Still Indulging in Indulgences

If you thought the Roman Catholic Church was done with indulgences after the Reformation, think again.

Trueman on Catholicism

In light of Dr. Beckwith's conversion to Roman Catholicism, Dr. Carl Trueman, from Reformation21.org, will be offering "a few areas where Protestants can learn from Catholics, or share common ground" here, while next month he will write about some places where Protestants must part company with Catholicism.

Dr. Beckwith Speaks Again

Dr. Frank Beckwith, my former professor and friend, has spoken some more about his reversion to Roman Catholicism here (thank you to James White's blog for making me aware of this), and another one here.

Dr. Beckwith's Return to Rome 2

Please check out the STR blog where Greg Koukl and Melinda Penner discuss their conversation with Dr. Beckwith.

It's barely encouraging, but resigning E.T.S. and going through the necessary steps to receive absolution from the RCC seems more to me than an issue of semantics.

Dr. Francis Beckwith's Return to Rome

Dr. Beckwith and his wife Frankie are both very dear friends of mine, and I am greatly saddened to hear about their conversion to Roman Catholicism (click here to read what he said on his blog and here in an interview with Christianity Today).

I do admire him for the courage it took to step down as the president of E.T.S. and resign from E.T.S. completely, assuming responsibility for his convictions, living with the difficult and painful consequences and saving E.T.S from the firestorm of controversy that would ensue.

Dr. Beckwith was my teacher in graduate school. During that time I became very close with him and his wife Frankie. Since graduating in 2002, I have periodically kept in touch through email. It is a singular joy for me to see them the few times that I have since graduation, and I love them both very much.

Because of my utmost respect and love for them and because I have not talked with them personally, I'm not going to say much about them. I just don't think it would be right to do so having not spoken to them.

However, I have added them to my daily prayer list and I hope many of you who are concerned about them have done the same.

I will say that as a theological system I am totally opposed to R.C.C. I have studied their views on penance, Mary, the Mass and the Pope by reading their sources and find those views blasphemous and utterly incompatible with the Bible.