BY: Kara Hackett, Managing Editor
Published: Aug. 31, 2012
After three years at Taylor, junior David Chiu describes his faith as 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant.
He says most students accept him and his faith.
"But there are always a few people who say Catholics are not Christians," Chiu said. "It's frustrating because we're still people who believe in Jesus Christ."
Chiu is part of Taylor's small Catholic subculture, learning in a largely protestant setting and sometimes singled out by his denomination's beliefs.
Although theological differences between Catholics and Protestants exist, students and Bible professors agree the similarities outweigh the differences, and understanding the beliefs of each denomination is a critical step to further develop one's own faith.
"The more we know about Catholicism, the more we can extend our fellowship and respect to them and their theology," said Joseph Pak, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies.
But Pak says even on Taylor's campus, some Protestants approach Catholics to "save" them.
Biblical Studies Professor Bill Heth says Catholic students in his Historic Christian Belief classes report a similar trend.
"I know evangelical Protestants who - even if they are not ultra conservative - will sometimes automatically look at Catholics as not being true Christians," Heth said.
Questions about Catholicism are typically raised during Taylor's Historic Christian Belief classes, Heth says, because students compare and contrast beliefs of the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Wesleyan, Arminian and Calvinist branches of Christianity.
Heth teaches the class with former Biblical Studies Professor Ted Dorman's "A Faith for All Seasons" textbook to outline different Christian beliefs.
"Anyone reading it can easily make their own comparison," Heth said. "I view my task as making these differences clear and letting the students decide for themselves."
But when Chiu read the text, he found it represented a limited perspective on the Catholic faith, implying that Catholics rely on the Church to dictate their faith rather than think for themselves.
"There's a couple parts of the book I wouldn't agree with," Chiu said.
Senior biology major and Catholic Dave Kaufmann agrees with Chiu and says Taylor's Bible classes were particularly challenging for him to integrate with a lifetime of Catholic beliefs.
Pak says one of the main difference between Protestantism and Catholicism is that Catholics have a different Bible.
They have the same 66 Old Testament and New Testament Books as Protestants, but they also have the Apocrypha, an intertestamental literature Jews and Protestants never accepted as Scripture because they believed the seven Apocryphal books included in the Catholic Bible have theological and other errors, according to Pak.
"But the churches have kept them around for the purpose of edification and personal reading," Pak said.
Another difference between Catholics and Protestants is their views of the nature, constitution and functions of the Church.
Pak says Protestants believe in the visible Church (those who claim to be Christians) and the invisible Church ("born again Christians" who are the true body of Christ).
On the other hand, Catholics believe the Catholic Church is the only true Church, and the Popes received their authority from Christ because their lineage can be traced back to Peter, to whom Christ said in Matthew 16:18, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church."
A third difference between Catholics and Protestants revolves around salvation. Both branches of Christendom believe salvation is only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and it is through grace that we are saved, says Pak.
"The difference comes in how that grace works," Pak said.
Protestants believe God gives grace directly to the individual, and Catholics believe grace is given to the individual primarily through the seven Church sacraments and good works.
"One thing we need to learn from Catholics is the emphasis on good works," Pak said. "We have largely neglected to emphasize that as Protestants, but the Lutheran reformers emphasized that genuine faith will be accompanied by good works."
Ultimately, Pak and Heth agree the differences between Catholics and Protestants are often perceived to be more divisive than they are.
Like Protestants, Catholics acknowledge the Trinity, the virgin birth, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, bodily resurrection and the second coming, Pak said.
Chiu agrees, adding that even Catholic practices, such as praying to the saints, that are difficult for some Protestants to understand are quite similar to Protestant practices.
"The position of the Catholic Church is that saints were godly people, so it's like asking a friend to pray on your behalf," Chiu said.
Kaufmann deeply reveres the saints and the papacy, but says during his time at Taylor, he has learned a lot about the zeal and passionate attitude Protestants have toward Scripture.
He believes both denominations can learn from each other and teach each other, like two players on the same team.
"In today's relativistic culture in America, we can't fight each other," Kaufmann said. "We have to share ideas, find common ground and learn to listen."
