From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Roman Catholic apologists claim that Protestant and Evangelical Christians have "kidnapped" the Bible from Rome. But who really did - and is doing - the kidnapping?

A book by a Roman Catholic apologist, written for the purpose of enticing Evangelicals to come "home to Rome," contains a chapter on the Scriptures, and this is its theme:

[I]n recent history the Bible has been kidnapped by Protestant and Evangelical Christians. At one time or another, most Catholics have been cornered by an over-zealous Christian in the workplace or supermarket. They immediately start quoting Scripture, and oftentimes their well-argued ideas leave their Catholic targets tired, confused, filled with doubts, and feeling spiritually inadequate. Chances are, if the conversation proceeds to any length, they will approach the idea that the Bible is the one and only source of inspiration, direction, and Revelation. This, of course, is a direct attack upon the Catholic Church.... But as Catholics we believe that both the...Sacred Scriptures and sacred tradition form one sacred deposit of the word of God.... It is this dynamic interaction between the Scriptures and tradition that keeps the Word alive.

This apologist for Rome ignores the fact that God the Holy Spirit proclaims that it is all Scripture - and nothing else - that is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). He also ignores Jesus' warning against religious leaders who go about "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). God's Word is alive and powerful entirely on its own (Hebrews 4:12) and needs no support, validation, or elaboration from human tradition.

We live in a time when many professing Evangelical and Reformed Christians have lost sight of these vital distinctions. It is not Bible-believing Christians who have kidnapped the Bible. On the contrary, it was Rome that had done so, and the Protestant Reformers removed Rome's shackles from it. But during the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017, the Vatican made efforts to kidnap the Reformation. Pope Francis and other Vatican prelates participated in a number of "Reformation commemorations" in 2017 in partnership with self-described Evangelicals. It is actually being reported in the press that the pope may at some point call for sainthood to be conferred upon Martin Luther, in an effort to convince Protestants that "the Reformation is over" and they need to "come home to Rome."

Since Vatican Council II the Roman Catholic church has taken a more active role in kidnapping the Bible. We document these developments in a series of articles beginning here.

Never before, we believe, has the church needed so much to be reminded of what the Protestant Reformers stood for - and often died for - over 500 years ago. At the time of the 500th anniversary we published a series of articles titled "Remembering the Reformation" in the weekday editions of our Bible teaching e-mail, The Profitable Word. Many readers around the world told us that those articles were a blessing to them, bringing encouragement and new insights.  If you were not receiving The Profitable Word at that time, or would like to revisit those articles, they are available online in the Protestant Reformation and Roman Catholicism sections of our Bible Knowledgebase.

We are ever grateful for your prayers as we seek to uphold the light of the Word of God in a darkening world. May the Lord continue to bless your personal study of His inspired, infallible, inerrant Word - the only supernatural Book. And never, dear reader, hesitate to quote the living and powerful Scriptures to Roman Catholics, or to anyone else who is still in spiritual bondage. God has promised that His Word will not return to Him empty, but will accomplish the purpose for which He has sent it (Isaiah 55:11). We must stand upon its sure foundation!

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