Do you think there may be a move towards the RCC from protestant churches since now there is a pope who "looks like us", so to speak?
That my friend is a really good question.
We have all seen a noticeable decline in church attendance of all denominations in the last 50 years or so.
I am not able to do this any more because of health concerns, but in years past I was able to attend many church services around the south and speak in many. Having said that your question sparked something in my memory that In recent years, I saw a concerning trend that has emerged within many Protestant denominations and evangelical churches gradually turning to or adopting practices associated with Catholicism.
This shift encompasses a wide range of rituals, beliefs, and practices that were once rejected during the Protestant Reformation.
The trend includes an increased emphasis on liturgy and sacraments, with many churches reintroducing formal liturgies, ornate rituals, and a heightened focus on sacraments such as the Eucharist. Some Protestant denominations are even adopting the Catholic belief in transubstantiation, which is the idea that the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ during Communion.
This practice contradicts the biblical teaching of communion as a symbolic remembrance of Christ's sacrifice.
I have seen and it is really easy to investigate and find that many, many Protestant denominations are now teaching that water baptism, and works are essential for salvation and IMHO all of this is a result of the push for
ecumenical unity.
For example, the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, signed by representatives of the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, sought to bridge differences on this crucial doctrine.
Relativism and New Age ideologies have also infiltrated Christian thought, promoting the idea that all spiritual paths are equally valid. This contradicts Jesus' exclusive claim to be the only way to the Father. The pressure to conform to these ideologies often comes from a desire to appear inclusive and tolerant in a pluralistic society.
I am thinking that the issue here, whether you meant to or not, is that this may very well push even deeper into the "apostasy" that Paul told us about in 2 Thess.
