Letter to the Editor: My Former Teacher, Scott Hahn—A Convert and Prominent “Evangelist” of the Catholic Church

Scott Hahn with Pope Benedict XVI

LTRP Note: The person being discussed in this Letter to the Editor – Scott Hahn – is a convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, and today, he is one of the most prominent and outspoken Catholic “evangelists” on the scene, working to convert Protestants and evangelical Christians to Roman Catholicism. Roger Oakland discusses Hahn in his book Another Jesus: the eucharistic christ and the new evangelization (see excerpt below Letter to the Editor).

Dear Lighthouse Trails:

I just want to thank you for the recent article you printed in the newsletter concerning the truth about Scott Hahn. When I was in high school (30 yrs or so ago), he was my teacher in History and Bible class. The administration had hired him in place of my dad  since he was Presbyterian, and my Father a Baptist.  My dad still taught at the same Christian school with Scott, however, no longer with HS students.

I remember so well being warned from my father that Scott Hahn was going to turn Catholic. Well, sad to say, as you well know . . . he certainly did.

Anyway, the day your newsletter with the article concerning his “salvation experience with the Eucharist” came in, I noticed Scott added me as a friend on Facebook. I decided to send him a private note as all I could think of were the friends from my High School years who may not realize how deceived Scott is. They were “liking’ all his stuff  and basically didn’t seem to think twice about the fact that their former teacher/friend is now apostate. The morning I wrote him back, I picked up your newsletter for help, and I really believe it was not  a mere coincidence that the information I needed was right there. I am so thankful for your ministry and would like to send you the note I wrote to him as well as his response. If anyone ever has any doubt that this man is deceived or under the influence of another spirit . . . they should read his response.

Thank you again and please continue to warn others. I am so tired of hearing, “Well, it really isn’t that important to focus on the New Age, mysticism, deception . . . whatever . . . you fill in the blank . . . all that matters is the Gospel!”  This is sadly the comments we seem to hear most. May God continue to bless your ministry. I’m really enjoying the Bible verse tea! 🙂 D. Allyson

D. Allyson’s Letter to Scott:

Scott,

I am absolutely heartbroken to read your [FB] wall and see your books and how far you have actually gone into the bondage of religious deception. What happened to your teaching way back at Fairfax Christian . . . . over 30 yrs. ago? Sola Scriptura? Psalm 146: 3 warns us to “not trust in princes, in mortal men, in whom there is no salvation.” Are you trusting Christ and His Word or man and his religious traditions? The only legitimate priesthood which remains on earth is the royal priesthood of all believers. Why do Catholic priests continue to offer Jesus as a sacrificial victim when He said, “It is finished.” Why do you call Jesus your Savior when you as a Catholic must save yourself thru penance?

Acts 4 :12 . . . What about purgatory? Gods word says “the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” I’ts obvious the Word of God is not your final authority anymore.You are following another voice, another Jesus. Hebrews 6:1-8 tells us it is impossible for those who were once enlightened . . . have tasted of the good word of God . . . if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame”

I pray this has not happened to you. You are being used of the enemy to build the ecumenical one-world church. You have elevated the priesthood to the level of godhood, exalting sinful men. The Eucharist that is present on every Catholic alter is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Truly I am grieved to have to write this to you. Please read Hebrews 9:22b, Hebrews 9:28a, and Hebrews 10;11-12.

Thanks for the [Facebook] friend request but you would not be comfortable showing me your wall or seeing mine. May the Lord open your eyes to the truth of His Holy Word, our only hope of salvation. D. Allyson

An excerpt from Another Jesus by Roger Oakland on Scott Hahn:

Scott Hahn is not only a convert to Catholicism but is a zealous promoter of the Eucharist. Both he and his wife Kimberly have testified that the Eucharist played a major role in their conversion to the Catholic Church. Hahn, a theology professor at a Catholic University in Steubenville, Ohio, and author of a number of books, also writes a regular column called “Scripture Matters” for Envoy Magazine. In an article titled “The Paternal Order of Priests,” he enthusiastically reminds Catholic priests of the power they have been endowed with. He writes:

As priests of the New Covenant, you are conformed to Christ in a unique and powerful way. Christian tradition speaks of ordination in the most astonishing terms. It is a commonplace of Catholic speech to say that the priest is alter Christus, another Christ. The Catechism tells us further that the priest acts “in the person of Christ” and like Christ, he is a “living image of God the Father.” Through the ministry of ordained priests, the presence of Jesus Christ “is made visible in the community of believers.”1

Elevating the priesthood to a level of godhood, Hahn exalts ordinary sinful men, by saying:

Theologians refer to the ontological change—a change in the man’s very being—that occurs with the sacrament of Holy Orders. Ordination “confers an indelible spiritual character” that is permanent and imprinted … forever.”2

