I wonder if the smaller subset of intellectuals who are a) historians and b) convert to Christianity has a higher percentage converting to Protestantism. I do feel that for a lot of intellectuals alienated from the church, they mainly want an aesthetic shift away from the megachurch culture they're familiar with, which makes Catholicism or Orthodoxy seem more exotic (and therefore more appealing).
Also, I think if we see a big upswing in very traditional Catholics today, we will see a Hegelian counter swing towards low-church "personal" faith (whether Protestant or Catholic) in about 30 years.
There might be temporary benefits (which might in turn spill over to benefit me) but I think there is only one true religion. The others have serious eternal consequences
With regard to the intellectuals not converting to Protestantism: Isn’t it a matter of knowing basic history? I wouldn’t doubt the sincerity of a simple person who accepted Jesus at a revival and joined whatever church around them seemed to be preaching and living God’s Word. But for someone who knows that only the Catholic or Orthodox Churches existed over 500 years ago, it would seem like an incomplete conversion to settle for something less than what Christ established. Sorry if that’s a bit blunt, but that is the only real reason to be Catholic—it is the Church founded by Jesus.
(One can argue that some Anglican and Lutheran churches maintain some continuity, but the criterion is still how “Catholic” they are, so you might as well go to the source.)
WRT your first question, perhaps it’s aesthetic. My evangelical, Bapticostal/non-denom church meets in a hotel basement. I’m there for the quality of the sermon, the people, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Lovely Catholic churches are built with rich history and artistry and tell Biblical stories in the stained glass. You could spend forever in them. Guess which one a new convert is going to.
True but there are lots of other people who share your values and priorities upon conversion, and don't want the ornament of Catholic churches. Not sure how this shakes out in terms of numbers going to each
I wonder if the smaller subset of intellectuals who are a) historians and b) convert to Christianity has a higher percentage converting to Protestantism. I do feel that for a lot of intellectuals alienated from the church, they mainly want an aesthetic shift away from the megachurch culture they're familiar with, which makes Catholicism or Orthodoxy seem more exotic (and therefore more appealing).
Also, I think if we see a big upswing in very traditional Catholics today, we will see a Hegelian counter swing towards low-church "personal" faith (whether Protestant or Catholic) in about 30 years.
Very good points!
I can't be truly comfortable encouraging people to become religious in general.
why not? if all religions bring people peace of mind and make them more warren-court-liberal, aren't there no downsides?
There might be temporary benefits (which might in turn spill over to benefit me) but I think there is only one true religion. The others have serious eternal consequences
With regard to the intellectuals not converting to Protestantism: Isn’t it a matter of knowing basic history? I wouldn’t doubt the sincerity of a simple person who accepted Jesus at a revival and joined whatever church around them seemed to be preaching and living God’s Word. But for someone who knows that only the Catholic or Orthodox Churches existed over 500 years ago, it would seem like an incomplete conversion to settle for something less than what Christ established. Sorry if that’s a bit blunt, but that is the only real reason to be Catholic—it is the Church founded by Jesus.
(One can argue that some Anglican and Lutheran churches maintain some continuity, but the criterion is still how “Catholic” they are, so you might as well go to the source.)
WRT your first question, perhaps it’s aesthetic. My evangelical, Bapticostal/non-denom church meets in a hotel basement. I’m there for the quality of the sermon, the people, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Lovely Catholic churches are built with rich history and artistry and tell Biblical stories in the stained glass. You could spend forever in them. Guess which one a new convert is going to.
True but there are lots of other people who share your values and priorities upon conversion, and don't want the ornament of Catholic churches. Not sure how this shakes out in terms of numbers going to each
Been thinking about this for a while. Maybe having a more solid hierarchy makes it more conservative and less likely to deviate from Scripture or become heretical. I wrote a blog post on it: https://tianaluo.substack.com/p/non-denominational-churches-are-a
I think there is something to that, but Protestantism is actually the best placed off all the major traditions to refute heresy https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Means-Be-Protestant-Always-Reforming/dp/0310156327