The Challange

I left this comment on a very nice man's blog, it will be fun to see if he responds. Regardless, I offer it to you LORD.

I just want to commend you for allowing the discussion to take place on your blog and most of all for your comments. You demonstrated a genuine desire to listen and learn.

Since I want to make this brief, I hope to say at least one thing to catch your interest. I had the luxury of passionately pursuing, in the quiet of my study, the answers to many of the questions posted without the many various personal opinions of others getting me off track. I just started working my way back through church history asking questions that would lead me into truth.

I don't have a concise biography to send you but I am willing to share transparently with you my journey from devout, pro-life, committed Christian of a Baptist heritage to a devout, pro-life, committed Christian of the Catholic heritage. I'm 40 years old.

My challenge to you is to ask the right questions. Distill the 1000 questions down to a few of the most essential that make or break the vast majority of the other questions. If anyone is genuinely willing to seek the truth, it will be found. I went to the source documents myself, scripture, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Encyclicals by Popes, and the earliest writings of arguments against the Catholic Church. I was able to weigh the evidence in meditation, reading, and discussion with my wife and oldest children.

I would have never considered or read anything Catholic simply because it never crossed my path until I became convinced by the Holy Spirit that contraception was part of the culture of death. Every branch of Christianity opposed all form of contraception until the Church of England broke in the 1930s. My own heritage of Fundamentalism mostly opposed it until the 1960s on a purely scriptural basis. The contraceptive pill was the step that landed in abortion. This is fact I will back up with all the logic, statistics, and reasons you require. It is true. One Church stood alone in opposition to this intrinsic evil and recognized it for what it was and is. Amazingly, its leadership (nearly one man, Pope Paul VI) stood in opposition to internal acceptance. He clearly stated what was wrong with contraception and what would happen with accepting its use in the encyclical Humanae Vitae. When I read it , integrity and a genuine desire to walk in the truth would not let me rest until I had confronted every obstacle in my path to Catholicism. It was either the greatest fluke of all time or the real deposit of faith.

My brother in Christ, I am not trying to convert you. I am merely proclaiming what I believe to be the truth and I am willing to back every claim. My 15 year old could answer each and every claim herself. Put her to the test. The sad reality is so many people refuse to test what they say they believe. You can attack every claim by the Catholic Church with my 15 year old and she will answer every one them because she is grounded in the truth.

I guess in some way I am throwing down the gauntlet. If you are curious link to the "young apologist" from my blog or engage me. She is much more generous and gentle than me, but I don't waste any time in asking the real tough questions.

May the peace of Christ be with you.
David Ulmer