A reflection of Andrew Dunn’s conversion-from Thomas Kelly‘s biographical writing
Here is a man who has never missed confessions and Masses. He is considered to have been a very honest man. He has been trained in Roman Catholicism for 40 years. This is a man who has held faithfully to the traditions. Surely what more did he need than this for the safety of his soul? Father Dominick was sure that Andrew was at peace with God apart from believing the gospel. If you were to ask Andrew the reason why he was a follower of Roman Catholicism, he had no answer except that Father Dominick was also a Roman Catholic.
What is the claim of Roman Catholicism?
According to Father Dominick, the Roman Catholic Church is the Holy Mother Church. He asserts that all who do not belong to her are heretics and will be damned. He believes in these assertions because the Roman Church says so. Citing from the Dictionary of the Christian Church, by J.D. Douglas, pages 853-857, the dogmatic formulation of this belief can be found in the following:
a. The decrees of the Council of Trent through the Creed of Pope Pius IV.
After the Protestant Reformation (led by Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and other reformers), the Roman Catholic Church responded through the Council of Trent which declared that all faithful Catholics must accept the doctrines defined by the Council, affirming the authority of Scripture together with church tradition and the seven sacraments (see the conversation between Andrew and Father Dominick on page 4-7): the Mass, confession, penance and absolution, anointing, purgatory, praying to saints, and, human merit, and the supreme authority of the Roman Church under Pope Pius IV.
b. The decrees of Vatican I and II that papal utterances claim infallibility
They taught that the Pope is preserved from error when he officially proclaims a doctrine concerning faith or morals for the entire Church. These official declarations are called “ex cathedra” statements in Latin, meaning “from the chair” of St. Peter (Ref. Matthew 16:18).
What is every man’s concern must be simple in itself
Andrew had answered Father Dominick with this question, “How can you be so sure that the Church can make no mistake in these matters?” For sure, what’s every man’s concern must be simple in itself. The gospel must be made clear and plain to every man. Tradition doesn’t like to be questioned or examined. It is combative in response. It is not open to reason.
It is but reasonable that a man should be inquisitive where he may lose or gain so much. In this case, it’s the subject of the salvation of your soul. Father Dominick argued that, “we take care, for the benefit of our flock, to reserve the power of explaining such passages”. According to Father Dominick, everyone who dares to dispute these decrees shall be punished as a heretic and his soul shall be miserable to all eternity. While reading the scripture on one occasion, Andrew was particularly struck in his reading not to find anything like what he used to hear from Father Dominick. Not a word of the Pope. Not a single word of the Mass or of confession. Not a word of penance and absolution, and not even a word of praying to Saint Mary or praying with a rosary.
What did Andrew find in the Scripture?
“The Testament tells me I am a sinner, and this is what makes me uneasy”, he said. He therefore sought an answer for the most important question, “Can you tell me how I shall get rid of my sins?” Andrew believed that he required a different kind of absolution now. Father Dominick had no more power to forgive sins. Andrew got saved upon the basis of the truth revealed in scripture, “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin” (1Jo 1:7). He cast himself as a sinner upon the mercy of God through Christ, and he found himself at once in possession of comfort he had never known before.
What is your salvation built upon?
The bible is the right measuring rod that describes the state of your soul. It tells a clear diagnosis of your soul. It also offers the remedy. But I must tell you what the gospel is. The gospel is both bad news and good news that demands only one response. It is bad news that you cannot save your own soul from the wrath of God and the curse of sin. It is good news that Jesus completely bore that wrath upon His Cross, and He meets God’s standards to vindicate your soul. It demands only one response by calling you to forsake (anything that seems good and promising to save you) other than clinging to Jesus as your only hope.
Upon which ground do you consider sufficient for the salvation of your soul?
In Christ,
Evans Odhiambo.
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