If your church is not a Catholic church, the Pope says it’s not a real church. Does that hurt your feelings? Are you experiencing a sense of rejection or abandonment? I’m not either, and here’s why…

Over ten years have come and gone since a group of Protestants and evangelicals first signed a document entitled, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” (ECT) in 1994. ECT was supposed to usher in a new era of cooperation in worship and evangelism between Protestants and Catholics, focusing on the theology we hold in common and ignoring the theological differences Protestants and Catholics have (more about this later).

The original ECT document was coauthored by Chuck Colson (of Watergate fame) who represented Protestants and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, who represented the Roman Catholic Church.  In addition to these coauthors, the ECT and ECT-2 documents were signed by such well known Protestant and evangelical leaders as J.I. Packer, Pat Robertson, Bill Bright, Max Lucado, and dozens of others.

The goal of ECT was best summed up by Bill McCartney, leader of the faddish men's movement, Promise Keepers.  In Atlanta, Georgia at a pastors conference, Promise Keepers brought together "leadership" from The World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches, evangelicals, Mormons, and Roman Catholics, including about 600 priests. 

Bill McCartney of Promise Keepers says this:  "We have a plan...Baptists... Lutherans...Roman Catholics...we've been divided...but now we're being reunited! Nobody can go out of here without the same plan...every man connected to a church; every church connected to each other!"

Now as you might well imagine, Christians, churches and church leaders who are faithful to the Word of God and its clear teaching concerning the way of salvation screamed bloody murder!  How can we unite with a "church" that teaches confession of sins to a priest; prayers to the Virgin Mary; keeping of Sacraments for salvation; the unique authority of the Pope to interpret Scripture; and a hundred and one other doctrinal errors?

So I find it ironic that after thirteen years of ECT and the effort of some Protestants and evangelicals to get cozy with the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI has told them in no uncertain terms to take a hike.  In a document released this week and reported by the Associated Press, Benedict clarified the Roman Catholic position which states, among other things:

● The Roman Catholic Church is the one true Church established on earth by   Christ.

● Other communities "cannot be called ‘churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have the ability to trace their bishops back to the original Apostles - and thus their pastoral ordinations are not valid.

● Non-Roman Catholic churches are either defective or are not true churches.

Of course, this has prompted an outcry from many groups including the ECT crowd and The World Alliance of Reformed Churches which decried the Pope's actions as taking "ecumenical dialogue" back to the pre-Vatican II era.  "It makes us question whether we are indeed praying together for Christian unity," said once Alliance official.

But should we be pursuing unity with a group that propagates a false, works-based gospel?  Paul faced a similar situation with the churches of Galatia.  False teachers were spreading a false gospel that instructed people to combine faith in Christ with a number of good works in order to achieve salvation - just like the Roman Catholic Church does. 

What was Paul's response to this false, faith/works gospel?  He said...

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!  (Galatians 1:6-9, NIV)

What then is our response to Evangelicals and Catholics Together, Promise Keepers, and any other group that attempts to unify Catholics, Mormons, Lutherans, Baptists, and anyone else who cares to join the One Big Happy Family?

Again, the Spirit of God, writing through the Apostle Paul, has the answer:  Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.  (2 Corinthians 6:17, NIV)

My feelings are not hurt because the Pope says I am not a true bishop and the flock I lead is not a true church.  On the contrary, I find it refreshing that in this politically correct, multicultural age in which we live, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has the guts to admit that what the Roman Catholic Church teaches is not the same thing my church teaches - and we cannot both be right.