Catholic Answers apologetics ministry has recently begun an “Emergency Appeal” for donations. Some persons online have commented that these donations will go, in part, to pay rather large salaries for some of the top people at Catholic Answers, including Jimmy Akin. This has led to a controversy in Catholic online media sources.

Michael Voris released a video criticizing some Catholic apologists, including Catholic Answers and EWTN, on the basis of their salaries of over $100,000 per year. Here’s the video; the salary discussion is in the latter half. Reaction from Creative Minority Report here and from Fr. Dwight Longenecker was not supportive of Voris’ position.

In subsequent videos, Voris states that there is a “worldwide apostasy” going on within the Church. He defines apostasy as “the rejection of the tenets of your own faith”, and he says that “unfaithfulness in the Church and the resultant spiritual damage” is a subject that is being ignored by the top Catholic media outlets and apologists: “salaries are being made from the protection of the status quo and the status quo isn’t cutting it in the face of a worldwide apostasy”. Voris’ salary is reportedly $40,000.

Here’s my take on this controversy. Michael Voris receives his salary in exchange for his work teaching Catholicism to members of the Church. Jimmy Akin receives his salary in exchange for his work teaching Catholicism to members of the Church. But they both teach abject heresy without repentance. My objection to Voris’ salary is not based on the dollar amount, but on the content of his teaching. He is paid by Catholics who support his work despite teaching heresy and various errors on doctrine. My objection to Akin’s salary is not based on the dollar amount, but on the content of his teaching. He is paid by Catholic Answers despite repeatedly teaching abject heresy as well as a number of additional doctrinal errors.

Voris is quite the hypocrite. He defines apostasy as “the rejection of the tenets of your own faith”, and yet he rejects the dogma of the Church, which is recited in the Creed at Mass, that the Three Persons of the Trinity are consubstantial. Of course, like Jimmy Akin and others he criticizes, Voris is uncorrectable. He is a magisterium unto himself. So is Jimmy Akin. Voris criticizes “unfaithfulness in the Church and the resultant spiritual damage”, and yet he damages souls by teaching doctrinal errors on various subjects, causing spiritual damage to souls. See my summary of Voris’ errors here.

Why do Catholics like Fr. Z., continue to support Voris? They don’t seem to mind that he has rejected the dogma of the Church on the Trinity. They don’t care that he rails openly against one Bishop after another, and against the body of Bishops. As long as Voris hits all the right conservative talking points, they support him with no regard for his unfaithfulness to Church teaching and the resultant spiritual damage. Fr. Z. is harming souls by his support for this teacher of heresy, and he doesn’t care. Conservatives have to stick together.

Why do Catholics continue to support Jimmy Akin? Here’s my summary of the heresies and doctrinal errors of Jimmy Akin. His teaching on the Eucharist is abject heresy. Strangely, he has offered his audience two different incompatible heresies on the Eucharist. His teaching on Confession in kind and number is abject heresy. Akin rejects the infallible teaching of the Magisterium that contraception is intrinsically evil and always immoral. In fact, he rejects the teaching that intrinsically evil acts are always immoral, regardless of intention or circumstances. His salvation theology is a modified form of Calvinism, wholly incompatible with Catholic teaching on salvation. And he has declared that all anathemas by all Ecumenical Councils are null and void.

So my objection to Jimmy Akin’s salary is the same as my objection to Voris’ salary: they both are well paid, despite repeatedly harming souls by teaching a distorted and heretical form of Catholicism to a large number of the faithful.

The problem is not high salaries. The problem is that many of the most popular teachers of Catholicism in the Church today are teaching one serious doctrinal error after another, and no one seems to care. The Catholic blogosphere is “all atwitter” over this controversy on salaries. But the teaching of abject heresy by popular Catholic apologists is not even mentioned. People become attached to certain teachers and leaders in the Church, and then they don’t want to criticize them.

