3. The gates of Hades, Caesarea Philippi
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. (Mt 16:18)
4. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do
not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life (Jn 6:53-54)
The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
“Take and eat; this is my body.” (Mt 26:26)
6. I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me,
even if he dies, will live
(John 11:25)
7. Pentacost, by Jean Restout, 1732
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth (Jn 14:16-17)
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came
to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
(Acts 2:3-4)
8. St. Paul preaching in Athens
Woe to me if I do not
preach the Gospel!
(1 Cor 9:16)
“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:15-16)
9. As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to
his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord,
do not hold this sin against them”; and when
he said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:59-60)
Jacopo & Domenico Tintoretto,
Martyrdom of St Stephen Protomartyr, 1594
10. They appointed presbyters for them in each church (Acts 14:23)
A bishop must be irreproachable (1Tim 3:2)
11. The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.
(1 Tim 3:15)
12. The communion of saints
We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1)
13. “I pray not only for them, but also for
those who will believe in me through
their word, so that they may all be one.
(Jn 17:20)
They devoted themselves to the teaching of
the apostles and to the communal life, to the
breaking of the bread and to the prayers. (Acts
2:42)
The Church was One
United in Christ And in the Apostles
One body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all
(Eph 4:4-6)
14. Martin Luther (1493-1546)
Sola fide
faith alone
Sola Scriptura
Scripture alone
Predestination
Denial of transubstantiation
John Calvin (1509-1564) King Henry VIII (1491-1547)
The crown
is supreme head
of the church
Tearing Apart the Unity
15. Sola fide
“a person is justified by works and not
by faith alone.” James 2:24
Denial of transubstantiation
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a
participation in the blood of Christ? The bread
that we break, is it not a participation in the
body of Christ?” 1 Cor 10:16
The crown is supreme head of the church
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and
to God what belongs to God.” (Mark 12:17)
New doctrines contradicted by scripture
Sola Scriptura
“Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the
traditions that you were taught, either by an oral
statement or by a letter of ours.” 2 Thes 2:15
Predestination
“Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing
secure should take care not to fall.”
1 Cor 10:12
Jam 2:26
1 Cor 11:2
1 Tim 3:15
Mt 19:16-17
1 Cor 9:27
Rom 2:5-8
Mt 7:21
Rom 11:22
Phil 2:12-13
Mt 16:18
Mt 28:18-20
Mt 24:13
Gal 5:4-6
Jn 6:53-54
Ex 12:8, Jn 1:29
Mt 26:26
Jn 21:17
2 Tim 2:11-13
Jn 14:21
Lk 22:19-20
Jn 21:25
16. Christian Religious Wars
The evangelists beating the pope
Painting in Hampton Court Palace
King Henry VIII, England
The execution of English Catholics
Edmund Campion
under Queen Elizabeth
17. Emergence of Secularism
Margaret Sanger
Eugenics, abortion, Planned Parenthood
Adolph Hitler
Nazi, WWII, the Holocaust
Karl Marx
The Communist Manifesto
Vladimir Lenin
The Soviet Union
Mao Zedong
Communist China
18. A new hope for Christian Unity
Poverty Relief Pro-Life Engaging the culture
Editor's Notes
About 2000 years ago in Israel there was an itinerant preacher named JesusWho preached a Gospel of repentance and loveHe performed many miracles
He called 12 men to be his disciplesAnd built his church on themStarting first with Peter, then the rest of the apostles, and then ultimately inviting the whole worldHe said the Church would prevail against the forces of evil
Near the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus gathered his disciples togetherAt the passover meal, he said something stunning:He was starting a New CovenantAnd offered his very own body and blood This sacrifice continues to this very day in the form of the Eucharist
The next day, Jesus was killed by crucifixionThis was considered a shameful deathThe message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Cor 1:18)As Christians, “we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23)
Christ rose from the dead on the third dayAnd remained for 40 daysBefore ascending into heaven
At the Last Supper, Jesus promised he would send the Holy Spirit. He said:I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,the Spirit of truth (Jn 14:16-17)The Holy Spirit came on Pentacost and filled the Apostles with grace and courage to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ!
The apostles obeyed Christ’s final command before ascending to heaven:“Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:15-16)St. Paul alone made 3 missionary trips covering much of the MediterraneanHe felt compelled to preach the Gospel! “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16)And he was not alone. Many others continued to proclaim the good news of Christ, repentance and eternal life
The church was built on the blood of the martyrsSt. Stephen was the first, but many many followed, St PaulSt. PeterMany bishops of Rome (the first popes)Far from extinguishing the church, she grew strongerThe martyrs witness teaches us that Christ is worth dying for
Against all odds, the church not only survived, she thrived!The church spread throughout the world – starting with the apostlesEach community would have their own bishopLaying of hands by other bishops, starting with the apostlesJob is to teach and shepherd the faithfulThe bishops remained united with each other to the teachings of the apostlesEcumenical councils were used to resolve matters of doctrine
The Church built many great CathedralsProduced many works of artGave us the Bible, under the guidance of the Holy SpiritReceived many miraclesFounded hospitalsAnd the university systemAnd produced some of the most brilliant minds the world has ever knownSt. AugustineSt. Thomas Aquinas
But most importantly, the church produced saints!Men and women who lived lives of heroic virtue Who lived their lives for ChristWho lived lives of love(feel free to pick your own examples)St Francis of AssisiMother Teresa
The Church was one:United in ChristAround his teachingsUnited in his example of how to liveUnited in the apostlesAround the chair of Peter (the pope - bishop of Rome)The communal life (parish)Communal prayer (especially the mass)The Eucharist
The unity was not to lastIn the 1500s many strange new doctrines were introduced – and forced upon the peopleMartin Luther – the Living Church no longer was authoritative, only the bible. Faith alone saves, not good works.John Calvin – taught pre-destination – our final fate was determined before we are born. Only the elect would go to heaven. He also denied the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.King Henry VIIIPolitical authority should be higher than religious authority
These new doctrines had no precedence in Scripture or Tradition. Yet they were taught anyway in spite of the fact they were contradicted throughout scripture.
The Protestant Reformation tore Christian unity apartFamily against familySibling against siblingViolence in the name of Christianity – against others claiming the same! Germany: The peasants war was largely a class war, but fueled by the Reformation: 100,000 dead. Martin Luther stood behind the ruling class, not the peopleEngland: Hundreds killed under Catholic Queen Mary and her sister the Protestant Queen Elizabeth
This in turn led to new movements that claimed there was no God at all.These atheists claimed their approach would be better than religious wars. In fact it is far worse.100 million dead in the 20th century at the hands of Nazis and Communists50 million abortions since Roe v. Wade in the USA alone In the 21st century, God is being banished from public life, even in our own countryClearly this is an enemy much worse than differences of Christian belief
Many Christian organizations have come together, working side by side to fight secularism and atheism and to spread the Gospel. There are some wonderful ways that Christians are starting to work together: Living Water International – provides “a cup of water in the name of Jesus” – by digging wells to provide clean water Food for the poor – provides food and assistance to poverty stricken areas of the world Heartbeat International – Provides support and guidance for pregnancy help centers around the country and world Susan B Anthony List – helps elect pro-life politicians First Things and the Manhattan Declaration – provides a forum for Christians to advance ideas in the culture These have all been blessings in Christian unity
But there is still a greater opportunity for Christian unity:Be fully united in Christ once again, in the One, Holy, Catholic Apostolic Church.We can still fulfill Christ’s prayer that we all be one!If you are Catholic: stay hereIf you have left, come home!If you are not Catholic, we invite you to come join.
