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Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences
This comparative study shows that Protestants and Catholics are not as separated theologically as they may think. An excellent reference tool or textbook.
538 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
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About the author
Norman L. Geisler
226 books318 followersNorman L. Geisler (PhD, Loyola University of Chicago) taught at top evangelical colleges and seminaries for over fifty years and was a distinguished professor of apologetics and theology at Veritas Evangelical Seminary in Murrieta, California. He was the author of nearly eighty books, including the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics and Christian Ethics. He and his wife lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 27, 2025
A DETAILED CRITICAL COMPARISON OF CATHOLIC/EVANGELICAL DOCTRINES, AND PRACTICES
Norman Geisler is a famed apologist and theologian, who has written/cowritten many other books such as 'Philosophy of Religion,' 'Christian Apologetics,' 'Introduction to Philosophy,' 'Systematic Theology,' etc.
He and his coauthor wrote in the Introduction to this 1995 book, "With the coming to the fore of the secularist agenda... some Catholics and evangelicals have been doing some soul searching and reevaluation. The purpose of this book is to examine some of our common spiritual roots and see if we have any theological or moral bridges upon which we can both travel. We will examine similarities and differences in both doctrine and practice... We will also speak to some interesting relationships and alliances that have developed between Catholics and Protestants, and address the issue of whether cooperation or conflict should characterize these unions." (Pg. 15)
They note, "There may be New Testament allusions to the Apocrypha, but there are no clear New Testament quotations from it. Not once is there a direct quotation from any apocryphal books accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, although the New Testament cites the Hebrew Old Testament, it never once quotes any of the ... apocryphal books as divinely authoritative or canonical." (Pg. 160-161)
They argue, "The Bible teaches sola Scriptura... As Catholic scholars themselves recognize, it is not necessary that the Bible explicitly and formally teach sola Scriptura in order for this doctrine to be true. Many Christian teachings are a necessary logical deduction of what is clearly taught in the Bible. For example, nowhere does the Bible formally and explicitly state the doctrine of the Trinity." (Pg. 184)
They point out, "There are serious theological problems with papal infallibility. One is the question of heresy being taught by an infallible pope... Pope Honorius I... was condemned by the Sixth General Council for teaching the monothelite heresy (that there was only one will in Christ)... by disclaiming the infallibility of the pope on this and like situations the number of occasions such pronouncements actually were made is relatively rare. For example, the pope has spoken 'ex cathedra' only one time this whole century (on the bodily assumption of Mary!). If infallibility is exercised this rarely then its value for all practical purposes is nil. This being the case ... the pope speaks with only fallible authority on most occasions..." (Pg. 214)
They observe, "'Baptism of desire' proves baptism is not essential to salvation." (Pg. 261) About abortion, they state, "Perhaps evangelicals felt a bit guilty when they realized they were 'Johnnie-come-latelies,' given the fact that Roman Catholics had been alert to the moral dimensions of the problem while their evangelical neighbors were spiritually asleep." (Pg. 360)
They assert, "One of the reasons so many Roman Catholic lay persons are converting to evangelicalism is that they did not find a dynamic personal relationship with Christ in their Catholic church. The reality is often lost in the ritual. On the other hand, one of the reasons that a number of noted evangelical scholars (e.g, Thomas Howard and Richard Neuhaus) have converted to Catholicism is that there is a deep intellectual tradition not found in the typical evangelical church. Ironically, while Rome is losing many of its laity 'out the bottom' to evangelicals, evangelicals are losing some of their intellectuals 'out the top' to Catholicism. Obviously, each has something to learn from the other." (Pg. 392)
This is perhaps the most thorough critical examination of Catholicism by Evangelicals, and its relatively non-polemical tone makes it all the more valuable---for both Protestants AND Catholics.
Norman Geisler is a famed apologist and theologian, who has written/cowritten many other books such as 'Philosophy of Religion,' 'Christian Apologetics,' 'Introduction to Philosophy,' 'Systematic Theology,' etc.
