The Catholic Connection,

Promise Keepers has seven pledges which it wants all Christian men in the nation to sign. Number six is a promise to promote unity between all denominations. Promise Keepers' leadership has stated plainly that the unity 'they seek includes Roman Catholicism.

Speaking at one of the early rallies, Founder Bill McCartney said, "Hear me; Promise Keepers doesn't care if you're Catholic." A writer for the liberal magazine, Christian Century, gave this analysis of Promise Keepers:

"There is little if any political labeling. 'Liberals,' either political or theological, are not paraded for ridicule. There is scant evidence of the fundamentalists' non-negotiable principles of faith. Descriptions of Christian belief are framed in broad rather than narrow terms."-David Halbrook, Ministries Today, March-April 1995. Samson gave up his power when he gave up his separation. The Apostle Paul declared: "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they are such [that) serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."-Romans 16:17-18.

At the Memphis stadium gathering, on October 11-12, 1996, Chuck Colson's topic was "The Unity of the Body: Brothers United in Christ. "You will recall that it was Colson who, with a Catholic priest, co-authored the notorious "Evangelicals and Catholics Together" document a couple years earlier.

Colson told the gathered men that division is our sin today and that, when we are not one, we are working against God and His plan for our lives. Colson said evangelism is impossible when the denominations are not united. He called out that we need to reach across denominational lines, since, whatever your denomination, you already belong to Jesus. Whether Catholic, Methodist, Orthodox, Assemblies, or Baptist-we all belong to one another and to God, he declared. "I'm proud Mother Teresa's my sister in Christ!"

We understand that Colson is a Southern Baptist, but that his wife is a Catholic. As he united with a Catholic in marriage, so he wants us to unite with them in worship.

The Promise Keepers' connection with Rome goes back to its founder, Bill McCartney. Bill was a lifetime devout Roman Catholic who attended Mass daily until he visited the Boulder, Colorado, Vineyard Fellowship. Liking the pastor's preaching, he began attending there, but there is no record that he ever broke with Rome. '

Ex-Catholics who truly come out of the Catholic communion are concerned to rescue others from its errors. But not Bill. Doctrines never have meant much to him. It is the "spirit' that counts. McCartney accepts Catholics as Christians and sees no reason to evangelize them.

"McCartney's own biography-as a cradle Catholic who became born again and then found his way into a lay-led para-church ministry offers one possible scenario for PK's growing role as an agent of change within American Christianity."-Christianity Today, November 17, 1997.

In his autobiography, From Ashes to Glory, McCartney admitted that he had been a "daily communicant in the Catholic Church," but through a new dedication, he "got saved." He adds, "Making a profession of faith like I did may not be expected and may not even be important in the Catholic Church." In other words, he had tacked on something new, yet no life-changing break had been made.

Keep in mind that the Catholic Church today says it teaches salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But that is not true!

So when the various religious persuasions attend a Promise Keepers' meeting and hear that, they can go home believing it is what they already believe -even new theology Adventists. It is not enough to preach part of the truth, without preaching against error. It is not enough to preach grace without preaching obedience by faith.

The Catholic and Mormon "converts" who attend Promise Keepers' rallies, are sent back to their own churches for PK small group meetings conducted by their own pastors. The very fact that both the Roman Catholic and Mormon denominations have officially declared that they find no conflict between PK teaching and their own doctrines is extremely revealing.

Bill McCartney has repeatedly said that there are only two criteria for attending his conferences: "Do you love Jesus and have you been born of the Spirit of Jesus Christ?"

Roman Catholics are taught to show their "love for Jesus" by partaking of the Mass (New Catholic Catechism, 1367ff).

Did you know that the Roman Catholic Church believes in the "new birth"? They do, but not the kind you believe in. For them it is equivalent to the act of baptism, which most of them received as infants when three moistened fingers were touched to their foreheads.

 "The Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are 'reborn of water and the Spirit.' God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism."-New Catholic Catechism, 1257.

