An Open Letter to My Latin-Curious Daughter
Dear Julia,
Let me start out this letter by telling you that I love you very much. I could never love you more than I do and there’s nothing you could do that cause me to love you less.
Sure, there were moments of disappointment over the years. But please know that any disappointment I have is completely disconnected from my love for you. Just like the Lord, I have only ever wanted the best for you.
Just like your other siblings, you each reflect your mother and I in some very unique ways—not only in our appearance, but in our likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and dispositions. Just as we are all created in God’s image, you were created in your parent’s image.
You and I share the same dry sense of humor. We also profound seriousness when it matters. Just like me, you can share the deepest parts of your heart to those you trust the most. I appreciate the intentionality and mission with which you’re pursuing life.
I also appreciate the earnestness with which you seek the Lord.
Recently you’ve opened up to us about your interest in possibly converting to the Roman Catholic faith.
At first this surprised me. Over the weeks, my surprise turned to distress. But the distress gave me an opportunity to evaluate my feelings and concerns about it. I mean, after all, this is a significant departure from the flavor of Christian you were raised to be.
Certainly I can see why someone would want to become Roman Catholic. Liturgical gatherings, the connection with history, a broad communion, a depth of conviction–what’s not to love? And let’s face it: Roman Catholics do have nice stuff.
But I guess my concerns were less about these kinds of things than some of the specifics of their beliefs. We’ve thoroughly discussed all my concerns, so there’s no reason to bring them up here. The ideas you are being taught at the church you attend told me that you’re thinking through some of the weightier matters of the faith. (And that’s a good thing.)
So, please consider weighing out your decision. You need to consider all sides with both your head, heart, and spirit. But I wanted to let you know that Lord gave me a peace about whatever you decide. Besides, I’d much rather you pursue God as a serious, devout, Christ-loving Roman Catholic than a lukewarm “other”. Whatever decision you make, you have my support and blessing.
While I had been sorting through my feelings over the past several months, I was able to distill my concerns into only a handful of things. That said, whatever you decide, I’d ask you consider the following four pieces of advice to take with you, no matter what tribe of Christianity you end up aligning with.
First, don’t restrict yourself from the fellowship of other Christians.
Several years ago, your mom and I were having dinner with a family who recently converted from being Protestant to Roman Catholic. I knew the husband and wanted to meet with them in the hope of spending time in fellowship for mutual encouragement in Christ. But after introducing the idea, his wife explained that since they were now Roman Catholic, they couldn’t spend time with non-Roman Catholics in a religious context. While I said I understood, their stance confused me.
Not every Roman Catholic believes this and from what I can tell, it’s not a teaching of their church, so I’m not sure where this idea came from. Maybe they had plenty of Catholic friends and had no need for another relationship. Maybe they feared too much misalignment in our conversations. Maybe they secretly viewed us as heretics. I don’t know, but I was hurt by the response.
My advice: Don’t ever be like this couple.
I understand why you wouldn’t want to seek deep fellowship with lukewarm believers. I also understand why you wouldn’t want to rub shoulders with those who affirm sin and deny foundational orthodoxy. But we live in a time when spiritually mature and devout Christians are hard to come by.
So, if you’re fortunate enough to come across a holy, mature, sincere, and devout believer of any stripe (so long as they’re orthodox in their beliefs) please think twice before you reject their fellowship.
Second, don’t allow any Church to stand between you and the Lord.
What I’m asking here is very nuanced, so let me be clear.
The church is the body of Christ. It’s vitally important to the believer be a part of it.
But rather than being the corporate body of Christ, some churches see themselves as elevated in the place of Christ. Their clergy may assert themselves as some kind of intercessor between you and the Lord. Of course, there may have been an historical advantage to this. But verses like Matt. 27:51 and 1 Tim. 2:5 show us that the Old Testament role of the priestly office was abolished with Jesus’ resurrection. For He is now our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14; 8:1) and our access to Him is unhindered.
Some churches will tell you that, because they have been elevated in the place of Christ, to be merely absorbed into the church and partake of its rituals is all that’s needed. However, I see nothing in scripture to indicate this.
Rather, Jesus died so that He would be known. Not merely through liturgical rituals or priestly intercession. But through a personal, direct, and experiential relationship that He seeks to have with you.
Of course, our relationship to the Lord is corporate as much as it is personal. But don’t forget that Christ is in you (Col. 1:27). He is connected directly to you.
It’s the church’s job to foster that relationship, not to stand in place of it.
Churches can also stand between us and God in other ways. Another way is an overemphasis on theology. While it can be occasionally healthy, theology can be emphasized to the point of becoming a distraction. It can drive our pursuit of God from the heart to the brain. It’s this academic, pedantic thinking was what Paul warned us about in his letter to Titus when he said,
“…avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.” – Titus 3:9 (NIV)
At best, theology is man’s attempt to understand God. (At worst, it’s a weapon used to further divide His children along a man-made rubric.) While knowable, there’s just so much to God and his creation that will always be unknown. We could spend several lifetimes trying to mete out the perfect systematic. But that time is far better invested in the practical business of knowing Him and following Him as His child.
Third, find your identity first in Christ alone.
Christians tend to refer to themselves by their denominational pedigree rather than simply as a follower of Christ. They say things like, “as Baptists, we believe…” and “I’m a cradle Episcopalian”, or “We’re devout Catholics, so…”.
I don’t know what to think of this. Maybe it’s just a way to clarify up front the particulars of what someone believes. Maybe people just want to be transparent on where they stand on certain issues. That would be fair. But it can also project sectarianism.
I never understood why we would want to focus on what makes us different from one another when every orthodox Christian agrees on 95% or more of the things that actually matter. Is simply carrying the name of Christ not good enough that we need to add qualifiers?
Don’t get me wrong—I appreciate what each Christian tribe brings to the table. Frankly, I think we need all of them. But to view yourself primarily in contrast with other believers looks a lot like the tribalism that Paul railed against in Corinth. (1 Cor. 3:3-9).
My advice: Identify first as a follower of the Living Christ.
His Name is sufficient to tell the world where you stand. In fact, only after someone asks your what tradition you belong to should you share that information.
Lastly, if you specifically seek to be Roman Catholic, you will need to hold to the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings—all of them.
The biggest reason I could not become Roman Catholic is because I could never convince myself of what I would be required to believe. Papal authority and infallibility, the Magisterium, transubstantiation, Mary’s perpetual virginity, purgatory, and dozens of other things. Having looked into the arguments from both sides, I just find the evidence supporting these ideas questionable. Not absurd or irrational, just questionable. They’re ultimately a matter of faith.
To me, these beliefs would be great examples of things that the church could have allowed some liberty to believe or not believe as a “non-essential”. However the Roman Catholic church doesn’t see it that way. Not holding to the church’s teaching can severely jeopardize your status as a Roman Catholic and lead to formal declarations of heresy or apostasy.
So, if you’re heart is set on becoming Roman Catholic, I highly recommend you wholeheartedly believe their teaching on these matters. No crossed fingers, no reconsiderations. You need to commit to everything they believe. (Their game, their rules.)
I offer this as advice from Romans 14:22-23 which speaks to the principle of regarding your deeply held convictions as essential to your faith.
Well, that’s all I got. I’m always available to talk. Whatever you choose, I’d just ask that you carry this advice wherever you go.
And no matter what, I will always love you. You will always be my daughter and my sister in Christ.
Love,
Dadoo