When coin in Cerulo’s coffer rings,
Then your soul to Heaven springs…

Are denominations divisions of the body? Where does the traditional church (like that of the Scribes and Pharisees)end and where does the true Body of Christ begin? I think…..only God knows. As the Body of Christ (lively stones fitly joined together/ Christ as the chief Corner Stone) is ‘in the world but not of the world…I believe individual ‘lively stones’ are in the traditional church…but not of the traditional church!

..Enjoying your comments.

It’s the meeting on the road to Emmaus – “27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

The two disciples very probably knew the Scriptures for themselves, but they needed guidance as to how to interpret them properly.

That’s all we’re sayin’

(Yes, of course, then the argument starts over “But what exactly is the proper interpretation, and who has it?”)

Um – haven’t we been discussing, oh, the guys who take Revelations and run with it to tell us the exact day, hour and minute the end of the world is going to happen?

The discussion about ‘is being a stay-at-home dad a sin’?

Divorce and remarriage – yes? no? maybe?

Abortion – “Jesus says nothing about it!” which yes, I’ve seen used as an argument.

And of course, the great Anglican kerfuffle currently going on about ordaining non-celibate gays to the priesthood – “hey, Scripture says nothing about it!” “Er – this verse here?” “Oh come on, that’s the same as the prohibition against eating shellfish!”

Someone taking a Bible in his or her hand, pulling out a verse, and saying “This proves God wants us to – ” can indeed be harmful.

“It’s hard not to make this observation: Is the distribution of the scripture OUTSIDE of the context of the church’s teaching authority something the RCC can fully endorse?”

Apart from the teaching authority of the Church? I believe the answer would be no. Yet, from the Catholic’s prerogative, that’s a positive, obeying the injunction of Christ, kinda thing.

Why would one delibrately desire it to be outiside the context of the church except to rid oneself of its authority because they preceive it as wrong (I guess?).

“Historically, the RCC opposed the translation and distribution of the Bible.”

This is a broad (I belive, incorrect) generalization; it opposed translations unauthorized by bishops. There were numerous translations of Scripture in many countries prior to the invention of the printing press and the time of the Reformation. Regarding its distribution, well the times were interesting, were they not?

Historically (500 years ago), from the RCC perspective, the bishops acted to protect the word of God from profanation as well as serving the preservation of the Gospel of Christ. Those on the other side, obviously, would disagree.

“Now that the church is more committed to the average Catholic layperson having the Bible and reading it devotionally, how about the next level: scripture evangelism.”

How about that continuous reading by the bishops and cardinals for starters? That was my point; it is an incredibly exciting form of evangelization!

From my own experience, reliance upon Scripture reading alone, STRATCH THAT, reliance upon:

My NIV Study Bible, my Scofield Study Bible, my Reformation Study Bible, my NASB Study Bible, My Johnny Mac Study Bible, my “fill in the blank” Study Bible, (I had even more, seriously) the myriad of teachers in my place of worship, teachers in those places I visited, multitudes of Christian publishing houses and their books, on many Christian radio staitions, on numerous differing Christian ministries websites, discussion groups and blogs … I was led to some funky places (ie. supralapsarianism). I succeeding in getting really dizzy.

Aside from all this, what witnessed to me MOST in the Catholic evangel was the mass itself; the mass which is infused and saturated in the Word of God. And at the center of it all, I was touched to the core by the sacrament of the WORD, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

He, in the center of the mass, I believe is the heart of our evangelism. I guess I could hand out an approved bible (I gave out many bibles in my pre-Catholic days, my husband was a Gideon) as well as a copy of the CCC with it.

My preference though, would be rather to invite a friend to mass, sit in the cry room and excitedly talk them through it.

Sorry this is long.

Peace & Joy in the Trials,
Jenny

ps The suckiness gets better, I promise. It still really stinks though.

IMONK, why the distance? Can you speak to that for me…for understanding only….not debate (smile).