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D r a g n e t
Hunter and Hunted
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This Rock
Volume 3, Number 7
 July 1992 
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"I would prefer to keep quiet, but I cannot." This may be the most unbelievable line in an unbelievable article by inveterate anti-Catholic Dave Hunt. In The Berean Call Hunt takes swipes at and liberties with Catholics and the facts.
He starts by decrying the February issue of the Bookstore Journal, which carried an article by Peter Kreeft, who explained to the mainly Protestant readership that "Catholics [don't pray to saints, they] only ask saints to pray for them--just as we ask the living to pray for us."
"That's false," claims Hunt, "and, as a Catholic, Kreeft should know it." It's Hunt, who touts himself as an expert on Catholicism, who should know better. In fact he does know better (we've met Hunt, and he's not an ignorant man), but he is pursuing a higher calling than the truth, and sometimes fine points have to be ignored if the end is to be achieved.
Look what he does to Vatican II. He quotes the Council as declaring that "[t]he Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods under [Rome]." The word in brackets is his. Hunt is trying to stir up fears of guns in rectory basements.
Let's see what Vatican II really said: "The Catholic Church ceaselessly and efficaciously seeks for the return of all humanity and all its goods under Christ the Head in the unity of his Spirit." Yes, the Council hoped for the corporate reunion of all Christians, which means the return of our separated brothers and sisters to the one Church established by Christ. But the Council fathers phrased themselves carefully. Hunt looks at "Rome" as a political regime, not a religion, so it's to his benefit to frighten his readers by altering quotations. It's to his benefit to see the return of the Catholic bogeyman.
Closer to home, Hunt, quoting from Catholicism and Fundamentalism, criticizes its author: "As Catholic apologist Karl Keating says, 'we are all redeemed--Christians, Jews, Moslems, animists...but our salvation is conditional...you must work to earn your salvation.' (Catholicism and Fundamentalism, pp. 167, 169)." First of all the pages are wrong: The words are taken from pages 169 and 174, not 167 and 169. Second, the context is wrong. Keating had just finished citing a booklet by Wilson Ewin, a Fundamentalist writer, and commented, "[T]his is something he can say only because he confuses redemption and salvation"--as does Dave Hunt.
Redemption and salvation are not the same thing. All men have been redeemed, without exception, so it is proper to say "we are all redeemed--Christians, Jews, Moslems, animists." This is basic Christian doctrine; even traditional Protestants hold it. Anyone not holding it must conclude that Jesus failed to redeem part of mankind; if so, those people have no hope, because the unredeemed can't achieve salvation.
Back to Hunt's quotation. He puts into Keating's mouth the line, "you must work to earn your salvation." The attribution should have been to Paul: "[Y]ou must work to earn your salvation, in anxious fear" (Phil. 2:12) [Knox translation]. Karl Keating wishes Dave Hunt to know he is honored to be confused with Paul, but desires to take no glory from the apostle.
Hunt isn't mad just at Catholics, of course. He's mad at Evangelicals and Fundamentalists. Norman Geisler takes a beating because he "declared that the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification by faith was biblical....Christian Research Institute Direction Hank Hanegraaf (Walter Martin's successor), who was interviewing Norm, agreed." As well he might, since Geisler was correct.
Melody Green, musician Keith Green's widow, is censured for having withdrawn the anti-Catholic tracts her husband had distributed in his last years. (The tracts are critiqued in Catholicism and Fundamentalism, 99-104). Worse, CRI has allowed Scott Hahn on "The Bible Answer Man" radio program "to promote Roman Catholicism without offering the slightest rebuttal!"
Turning the clock back four centuries, Hunt says the Council of Trent "pronounced 125 anathemas (eternal damnation) upon anyone believing what Evangelicals believe and preach today." In one stroke he disqualifies himself from being considered a legitimate critic of Catholicism since he doesn't even understand basic Catholic terms.
An anathema is not a condemnation to hell. The Church never has claimed such a power. The technical term "anathema" refers to excommunication, especially self-excommunication. Trent was writing about (and for) former Catholics who removed themselves from the faith (excommunicated themselves--left the communion of the Church) by adopting wrong theological positions.
We list these frivolities by Dave Hunt because he remains a key anti-Catholic. Every few months another of his books appears. Half of them are anti-New Age, and the other half are anti-Catholic. We have no sympathy for the beliefs of the New Age movement, but we empathize with New Agers who claim Hunt mangles their positions--and he does that just the way he mangles ours.
Bill Jackson is a great fan of Dave Hunt's. His Christians Evangelizing Catholics is a small organization, but it has led, by its example, many Fundamentalists into anti-Catholic ministries of their own.
Jackson never was a man to wait for the fullness of time. In 1957 he started a ministry in Dublin, and he admits "not having had any background in Roman Catholicism. I had to start learning from scratch," a surprising announcement to come from a man who considered himself competent to critique the faith of his host country.
