Why do Evangelicals not venerate Mary or the saints?
Are you not presumptuous when you claim to be certain of salvation?
Why are there no statues or sacred images in evangelical churches?
Do Evangelicals celebrate Christmas and Easter?
Why are evangelical pastors allowed to marry?
Do evangelical Christians have a 'cult of the dead' as in the RC church?
Do you believe in Purgatory?
Do Evangelicals baptise children? If not, why not?
Why is there a symbol of a fish on your home page?
Do you believe in the Pope?
Can I/we come to an evangelical service?

Why do Evangelicals not venerate Mary or the saints?

The RC cult and doctrine of Mary (mariolatry and mariology) developed over many centuries and are central to RC beliefs. Many titles are ascribed to Mary - for example, Eternal Virgin, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, the Immaculate, Merciful Mother of the Church, and even Co-Redeemer and Co-Mediator.

Evangelicals do not accept this teaching about Mary because it is completely absent from, and contrary to, the Biblical message of the New Testament. It is inconceivable that the apostles should have omitted to mention this doctrine if it were truly of such importance. We believe that Divine Revelation is found in the Bible alone, and that it is sufficient in all matters of faith and doctrine, whereas the RC church teaches that new revelations have been received through the centuries and these have been incorporated into its doctrine and practices. Some of these added dogmas, which bear no relationship to Biblical teaching are: the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary (proclaimed by Pope Pius XI in 1854), the Assumption into Heaven of the Virgin Mary (Pope Pius XII in 1950), her titles Mother of God (1931), Queen of the World (1954), Mother of the Church (1964) etc.

Re: the virginity of Mary: according to the Bible, she was a virgin when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1.22-25), but after His birth it is clear that she had other children with Joseph and lived a normal family life , according to the Hebrew culture of the time. In Matthew 13.54-57 and John 7.5 there are references to the brothers and sisters of Jesus - not the 'cousins' as is sometimes said - the original Greek words for 'brother' and 'cousin' being different (adelphos/ampsios).

Re: Mary as Co-Mediator: it is clear in Scripture that there is one Mediator between God and man, one Redeemer, one Intercessor - Jesus Christ (1Timothy 2.5-6; Hebrews 9.15; Acts 4.12; Romans 8.34; Luke 4.8).

Re: the veneration of the saints: as in the case of Mary, this presupposes that they have certain powers after death. This is not Bible-based and is therefore unacceptable to Evangelical Christians. In the New Testament, the title 'saint' is applied to anyone who has trusted in Christ as personal Saviour. The word itself means 'set apart', 'pure'. St Paul addresses the believers in various churches as 'saints' - see 2 Corinthians 1.1; 13.12; Ephesians 1.1; Philippians 1.1,4; 21-22 etc.
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Are you not presumptuous when you claim to be certain of salvation?

This certainty is not presumption; it is based exclusively on promises in the New Testament, such as: Acts 2.21; Acts 16.29-31; Titus 3.5-8; Mark 16.16; 1 John 5.13. See also Psalm 80.3; Isaiah 25.9; Isaiah 45.21-22. Certainty of salvation comes from believing what God says in His Word and from recognising that salvation is God's gift by divine grace, through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. We can never earn it by human effort - indeed, if it had to be gained by our own good works, we could never be sure if we had done enough to gain God's favour. See Ephesians 2.8-9.
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Why are there no statues or sacred images in evangelical churches?

In the Bible, when the Ten Commandments were given, it was explicitly stated that man must not makes images nor bow down before them - see Exodus 20.45; Leviticus 26.1.
After the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation increased the production of statues and images, ostensibly to educate the faithful but, in fact, a whole culture of devotion to images and relics developed. True instruction in, and understanding of, the Christian faith does not need images, relics etc. but rather a knowledge of the Bible and the putting into practice of its teachings. The spiritual life of a Christian comes from a personal relationship with Christ, and does not depend on special places or artefacts.
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Do evangelical Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter?

