THE PROMISE KEEPERS: SATAN’S LATEST TOOL OF DECEPTION
THE ALLIANCES OF PROMISE KEEPERS
Part II
PROMISE KEEPERS AND ROMAN CATHOLICS
By Wayne Camp
Ezra 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
"Promise Keepers Group Formed in Catholic Parish," reads one headline from the Fundamental Baptist News Service. Another reads, "Catholic Priest Speaks To Promise Keepers." And, from PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter comes an article headlined, "Promise Keepers, Catholics, And Mormons . . . Together."
This, and other information available from a number of sources, reveals that there is a strong alliance forming between Promise Keepers and the Roman Catholic Church. The heresies of Roman Catholicism are many. Many of their heresies came directly from paganism. A list of their heretical doctrines is too long for this article but the Bible believing reader will know that baby sprinkling has been substituted for the immersion of true believers as Scripture teaches. Prayers for the dead is a pagan practice which was adopted by Rome about 300 A. D. About 75 years later they adopted the worship of angels into their faith, a practice which angels themselves forbid in Scripture. Revelation 22:8-9 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Roman Catholics, in 375 A. D. also began the worship of saints. I have a list of 72 different saints whom they worship. As I write this we are in the midst of a thunderstorm and I have been wondering if I should shut down my computer. If I were a Roman Catholic I would just pray to St. Barbara to keep the power on and protect my computer and this article. Roman Catholic Old Maids have a patron saint also. Naturally, he was a man—St. Andrew. If your are an old maid (no offense to single ladies, just using the Catholic terminology) who is seeking a husband, see if you can contact St. Joseph. He may be able to help. Of course, it is obvious that the patron saint of tax collectors is St. Matthew. Now, if you are a beer drinker, your patron saint is St. Nicholas. No wonder old St. Nick of the Mass of Christ (Christmas) fame has a large red nose. By the way, if your television is on the blink, you could talk to St. Claire about it the next time your pray. And, What could be more befitting than this? If you get bitten by a snake, just contact St. Hilary.
Should we ever pray to men, dead or alive. Peter, whom Roman Catholics erroneously claim was their first pope, did not think so. Acts 10:25-26 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. 26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
In 394 A. D. the Catholic mass was instituted and advocated as essential to salvation. It still is declared to be essential to salvation. The Catholic Encyclopedia says, "In the Celebration of the Holy Mass, the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. It is called Transubstantiation, for in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the substance of bread and wine do not remain, but the entire substance of the bread is changed into the body of Christ, and the entire substance of the wine is changed into his blood. The species or outward semblance of bread and wine alone remaining." They may still look like bread and wine, taste like bread and wine, feel like bread and wine, and smell like bread and wine but, according to Rome, that is only an outward semblance, they have really become the body and blood of Christ. "Not only do the elements of the Mass contain flesh, bones, and nerves as part of Christ, but also a whole Christ" (Encyclopedia of Religions, Vol. 2, P. 77).
In 431 A. D. the Roman Catholic Church adopted the worship of Mary. I have in hand an article that contains a message from the current papa of Rome. Speaking of the work of Vatican II, he said that the council had applied the title of "Meadiatrix" to Mary and stated "in other terms Mary’s mediating role from her consent to the Angel’s message to her motherhood in the order of grace . . . Furthermore, the Council asserts HER COOPERATION IN A ‘WHOLLY SINGULAR WAY’ IN THE WORK OF RESTORING SUPERNATURAL LIFE TO SOULS." Vatican II, in short, said that Mary regenerates sinners, a work that in Scripture is attributed to God. John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
In concluding his statements concerning Vatican II which was held in the mid-1960’s, John Paul II declared, "They (Vatican II) have afforded the faith and devotion of the Christian people a more complete and balanced presentation of the marvelous identity of the Lord’s Mother and OF HER EXCEPTIONAL ROLE IN THE WORK OF REDEMPTION." Scripture declares otherwise. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (Quotes on Vatican II have been copied from Fundamental Baptist News Service.
Other heresies of Rome include purgatory, kissing the pope’s feet, worship of images and relics (locks of "Mother Theresa’s" hair are being saved for this purpose so they may be worshipped after she is canonized), celibacy of the priesthood, adoration of the wafer, tradition equal in authority to the Word of God, immaculate conception, papal infallibility, and numerous others including salvation by works.
THESE HERESIES IGNORED BY PROMISE KEEPERS IN THEIR ECUMENICAL QUEST
It is not the purpose of this article to expose the errors of Rome, but, its purpose is to show why no organization which claims to be Christian should form any kind of an alliance with Rome. It is not surprising to this editor, however, to read of the alliances of PKs and Rome. First, though he is no longer an active Roman Catholic, Coach Bill McCartney was reared Catholic, was an active Catholic, and has never renounced that heretical religion.
According to the December, 1995, of the Charismatic Roman Catholic publication, New Covenant, a PKs group was being formed in a Catholic parish in Tallahassee, Florida. The paper said, in essence, the Catholics should not try to replicate Promise Keepers because "such and effort would fly in the face of Vatican II." Vatican II was a council calling for a more ecumenical attitude among Roman Catholics.
