56. To this I will add the following secret from heaven. Depending on how much support and reinforcement we have given the absurd teachings mentioned above, they all stay together in our minds as if they were woven into a single bundle or glued to form one big lump. They all at the same time become part of any individual pronouncement of a teaching of the church. For example, when “faith” is mentioned, or “goodwill,” or “repentance,” and even more so if “the assigning of Christ’s merit” is mentioned, or “the process of being made just,” all the other teachings are present as well. The person making the statement does not see that heap or conglomeration of ideas, but the angels who are with the person do see it. They call it malua, that is, confusion and darkness.

18. Brief Analysis

The churches that separated from Roman Catholicism during the Reformation consist of those who call themselves Evangelicals and those who call themselves the Reformed and also Protestants, and who are named Lutherans or Calvinists after the founders of their churches. The Anglican Church holds middle ground between them. (I am not referring here to the Orthodox churches, which separated from Roman Catholicism a long time ago.)

Many people are aware that the Protestant churches have theological disagreements with each other in a number of areas — especially concerning the Holy Supper, baptism, the person of Christ, and the process whereby people become “the chosen.”

It is not widely recognized, however, that there are four points on which all these churches agree: there is a trinity of persons in the Divine; there is such a thing as original sin; Christ’s merit is assigned to us; and we are justified by faith alone. The reason this is not widely recognized is that few people conduct research on the dogmatic differences between the churches, and therefore few realize the points the churches have in common. Members of the clergy limit themselves to an investigation of the tenets of their own church; and lay people rarely examine those tenets deeply enough to see the differences and similarities.

Nevertheless, on these four points, Protestants do agree, both generally and in most of the details, as you will find if you consult their books and listen to their sermons. (This point is established first for the sake of the points that are about to follow.)