When the National Organization for Women (NOW) passed a resolution denouncing Promise Keepers as "the greatest danger to women's rights," they announced that it was planning a counter-demonstration in Washington, D.C. when the. October 1997 "Stand in the Gap" Promise Keepers gathering occurred;-at a September 16 press conference, a group of conservative women from mainline Protestant, Orthodox-and Roman Catholic-churches denounced NOW for its attack on the Promise Keepers.

The Tidings, the official voice of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles, had an article explaining the close relationship between the Catholic Church in America and Promise Keepers. It appears they have worked out a very close agreement.

"Promise Keepers is a basic program of evangelization for men, begun among more fundamentalist and evangelical Christian communities, but now being expanded to include Catholic congregations. .

" 'The fundamental theme of the weekend is to be a man of faith, a man committed to the Lord Jesus Christ,' explains Father Christian Van Liefde, pastor of St. Hillary Church in Pico Rivera who, at the urging of Cardinal Robert Mahony, has studied the feasibility and appropriateness of utilizing Promise Keepers at the Catholic parish level.

"While noting the evangelical roots of the program, Father Van Liefde says there is no 'doctrinal' issue which should cause concern to the Catholic Church.

"Promise Keepers places a very strong emphasis on returning to your own church congregation or parish and becoming active laymen, Father Van Liefde points out. 'There is no attempt at proselytizing or drawing men away from their faith to another church' . .

"Father Van Liefde is optimistic that Promise Keepers can grow at the parish level as well- and without adversely impacting existing parish programs or finances." -The Tidings, March 31, 1995.

But now, we come to the 1997 changeover in Promise Keepers' beliefs and practices, made to satisfy the Catholic hierarchy and the events at the Franciscan University, in Steubenville, Ohio, which led up to them.

The New York Buffalo News, for May 17, 1997, contained a report on the upcoming Promise Keepers' meeting in that area. This newspaper report contained very significant information.

. Roman Catholic bishops support Promise Keepers, through their National Conference of Catholic Bishops organization.

. A Roman Catholic is on the Promise Keepers board of directors.

. In the city where the stadium rally is held, a Roman Catholic Mass is said on the preceding Sunday, in order to sanctify the gathering of the attending Catholic men.

The first two points will be amplified upon later in this report. Here is more from this important newspaper article. Read it carefully; it is packed! "Although the movement is perceived to be largely Protestant, [Bill) McCartney [Promise keepers' founder and chief executive officer] said during a news conference in the Buffalo Christian Center that Promise Keepers has the approval of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, uses some Catholic speakers and welcomes Catholic men, including priests.

"The organization's national board of Directors also includes a Catholic, Michael Timmis of Grosse Point, Michigan, McCartney pointed out.

"The bishops' position, contained in a 1996 position paper prepared by its Committee on Marriage and Family, indicates that Catholics may participate in Promise Keepers' events. The conferences, the paper suggests, may 'be filling a spiritual and pastoral vacuum' in the lives of some Catholic men and challenged church leaders to develop programs to meet those needs. Bishop Henry J. Mansell, of the Buffalo Catholic Diocese, said Friday that "Catholics are free to attend the Promise Keepers' Conference."

" 'It is his hope that after the conference there will be follow-up experiences in their home parishes,' said Monsignor David M. Lee, diocesan director of communications.

"McCartney said for Catholic men and other Christians, there are only two criteria for attending the conference: Do you love Jesus and have you been born of the Spirit of Jesus Christ?

" 'I believe Promise Keepers is the vehicle God has created to bring down barriers in Western New York,' said Rev. Dean Weaver, pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church in Kenmore, during the news conference.

"In addition to more than a dozen ministers who appeared with McCartney at the news conference, the Promise Keepers' gathering was endorsed earlier Friday by Monsignor James E. Wall, vicar for priests for the Catholic diocese and director of the St. Columban Retreat Center, Derby.