Then comparing this supernatural transformation attributed to priesthood with the transformation that occurs during the consecration of the Host, Hahn states:

The great Cappadocian Father Gregory of Nyssa compared this sacramental change to the transubstantiation that occurs in the Eucharist. “The bread,” he explains, “is at first common bread. But when the sacramental action consecrates it, it is called the Body of Christ …  The same power of the word makes the priest worthy of veneration and honor. The new blessing separates him from common, ordinary life. Yesterday he was one of the crowd, one of the people. Now, suddenly he has become a guide, a leader, a teacher of righteousness, an instructor of hidden mysteries. And this he does without any change in body and form. But while he appears to be the man he was before, his invisible soul has really been transformed to a higher condition by some invisible power and grace.”3

Endnotes:

1. Scott Hahn, “The Paternal Order of Priests: An Open Letter to Our Catholic Clergy, In a Time of Crisis” (insert in Envoy, Volume 7.2, 2003) in insert.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.

Scott Hahn’s Conversion by Roger Oakland from Another Jesus

Hahn entered the Catholic Church on Easter 1986. He is a former ordained Presbyterian minister with ten years of ministry experience in Protestant congregations and a former Professor of Theology at Chesapeake Theological Seminary.

An exceptionally popular speaker and teacher, Hahn has delivered numerous talks nationally and internationally on a wide variety of topics related to the Catholic faith. His teaching has been effective in helping thousands of Protestants and fallen-away Catholics to (re)embrace the Catholic faith.1

Both Scott and his wife Kimberly have written about their spiritual journeys that brought them to the Catholic Church in a book called Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism.2 On the back cover of their book, a statement is made that provides further information about the Hahn family:

For the last decade, Scott and Kimberly Hahn have been speaking around the country—and making tapes that circulate the globe—sharing with thousands all about their conversion to the Catholic Church and the truth and splendor of the Catholic faith. Now this outstanding Catholic husband and wife have finally put their story into print as they recount their incredible spiritual journey “back home” into God’s worldwide family, the Catholic Church.3

In Rome Sweet Home,  Hahn gives a step by step account of a Eucharistic encounter that was instrumental in his conversion to Catholicism. He describes in detail what happened to him one day while attending a Catholic Mass. He writes:

[O]ne day, I made a “fatal blunder”—I decided that it was time for me to go to Mass on my own.… Right before noon, I slipped quietly into the basement chapel for daily Mass. I wasn’t sure what to expect; maybe I’d be all alone with a priest and a couple of old nuns. I took a seat as an observer in the back pew.

All of a sudden lots of ordinary people began coming in off the streets—rank-and-file type folks. They came in, genuflected, knelt and prayed. Their simple but sincere devotion was impressive. Then a bell rang and a priest walked out toward the altar. I remained seated; I wasn’t sure if it was safe to kneel. As an evangelical Calvinist, I had been taught that the Catholic Mass was the greatest sacrilege that a man could commit—to resacrifice Christ—so I wasn’t sure what to do.4

Hahn then describes the thoughts and feelings that overcame him as the priest proceeded with the consecration of the Host:

After pronouncing the words of consecration, the priest held up the Host. I felt as if the last drop of doubt had drained from me. With all of my heart, I whispered, “My Lord and my God. That’s really you! And if that’s you, then I want full communion with you. I don’t want to hold anything back.”

Then I remembered my promise … Oh yes. I’ve got to regain control—I’m a Presbyterian, right? right! And with that, I left the chapel, not telling a soul where I had been or what I had done. But the next day I was back, and the next, and the next. Within a week or two I was hooked. I don’t know how to say it, but I had fallen head over heels in love with our Lord in the Eucharist! His presence to me in the Blessed Sacrament was powerful and personal. As I sat in the back I began to kneel and pray with the others whom I now knew to be my brothers and sisters. I wasn’t an orphan! I had found my family—it was God’s family.5

Soon the conversion process was complete. Hahn was overcome by his experience and was convinced he truly had discovered the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In his own words:

Day after day, witnessing the entire drama of the Mass, I saw the covenant renewed right before my eyes. I knew Christ wanted me to receive him in faith, not just spiritually in my heart, but physically as well: onto my tongue, down my throat and into my whole body and soul. This was what the Incarnation was all about. This was the gospel in its fullness.

Each day after Mass, I spent a half hour to an hour praying the Rosary. I felt the Lord unleash his power through his Mother before the Blessed Sacrament. I begged him to open up my heart to show me his will.6

Endnotes:

1. See http://www.scotthahn.com for more information about Scott Hahn.
2. Scott and Kimberly Hahn, Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press), 1993.
3. Ibid., back cover.
4. Ibid., p. 87.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid., pp. 88, 89.