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

If one wants to come to terms with Roman Catholic theology, sooner than later one needs to address the “nature-grace interdependence.” Roman Catholicism is pervaded by an attitude that is confident in the capacity of nature and matter to objectify grace (the bread that becomes Christ’s body, the wine that becomes Christ’s blood, the water of baptism that regenerates, and the oil of anointing that conveys grace), in the person’s ability to cooperate and contribute to salvation with his/her own works, in the capacity of the conscience to be the point of reference for truth. In theological terms, according to this view, grace intervenes to “elevate” nature to its supernatural end, relying on it and presupposing its untainted capacity to be elevated.

Episode resource: https://vaticanfiles.org/en/2022/06/vf202/ 

In this episode we discuss Robert Bellarmine, a lesser known figure of historic Roman Catholicism who was a crucial figure in the Roman Catholic response to the Reformation. His is a name that should be known, and in this episode we make a case for why that is.

In this episode we talk with pastor Robbie Bellis (RSLN contributor and European church planter) about the Roman Catholic position regarding the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. What does Roman Catholicism teach about the atonement and about redemption accomplished and applied? Do evangelicals agree? Why is this important?


Robbie Bellis is a pastor of the Eglise Protestante Evangélique de Louvain-la-Neuve, a church he helped plant in 2020. He obtained a ThM from Westminster Seminary Philadelphia. His Masters Thesis was on the decline of the belief of penal substitution in the Roman Catholic Church during the 20th Century. Additionally, Robbie teaches one day a week at the Institut Biblique de Bruxelles helping train future pastors and church workers in Belgium.

In this episode we discuss Leonardo's latest Vatican File that presents a historical trajectory of the nature/grace interdependence, which represents one of the pillars of the Roman Catholic theological system. In our discussion we also briefly recap the nature/grace interdependence.

Episode Resource
Vatican File 201: “Gratia Supponit Naturam”? A Historical Sketch of the Nature-Grace Interdependance (Part I)

Listen as we discuss Leonardo's latest Vatican File, n.200, in which he defines "liquid" Roman Catholicism and explains why some Roman Catholics, like George Weigel, are concerned about it. Weigel and other Roman Catholic traditionalists dream of a return to a more “Roman” Catholicism: but have they not yet understood that their religion is also increasingly “Catholic” at the same time?

Episode Notes:
Vatican Files. VF200: "Who is Afraid of "Liquid" Roman Catholicism?" by Leonardo De Chirico
First Things. "Liquid Catholicism and the German Synodal Path" by George Wiegel

What happens when the wrong words are said during your baptism? Does it have consequences on your salvation, your participation in the church, your marriage? If you are a Roman Catholic the answer is... It depends! Listen to part 2 of this episode where we discuss the theological implications of the 2022 baptism recall notice, where the diocese of Phoenix, Arizona recently declared the thousands of baptisms performed by “Father Andres” over the last 20 years to be invalid.

Episode notes: 
1. The FAQ website provided by the diocese of Phoenix, Arizona: https://dphx.org/valid-baptisms/