Gal. 1:6-9
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

Mark 8:38
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.

Don Shoemaker and the FGBC are once again unashamedly promoting the deceased pontiff as “a powerful spiritual leader” who “personified the call of Jesus to take up the cross and follow Him,” in whom “we saw the spiritual power of the cross and the GOSPEL at work emancipating human souls from misery.” Furthermore, Don Shoemaker says his “experience” has taught him (and now he and the FGBC are again teaching us) that “the liturgy will include a Creed that goes to the heart of the Gospel and will include words spoken and sung that take us to the Cross.”

Don Shoemaker and the FGBC are trampling upon TRUE Gospel, the FINISHED work of the Cross, and the LORD Jesus Christ. The Creed of the Catholicism is the Catechism that John Paul II, Benedict XVI, every priest, and every other faithful Catholic holds to. It reads:

“The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. 'Sacramental grace' is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each sacrament.” CCC Para 1129

“Baptism is the first and chief sacrament of forgiveness of sins because it unites us with Christ...” CCC Para 977

“Baptism,…erases original sin…” CCC Para 405

“Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith.” CCC Para 1992

“In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner.” CCC Para 1367

“The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the [Roman Catholic] Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire.” CCC Para 1368

“One who desires to obtain reconciliation with God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience.” CCC Para 1493

“Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation.... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the [Roman Catholic] Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.” CCC Para 969

“By asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the ‘Mother of Mercy,’ the All Holy One.” CCC Para 2677

The Catholic gospel is a complex system of sacramental faith and works in which God’s grace is doled out sacrament by sacrament. The central sacraments are baptism and the Mass. The Catechism clearly teaches that water baptism and the literal eating and drinking of Christ’s body and blood justifies the participant, NOT faith in Christ’s finished work upon the cross two thousand years ago. Catholic baptism “justifies” infants and adults alike through the sprinkling of “holy water.” The Catholic cross is the crucifix upon which their false Christ is daily re-crucified for the remission of sins as faithful Catholics eat and drink “justification” in the unholy celebration of Mass. Confession to priests and praying to Mary as the “Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, Mediatrix, Mother of Mercy, the All Holy One” only further blasphemes the name of Christ and His Gospel, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Don Shoemaker claims “the liturgy will include a Creed that goes to the heart of Gospel and will include words spoken and sung that take us to the Cross.” In reality their Creed cuts the heart out of the Gospel and blasphemes the finished work of Christ on the cross. The Roman Catholic Creed is a long list of departures from “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

The sixth point of the Grace Brethren Statement of Faith says:

SALVATION. A complete and eternal salvation by God's grace alone received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

In Don Shoemaker and the FGBC's continual promotion of the ministry of pope and priest alike, they trample the FGBC's Biblical position on SALVATION beneath their feet in the dung of Roman Catholic tradition and papal decree. They insult the lives, testimonies, and shed blood of the martyrs that died for the true Gospel that the FGBC statement of faith declares. They insult Christ in bowing before the so-called Vicar of Christ (John Paul II & Benedict XVI) and their priests as brothers in the ministry of the Gospel.

In the mid-portion of Don Shoemaker's letter he reveals a disturbing compassion for the plight of the overtaxed false teacher, sorrowing over the heavy load of the priest as he carries his false gospel and false Christ (transubstantiation) from church to church. As if that wasn’t enough, Shoemaker extended his apostate compassion beyond the individual heretic to the entire body of priest heretics, lamenting the “huge crisis of pastoral care in the Catholic Church.” He effectively wraps his caring arms around the great body of heretical Catholic clergy and pulls them to his pastoral bosom, inviting the reader to do the same. It is an appalling affront to Christ and His Gospel. Let us pray for the demise of the Roman Catholic Church and her heresies, not swoon over her diminished priesthood. Oh to God, that every Catholic Church would forever shut its doors, and that every priest would cease to propagate the soul-damning heresy of the priesthood.

Has the FGBC renounced their creed in exchange for the creed of Rome? Is the FGBC an enemy of the Gospel? There is a growing spirit of apostasy in the churches of our day. Those who aren’t boldly going apostate themselves seem to be all too willing to allow others to sell out the faith for a few silver coins. That is simply a more cowardly and comfortable (ecumenical) form of apostasy. Wholesale apostasy is never far behind.

How can the genuine saints, elders, pastors, and missionaries who love the Lord Jesus and His Gospel ignore this rank soul damning apostasy in our midst? They can't. The true, Gospel loving believers of the FGBC need to call off the "peace" that has been made with the pope, the priesthood, and the multitude of Catholic heresies. The FGBC needs to be ASHAMED of the apostasy in their midst and on their national website. Beaverton Grace Bible Church (a member of the FGBC) is duly ashamed of this apostasy in our misdst.

Jer. 6:13-15
"Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is given to covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly,
Saying, 'Peace, peace!'
When there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down," says the Lord.

The FGBC needs to repent and have a revival of purifying Gospel fire burn in its pulpits, pews, and hearts again. For the love of the Lord Jesus Christ the FGBC needs to reject Roman Catholic heresy and reclaim its motto, "The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible." For the love of the billion Catholics on this planet the FGBC needs to define, defend, and declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don Shoemaker needs to be called upon to repent and recant on a local, regional, and national level. If he will not repent he needs to be put out of the fellowship. Those who have willfully turned a blind eye to Shoemaker's heresy need to be called to repent. If those who have willfully turned a blind eye to open, brazen apostasy will not repent, they need to be put out of the fellowship for they have no love of Christ, no love of Christ’s Gospel, and no love of those who are headed to Hell bound up under Roman Catholic sacramental doctrines of demons. Semper Reformanda, for Christ, for His Church, for His Gospel, and for His Word.