"To help Catholic men prepare for the conference, Monsignor Wall said he will celebrate a mass at 2 p.m. June 13 at Our Lady of the Sacred heart Church, S. 3148 Abbott Road, Orchard Park."-Dave Condren, News Religion Reporter, Buffalo (New York) News, May 17, 1997.

Not once has the false sacramental gospel of Romanism been plainly exposed in any Promise Keepers' conference. Promise Keepers' leaders go to Roman Catholic churches and seminaries and speak at Catholic-sponsored men's meetings. They never expose Rome's blasphemies at such meetings-or anywhere else. They never warn the Catholic participants that Rome's false gospel is cursed of God.

Mike Timmis, the Roman Catholic, mentioned in the above-quoted Buffalo article, spoke at the May 31-June 2, 1997, Catholic Men's Conference at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. This staunch Roman Catholic institution holds annual conferences, defending the pagan teaching that Mary is the sinless Queen of Heaven, through whom alone we can find access to God's forgiveness. The same brochure which announced that 1997 Steubenville conference also announced the "Mary, Mercy, and the Eucharist Conference. " A photo accompanying the announcement pictures a Catholic priest holding a rosary, imploring the Virgin's aid. Another announcement in the brochure describes a planned pilgrimage to Lourdes, a Mary-worship shrine in France.

This Franciscan University is firmly committed to strong traditional Catholic doctrinal teachings. The head of that school, priest Michael Scanlan, is forward in promoting Catholic evangelization of Protestants in America. He was a leading figure at the North American Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization in New Orleans, July 1997, as well as at its predecessor, the one held in Indianapolis in August 1990. (They purposely scheduled the national event to occur only one month after our General Conference Session in that city. Leading Catholic speakers from all over the nation attended.)

In Indianapolis, Scanlan told how he had been briefly jailed for taking part in an antiabortion march and how proud he was that; while in jail, he converted several jailed Protestants to Catholicism and gave them their first Mass.

Tirnmis, a Detroit businessman and the Catholic representative on the PK board, believes the bread and wine of the Mass is turned into the body and blood of Christ. He believes in auricular confession. He calls the pope "holy father" and believes in papal infallibility. He prays to Mary.

The leaders of Promise Keepers have objectives; they want to unite all the churches. The Catholics working closely with the PK leaders have objectives too; they want to take over Promise Keepers.

This Steubenville, Ohio, Catholic university has been closely involved with Promise Keepers since 1995. According to the July 23, 1995, issue of Today's Catholic, Scanlan conducted a Mass to conclude a Promise Keepers' Leadership Seminar held at his university that month. More than 600 Catholic men participated.

Both in 1996 and 1997, additional Promise Keepers' leadership rallies were held at Steubenville. At these gatherings, amid candles and statues of Mary and the saints, Protestants were taught how to help the men who come to PK meetings.

At the 1997 meeting, one of the speakers was PK vice-president Dale Schlafer. Other speakers included Catholic priest Michael Scanlan and Raphael de los Reyes, director of Radio Peace Catholic Broadcasting.

Because of these developments, the leading evangelical magazine of our time, Christianity Today, declares that Promise Keepers, because of the Catholic origins of its founder and its remarkable deference to Rome, may well be the. popular equivalent of Chuck Colson's Protestant-Catholic coalition.

"The movement could, for example, become a populist incarnation of the theological call from Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT). This group of theologians and institutional leaders seeks not only to make common cause against rampant immorality of individuals and institutions, but also aspires to rethink historic Christian theological disagreements in hopes of facilitating a stronger Christian unity independent of established ecumenical efforts." -Christianity Today, November 17, 1997.

At this juncture, it might be well to inquire why the Franciscan University at Steubenville, Ohio, was selected as the place where the Promise Keepers/Roman Catholic dialogue and PK compromises should be worked out. Extensive advertising material is available, showing that the school is solidly conservative in its support of traditional Roman beliefs, including the adoration of Mary.

