First of all, let me start out by saying, I believe the title to this post presents a question that is likely inappropriate, and certainly one that is potentially divisive.
Great wars, and millions of people have died over the years, in the wake of such a question, and its subsequent answer in the hearts of man.
I am fairly certain that simply asking the question, rouses emotion in many of the minds of my readers.
So...why ask the question? Because I think it ultimately leads us to a more important question: Who are the elect of Christ? Is it possible that a Catholic would be present in that group?
It is not for us to judge who is, and isn't, elect. That decision is left alone to Christ, at the Great White Throne Judgment. Trust me, we won't be there to decide, and furthermore, this isn't a committee decision.
The other belief that I possess, is that... there will be surprises! There will be a great many, from both the Catholic, and Protestant traditions, who will find themselves shut out, in the last days. Being Catholic, or Protestant does not make one a Christian. The Bible makes it clear, you must be born again.
Dave, Dave, Dave!....Where are you going with this?
I have recently reconnected with a dear friend, from high school, and he has turned from being an Evangelical, to a Catholic.
There is a great chasm of theological distinctions, between these two camps. So...will I be enjoying my great friend's company, for all eternity?
Again, will all those who believe in God go to heaven? Nope! For even the demons believe in God.
Will all "Christians" go to heaven? Nope! Not everyone who calls themselves a Christian, has in fact actually placed their trust, in a regenerated relationship with Christ.
Will there be Catholics in heaven? I believe so! I believe that there are certainly Catholics who have placed their faith, in Christ, and have been awakened by the Spirit of God.
Will my friend, who has recently turned to Catholicism be in heaven? While I am certainly not the judge, I believe him to possess a genuine faith. How, and why he leaped across the chasm, I do not fully understand. God is sovereign.
This I do know, we will certainly have many interesting conversations in the coming years. We will certainly strengthen each others faith, as we enter into this dialog.
It is kind of weird, however, being called by him, a "separated brother". Here is a copy of a recent blog post from my friend:
"After our meeting, I had lunch with Dave, my friend from high school. We attended the same church and were both heavily involved in the church youth group. We have both been through a lot since then, as you can imagine, but we still share our faith in Christ and our desire to do his will. He is thoughtful about his faith, and is active in expanding his understanding of God. I was able to share with him my some of my reasons for becoming Catholic. He shared some of the concerns about Catholicism, which are typical of evangelicals, and which I myself had 20 years ago. We had a great conversation, and came to understand that we are both struggling with some of the same issues on the path to holiness- idolatry, pride, and self-sufficiency, for example. Despite our differences, which are real, we had a fellowship in Christ which strengthened my faith.
My conversation with Dave reminded me that we Catholics have much to learn from our ’separated brethren’, as Vatican II describes them. It is good to review again the words of Lumen Gentium-
The Church recognizes that in many ways she is linked with those who, being baptized, are honored with the name of Christian, though they do not profess the faith in its entirety or do not preserve unity of communion with the successor of Peter. (14*) For there are many who honor Sacred Scripture, taking it as a norm of belief and a pattern of life, and who show a sincere zeal. They lovingly believe in God the Father Almighty and in Christ, the Son of God and Saviour. (15*) They are consecrated by baptism, in which they are united with Christ. They also recognize and accept other sacraments within their own Churches or ecclesiastical communities. Many of them rejoice in the episcopate, celebrate the Holy Eucharist and cultivate devotion toward the Virgin Mother of God.(16*) They also share with us in prayer and other spiritual benefits. Likewise we can say that in some real way they are joined with us in the Holy Spirit, for to them too He gives His gifts and graces whereby He is operative among them with His sanctifying power. Some indeed He has strengthened to the extent of the shedding of their blood. In all of Christ’s disciples the Spirit arouses the desire to be peacefully united, in the manner determined by Christ, as one flock under one shepherd, and He prompts them to pursue this end.
God calls us to be one body. We are called to work toward unity, and can do this in a variety of ways. First and foremost, we must strive to be holy. Prayer in common and fellowship are also important steps in working toward unity. Despite our theological differences, we can experience the fellowship of the holy spirit with our separated brothers, and when that happens, great things can happen, as we have seen from our study of Acts."
The coming conversations will be most interesting, will be challenging to my beliefs, will force me to understand why I believe what I do, and will serve as a great education for both of us.
I love my brother in Christ, and look forward to a very stimulating conversation.
Your feedback, and thoughts, are very welcome here. One rule: be respectful. This is my good friend!