He and his coauthor wrote in the Introduction to this 1995 book, "With the coming to the fore of the secularist agenda... some Catholics and evangelicals have been doing some soul searching and reevaluation. The purpose of this book is to examine some of our common spiritual roots and see if we have any theological or moral bridges upon which we can both travel. We will examine similarities and differences in both doctrine and practice... We will also speak to some interesting relationships and alliances that have developed between Catholics and Protestants, and address the issue of whether cooperation or conflict should characterize these unions." (Pg. 15)
They note, "There may be New Testament allusions to the Apocrypha, but there are no clear New Testament quotations from it. Not once is there a direct quotation from any apocryphal books accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, although the New Testament cites the Hebrew Old Testament, it never once quotes any of the ... apocryphal books as divinely authoritative or canonical." (Pg. 160-161)
They argue, "The Bible teaches sola Scriptura... As Catholic scholars themselves recognize, it is not necessary that the Bible explicitly and formally teach sola Scriptura in order for this doctrine to be true. Many Christian teachings are a necessary logical deduction of what is clearly taught in the Bible. For example, nowhere does the Bible formally and explicitly state the doctrine of the Trinity." (Pg. 184)
They point out, "There are serious theological problems with papal infallibility. One is the question of heresy being taught by an infallible pope... Pope Honorius I... was condemned by the Sixth General Council for teaching the monothelite heresy (that there was only one will in Christ)... by disclaiming the infallibility of the pope on this and like situations the number of occasions such pronouncements actually were made is relatively rare. For example, the pope has spoken 'ex cathedra' only one time this whole century (on the bodily assumption of Mary!). If infallibility is exercised this rarely then its value for all practical purposes is nil. This being the case ... the pope speaks with only fallible authority on most occasions..." (Pg. 214)
They observe, "'Baptism of desire' proves baptism is not essential to salvation." (Pg. 261) About abortion, they state, "Perhaps evangelicals felt a bit guilty when they realized they were 'Johnnie-come-latelies,' given the fact that Roman Catholics had been alert to the moral dimensions of the problem while their evangelical neighbors were spiritually asleep." (Pg. 360)
They assert, "One of the reasons so many Roman Catholic lay persons are converting to evangelicalism is that they did not find a dynamic personal relationship with Christ in their Catholic church. The reality is often lost in the ritual. On the other hand, one of the reasons that a number of noted evangelical scholars (e.g, Thomas Howard and Richard Neuhaus) have converted to Catholicism is that there is a deep intellectual tradition not found in the typical evangelical church. Ironically, while Rome is losing many of its laity 'out the bottom' to evangelicals, evangelicals are losing some of their intellectuals 'out the top' to Catholicism. Obviously, each has something to learn from the other." (Pg. 392)
This is perhaps the most thorough critical examination of Catholicism by Evangelicals, and its relatively non-polemical tone makes it all the more valuable---for both Protestants AND Catholics.
February 7, 2020
Re-Read. This is an excellent, careful work that serves not only to bring understanding to the topic at hand, but also serves as a good survey of essential christian doctrine and church history. The authors present the agreements and differences between Catholics and Evangelicals in a without the usual straw men and mischaracterizations, winning the approval of Catholic voices for an accurate presentation of their doctrine.
The structure of the book is in three parts; things both traditions hold in common, things that both groups are irreconcilably divided on (including the weight of such differences), and areas that both groups can cooperate together without compromising either of their systems of belief.
The tone is charitable and respectful, yet direct in what the authors consider to be the biblical and logical errors of Catholicism. Though not the ultimate purpose of the book, the authors conclude in the appendix that though catholics present a significantly incomplete gospel (lacking the "alone" portion of grace and faith), they nonetheless proclaim a saving gospel - disagreeing with the Reformers that the Catholic Church is an apostate one after the Counsel of Trent.
