PENTECOSTAL CATHOLICS
"See that no one deceives you." (Mark 13:6)
Pentecostalism was eventually revamped for Catholic tastes. Its true origin underplayed or even denied, it was presented as an authentic movement of the Holy Spirit. By calling it "Catholic Charismatic Renewal" there was no room left to question its catholicity. An elaborate charismatic theology was developed to authenticate it. Were Cardinal Suenens and his cronies successful turning what was essentially a Protestant movement into a Catholic one? Was the Church victorious transforming Pentecostalism and at the same time integrating Pentecostal precepts? Can bacon be made from a dog?
What was the use to go outside the Church for this so called renewal? Did the Catholic Church not already hold the fullness of truth? What did Pentecostals possess that we did not already have? Pentecostalism did not bring renewal to the Catholic Church! What could an inferior breakaway little sect do for Mother Church? Luther must be laughing in his grave; not even in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that what he began the Church would finish for him.
Of course the Catholic Charismatic Renewal has not been operating in isolation. We have witnessed a proliferation of smaller movements with their roots in Pentecostalism. While not readily apparent, virtually every new Catholic movement promotes the charismatic culture. The attraction this charismatic stew has on the would-be-converts, especially those with evangelical backgrounds is not insignificant either. Haven’t we all read their “homecoming” testimonies? Not that I have anything against new converts, but what I vehemently oppose is having the technically Catholic, but insufficiently converted instructing us about our own faith.
Yet this is what happens when a convert comes from a well developed Protestant background. He writes a book or two and goes on a speaking tour. Just take a look at some of our most celebrated apologists; most of them are former Protestants. And for gracing our ranks we reward them by celebrating every outrageous idea they invent.
HahnTake "Hahnism" for instance. By definition Hahnisms is "covenant, covenant, COVENANT." The Bible of course is the first principle of theology; could Hahn be really a closet Protestant? I am referring to the poster boy of celebrity converts; Scott Hahn. Hahn wrote some bizarre stuff comparing the Trinity to the human family and he also came up with a type of reverse transubstantiation with his "fourth cup theory". One wonders how could the Catholic Church get by for two thousand years without the novelties of Scott Hahn? Read more about Scott Hahn's Novelties in the New Oxford Review
But one of the most notorious examples is Wayne Weible’s conversion to Catholicism. He went to Medjugorje, got hooked on it and became a Catholic. Then all of a sudden we are listening to Weible’s version of apparition discernment rather than to the well established channels of Catholic discernment.
On a smaller scale the same thing happened at my own parish. About ten years ago there was an Evangelical convert who was received into the Church at the Easter Vigil. Well guess who was instructing seventh grade catechism four months later? One year of RCIA is simply not sufficient preparation for a convert to lead a Confirmation class!
