All Doves:
You are living witnesses to something that I have for years tried to conceive of or imagine the scenario that would bring about the rapprochement between Rome and the Protestant community, that would lead to the One-World-Church spoken of in the Bible.
It will be achieved by:
An appeal to Consensus
An appeal to Celebrity
An appeal to the Spirit of Elijah
An appeal to the Collective "We"
An appeal to Universalism
It is coming from the Charismatic and Pentecostal community. I do not know whether the Doves saw the video message from Pope Francis sent to Kenneth Copeland Ministries this past January 21st, 2014. As I watched the video address given at the KCM's annual Ministers' Conference, a scenario was building. Over the past decade, the Pope's emissary, the Rt. Rev. Tony Palmer (former director of Kenneth Copeland Ministries' South African office and co-founder of The Ark Community, an international and interdenominational community of Christians based in the UK has been extensively involved with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. In 2003, the Rev. Palmer was invited by the Vatican to Europe (he is not a practicing Roman Catholic) and minister to Catholics within the CCR movement worldwide, as a non-Roman Catholic minister.
The January video invited Kenneth Copeland to convince folks the Reformation was over. The theme was "We're All Catholics!" The appeal to consensus highlighted the fact that in November 1999, Lutherans and Catholics gathered in Augsburg, Germany to sign a first-ever formal (doctrinal) agreement between Rome and the Reformed churches. Later, the United Methodist Church signed onto this celebrated accord on justification via works (Catholic position) and/or grace by faith (the Biblical position).
Since the 1962 Second Vatican Council, the RCC has dedicated itself to advancing global, inter-religious cooperation. Mother Teresa affirmed Vatican II, intimating that adherents to all religions are somehow saved through the RCC. Not surprisingly, the communist/socialist World Council of Churches warmly welcomed the joint declaration as a "small but a significant step" toward healing a major division that has marked Christian history. Indeed, the motto of the WCC is "One Church for One World", and it points to a religiously pluralistic international community, sadly with no rightful promise of salvation.
Protestants and Catholic authorities agreed: Unity trumps doctrine. Herewith we are witnessing an orchestrated movement to unite under a basis of consensus. We're all Catholic is the mantra. Its coming from every spectrum of the religious community, worldwide. In similar fashion, RCC Archbishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle, Washington lauded it as "a powerful gift from God." the archbishop further stated, "What we understand anew, we must teach anew and live out together anew."
On to the second step in this plan to bring about the One-World-Church, led by Rome, of course. The Copeland Conference video brought forth a surprise celebrity. Joyful that God is at work worldwide, but sorrowful for the reality of religious separation, Pope Francis called for the miracle of unity previously thwarted by "misunder-standing and sin." Protestant leaders in attendance met his "language of the heart" with flowering enthusiasm. Delighted by the papal visitation by video, Kenneth Copeland responded in kind: "My Dear sir, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. These leaders represent tens of thousands who love you and believe God is with you. Having prayed for (and with) you in the spirit, we believe we received." I cannot conceive that his words will not have an influencing effect on most of the Charismatic and Pentecostal community. Few of you are probably old enough to remember the beginnings of the Charismatic movement that began to infiltrate mainline denominational churches during the 1960's. At the time I would hear older pastors at UMC annual conference say this movement would lead to the One-World-Church, but I did not understand then. My home conference in the United Methodist Church met every June at Grove City College and during breaks in the coffee shop I would listen closely to the older pastors the denomination was ever so gently pushing to the periphery of denominational politics.
Pope Francis is perhaps the ultimate in "celebrity" to advance the rapprochement agenda. Virtually, every Protestant leader today is out and about selling the plan. But here is where we move to the step of appeal to the Spirit of Elijah. Self-identifying himself as Joseph, if only by inference, Pope Francis presumes to be a source of nourishment in a time of famine. With compelling sincerity, the Pope invited his Protestant brothers to embrace him, much as Joseph's siblings embraced their estranged brother in Egypt.
With the presumption of "reasonable certainty", said claims were "softened" by sidestepping bothersome absolutes. The son of Jacob, Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. In Egypt, Joseph rose to power, second only to Pharaoh. When famine came to Canaan, Joseph showed extraordinary mercy to his brother. Entering the stage was Bishop Tony Palmer, setting the stage for the Pope's "fireside chat", Palmer is not a Catholic, but an ordained bishop in the communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, a break-away alliance of charismatic Anglican-Episcopal churches. This good-humor South African recounted his journey in turning his heart toward Rome. His mission now is to build kingdom, not empire - this, in the spirit of Elijah, to which Palmer likened to the spirit of reconciliation embodied in his beloved mentor, Pope Francis.
