and Nottingham.
The Catholic Church’s Executive Coordinator for the 2012 Games, James Parker, says, ‘Churches need to know how they will welcome the stranger, serve others, and be the hands of Christ during the 2012 Games. These events will help churches see how best to engage with this once-in-a-lifetime global event’.
The Baptist Union of Great Britain’s Head of Mission, Rev Ian Bunce, says, ‘More than Gold gives the churches the opportunity to be effective and noticeable by working together in response to the 2012 Games – achieving so much more than the sum of the parts.
The Salvation Army’s More Than Gold Coordinator, Sarah-Jane Alley, says, ‘Every church should come and hear how More Than Gold can help them make the most of this exciting opportunity to share Jesus’ love’.
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The Church of God of Prophecy’s coordinator for the 2012 Games, Rudi Page, says, ‘The tour is a great opportunity for Pentecostal churches to understand how they can pass the baton to their local communities by giving their support to caring, peaceful and enterprising neighbourhood initiatives’.
This is the postmodern Transformation Gospel, which is designed to make church acceptable and culturally relevant. It is a non-biblical approach to bringing people into the churches that makes them feel comfortable with Christianity by watering down the gospel to such an extent that the very offence of the Gospel itself is removed. Anyone who does not come under this neo-evangelism practice will be branded as being Anti-Christian. This Transformation Gospel is an extension to the emerging church, which is a so-called “Global Christian Community” that has adapted these deceitful approaches will use media, arts, entertainment, education and political systems.
The method will be founded from various sources according to Steve Chalke’s Faith works unpacked book 3 that this will be achieved in support of the Governments of England, Scotland and Wales this will include funding that will come from various other sources this includes Researching how you can best impact your communities through a questionnaire this will show you what people in the community are looking for, this is what makes your Church attractive and relevant to the mind-set of people you are trying to reach such as compartmentalising the age groups. p55.
Using other agencies to help with the research the following has been listed, The Neighbourhoods Initiatives Foundation, New Economics Foundation, National Association of Councils for Voluntary Services, Southwark Diocesan Board for Church in Society. p68
Churches are encouraged to register as a Charity so they can gain access to wide source for funding this is as follows (p127):
Charitable Trusts: Examples Lions and the Rotary (Masonic Rotarian Image) etc.
Media Grants: Comic Relief, BBC Children in Need
Government Grants
Local Government Contracts
National Lotteries Charities Board
Companies and Businesses (This will be secular money as Stagecoach etc. who its founder Sir Brian Souter is a Roman Catholic)
In house fundraising.
In the criteria of being a Charity, preaching the Gospel is not allowed as so not to offend people. To secure funding the ‘gospel’ methodology has to be changed to comply with the secular ethos of funding agencies.
This is contrary to scriptural principles Jesus never took money from Caesar to promote the Gospel.
Some of the Partners are listed as Follows:
CARE
Care for the Family
The Catholic Agency for Social Concern (CASE)
The Christian Media Centre
Christianity & Renewal
Moorlands College
OASIS Trust
The Shaftsbury Housing Group
Stewardship Services
YMCA
In order to achieve the greatest effectiveness all are encouraged to take the route towards new ecumenism. The claim is that Christianity will have a stronger impact by the bonds of Christian unity, The Roman Catholic Group, the Joshua Camp states:
“The World is Coming to London… Are You???”
The Roman Catholics will be trained how to do evangelisation, The Joshua Camp – a base for Catholics serving the Olympic Games is both a training event and an outreach experience.
From 1st-13th August 2012, Sion Community, in partnership with RELaY and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales will be hosting and training hundreds of Catholics from around the world to be part of this unique opportunity.
Those attending The Joshua Camp will be serving under the banner of More than Gold, which is the official Christian organisation working alongside those preparing for the London Games, offering Christian hospitality, outreach and service to the millions of visitors expected as well as to the local communities.
According to the Book Path to Rome, what we are seeing is what Dwight Longenecker former Evangelical states:-
“But the Pope calls all Christians to profound conversation of heart in order for ecumenism to take place. In his encyclical Et Unum Sint, he writes, There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart personally as well as communally. Each one has to change his way of looking at things.’
He calls Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants to move forward into a new re-formation of the church, ‘The Second Vatican Council, connecting renewal, conversion and reform states that Christ summons the whole church… to a continual reformation.’ …… the Pope calls the whole church to join in a quest for a “new kind of Christianity” in which all Christians can once more unite”
“While Evangelicalism and Catholicism have been traditional enemies, their are many signs on both sides of the Atlantic that a significant shift is happening in both communities, Old boundaries are dissolving, old prejudices dying out and old doctrinal disputes seem increasingly irrelevant.”
“While Scott Hahn, Patrick Madrid, and others work as converts to Catholicism, the Catholic Church is learning from Evangelicals in other ways. In the United State, England and Latin America Catholics are learning to do primary evangelism using an adapted form of the highly successful, Evangelical Anglican “Alpha Course“.
At the Same time, Evangelical leaders are less shy about using ‘Catholic’ techniques of prayer and worship. In America, Churches where candles and set liturgies would – even ten years be unheard of, are celebrating lent and Advent with crosses, candles, ashes and liturgies borrowed from the Catholics and Anglicans.
