Are We Together?: A Roman Catholic Analyzes Evangelical Protestants

by Eduardo J Echeverria

Overview

Are Roman Catholics and Evangelical Protestants really together, united in a common faith in Jesus Christ? Yes, according to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). No, according to some Evangelical Protestants, such as Francis A. Schaeffer and R. C. Sproul, and more recently Gregg Allison and Leonardo De Chirico.

Author Eduardo Echeverria is a committed Roman Catholic theologian doing theology within the normative tradition of confessional Catholicism, and thus in the light of Catholic teaching, this critical study is an ecumenical work. A member of the more than twenty-year-old American ecumenical initiative, Evangelicals and Catholics Together, Echeverria writes, "I have roots in the Evangelical and Reformed traditions and hence I listen attentively to the writings of fellow Christian theologians from these traditions of reflection and argument. In this ecumenical light, I engage the Evangelical Protestant writings of Gregg Allison and Leonardo De Chirico." Furthermore, this study is a work in receptive ecumenism; it follows the guidelines stipulated by Vatican Council II's Unitatis Redintegratio in order to promote mutual and improved understanding between Roman Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943901241
Publisher:	Lectio Publishing LLC
Publication date:	06/15/2022
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

Eduardo J. Echeverria is Professor of Philosophy and Systematic Theology in the Graduate School of Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, the Archdiocesan seminary of Detroit, where he has taught for two decades. He is also a Research Fellow in the Theology Faculty of the University of the Free State, South Africa.Professor Echeverria obtained his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome. He received a doctorate in philosophy from the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.A noted scholar, speaker, and teacher here and internationally, Eduardo is also the author of dozens of articles, and is a member of the American ecumenical initiative, Evangelicals and Catholics Together.

Editorial Reviews

It takes fortitude to face the question posed by the title of this book. It takes heroism to answer the question, as Eduardo Echeverria has done. He frankly acknowledges the reasons for Evangelical-Catholic divisions, and still he finds greater strength in what unites us. This is not ecumenism lite. Nor is it a manifesto for mere co-belligerency against secularism. This book genuinely advances an important and difficult conversation. Echeverria seeks a reconciliation that's true, that does not require compromise on essentials-which is the only possible fulfillment of Jesus' prayers (John 17:11, 21-22). -Scott Hahn

This is an insightful and intricate work of theological rigor, ecumenical sensitivity, and apologetic precision, all at the service of authentic understanding and unity. Both Catholics and Evangelicals will benefit from this deeply learned and erudite book. -Carl E. Olson, Editor of Catholic World Report

Eduardo Echeverria, by his combination of philosophical and theological gifts, and acquaintance with the best of Dutch Reformed dogmatics, is uniquely placed to critique the recent revival of an intelligent but misguided anti-Catholicism among (some) Evangelicals in Europe and America. His careful dissection of their body of work, and charitable reconstruction of the Christian doctrines concerned, exemplify Catholic ecumenism at its best. -Aidan Nichols, OP

A Roman-Catholic professor with roots in the Reformed and Evangelical tradition investigates the claims of an Evangelical theologian regarding whether the two Christian traditions (Roman Catholicism and Evangelicalism) worship the same God. Knowing both the author and the person he writes about, having had the chance to see their personal dedication to the cause of Christianity, I am eager to recommend this work to anyone whose interest in furthering the Gospel is not only genuine, but also a matter of deep conviction.-Corneliu C. Simu, PhD, Professor of Theology, Aurel Vlaicu University, Romania

Eduardo Echeverria is one of the most important Catholic voices in ecumenical dialogue with Evangelicals. Although there has been, since the early 1990s, greater cooperation and understanding between Catholics and Evangelicals resulting in a better appreciation of our common theological heritage, some have resisted this movement. Professor Echeverria answers them with careful scholarship and gracious engagement. As someone who has lived on both sides of the Tiber, I am appreciative of the author's remarkable conversance with both Catholic and Evangelical thought. -Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies, Baylor University

Eduardo Echeverria has written a beautiful Christian, ecumenical, Roman Catholic book. He does so as a scholar, rooted both in the Reformed Evangelical and in the Roman Catholic traditions. Where some evangelicals emphasize that Protestants and Roman Catholics only share words but live in different worlds, Echeverria stresses that we have common ground in the christological and trinitarian statements of faith. Baptized in one baptism and believing in one Lord, we might have differences concerning Scripture and tradition, nature and grace, ecclesiology, and sacramental economy. But what Echeverria does is important: cherish what we share, explain where we differ. With a strong ecumenical intention and from a committed Roman Catholic perspective, Echeverria gives a good example of how to keep Evangelicals and Catholics together. I hope that this book will contribute to a better understanding and a growing unity of Evangelicals and Catholics! -J.M. Burger, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Theological University Kampen

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