Now all of this is leading to the appeal of the collective "We". In the Greek, "schism" is likened to torn material. For Christians to be perfectly joined together is for them to be as one whole, repaired fabric - not scattered, damaged remnants of a would be "crazy quilt". As all the men of Israel were knit together into "one man", so must the church be one. Referencing the Augsburg accord, Copeland reminded attendees that Jesus prayed for spiritual unity: "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they might be one as we are one - I in them and you in me so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." Ecumenists cite this John 17:23 passage always as a pretext to the point that only Rome is the focal point of that unity. Ideally, Christian believers all speak the same thing with no divisions or schism among them. Copeland suggest to embrace an all-inclusive, milk-toast spirituality that all can affirm may well be politically correct, and living peaceably with all men may indeed be Scriptural; but doctrinal syncretism is not. My mentor in seminary would often point out the problem the church is having with syncretism invading the churches.
Never the less, by marginalizing doctrine as something to be sorted out in the afterlife, Bishop Palmer assured naysayers, "There's no more protest, so how can there be a Protest-ant church?" The President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod disagrees. He argues that the accord is "an ambiguous statement whose careful wording makes it possible for the Pope's representatives to sign without changing, retracting, or correcting anything that has been taught by the RCC since the time of the Council of Trent in the 16th century." Don't look for anytime soon to see the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to jump on this bandwagon for universal feel good unity.
Case in point: An indulgence is remission of temporal punishment due for sins that have been forgiven. Rightly so, in 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church door, he protested the sale of indulgences and the Holy See's supposed spiritual power to remit sins. Bishop Palmer declared Luther's protest to be passe - or an illusion, if you will - but wrongly so. Indulgences are nowhere found in Scriptures, yet just this year, to ensure a spiritually fruitful World Youth Day, Pope Francis authorized a special indulgence for those attending the Rio de Janero event's liturgies and prayer services. Participants could receive one plenary (full) indulgence each day for meeting the usual conditions and a partial indulgence for Catholics who with the pope offered prayers for young Catholics. Clearly, the well known cliche "Rome Never Changes" has validated itself by the Pope's indulgences. Just never lose sight of the fact that Pope Francis is a Jesuit, because they are trained to be deceptive. I'll for go the "get out of hell" cards in preference to trusting in Christ Jesus 100%.
This leads us to the last step in the process of bringing about a One-World-Church, and that is the appeal to Universalism. "The ministry of reconciliation is as vital as a ministry of evangelism"; Palmer challenged conferee attendees by insisting, "This needs to be fixed." He noted correctly that "catholic" means "universal", but he was misguided in insisting, "if you're born again, you're a Catholic". Bishop Palmer, in making this leap in logic or faith offered no Biblical proof, nor was it demanded of him. Shame on him and more so shame on those that failed to call him to task.
Bishop Palmer added, "for all those years of separation, the Word alone was the argument, but "Luther's protest is over. Is yours?" With that, Palmer diminished centrality of the Bible and conveniently ignored this part of Jesus' unity prayer: "Sanctify them to live in accordance with the truth; your word is truth." True characterizing the wall of doctrinal separation as an illusion may well foster unity, but not the unity to which Jesus referred. Ecumenicalism, interfaithism, and universalism represents error, not to be embraced by believers who "hold firm to the trustworthy message as it has been taught". The idea in Titus 1:9 is to "encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."
Just a few days into the month of July, a photo appeared in the media with the Pope in the center, surrounded by Bishop Palmer, Kenneth Copeland and his wife Gloria; James and Betty Robinson, co-host of 'Life Today'; along with Rev. Geoff Tunnicliff, CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance, Rev. Brian Stiller and Rev. Thomas Schirrmacher, also from the World Evangelical Alliance, and Rev. John Arnott, and his wife, Carol. The meeting was held in Rome. Note particularly, the fact that several of the men present represent World Evangelicals. We are witnesses of the methodology by which Rome has used to seduce the Protestant world into becoming part of the Universal RCC.
For those of you observant to the times keep aware of this strategy of how Rome is going to pull of a Coup of the centuries. For 500 years, since October 31, 1517, the church has been fragmented. Watch for the Vatican to hype rapprochement between now and that infamous date. Score another prophecy being fulfilled in our day, the last generation before the Messiah destroys the RCC World Church. This October 31, 2017 will be 500 years since Luther said he could not recant. The Vatican and Pope Francis will milk this event for all their rosary beads to sell the Christian world on universalism. For me, I will no longer use the word "evangelical" to describe my faith as a Christian, and continue to identify myself as a Biblical Fundamentalist.
God bless,
Pastor Bob