STOP saying “Catholics AND Christians”

Shane Schaetzel, ,

I’ve noticed a trend developing on the West Coast, and I would like to interject a minor correction. As a convert to the Catholic Church from Evangelicalism, I used to believe that Catholics were not Christians. So when you say “Catholics AND Christians” you’re unwittingly feeding that false belief. Here is my minor correction. Instead of saying “Catholics and Christians,” say this instead…

“Catholics and OTHER Christians.”

By saying it this way, you’re doing two things. One, you’re saying that other Christians (Protestants, Evangelicals, etc.) are participants in whatever it is you’re talking about. Two, you’re also simultaneously correcting the erroneous belief that Catholics are not Christians.

By saying “Catholics and OTHER Christians,” what you’re saying here is that Catholics are Christians, AND that there are other Christians out there who are not Catholic. Problem solved. Please pass this along to every Catholic you know.

DEFINING TERMS…

CATHOLIC: A Christian who is a member of the Catholic Church, and has access to the full means of God’s Grace within the Catholic Church.

OTHER CHRISTIAN: A person who has been properly baptized in the Name of the Holy Trinity, but is not a full member of the Catholic Church, and therefore does not have access to the full means of God’s Grace within the Catholic Church.

NON CHRISTIAN: Any person who has not been baptized in the Name of the Holy Trinity.

“Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who – by the bonds constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion – are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but ‘in body’ not ‘in heart.'”

“The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.” Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.” With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound “that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 837-838

Shane Schaetzel is an author of Catholic books and an Evangelical convert to the Catholic Church through Anglicanism. His articles have been featured on LifeSiteNews, The Remnant Newspaper, Forward in Christ, and Catholic Online. You can read Shane’s books at ShaneSchaetzel.Com

Published by Shane Schaetzel

7 Comments

    1. I disagree because that is not what the Catholic Church teaches.

      Catechism 838
      “The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.” Those “who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.” With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound “that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist.”

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  3. Pingback: MONDAY AFTERNOON EDITION – Big Pulpit

  4. Since it is unlikely Protestants think Christianity began in the 16th century, I believe this is said as a deliberate insult.
    The English who sold Irish people into slavery justified it by saying they we not Christian; something I think about whenever I hear the phrase.

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    1. The Evangelical (nondenominational affiliation) Protestant church I was associated with back in the 1990s (before my conversion), was prone to elaborate conspiracy theories about Christianity between AD 312 to 1517. They believed “true” Christians lived underground and worshiped in secret for 1,205 years until Martin Luther came along. This is how some of them rationalize their “Catholics aren’t Christians” nonsense.

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  5. Thank you for this post. Every time I heard the people in the media refer to Catholics and Christians showing up to protest at the Dodgers game on the 16th I corrected them out loud, though none could hear me: Catholics and Protestants. I’m also a convert to Catholicism. I was taught that Catholics worship idols, and other such nonsense. We need to correct this division of Catholics and Protestants into Catholics and Christians every time we hear someone speak this way so that we teach people the truth about our faith.

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