But it has one added feature: It is also charismatic. Apparently, the hierarchy decided that a charismatic Catholic center would be the best place to try to hold the first joint PK meeting at a Roman Catholic institution, and the place to ultimately work out joint agreements with PK so the Vatican could grant its full approval and support to Catholics attending regular PK meetings.

If you question why a Pentecostal flavor should be considered so important to a meeting of these diverse minds, the next chapter in this book will provide you with a better understanding.

But still more information on this changeover in PK policy is now available to us:

Promise Keepers has changed its Statement of Faith so it will be perfectly acceptable to Rome! How is that for coming into line! The following article appeared in Our Sunday Visitor on July 20, 1997:

"While there are no hard figures, some say that 10-20 percent of those men [attending Promise Keepers' conferences) are Catholic. And, recently, Promise Keepers, a largely evangelical movement, has taken steps to attract even more Catholic men to its events and principles of discipleship. .

"At its March meeting, Promise Keepers' board of directors welcomed Mike Timmis as a new member. A Detroit-area lawyer and businessman, Timmis is a longtime leader in the Catholic charismatic renewal. "At several rallies this year, Promise Keepers has spotlighted Catholic evangelist Jim Berlucchi as a speaker.

"In June, Promise Keepers hosted a 'Catholic Summit' at its headquarters In Denver, sending out Catholic volunteers and leaders from around the country.

"And earlier this year, Promise keepers amended its statement of faith, revising the lines that Catholics had found offensive.

"Promise Keepers' founder Bill McCartney told our Sunday visitor recently that full Catholic participation was his intention from the start.

" 'Back in 1992, at our first stadium event, we very clearly stated from the podium that we eagerly welcomed the participation of Roman Catholics, and we've had scores of Roman Catholics attend and go back to their churches excited'

"As executive director of Christian outreach at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, [John] Sengenberger cites Promise Keepers as the inspiration of the men's conferences his own office has sponsored since 1995 . . "Sengenberger Invited representatives from Promise Keepers to visit the university. 'We had some frank discussions and told them we needed to see some Catholic involvement of the leadership level.'

"When Steubenville hosted its first men's conference in 1995, Sengenberger invited two Promise Keepers' officials to attend: Dale Schlafer, who was at that time chairman of the board, and Glenn Wagner, vice president.

" 'It was their first time in a Catholic evangelistic setting,' Sengenberger said. 'They were impressed. When they were leaving, we invited them to go through our bookstore and take out any books they wanted. They went home with all kinds of theology books, Vatican II teachings. . Dale took a set of the Liturgy of the Hours. The following year, he told me he'd incorporated it into his daily prayer, so Glenn asked for one, too.'

"Both men returned to Steubenville for the 1996 men's conference, where Sengenberger took them to a eucharistic holy hour.

" 'I took them aside and explained what we were doing, how this only makes sense if you believe in the real presence of Jesus. That night we were down by the stage, and I remember going down on my knees, then prostrate, down on my face-and right next to me was Glenn Wagner, doing the same thing.'

"Yet profound differences remained between the evangelicals of Promise Keepers and Catholics who were sympathetic. Last Year, Promise Keepers published a 'statement of faith with lines that seemed to be crafted to exclude Catholics or force them to reject their Catholic faith. "Section five of the Promise Keepers' credo read: 'We believe that man was created in the image of God, but because of sin, was alienated from God. That alienation can be removed only by accepting, through faith alone, God's gift of salvation, which was made possible by Christ's death.'

" 'Faith alone' is a key doctrine of the Protestant Reformation. Though the phrase appears nowhere in Scripture, it was inserted by Martin Luther in his German translation of the Bible.

"Concerned about this development at Promise Keepers, Sengenberger had several Catholic theologians review the statement and present their objections to Wagner last summer,

"Early this year, Promise Keepers revised the statement in a way that passed theological muster with those Catholics. 'Only through faith, trusting in Christ alone for salvation, which was made possible by His death and resurrection, can that alienation be removed.'

