Same Words, Different Worlds: in Brazil and the USA

Whilst some might like to think that ‘we are all the same’, at the heart and root of Roman Catholic Doctrine are some ideas which are actively hostile to the gospel of grace. Mike Reeves puts it well in his foreword to Leonardo De Chirico’s Same Words, Different Worlds: 

‘Fussy. Divisive. Quarrelsome. Those are the sort of words that come to mind when anyone flags up differences of belief these days. Most of us have grown so acclimatized to our post-truth culture that our minds have dulled to differentiation. And a simple appeal to ‘grace’ or ‘tolerance’ is usually enough to snap us out of any brief moments of discernment.  

So, when it comes to the differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics, most Christians instinctively warm to Samuel Johnson when he said, ‘For my part, Sir, I think all Christians, whether Papists or Protestants, agree in the essential articles, and that their differences are trivial, and rather political than religious.’ The distinction between justification by faith (Rome’s position) and justification by faith alone (the Protestant view) is heard as the sort of pernickety squabble that could only interest pedants with a taste for prickliness.’ 

But it isn’t just clarity for clarity’s sake – valuable though that is – understanding the differences does something else. Reeves again: 

‘just as Luther’s own debates with Rome clarified his theology, so this book helps evangelicals to think more clearly about the gospel and so helps us be more truly evangelical.’ 

Mike Reeves’ foreword echoes the concerns of two of his books with IVP – ‘Why the Reformation Still Matters’, co-authored with pastor and author Tim Chester, and ‘The Unquenchable Flame’, which looks at the history of this tumultuous time. 

Leonardo De Chirico leads the Reformanda Initiative, which is involved in organising conferences around the world. Two of these are taking place in the New Year - in Brazil from the 16-21st of February, and in the USA 22nd-24th of February. Click on the links below to find out more and book on.

Conference in Brazil

Conference in the USA (Louisville, Kentucky)

If you can't make it to those conferences, Leonardo will be 'down under' in Australia in January 2023 - or you can buy the book in print or digital format now!

(We should also note, having been simultaneously published in the UK and USA in English, and Italy in Italian, Same Words, Different Worlds continues to be translated, with Hungarian, Portugese, German and more in the works)