As Catholics & Evangelicals Come Together On Many Fronts, Why Do Some Catholics Adopt Evangelical Notions Of The Rapture and Being "Saved?"     1st of Two Part Series. The Next Part is Catholic Influence On Protestantism.

Catholics and Evangelicals have been working together for about twenty years on many projects, but most fervently in politics.  The late Cardinal John O'Connor and the Reverend Jerry Falwell started the ball rolling on the endeavor in the mid 1980's.  What may have been unthinkable a few decades ago has occured, for the first time in history the overall Catholic vote went for a Evangelical Republican, George W Bush, who was running for President.  Those Catholics, who grew up in the President John F Kennedy era, when Catholics were often asked if they had more loyalty to the Vatican than to the US, find it amazing how much has changed in 40 years.

Yet, there has been some unintended consequences of Catholic and Evangelical working together in the aspect of some of each others dogma rubbing off on one another.  In part two, of this article, I will examine Catholic influences on Protestantism, but for now the focus is on Protestantism, especially Evangelical Protestantism's influence on some Catholics.  This following scenario is not unique among some Catholics.  You may know a Catholic from your parish or place of work who you always see at Mass.  They seem devout to you but upon conversing with them you don't know what to make of their conversation. 

They reference a sermon given by Reverend John Haggee, a Texas fire and brimstone preacher often seen on television.  You confess you don't know him but mention you have on occassion, while channel surfing, seen Joel Osteen and Charles Stanley and you kind of liked their message.  The acquaintance mildly rebukes you saying, " I am talking about preaching, those guys just talk."  You ask if they ever watch Catholic television like EWTN. The acquaintenance tells you that EWTN is on their premium cable package and they can't affod it, while the Christian channels they watch are on the basic service  This conversation which had you somewhat perplexed, now has you very perplexed  when the acquaintance talks about the Rapture and their joy at being "Saved." 

At first chance you ask a fellow Catholic you know to be well versed in the Catholic faith to see if this is indeed Catholic teaching.  Your somewhat relieved when well the informed work colleague or parishioner laughs and says there hasn't been a change in Church teaching.  If an incident like this has happened to you, you're not alone, increasingly more Catholics are espousing a belief in being "Saved" or profess a belief in the Rapture.  Although their numbers are smal, less than 10% , they are increasing but what are the real causes and where is this happening.

It might surprise some that this phenomena is not taking place in the South but more so in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and even parts of the Northeast.  Catholics in the South are usually well informed about their faith.  Often in the South there are neighborhood Bible studies and Catholics have to be informed about what they do and don't believe.  If nothing else than just to go up with the "Biblical Jonses" so to speak.

It is in the South where many Catholics would know that the current Evangelical belief of the Rapture or being "Saved" didn't come from Martin Luther, the Reformation's author.  As a matter of fact,  the first time the words "Rapture" or "Saved" in the modern context, were mentioned Luther had been dead and buried for 200 years.  It wasn't until the 1800's that these concepts were first developed.

One might ask what about John 3:7.  Doesn't Jesus tell Nicodemus you have to born again?  Many Evangelicals are surprised to find that Catholic Bibles as well as all early Protestant Bible's version of John 3:7 doesn't say "born again" at all.  The original translation is "born from above."  The change happened after several language translations from Greek, Latin and Aramaic into German and finally into English.

Many Evangelicals scoff at Purgatory asking where is that in the Bible?  Yet Tertullian was talking about purgatory and lived in the 2nd century.  The three main Catholic citations for purgatory are Matthew 25:32-32, Luke 12:59 and Hebrews 9:27 (NAB.)  The rapture wasn't even mentioned until the 19th century.  Why would God hide it so long if it was so important?

The question must be asked why are some Catholics adopting the teachings of the Rapture and being "Saved."   Belief in being saved and or being taken in the rapture takes away suffering and that certainly is enticing to some.  However, Catholicsm might be equated with a tough love parent, or a no nonsense football coach, "No pain no gain."   A great example of this is a cross vs a crucifix.  Catholics believe you have to go through Good Friday to get to Easter Sunday whereas Evangelicals believe Jesus did that already and there's no need to go through it again.  Yet isn't Jesus' message about his taking up our cross (Matthew10:38-39) and didn't evangelist Billy Graham always talk about "picking up your cross?" 

Two more earthly reasons some Catholis are adopting some of the Evangelical teachings are media and economics.  It's already been discussed  in previous articles that I have written, but Catholic radio stations number between 97-150, while Protestant, mainly Evangelical radio stations number around 2,000.  Many Catholics have no access to a Catholic radio station.  Often, with children in tow, these adults turn on their local rock or pop radio station only to hear numerous off color jokes about a variety of adult topics.  These parents don't want their children to hear that so the Evangelical station seems a safe alternative.

This coupled with the fact that many Midwest, Mid Atlantic and even Northeast small towns and cities are facing tough economic times. Is it any wonder that many economically disadvantaged Catholics take comfort in Tim LaHaye's wildly popular "Left Behind" series, about the "End Times" and the coming Rapture. These Catholics are well aware that many other Catholics have made it from the bottom of the economic totem pole to to the top in only two generations.  They already feel "left behind" and they don't want it to happen again.

Many Catholics in these communities are also appaled at what their children can hear and see on television, the school bus, the mall etc.  These Evangelical radio stations seem like an oasis.   The more politically minded of these Catholics will often refer to Pat Buchanan's, famous of infamous depending upon you point of view, "Culture War" speech at the 1992 Republican Convention. 

 Buchanan stated a "Culture War" was under way in America between those that buy into Hollywood's view of the world and those that do not.  President George HW Bush, along with most reviewing the speech at the time, didn't much like Buchanan's view of the world.  However, the President's son, future President George W Bush did and made parts of that speech a hallmark for his 2004 reelection, an election that brought millions of Evangelicals and Catholics together and set the stage for some interesting exhange of views.   Tomorrow read Part II.  How Catholicsm Is Influencing Evangelicalism. In This Coming Together of  Evangelical Protestantism & Catholicism Series"