Today saw the passing of Pope John Paul II, doubtless one of the domiant global figures of the 20th Century. From what I've read about him, he was a remarkable individual in terms of strength and character, as well as knowledge and piety.
Many in Reformed circles believe the office of the Pope to be *the* Antichrist of the Bible. As I've stated in earlier posts, I do not believe this is true. There are serveral things we can say about it from the Bible, however. It is a position of great idolatry, in that the Pope claims to be inerrant. He is the leader of a theology that worships beings other than God, and believes in salvation by good works. And those are just the most glaring of many ideas and practices that have no basis in Scripture whatsoever.
It's been an ongoing debate in my household if Roman Catholic people are unbelievers, or just christians in great error. I believe many Roman Catholics to be true believers, quite possibly the late Pope as well. My philosophy in this area is one of unity over minutia; if I can find a man with a genuine faith in the saving work of Jesus, I'm not going to cast him out into the darkness for not being a Calvinist. This is part of the balancing act that was mentioned before; and as we all know, balance is the key to life.