He admits his early work "helped me to form my anti-Catholic theology." Well, at least he has no guile--he freely admits his negative attitude--but he still, after 35 years working on Catholics, has something to learn about style. He calls the present pope "Numero Uno of Satan's Team"--not a phrase likely to endear Jackson to his prospective converts.
John Paul II will visit Denver August 13-15, 1993 to speak before a vast (one hopes) agglomeration of young Catholics. Bill Jackson, who is moving his ministry's headquarters (which is to say his home) to Denver, proposes "to gather a group of Christians who will embark upon a tract distribution crusade to evangelize Catholics....Saturday afternoon we are planning a mammoth tract distribution, and we will be enlisting Christians from fundamental churches in Denver....Dave Hunt plans to join us and will be the featured speaker. Because of the many Hispanic Catholics in the area, we are planning to get a converted priest who speaks Spanish."
Question: Are there among the readers of This Rock Catholics--young, old, or in-between--willing to help with a guerrilla operation of our own? How about a really massive distribution of pro-Catholic tracts in Denver? Catholic Answers could design the tracts and get them printed, and our staff could help the efforts of Denver-area friends who would oversee the project. We also could send several of our staffers to Denver, perhaps for a public debate with Jackson or Hunt.
We ask four things from our readers:
1. Let us know if you think this is a worthwhile project; if it works in Denver, perhaps we could take it to other cities.
2. Let us know if you would be interested in going to Denver to help with the distribution; it should be an enjoyable weekend and a great way to make new Catholic friends.
3. Let us know if you live in the Denver area and would be able to provide housing for Catholic evangelists for the weekend.
4. Let us know, wherever you live, if you could help pay for the printing of the tracts, which would be given out free. We estimate printing costs at $6,000.
If you can respond to any of these items, please do so by October 1. On your envelope, off to the side, write "Attention: Denver Outreach."
Our Evangelical friends are not lacking in ingenuity. Russell and Barbara Plilar, pastors of Seedtime and Harvest Church in San Diego, have tapped into the interactive phone market to increase their church's membership.
At the end of a recent work day, a Catholic Answers employee picked up a ringing phone to hear a telemarketing machine inquiring about his stress level and personal relationship with God.
After two minutes of questions about our staffer's views on life and the afterlife, the computer asked if he was interested in learning more about a new "Bible-believing church that is in the area." Being a Christian who is open to learning more about how to relieve stress, our staffer said "yes" and gave his address and phone number to the recorder. Two days later he received a letter from the co-pastors inviting him to their services and describing their church as "family oriented." The letter reminded him that "we are less than ten minutes away."
Is this form of "harvesting" tacky? Yes. Is it effective? Probably. One thing's for sure. If it works, you'll be hearing from a lot of machines asking you if you've been saved.
Do you live in Oregon or near Vancouver, Washington? If so, our reader Richard G. Denman would like to hear from you--if you're interested in getting involved in Catholic apologetics and evangelization in the Northwest, whether behind the scenes or publicly. You can contact him at 12755 S.E. 105th Ave., Clackamas, OR 97015-9766, tele-phone (503) 698-4992.
The five most-Catholic states in terms of population: Rhode Island (63%), Massachusetts (48%), New Jersey (41%), Connecticut (40%), New York (39%).
The five least-Catholic states in terms of population: South Carolina (2%), North Carolina (2%), Tennessee (3%), Arkansas (3%), Georgia (3%).
The weirdest state in terms of population: California (100%).
But even weirder than California: An Egyptian writer has discovered not only that Jesus never existed, but that he was based on Tutankhamen (who just happened to have been Egyptian). The Washington Post coyly notes that Ahmed Osman's "theory was skeptically received by some scholars," and it even more coyly quotes George A. Wells, professor of German at London University, who says "Osman is quite right on there being no evidence that Jesus lived between the time of Herod and Pontius Pilate."
The Post does not bother to mention that Wells is a well-known atheist who has written several books attacking the historical existence of Jesus and the metaphysical existence of God. He may be the most prolific atheist-writer who is not an outright crank.
From time to time we report on predictions of the end of the world. Do not think speculations about the Last Days are limited to Fundamentalists. These Last Days Ministries is a Catholic organization which distributed a 16-page, magazine-size brochure in which it is determined that World War III might very well start on June 13, 1992. We are pleased to report that June 13 has come and gone, and Catholic prognosticators are no more accurate than their Fundamentalist counterparts--but they may be funnier.
The cover of the brochure features a reproduction of a photograph taken on September 14, 1971 at Bayside by a man identified only as "Robert F." "An eerie supernatural scrawl across the whole face of the picture are these words, 'Jacinta 1972.'" From this scrawl the folks at These Last Days Ministries learned the year of World War III, 1992: See how "92" is found in "1972"? (What further proof do you need?) If you squint hard, you can see the month, "June," in the cursive name "Jacinta." Turn the name sideways to see the date, "13." (The cross of the t in "Jacinta" makes the number 1--something obvious to all.) Those with especially good eyesight will see in the sideways name the designation of the hour: "2 p[m]."
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