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Dr Cathy Northrup
The Reverend Doctor Cathy Northrup was born in Ft. Meade, MD, and was raised in a variety of places in the United State and Germany, as her father was in Counter Intelligence with the Army. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, with a double major in English and Religion. She graduated from Georgetown Law Center in Washington, DC, and practiced law with the Federal Reserve Board for a number of years before attending Union Theological Seminaryin Richmond, VA. She graduated from Union, and served several churches in North and South Carolina, at the same time obtaining her Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Northrup is currently the Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church, Wichita, KS. She is married and has two black Labrador dogs who were rescued from abusive situations. You can contact Dr. Northrup at cnorthrup@firstpresbywichita.org or by phone at (316) 263-0248, ext. 26.
Religion
2007-06-01 09:43:00
Can you tell me about the sin of apostasy?
It seems that the universal definition of apostasy is the formal renunciation of one’s faith. If one quits practicing the Catholic faith, and becomes a member of another Church (other than Catholic), then openly criticizes Catholicism and its teachings, is one guilty of apostasy? Then, if that same person comes back to the Catholic faith, is that person guilty of committing apostasy with the other church?
I understand “apostasy” for Christians not as rejecting a church or denomination such as the Catholic or Protestant church, or the Presbyterian or Lutheran denomination. I understand “apostasy” rather as a renunciation of the Christian faith in general; that is, abandoning belief in the God in whom Christians assert is the one true God. While Catholics and Protestants, and various Christian denominations have differences in belief and practice, they all are and remain Christian, and moving from one to other, while being significant, does not constitute “apostasy.”
 
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