"Paul Edward, Promise Keepers' vice president for advancement, explained that the statement of faith is a 'dynamic' document, and that Promise Keepers is open for change.

" 'Truth and unity are equal, but in tension,' said Edwards, who was raised a Catholic but now attends a nondenominational church. 'We try to present truth, not washed down, yet not truth that devolves into denominational squabbles.'" -Mike Aquilina, Our Sunday Visitor, July 20, 1997. pp. 10-11.

For over a century, Our Sunday Visitor has been the leading Roman Catholic weekly magazine in the United States, In the above article, you have discovered the inside facts of what is really happening inside Promise Keepers! Mark these points well, as noted in the above Our Sunday Visitor report:

. In 1995 when the Franciscan University hosted its first men's conference, two of the top PK officials were invited to attend and did so. One was Dale Schlafer, chairman of the board; the other was Glenn Wagner, a vice-president.

. The article implies that this led to the acceptance by one or both men to portions of the Catholic faith and practice. 1 - After being given free Catholic doctrinal books, at least one PK official (Schlafer) began basing his personal prayers on them. 2 - Both officials attended the 1996 Catholic men's conference, during which they were taken to a special Eucharistic Holy Hour which included the pagan Mass.

3 - One PK official (Wagner) was so impressed, he fell prostrate on his face that night alongside Sengenberger.

. In 1996, Promise Keepers published a Statement of Faith , outlining its basic doctrinal beliefs. Catholic church officials went over it carefully and did not like part of it.

. In early 1997, top PK leaders were invited to Franciscan University for "frank discussions" with leaders of the Roman hierarchy, at which time the Catholics made several demands.

. Shortly thereafter, the board of Promise Keepers met and agreed to each of their requirements, if PK was to meet Vatican approval:

1 - The demand had been made that the PK Statement of Belief must be changed in wording, to agree with professed (but not actual) Roman Catholic teachings! By board action, the basic PK doctrinal statement was changed.

3 - At its March 1997 board meeting, the directors of Promise Keepers voted Mike Timmis, "a long-time leader in the Catholic charismatic renewal" onto the PK board. (Later in this present report, we shall learn that Promise Keepers has a very close relationship with the Protestant charismatic churches as well.)

4 - Jim Berlucchi, a leading Catholic evangelist, was quickly added as a PK speaker, and has already addressed the crowds at "several rallies" in 1997. (By definition, a "revivalist" tries to encourage the members of his own church; an "evangelist" is working to make converts of non-members.)

5 - In June, 1997, a "Catholic Summit" meeting was held at PK headquarters in Denver, to which zealous Roman Catholics, handpicked by the Catholic hierarchy, were brought together for discussions as to how they could help in counseling, or otherwise, at forthcoming PK stadium rallies.

. McCartney was interviewed by the Sunday Visitor and told them that "full Catholic participation" in the rallies was his studied objective.

. McCartney said he was careful to send Catholics who were attending his rallies back to their own churches. No attempt is made to remove them from that evil religious system.

. Commenting on the readiness to change their doctrinal position to agree with Catholicism, Paul Edwards, a PK vice-president, said their doctrines are "dynamic" -and do not include "truth that devolves into denominational squabbles." What then does PK believe? Now add to the above points the added point quoted earlier from the New York Buffalo News news clip for May 17, 1997. In a report on an upcoming Promise Keepers' meeting in that city, some of the above points were mentioned, as well as this one:

. In the city where the next PK stadium rally is held, a Roman Catholic Mass is said on the preceding Sunday. This is done in order to sanctify the gathering for the attending Catholic men.'

This trend to unite PK with the policies of Rome is disturbing to thinking Protestants:

"Since the [April 1996] Atlanta gathering, a Roman Catholic has joined the PK board. Catholics accounted for an estimated 5 percent of those at [the October 1997] Stand in the Gap [in Washington, D.C.]

"PK's general welcoming attitude toward Catholics caused several conservative Protestant denominations to warn their members to beware of its ecumenical goals." Christianity Today, November 17, 1997.