‘Search for truth led me to Catholic Church’

WHEN PENTECOSTAL Pastor Alex Jones decided to become a Catholic, he gave up his reputation, church, ministry, and income. “Everything is gone. I almost lost my wife and family,” Jones told Newsday in an interview at the Living Water Community on Frederick Street. He loves his family but he was willing to give them up in his search for truth. “In the search for truth everything is expendable even your own life,” he said without hesitation. Jones is obviously passionate about the spiritual journey he is taking. But years ago, he was on another path. From April 1975 to December 2000, Jones was a senior minister of two churches in the city of Detroit — Zion Congregational Church of Christ (1975-1982), the oldest Pentecostal Church in Michigan and Maranatha Christian Church (1982-2000). As a pastor, Jones preached about the “wicked, vile harlot” — the Catholic Church  —  and even compiled a five-tape series of his criticisms. He had been taught that Catholicism was an inadequate faith and the Catholic Church was not Christian, but a cult.

“I never thought I’d become part of it.  But I did it in my ignorance. I meant well and God understood that my desire was to know him and to know the truth,” Jones told Newsday. The quest for “truth” led him to the same Church he reviled in his sermons and also cost him the life he knew in the Pentecostal Church. But he does not regret the decision. “That search for truth is where I am right now, and I am still seeking. It is not over.” Jones arrived in TT on October 18 and will be here until Monday. He is a guest of the Archdiocesan Commission for Evangelisation and is sharing his experience and giving testimony in various parishes in TT. Jones’ journey toward “truth” began in March 1988, while reading the apostolic fathers and Church history in preparation for a Bible study class. He said he discovered the Church to be charismatic, liturgical, hierarchical and Eucharistic-centred. Jones’ reading of the early Church fathers, particularly Ignatius of Antioch, sparked his transformation. He explained: “When I went back to read the Holy Church fathers, it did not match up to what I learned.”

This discovery led him into the Catholic Church and he attempted to take his congregation with him. Jones’ congregation at Maranatha dwindled from 200 to 80 during the two years (1998-2000) of his conversion from Pentecostalism to Catholicism. At the end of the two years, 50 members of his previous congregation, including 14 of his own family members, were received into the Catholic Church. Explaining the insight he gained from his readings, Jones said: “I had learned to look at the Church from its historical context instead of the Bible only. When you place the Church in its historical context, a whole new perspective of the Christian faith emerges.” He said the Church became bigger than what he was taught. Jones said he learnt that the Church had always been sacramental, had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother, and viewed apostolic scripture in two streams — sacred scripture and tradition. “When you put the Bible in that context, it takes on more meaning.” He said he converted to Catholicism because he wanted to partake of the Sacraments of the Church, including the Holy Eucharist. While the Pentecost faith had given him a revelation of God and what God intended for him, Jones felt he did not have a good understanding of the sacraments. “We had sacraments but we did not call them that because we did not believe in the incarnation principle — that God uses material things to transmit grace, for us it was all by faith.”

Jones’ family thought he was crazy and making the wrong decision. “They wanted to jump ship. It was incomprehensible what I was doing.” He said to understand how they thought is to understand how Catholics are viewed by non-Catholics. “Most Catholics don’t have a clue how non-Catholics view them as belonging to a cult, unholy, ungodly, so to my family I was going in that direction.” Giving his views on challenges facing the Catholic Church, he said they included the relevance of the Church in today’s world, the sex scandals, evangelisation, the Church is slow to evangelise, and “being influenced by a materialistic society rather than influencing a materialistic society.” Jones said the role of the Church of Jesus Christ, empowered by Him and authorised by Him is to keep the Christian faith alive in the world until He returns. “The Church is to stand against injustice and fulfil its prophetic role in leading culture and society into the kingdom of God.” While in TT, Jones aims to bring a spark to the Catholic community. He hopes to encourage and strengthen faith in the people he meets. Earlier this week Jones spoke at venues in Chaguanas, San Fernando and Tobago. He will be evangelising today  at a youth rally at Our Lady of Fatima, Curepe starting at 9.30 am and tomorrow at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar, Arima at a rally starting at 10 am. Holy Mass takes place at 3 pm.