The core beliefs and the enshrined practices of Roman Catholicism deeply concerned the

reformers 500 years ago, and those same concerns remain largely uneleviated for contemporary

Protestants today, problems that we still see in the latest teachings of the Pope, and

even in the most up-to-date version of the official Catechism of the Catholic Church.

It all leads to a question over whether a devout Roman Catholic can be genuinely saved,

comes from a listener named Jimmy, Hello, Pastor John, a close friend of mine passed away

recently.

He was a great man, a good friend, a mentor to many young men like myself, and a devout

Catholic.

Will I see my friend in heaven, or does his theological views make this impossible?

Can I rightly experience Paul's sorrowful, yet always rejoicing mantra?

Or was my friend merely a devout husband, a wonderful friend, and a good man?

In other words, do you believe devout Catholics can be genuine Christians?

Before I answer that specific question, let me lay out again the reasons we should be

seriously concerned with Roman Catholic teaching, and that at numerous levels, its contradictory

stance toward Scripture that produces, I think, a kind of religion which I fear has

led many people astray even into destruction.

And I do not mean that Roman Catholicism has a corner on that kind of misleading teaching.

There are lots of brands of so-called Christian tradition that have damaged people by the

errors that they represent.

So let me give you six examples of what concerns me about Roman Catholic teaching, and that

I think we should be very concerned about and steer clear of.

...