A revelation to me was the great breadth of disagreement there is within the Catholic Church both in categories of traditionalist, conservative, liberal, radical, charismatic, and cultural as well as in the various orders of the Catholic Church such as Benedictine, Augustine, Dominican, Carmelite, Jesuit, and Franciscan. Many of the concerns Evangelicals would raise about Catholicism have voices within Catholicism that raise those same concerns. Even the official positions of the Catholic Church are variously interpreted within the different camps. As a result, one cannot easily say "Catholics believe..." just as one cannot fairly critique Mainline Presbyterian theology to chastise Southern Baptists simply because they are both Protestant.
I can't imagine there are many Catholics or Evangelicals who would not benefit from reading this book and learn something not only of the other's belief, but also something of their own.
The book will be challenging for those unaccustomed to reading nuanced theology with a more philosophic approach and I would love to see a simplified book written at the more popular level - yet it would be hard to do so without loosing the greatest strengths of this book which are its precision, thorough expositions, and extensive quotes and citations.
The structure of the book is in three parts; things both traditions hold in common, things that both groups are irreconcilably divided on (including the weight of such differences), and areas that both groups can cooperate together without compromising either of their systems of belief.
The tone is charitable and respectful, yet direct in what the authors consider to be the biblical and logical errors of Catholicism. Though not the ultimate purpose of the book, the authors conclude in the appendix that though catholics present a significantly incomplete gospel (lacking the "alone" portion of grace and faith), they nonetheless proclaim a saving gospel - disagreeing with the Reformers that the Catholic Church is an apostate one after the Counsel of Trent.
A revelation to me was the great breadth of disagreement there is within the Catholic Church both in categories of traditionalist, conservative, liberal, radical, charismatic, and cultural as well as in the various orders of the Catholic Church such as Benedictine, Augustine, Dominican, Carmelite, Jesuit, and Franciscan. Many of the concerns Evangelicals would raise about Catholicism have voices within Catholicism that raise those same concerns. Even the official positions of the Catholic Church are variously interpreted within the different camps. As a result, one cannot easily say "Catholics believe..." just as one cannot fairly critique Mainline Presbyterian theology to chastise Southern Baptists simply because they are both Protestant.
I can't imagine there are many Catholics or Evangelicals who would not benefit from reading this book and learn something not only of the other's belief, but also something of their own.
The book will be challenging for those unaccustomed to reading nuanced theology with a more philosophic approach and I would love to see a simplified book written at the more popular level - yet it would be hard to do so without loosing the greatest strengths of this book which are its precision, thorough expositions, and extensive quotes and citations.
November 22, 2019
This seems to be a very thoroughgoing book exhaustively detailing agreements and differences in theology and practice between Evangelicals and Catholics. The appendixes are invaluable going through the history of the Catholic and Protestant divide, the teaching on baptismal regeneration, and the Colson-Neuhaus Declaration.
Since this book was published in 1995, here's hoping there will soon be an updated version.
Since this book was published in 1995, here's hoping there will soon be an updated version.
November 28, 2025
I picked this up because I was having some friendly debates with catholic friends. It taught me so much about Catholicism and the specific differences we have but also everything we have in common. Truly a great read. Took me forever because I wanted to soak it all in. My only wish is that a devote catholic wrote it with them cause it can be one sided at times.
October 1, 2022
Excellent reference resource to understand obscurities within Catholic doctrine and coherent Christian rebuttals.
October 5, 2009
A good book if you want to know SOME of what the title says..."Agreements and Differences" between Evangelicas and Catholics. I read this when I just started to walk with the Lord but since have learned more about Catholics and there are many facts that Norman Geisler either omits or did not know about.
November 23, 2013
Outstanding and largely objective comparison between Roman Catholics and evangelicals. It's refreshing to see a book that not only exposes the differences, but reinforces the common doctrines as well. Great book.
June 17, 2009
Really good analysis of the commonalities and differences. I would recommend for anyone wanting to know where each group stands.
March 11, 2009
Good intro. to some of the issues that divide Roman Catholics and Evangelical Protestants.
September 11, 2011
Pretty good. The John Armstrong book is better.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews