Roman Catholic Apologetics Is Surging Online. Intended Audience? Protestants.

Andrew Voigt

In recent years, several notable Protestant converts to Roman Catholicism have made waves online. Influencers like Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity, Candace Owens, Joshua Charles, and Eva Vlaardingerbroek crossed the Tiber from various expressions of Protestantism.

Prominent evangelical pastors like Ulf Ekman, Keith Nester, and Brook Thelander made headlines when they converted to Roman Catholicism. Similar stories are littered across social media, YouTube, and websites like The Coming Home Network.

Prior decades witnessed numerous prominent Protestant-to-Catholic conversions, including Francis Beckwith, Christian Smith, and Thomas Howard.

What drives these Christian thinkers to make this jump? Several theories could be explored, but one factor might concern the surprising savvy of online Roman Catholic apologetics, particularly on platforms like YouTube. When someone has questions surrounding various views on Christian traditions, doctrines, or sacraments (e.g., the Eucharist), a YouTube search will turn up a litany of Roman Catholic videos, while Protestant perspectives are rarely sufficiently and accurately presented. I suspect there are are least two reasons.

First, Catholic apologists are much more focused on growing Roman Catholicism as an institution (i.e., “the one true church”) than on merely winning souls for Christ. This makes sense given Catholicism’s traditional view that to be outside the church is to be outside Christ. The call “home” is a call to the institution of the Catholic Church, not merely a call to find redemption in Christ. Second, Protestant apologetics has leaned heavily into addressing atheism, postmodernism, and modern secular culture’s loss of morality, without focusing enough on learning and practicing our Protestant distinctives. But it’s precisely this focus on Protestant distinctives that would naturally clarify the differences between the Protestant tradition and Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Protestants Are a Primary Catholic Mission Field

Where Protestant apologetics is more focused on winning the secular world to Christ, Roman Catholic apologetics often has a different audience in mind: their “separated brethren.” Targeting Protestants is explicitly encouraged. One writer argues, “We have from baptism a mandate to evangelize, and Protestantism is one of the fields most ready for harvesting.”

Protestant apologetics has leaned heavily into addressing atheism, postmodernism, and modern secular culture’s loss of morality.

William Lane Craig recently commented on this trend: “Many Catholic apologists seem to be more exercised and worked up about winning Protestants to Catholicism than they are with winning non-Christians to Christ. And that seems to me to be a misplaced emphasis.”

Protestant apologist Mike Winger (BibleThinker) made a similar observation: “I believe Roman Catholic apologists are presenting content that’s inconsistent with Roman Catholicism because it’s useful in getting Protestants to become Catholic. And that I find problematic.”

Italian Protestant pastor Leonardo De Chirico points out that it was once often perceived that evangelical Christians were proselytizing Roman Catholics. Now, it appears Rome is returning the favor in full force via YouTube and the internet. De Chirico cites as one example Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire ministry, which has “exploded with videos, books, and courses designed to attract disappointed evangelicals toward Catholicism.”

Much of this is downstream from Vatican II, the contentious council many perceive to be the Catholic Church’s strategic move to appeal to their separated brethren (Protestants) to return to “home sweet Rome.”

Why Should It Matter to Protestants?

Roman Catholic apologists sometimes misrepresent actual Catholic doctrine. They soften terminology to appear harmonious with Protestant views on soteriology, among other doctrines. In using similar terminology and softening the severity of the numerous anathemas against Protestants, these influencers are attracting disillusioned or dissatisfied Christians to a tradition with its own concerning history.

Behind the curtain of liturgy, aesthetics, and reverent ceremony is a mountain of doctrinal, dogmatic, and ritualistic accretions that bind the consciences of faithful Roman Catholics. Such accretions (that were unknown to the early church) include teachings on purgatory, the Marian dogmas, transubstantiation in the Eucharist, papal infallibility, and priestly celibacy. Sometimes, the concept of “doctrinal development,” a view accentuated by Cardinal John Henry Newman, has been used to defend these dogmatic additions to early church confessions.