New Covenant went on to say, "Rather than duplicate the success of Promise Keepers to build the spirituality of Catholic men, the Catholic Church should get involved with Promise Keepers and encourage Catholic men to participate . . . I don’t think the leaders of Promise Keepers have it in their heart or mind to exclude Catholic men from participation, or to encourage them to leave the Roman Catholic church.
According to the publication, The Berean Call, November, 1995 issue, the Promise Keepers representative for the upper Midwest, Steve Jenkins, is a Charismatic Catholic!
The Tidings, the official voice of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles, carried an article on PKs in its March 31, 1995 issue in which it said, "Promise Keepers is a basic program of evangelization for men of faith, begun among more fundamentalist and evangelical Christian communities, but now being expanded to include Catholic congregations . . . While noting the evangelical roots of the program, Father Van Liefde, says there is no ‘doctrinal’ issue which should concern the Catholic faith.
"‘Promise Keepers places a very strong emphasis on returning to your own church congregation or parish and becoming an active layman,’ Father Van Liefde points out. There is no attempt at proselytizing or drawing men away from their faith to another church." (Gleaned from an article in O’Timothy magazine, Vol. 12, Issue 5, 1995).
Bro. E. L. Bynum, in The Plains Baptist Challenger," December, 1995, gave the following quotes which he took from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, Texas, December 3, 1995. It was a report on the meeting of Promise Keepers in that area. It quotes a Catholic priest who was one of the speakers at the Plainview, Texas, Promise Keepers Rally. "Father John Salazar, who leads Catholic churches in Kress and Tulia, implored listeners to value themselves because they were made in the image of God. He said men should not be afraid to show emotion and even cry, as Jesus did.
"That is the Jesus Christ we need to bring, especially to other men and to young men, Salazar said to an audience that encompassed everyone from quietly reverent Episcopalians to openly enthusiastic Pentecostals."
Gary Oliver, one of the leaders of PKs says, "Since day one, we’ve really encouraged Catholic participation, not because they are Catholics, but because anyone who loves the Lord is welcome."
The Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, is a strong Catholic University. In 1996 Promise Keepers representatives were speakers there. A Promise Keepers Leadership Seminar was conducted there in July, 1995. At the end of the Seminar, Priest Michael Scanlan, head of the University, conducted a mass.
DO CATHOLICS NEED TO FEAR PKs?
All indications are that Roman Catholics have no need to fear Promise Keepers. The leaders of the PKs movement have signed an evangelization covenant in which they agree to not seek to evangelize or proselyte Roman Catholics. RC leaders feel perfectly safe in supporting and aligning themselves with the movement.
When the pagan Samaritans sought to join the Israelites in rebuilding the wall they said, Ezra 4:2 Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But, the godly leaders of Israel said, Ezra 4:3 Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. This failed to deter these pagan ecumenicals. The people of the land started brow-beating the Jews to try to turn them aside from the work. They weakened the people. Ezra 4:4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.
PKs follow a similar path. They have called on men to demand that their pastors participate in the movement. And, they shame and brow-beat Christian men who refuse to participate. Only recently I was told by a man that he was the only man in his congregation who was not in PKs. The rest were giving him a rough time.
Another accusation brought against the Jews is that they were building a wall. Ezra 4:12 Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations. The theme of Pks is to tear down walls of separation between all denominations of "Christianity." They argue that God cannot bless "the Church" as long as there is division. They desire to bring Baptists, Protestants, Charismatics, Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah’s witnesses, and others together in what they call the "church." Joseph Garlington, emcee of the Pks Atlanta ministers meeting, rejoiced in the ecumenism of that meeting. He said, "There are priests, bishops, and ministers from every denomination in our country." There were over 40,000 ministers present. Bill McCartney, founder of PKs said, "This is a dream come true. Our Father in Heaven has sent out the invitation for Biblical unity. Biblical unity is the only way we will survive in the days ahead. It is based on John 17, ‘that they be one as we are one’ . . . Contention between denominations has gone on long enough. If the Church ever stood together Almighty God would have his way."
McCartney’s conception of the church is a hodgepodge mixture of all kinds of doctrines and practices, or it is a hodgepodge mixture of folks who have compromised most of what they believe for the sake of unity. That is how there can be an alliance of Promise Keepers and Roman Catholics. McCartney takes the statement of unity found in John 17 totally out of context. He ignores such scriptures as 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. Numbers 16:26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Jeremiah 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. Revelation 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
God’s true churches have always maintained separation from Catholicism. For that we have shed much blood down through the centuries. To unionize with all these movements we must severely limit our message. As one whom I heard speaking a few years ago admonished, "We must sweep most of what we believe under the rug and not mention it, but unity with other denominations is more important." Someone has truly said, "You must have a limited fellowship, or a limited message."
If one declares all the counsel of God he will have a limited fellowship. If he compromises and tones his message down for the sake of unity and fellowship, he will have a very limited message. If we are to be pure from the blood of all men we must declare all the counsel of God. That will limit our fellowship but it will not limit our message. It will honor God and his word.
The alliance of PKs with Roman Catholicism will keep them from ever mentioning immersion as the only mode of baptism, grace as the only and all sufficient way of salvation, Christ as the one and only Mediator between God and man, heaven and hell as the only destinies of mankind, and the gospel as the one message through which men are saved.
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