As one American Baptist minister observed when told that the ashes he wanted to use for Ash Wednesday were derived from burning the Palm Sunday palms,
‘Whoa! All this Catholic stuff seems to be connected!”
“For many reasons, the old ethnic and denominational religious barriers will be replaced by a new kind of Christianity. This new expression of the faith will not recognize the traditional national, linguistic and denominational borders.”
As Vatican II really gets into the bloodstream of the Church, the old doctrinal and liturgical misunderstandings will also disappear at a grass roots level. Catholics will become more evangelical and evangelicals will become more Catholic.
Lynn Jolly points out in her essay that Paul Tillich referred to the ‘era’ of reform, rather than the churches of the Reformation, and as one Catholic bishop has remarked, ‘The era of reform is over.’
Issued by the Catholic Communications Network
States: “In helping to fulfil these aims, Churches and Christian agencies hope to develop good relationships with the relevant authorities and ensure that, where appropriate, there will be an inter-faith dimension to their work.”
Churches Together in England
Over the four-month period of May to September for people to gather and celebrate together in ways which will both enhance and deepen community life.
As the Presidents of Churches Together in England, on behalf of all its members, we rejoice that so many of England’s churches are committed to being at the heart of these celebrations and are already preparing practical ways to build and support communities in their localities.
The work we are doing through our own denominational staff, and through the work of More Than Gold (UK) is unprecedented. More Christian communities from different traditions than ever before are coming together to plan practical ways of serving the project of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
At this significant moment we reaffirm our commitment made ten years ago in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen to work towards the visible unity of all Christians in the one faith, expressed in common discipleship, worship, witness and service.
The Revd Michael Heaney, Moderator, the Free Churches Group
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
The Rt Revd Jana Jeruma-Grindberga, Bishop, Lutheran Church in Great Britain
The Most Revd Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster (The Presidents of Churches Together in England)
At the Heart of this the Pope wants to bring back non-Roman
Catholic churches under the authority of Rome, see Catholic Catechism Numbers:
816 “The sole Church of Christ [is that] which our Saviour, after his Resurrection, entrusted to Peter’s pastoral care, commissioning him and the other apostles to extend and rule it. . . . This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him.” 267
The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism explains: “For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained. It was to the apostolic college alone, of which Peter is the head that we believe that our Lord entrusted all the blessings of the New Covenant, in order to establish on earth the one Body of Christ into which all those should be fully incorporated who belong in any way to the People of God.” 268
821 Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call:
- a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such renewal is the driving-force of the movement toward unity; 280
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conversion of heart as the faithful “try to live holier lives according to the Gospel”;281 for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to Christ’s gift which causes divisions;
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prayer in common, because “change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name ‘spiritual ecumenism;”‘ 282
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fraternal knowledge of each other; 283
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ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests; 284
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dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities; 285
– collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind. 286 “Human service” is the idiomatic phrase.
822 Concern for achieving unity “involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike.” 287 But we must realize “that this holy objective – the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ – transcends human powers and gifts.” That is why we place all our hope “in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.” 288
Rome’s hand in this is very clear by the time evangelicals realise that their churches are under subjection to the Pope, it will be too late for anything to be done, the time will come when Rome will force its hand and those who wish to remain separate will have to go underground.
Daily News
Anglo-Catholic Bishops Vote for Rome (13319)
Reported on the 3/07/2010
“We are returning to the Roman Catholic Church as community with a common past and a common future,” commented Christian Campbell, a Florida lay member of the Anglican Church in America and coordinator of a blog called TheAngloCatholic.com
Campbell believes that Pope Benedict intends for the Anglo-Catholics to be allies in his struggles to raise the quality of liturgy in the Catholic Church as well as reinforce orthodoxy: “Maybe some elements of the sacred have been lost in recent years and he wants us to help wage the battle against all the defects.”
So-called, Father Dwight Longenecker agrees. “That’s exactly what Pope Benedict is doing,” said the onetime Anglican priest, who converted to Catholicism 15 years ago and has been a Catholic priest for three and a half years.
“I think the Pope sees the Church divided into two: not between Roman Catholics and Protestants, but between those who believe the Christian faith and those who do not. He is trying to gather all those who believe in the Christian faith into communion with the Holy See.”
“There is a lot of talk about ecumenism,” declared the Most Reverend John Hepworth, primate of the 300,000-strong worldwide communion, shortly after the historic vote. “But this is true ecumenism.”
Archbishop Hepworth’s home community of Australia has already voted to accept Pope Benedict’s historic invitation, outlined in the November 2009 Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.
The Pope’s invitation opened the door for disaffected Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while retaining what the Pope terms their distinct “spiritual and liturgical patrimony,” including their liturgy, married priests and distinct parishes.
It is very clear that the Catholic Churches attempt to destroy the separation between Roman Catholic and Protestants is succeeding and I cannot see it long before you will see Roman Catholic liturgy being read from the pulpit at a Church near you.
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!‘” (Revelation 18:1, 2).
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities’” (Revelation 18:4, 5).
“And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen! And he answered and said, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground‘” (Isaiah 21:9).
“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim, and do not conceal it — Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces‘” (Jeremiah 50:2).
“And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:5).
Miguel Hayworth
It is very clear that the Catholic Churches attempt to destroy the separation between Roman Catholic and Protestants is succeeding and I cannot see it long before you will see Roman Catholic liturgy being read from the pulpit at a Church near you.
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