Where Protestant apologetics are more focused on winning the secular world to Christ, Catholic apologetics often have a different audience in mind: their ‘separated brethren.’

The truth is, significant theological differences still exist between Protestants and Roman Catholics, most crucially the nature of the gospel itself. Protestants argue from Scripture that salvation is through grace by faith alone, a salvation imputed to the believer through the finished work of Christ. Such a forensic declaration of righteousness will result in good works, but it is not obtained through good works. Roman Catholic theology teaches infused grace in which the believer is empowered to live a righteous life, with the hope of remaining in a state of grace. Rather than a forensic declaration, Roman Catholic soteriology is ultimately one of participation where the believer is dependent upon the grace of God and merit through their own good works and the sacraments (particularly penance). Despite similarities in language, the two ideas are vastly different at their core.

The gospel is unbelievably great news, especially when held in its proper context without accreted doctrines and additional requirements that burden believers’ consciences. My heart is heavy knowing that, in the pursuit of church tradition perceived as rooted and reverent, many believers will find their consciences bound to fallible doctrines.

Protestant Response

What are some practical ways Protestant believers can respond to the rise of online Catholic apologetics? Here are four suggestions as a start.

1. Revisit Reformed roots.

Many Protestants, particularly American evangelicals, need to explore their roots beyond Billy Graham and Charles Spurgeon. What was taking place in the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century that required reform? Has Catholicism been consistent in its teaching? Is Protestantism a “new” church that apostatized from the “one true church,” or was the Reformation motivated by a desire to return to catholic apostolic doctrine without the accretions of Rome?

Protestant Christians must reclaim their tradition, becoming familiar not only with Reformation-era theologians but also with the significant contributions of post-Reformation Protestants. We should retrieve the theology of our tradition before delving into the complexities of non-Protestant traditions. Without familiarity with the best of our tradition, it’s easier to fall into doubt when we hear opposing claims.

2. Equip the laity.

Evangelicalism, especially in the United States, tends to be perceived as shallow in doctrine, modern in praxis, and disconnected from any knowledge of church history. Unfortunately, this often a fair evaluation. When our churches neglect doctrine and church history, those wishing for rootedness in an intellectual and historical tradition may find their way to Rome.

Local church pastors should incorporate the wisdom of church fathers in sermons rather than merely regurgitating quotes from C. S. Lewis and other modern theologians. Outside of Sunday worship services, local churches can host classes that delve into different aspects of church history or historical theology. Revisit core creeds and confessions. Equip the local church with resources for anyone wrestling with ecclesial and theological questions.

3. Be rooted in Scripture.

I’m convinced that if you were to come to Scripture without a Protestant or Roman Catholic framework, you’d complete your study with a much more Protestant theology than a Catholic one. This is why Rome depends on claims of oral tradition and ecclesial authority in addition to the infallibility of Scripture.

Does this mean tradition is inconsequential? No. Protestants value tradition (lowercase t) when it aligns with and upholds the truths of Scripture. Sola scriptura (Scripture alone) isn’t antitradition. But it does subject church doctrines, traditions, and leadership to the higher authority of Scripture. To recognize and rebut unbiblical ideas in Roman Catholic teaching, Protestants need to know the Bible inside and out.

4. Participate in reforming Protestantism.

If you’re a biblically faithful Protestant with knowledge of church history and the Reformation, prayerfully consider how you might provide a Protestant response in contrast to the surge of Roman Catholic content online. This could be a YouTube channel or online writing, leading a study offered at your local church, or starting a book discussion group with a mix of Protestants and Catholics. Engage in the discussions from an informed perspective, and do it in a spirit of charity and love, not argumentation.

Recommended Resources

Whether you’re a Protestant wrestling with the claims of Roman Catholic apologetics or a Christian simply interested in learning more about these matters, see the brief list of resources below for further study.

If you want a deeper dive into the rich history of Protestant thought, check out the works of classical Protestants such as Philip Schaff, Francis Turretin, Herman Bavinck, Martin Bucer, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Martin Chemnitz.

YouTube Channels

Books

Websites

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