Papal Attack Hits Canada

A reader in Canada, Pastor Doug Smith, responds to our recent postings on coverage on the new pope. He is one among many non-Catholics who recognize the attack as being upon on all Christians:

I heartily agree with Hutchens: the attack against the "Hardliner Pope" is not merely an attack against Roman Catholics but all Believers whatever their particular stripe. (I am an Evangelical minister serving in Flin Flon Mb. Canada.) In fact here is an editorial I wrote for our local paper recently:

Give the Pope a Break

I am not a Catholic, as a matter of a fact I am a Protestant Minister but the ongoing accusation that the new Pope is "conservative" is as ridiculous as criticizing him for being Catholic. Roman Catholicism specifically, and Christianity generally share a common belief in revealed Truth. The Bible, the Creeds, and to a varying degree church history and tradition, all come to us as teachers of that Truth. Believers, whether they be Pope or pauper are therefore all conservative. It is our goal to conserve the saving message of Jesus Christ and pass it on, not only to those around us, but also to the next generation.

         I am all for using the latest technology to spread this message, to make it "new" for this time. Every generation since Christ has done this to some extent. But to change our teachings because they are deemed unpopular or even worse: un-liberal, I think not. The liberal elites have for a long time been accusing the rest of us of being "intolerant". They fail to see that there are things worth preserving (sanctity of life, marriage, etc...) and that much of what has taken place under the guise of tolerance over the last fifty years, especially in Canada, has not "liberated" anyone.

         We have tried to make "truth" fit our whims, it’s time to acknowledge that we have failed. Truth is something we are to conform to, not something we can mould as we see fit. The power of the Christian message lies therefore not in it’s ability to change, but it’s ability to change lives. We do not move towards freedom by trying to change the ancient truths of the Bible, but rather by allowing them to change us. The last Pope presided over the death of communism, with any luck this one will live to see the demise moral relativism.

(Please note the terms "conservative" and "liberal" are not speaking about Canadian political parties!)