For Christians in general, Christmas represents the birth of Christ and the fulfilment of prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, but there is no reliable evidence as to the exact historical date when this occurred. The 25 December was the date of various pagan festivals, including the Roman Saturnalia, feast of the winter solstice, and others linked to gods such as Mithras, the Persian god of light, and Horus, the Egyptian sun god. The date may have been adopted into the Christian calendar to point to the light-bringing nature of Christ's coming. We believe that, though the actual date has no historical authenticity as far as Christ's birth is concerned, it nevertheless offers an opportunity to present to the world the message of coming of the promised Saviour, Jesus Christ, and this is what we do in the evangelical church in Termoli. Similarly, at Easter, it is the universal significance of the events, rather than their date, which is important - in this case, the triumph of the Risen Christ over sin and death. For true believers, it is, in a sense, Christmas and Easter every day, as Christ has been 'born' in their hearts as their personal Saviour, and He has freed them from sin and death - see Romans 8.2.
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Why are evangelical pastors allowed to marry?

In the RC church, celibacy of priests was not decreed until 1709, by Pope Gregory VII - until then, it was normal for priests to marry. Compulsory celibacy is not found in the Bible, on the contrary, it is clear that God's ministers could, and did, marry - eg.Peter (Mark 1.30). See also 2 Timothy 3.2,4-5 and 1 Corinthians 9.5. This was also the case in the Old Testament (Leviticus 21.4,7; Esdra 10.18-19) even for the High Priest (Leviticus 21.13). A pastor, or Christian leader, can find help and comfort in sharing the demands of the ministry with his wife, and can better understand and counsel others in their relationships and families.
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Do Evangelicals have a 'cult of the dead' as Roman Catholics do?

No. It is clear in the Bible that the choice as to whether or not to follow Christ must be made in this life - that is our only opportunity (Hebrews 3.7-8,15; Deuteronomy 26.16; 30.16 etc). The dead cannot improve their position before God. Prayers and masses for the dead are foreign to the message of the Bible, where the decision to follow Christ is individual and personal - it cannot be delegated to others (Hebrews 9.27; 2 Corinthians 5.10).
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Do you believe in Purgatory?

No. This doctrine was instituted by Pope Gregory the Great around 593AD. Before that time, the concept of Purgatory did not exist. It stands in stark contrast to the Biblical teaching of the grace of God which is fully sufficient to save completely all who believe. If after death it were possible to expiate sins, that would mean that Christ's sacrifice was only partially effective, which would contradict the whole message of salvation throughout the Holy Scriptures. The Bible speaks of Paradise (Luke 23.43; 2 Corinthians 12.4; Revelation 2.7) and of Hell (Matthew 5.22; Mark 9.43) but never of Purgatory, either directly or indirectly.
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Do Evangelicals baptise babies? If not, why not?

No. In this case too, we do not practise infant baptism because it is not taught in the Bible. The word itself derives from the the Greek for 'immersion'. In the New Testament, baptism by immersion was practised for those who, having repented and believed in Christ's sacrifice for forgiveness and new life, wished to obey Christ's command and make a public declaration of their faith. (Acts 2.38,41; Matthew 28.8-20 ) We do the same in evangelical churches, limiting baptism to those who are of an age and maturity to be able to make a responsible decision (see Acts 8.12, 36-38). A baby or small child obviously cannot have such understanding. In addition, we have the example of Jesus' own baptism (Matthew 3.13-15).
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Why is there the symbol of a fish on your home page?

The fish symbol or the word for fish - 'ichthus' - was adopted by Christians of the first centuries at times of persecution. The word is an acronym: Iesous CHristos THeou Uios Souter and means 'Jesus Christ, son of God, Saviour'. The symbol is often found on the walls of catacombs, cemeteries, sarcophagi etc. In Termoli, we use the symbol to remind us of those first Christians and of all they suffered for Christ.
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Do you believe in the Pope?

Yes, in so far as his person is concerned, but not in his role. We accept that he may be a highly gifted and competent person and for this we respect him. We do not believe that he is 'the supreme authority and head of the Church', nor that he is infallible when he speaks 'ex cathedra'. This whole concept is non-Biblical - in fact, there it is explicitly declared that Christ only is Head of the Church (Ephesians 1.19-23; Colossians 1.18) and that infallibility belongs only to God (1 Peter 1.19; Ecclesiastes 7.20. See also Job 4.17; Isaiah 45.21; Revelation 16.5).
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Can I/we come to an evangelical service?

Certainly. In Termoli we are happy to welcome, in a spirit of mutual respect, all those who are curious about our faith. There will be no pressure and no obligation. We will be glad to give further clarification on the points in this website. Let us remember that the Church is the Body of Christ, purchased by His blood, thus it belongs to Him and not to us.
'For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him on whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' (Romans 10.13-14,17)
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