Hey Jesse,
I know that you are very sincere but you continually misrepresents Catholicism and Church history. I am sure you don’t mean to, I suppose you are passing on information you have been taught without deep research.

First Catholics teach that the pain of hell is not fire and brimstone but the pain of purposefully desiring to spend eternity without the Giver of life. To a Catholic hell is eternal isolation from God.

Among other things, you posted a quote from Socrates (Ecclesiastical History Book 5, Chp. 22) which you claim Socrates is reporting that every other city but Rome is keeping the Sabbath. Please understand, the early Christians met DAILY to break bread and observe the Christian mysteries. What Socrates was actually saying is that in Rome, they meet on Sabbath but do not have a communion service on that day. It was because they did not want to seem like the Jews. They worshiped on Sunday AND on Saturday as well as all other days.... They just quit having communion on Saturdays. Please read the context and you will see Socrates is arguing AGAINST a set “Sabbath” day for Easter or Saturday.  I think you need to be very careful about your information before you pass it on as truth.
Your in Christ,
Teresa Beem

Dear Jesse,
I wanted to write to you privately, but I couldn’t find your email address on the website. So I hope I can just post my concerns here. It is very understandable, being raised in a Protestant country, that you should not have a good grasp on Catholic doctrine--most American Catholics don’t! But I know that if you would take the time to really research Catholic beliefs you would find most of your statements would be retracted.

Catholics wrote the New Testament (Catholics believe they began with Christ himself), they translated it into languages worldwide even creating a written language where there was none in order to give the people the written Word of God, protected the Bible with their life and spent their lives copying it in order to preserve it faithfully for the next generation. ALL this for two thousand years! Catholics deeply reverence the Scriptures as the Word of God. What you and many Protestants misunderstand is that Catholics interpret the Bible differently, they don’t disregard it. ALL Catholic dogma is solidly based on the Bible. That seems impossible to believe as a Protestant, but please research and you will find out they do, even if you disagree with their interpretation.

You had a quote in the sermon that suggested the Pope believes he can make decisions for God. Well, hold on to your hats, but that is EXACTLY what the Bible itself reports!! Please look at what Jesus says in Matt. 19. The pharisees ask Jesus if divorce is lawful and Jesus says divorce WAS NOT allowed by the Creator. But that “because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses permitted you to divorce.” Moses, as God’s appointed authority, DID soften the word of God to allow divorce. God gave Moses that authority to lead. This is the same type of authority that Jesus gave Peter in Matt. 16. “I give you the keys of the kingdom. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” This is a CARTE BLANCHE statement of power. He first gave this authority to Peter and then to the other apostles. So when the pope says he is the vicar of Christ, he is making no greater assertion than did Moses. God placed Peter and his successors in charge. This was pronounced by Jesus IN the Bible.

You also implied that the Catholic Ten Commandments are different from the Protestants--saying something like “some are missing.” Please read a Catholic Bible. ALL the Ten Commandments are there, they just put what Protestants’ consider commandment one and two together. They also break up your commandment ten into two. They are all there, just under different numbers. That is the way they were read for the first 1600 years until the Protestants changed the numbers--not the Catholics.

I have no problem at all with anyone disagreeing with Catholic beliefs. The problem is that people continually misstate doctrines as Catholic, when they are not.

Just as many people accuse Adventists of teaching you must keep Sabbath to get into heaven (which is untrue, Adventist teach salvation by faith alone), you pass on the false impression that Catholic doctrine states we have to earn salvation. That again, is not Catholic doctrine. While we do not believe in Sola Fide (by faith alone), Catholics believe in Sola Gratia--by GOD’s GRACE alone. Catholics simply do NOT teach that we can work or earn our way to heaven. Salvation is a gift from God.

Often Catholics and Protestants misunderstand each other because of language. My suggestion is to see a Priest and really find out what Catholics DO believe.  I live in the area and would be most happy to meet you and explain it to you. Since I grew up Adventist, I do know how to “translate” Catholic into Protestant words. Then, when you have a sermon like this in your Revelation Seminars, you could at least use TRUE Catholic beliefs and history to create a scenario where they are the antichrist!! (However, I think you will find that it would be impossible.)

In the love and grace of Jesus,
Teresa Beem

Hello reader, this is Jesse, I have begun corresponding with Teresa Beem over email, I shall attempt to truncate our conversation eventually and post the conclusions here, or in the forums.

Jesse

Jesse,
I , as of June 24, 2009, have not received any emails from you wishing to discuss any of the issues I brought up. I know that you are a very busy man with a family and pastoring, so I am not in any way complaining, just reminding you.....!
God bless,
Teresa Beem

Hey everyone! It is now August and I haven’t yet gotten any response. At this point I will assume you are not interested in dialogue with me about the points upon which you were mistaken. God bless,
Teresa Beem

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