In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis states that "in preaching the Gospel a fitting sense of proportion has to be maintained. This would be seen in the frequency with which certain themes are brought up and in the emphasis given to them in preaching" (38). I believe that a fitting sense of emphasis is lacking within Catholic ministry efforts when it comes to the fundamental act of faith on which the entire Christian edifice is built. (Post 7/8 on "Inviting the Act of Faith")
Read MoreHow does one come to the point of a personal adherence to Jesus Christ? Pope John Paul II defined the kerygmatic component of evangelization as "the initial ardent proclamation by which a person is one day overwhelmed and brought to the decision to entrust himself to Jesus Christ by faith" (Catechesi Tradendae 25). Notice what JPII is saying here - to do kerygma right means that "the decision to entrust [oneself] to Jesus Christ by faith" follows upon an experience, an encounter. (Post 4/8 on "Inviting the Act of Faith")
Read MoreIn this series on inviting the act of faith and what Catholics can learn from Evangelicals on the subject, I want to take a look at a common Evangelical doctrine that is often referenced in conjunction with the invitation to faith. This is the "once saved, always saved" doctrine. In short, this doctrine says that once one has made the act of faith, once one has given their life to Christ and accepted him as savior, one's status as "saved" can never be lost. (Post 3/8 on "Inviting the Act of Faith")
Read MoreWhen we consider justification (being made right with God), there are two agents involved - God and man. And there are two actions involved, one proper to each of these. On the part of man, there is the act of faith. But faith in itself is incapable of producing justification for it is an act of man* (albeit one that is made possible by grace). Justification requires an action on God's part, an action that actually produces the change in man. Justification happens when the faith of man is met by the justifying action of God. (Post 2/8 on "Inviting the Act of Faith")
Read MoreThis post is intended to be the first in a series of posts on faith. Two things have led me to embark on this project. The first has to do with the problem that Sherry Weddell highlighted in her book Forming Intentional Disciples, namely that your average Catholic is unaware of the importance and necessity of making an explicit act of faith in Jesus Christ. The second inspiration behind this series comes from my love of listening to certain Evangelical sermon podcasts and considering their approach to inviting this act of faith. (Post 1/8 on "Inviting the Act of Faith")
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