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Christian Unity (the book) - The Maranatha Community

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CHAPTER 10 THESE BRIDGES CAN’T BE CROSSED?I have several friends who think that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Christian</strong> <strong>Unity</strong> I am advocating is abetrayal of my Protestant faith. How can an Evangelical <strong>Christian</strong> havefellowship with people who pray to Mary and <strong>the</strong> saints, or believe intransubstantiation or see <strong>the</strong> Mass as a sacrifice?In this chapter I want to address two questions. One, what is required tobecome a <strong>Christian</strong>? And two, if a person is truly a <strong>Christian</strong> what beliefs which<strong>the</strong>y hold would cause a barrier to my fellowship with <strong>the</strong>m?WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN?This question is dealt with in <strong>the</strong> Catholic Truth Society’s <strong>book</strong>let: WhatCatholics Believe 165 – here is <strong>the</strong> text taken from Section 9, Becoming a<strong>Christian</strong>:‘From <strong>the</strong> beginning, anyone who wished to become a <strong>Christian</strong> had to bebaptized, that is, ba<strong>the</strong>d or washed in running water as a sign of God’scleansing from sin. Thus everyone who wishes to become a <strong>Christian</strong> mustfirst of all recognize that he or she is unworthy of God’s love, and hasdeserved to lose his friendship, both as an individual and as a member of<strong>the</strong> human race.But to say that we are sorry is not all we have to do in order to become a<strong>Christian</strong>. We must believe that Jesus is <strong>the</strong> Son of God, because, inbelieving this, we are led to love him as <strong>the</strong> Son of God, and so are filledwith <strong>the</strong> love of God. <strong>The</strong>re is no true love without faith, faith in <strong>the</strong> factthat God’s Son loves us, and has come down to earth to show us <strong>the</strong> trueway to <strong>the</strong> Fa<strong>the</strong>r.That is why, at every baptism service, <strong>the</strong>re is a profession of faith by <strong>the</strong>candidate; and even when a tiny infant is being baptized, his parents haveto make <strong>the</strong> act of faith for him, until he is old enough to make itpersonally. And that is also why we say <strong>the</strong> Creed, <strong>the</strong> act of faith, at each165What Catholics Believe, Catholic Truth Society, London, 1981, p 19.Page 176

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