8 steps toward Catholic-Protestant understanding

Forming a Catholic-Protestant discussion group to read Pope Francis’ book, “The Church of Mercy,” is one step to take toward Christian unity say the authors of “Jesus, Pope Francis and a Protestant Walk into a Bar.”

If there is ever to be unity among Christians, people will have to take practical steps that bring them wisdom and understanding about Christian traditions other than their own.

Presbyterians Pastor Paul Rock and Bill Tammeus offer ideas for those steps at the conclusion of their Westminster John Knox Press paperback, “Jesus, Pope Francis and a Protestant Walk into a Bar.”

The ones below apply to Catholics, but the original list offered similar steps for Protestants:

1. Visit a Protestant worship service; “Go with someone who can explain what’s happening while it’s happening and what it means.”
2. Ask a well-versed Protestant to speak to an adult education class at your church about “why he or she has chosen that tradition and what it looks and feels like from the inside.”
3. Form a Catholic-Protestant discussion group to read Pope Francis’ book “The Church of Mercy,” together.
4. Explore the official websites of major Protestant denominations, Presbyterian, United Methodist, and Southern Baptist.
5. Visit websites of local Protestant congregations to learn about their activities and widely different statements of belief.
6. Find out if your community has an interfaith organization that sponsors gatherings and learning opportunities.
7. Read a book on world religions and discuss it with a group from your church “to expand your knowledge beyond the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”
8. Form a group to read and study Stephen Prothero’s book, “Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know — and Doesn’t.”