A Man of Letters

Below this post are copies of two e-mails I've sent recently to others who have, in some way, either misrepresented the Catholic faith or who have not presented a balanced view of some aspect of morality.

One of my friends on the e-newsletter list has a signature in his e-mails that reads something like this: I was waiting for somebody to do something. Then I realized that somebody was me. That signature articulates what I've tried to take to heart over the last two years, which is that I would do whatever I could to defend the teachings of Christ against misconceptions and antagonism, whether I find it in a conversation with a friend or a website that I might stumble across.

Some might question the effectiveness of sending e-mails, as I have done. Is it worth the time? Should I be picking my battles more carefully. As I'll show in a future post, at least one of the correspondences I begin below has positive fruits, but to explain my motivation, I want to jump back a couple of years.

A relative of mine was dying, and I had a chance to meet the hospice minister. We got to talking and discovered that we had a common interest in Christian apologetics (though we each defined "Christian" differently). Later, when I took some time to visit his website, I found a "Bible Study for Dedicated Catholics". I knew what this was before even looking. The "study" consisted of a series of questions, most of them loaded, that used misconceptions and presumptions to steer Catholics away from the trappings of Rome.

I e-mailed the author of this material, the hospice minister I had met before, and explained my concern. He was more than happy to meet, explaining that he felt "there might just be a reason the Holy Spirit brought us together."

There was. But it wasn't the reason he thought.

Long story short, we met for several times, and the minister (who goes by the pseudonym of Timothy Cross), was surprised to hear the Catholic faith articulated the way I did. I didn't use fancy or slippery wording. I didn't sugar-coat our teachings. I simply presented the faith as the Church taught it and provided Biblical support that he hadn't previously considered.

What came of these conversations?

Two things.

For one, Timothy e-mailed some time ago and admitted that he know realized that the Bible nowhere taught Scripture as the sole means of authority for Christians. He is still a long way from agreeing with the Catholic Church, he admitted, but conceded this crucial point on authority.

Second, a visit to his site (you can do that here) reveals something remarkable. There is no longer a link for a "Bible Study for Dedicated Catholics". Admitting that he still has much study to do, Mr. Cross removed the material to which I had previously objected.

I thought that took a lot of integrity on his part, which is why I am proud to have him as a friend.

I don't take credit for the work that was done in this instance. At our best, we are but tools for God's work. As Mr. Cross implied, there was a reason the Holy Spirit brought us together, and if you ever feel compelled to speak up against a misrepresentation of the Catholic faith, I hope that you realize there is a reason for that, too.