The Reformanda Initiative Leonardo De Chirico, Reid Karr, Clay Kannard

In this episode Dr. Gregg Allison of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary joins us to discuss his latest book 40 Questions About Roman Catholicism. Dr. Allison is a long time friend and contributor to the Reformanda Initiative.

In this episode we discuss an important question: Should Evangelicals and Roman Catholics pray together? Yes? No? Or maybe, but it depends? Join us as we dive into this controversial topic.

Listen as we  kick off season 3 of the RI Podcast by discussing Leonardo De Chirico's upcoming book, Same Words, Different Worlds. Do Roman Catholics and Evangelicals Believe the Same Gospel? (IVP Apollos, 2021).

Do Evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics share a common orthodoxy, as promoted by initiatives such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together?  Or do the profound differences between Evangelical and Catholic theology and how they view the doctrines of Christ, the Church and salvation mean they actually hold to very different gospels?

Same Words, Different Worlds explores whether Evangelicals and Catholics have the same gospel if they have core commitments that contradict. It lays out how the words used to understand the gospel are the same but differ drastically in their underlying theology.

With keen insight, Leonardo de Chirico looks at various aspects of Roman Catholic theology – including Mary, the intercession of the saints, purgatory and papal infallibility – from an Evangelical perspective to argue that theological framework of Roman Catholicism is not faithful to the biblical gospel. Only by understanding the real differences can genuine dialogue flourish.

Same Words, Different Worlds will deepen your understanding of the differences between Evangelical and Catholic theology, and how the Reformation is not over in the church today.

Listen as we talk with RSLN faculty member, Rachel Ciano, about the significance and importance of Augustine of Hippo. Why should evangelicals know and study the works of Augustine, and how should they approach the man who is claimed by both Roman Catholics and Protestants?

About Rachel Ciano:
Rachel moved to England in 2005, where she and her husband ministered at an evangelical anglican church in Hove, East Sussex. They returned to Sydney in 2009, where they began a church plant in Marrickville. Rachel completed her studies at SMBC in 2010, specialising in the English Reformation, particularly Thomas Cranmer and the interaction between two key points of his theology: his Erastianism and his Eucharistic position.
Journal Articles and Book Chapters by Rachel Ciano:
Maddock, Ian J., Stuart Coulton and Rachel Ciano. 10 Dead Guys You Should Know, (Fearn, Christian Focus, 2021).Ciano, Rachel. "Lament Psalms in the Church: A History of Recent Neglect.” Pages 9-23 in Finding Lost Words: The Church’s Right to Lament. Edited by K. M. Barker and G. G. Harper. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2017. (Available for purchase from the SMBC online store)Ciano, Rachel. “Cranmer’s Doctrine of the Monarchy & Eucharist: An Examination of their Interaction.” Lucas: An Evangelical History Review 2:3 (2011): 19–43.Allison, Gregg and Rachel Ciano. “Roman Catholic Theology and Practice of the Priesthood Contrasted with Protestant Theology and Practice of the Priesthood.” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 23/1 (2019): 137-55.

In this episode ex-Catholic Mark Gilbert shares his personal testimony, and also about how is personal experience has taught him to effectively share the gospel with his Roman Catholic friends and family members.

Mark Gilbert works for Certainty4Eternity, an organisation established to help churches share the gospel with people from a Roman Catholic background. Mark grew up as a committed Roman Catholic, but despite this did not hear the gospel until he started university. He trained as a doctor before retraining as a minister, and has served in Anglican churches in Sydney since 2000. He currently works as a chaplain on the Northern Beaches. Mark has published a number of resources with Matthias Media to help people share the good news about Jesus with people from a Roman Catholic background including The God Who Saves, The Road Once Travelled and Stepping Out in Faith.

Episode Resources:

Books by Mark Gilbert:
The God Who Saves. Very Popular 5 Week Bible Study on Grace, Faith, Sin, the Cross and Good Works in a Christian’s lifeThe Road Once Travelled. Great book to give to Catholics who might be giving up on CatholicismStepping out in Faith. 11 Stories of Catholics who heard the Gospel and it changed their lives … also great to give to interested Catholics
Articles by Mark Gilbert:
GoTherefore.com articles

In this episode Lauren Moore joins us to discuss Marian apparitions, what they are, why they are important, how they impact Roman Catholicism, and how they should be viewed and understood from an Evangelical perspective.

Lauren Moore has been serving with Pioneers in southwest France for almost 12 years.  During that time she has been involved in four different church plants, each in a different stage:  the Basque Coast Baptist Church (now an established church with a pastor), the Surf Church Hossegor (a small but growing church that started in 2009), and a house church in Bidache (started in 2019).  In 2015 she helped plant Les Cairns, the first evangelical church in Lourdes, a Catholic pilgrimage city, in over 40 years.  Her experience in Catholicism allows her to train other missionaries in understanding Roman Catholicism to reach Europe.  She is also currently completing her doctoral thesis with VU Amsterdam and Union School of Theology (Wales), focusing on the impact and influence of apparitions of Mary.