Pope Francis' newly extended permission for all priests to forgive the sin of abortion demonstrates sharp disagreement between Roman Catholicism and evangelical Christianity over God's forgiveness, Southern Baptist theologians say.
Southern Baptists can affirm those statements about the sinfulness of abortion and the mercy of God, but they would dissent from others, seminary professor Rex Butler noted.
"One point at which Southern Baptists disagree with the pope's pronouncement is the necessity of a priest to absolve sins," said Butler, professor of church history and patristics at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
"We agree with Paul," Butler said, citing 1 Timothy 2:5-6: "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time."...