Scripture objects to the faithful dividing themselves up by whom they favor as a teacher or leader:

[1 Corinthians]
{1:11} For it has been indicated to me, about you, my brothers, by those who are with Chloes, that there are contentions among you.
{1:12} Now I say this because each of you is saying: “Certainly, I am of Paul;” “But I am of Apollo;” “Truly, I am of Cephas;” as well as: “I am of Christ.”
{1:13} Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Scripture objects to false teachers:

[1 Timothy]
{1:5} Now the goal of instruction is charity from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith.
{1:6} Certain persons, wandering away from these things, have been turned aside to empty babbling,
{1:7} desiring to be teachers of the law, but understanding neither the things that they themselves are saying, nor what they are affirming about these things.

Scripture predicted that many members of the Church would turn aside from sound doctrine to follow teachers who tell them what they want to hear:

[2 Timothy]
{4:1} I testify before God, and before Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead through his return and his kingdom:
{4:2} that you should preach the word urgently, in season and out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke, with all patience and doctrine.
{4:3} For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine, but instead, according to their own desires, they will gather to themselves teachers, with itching ears,
{4:4} and certainly, they will turn their hearing away from the truth, and they will be turned toward fables.

Scripture advises us to avoid heretics, which must certainly include, above all the others, those who publicly teach heresy.

[Titus]
{3:10} Avoid a man who is a heretic, after the first and second correction,
{3:11} knowing that one who is like this has been subverted, and that he offends; for he has been condemned by his own judgment.

Yet no matter how many heresies and doctrinal errors someone teaches, they have plenty of support from Catholic individuals and organizations. How can this be? In past centuries, there were teachers of heresy. But they were not paid large salaries by Catholic organizations and individuals for their teaching. Why do believing and practicing Catholics support teachers of heresy?

Many Catholics today no longer care about doctrine at all. They choose teachers whose words please them. They choose teachers whose teaching is easy to understand and pleasant to accept. This is one thing that most heresies have in common: easy to understand and pleasing to the ear. Many heresies result from doctrines being over-simplified until they are severely distorted. Many heresies result from telling people what they want to hear. The most popular Catholic apologists today are those who are entertaining, who are skillful at public speaking, and who distort the Catholic Faith in a way that makes it easier to understand and easier to accept.

Voris has no written works of theology at all: no books, no booklets, no articles. He does television, videos, and radio, because he is a gifted public speaker. But he does not have the gift to understand the Catholic Faith well, and to teach it faithfully. He badly misunderstands many doctrines. And then he teaches his errors to many others.

[James 3]
{3:1} My brothers, not many of you should choose to become teachers, knowing that you shall receive a stricter judgment.

{3:6} And so the tongue is like a fire, comprising all iniquity. The tongue, stationed in the midst of our body, can defile the entire body and inflame the wheel of our nativity, setting a fire from Hell.

Jimmy Akin is an entertaining author and a fine public speaker. But he badly misunderstands Catholic doctrine, and he openly rejects infallible magisterial teaching, without remorse or repentance. And his listeners do not mind at all.

And there are many others like Akin and Voris, Catholics who have either badly misunderstood Catholic doctrine, or who have decided to reject Church teaching because they themselves know better. And then they use modern forms of social communication (TV, radio, video, the internet) to spread their errors to many others. But some of the worst of these false teachers, who are doing the most harm, are anonymous: people who comment on blog posts, discussion group members operating under a pseudonym, anonymous bloggers and the like. They are harming very many souls by teaching grave doctrine error under cover of anonymity.

The great apostasy is very near. Most Catholics have already left the Church in their hearts and minds. Soon, most Catholics will formally leave the Church. Many of the most popular Catholic teachers have already left the Church in their hearts and minds, including Michael Voris and Jimmy Akin and many others. But when the great apostasy begins, Catholics will be severely divided. Many priests and religious will leave the Church. The Pope will be falsely accused of heresy. Bishop will be divided against Bishop, and Cardinal against Cardinal. The apostates will try to form their own Church and elect their own pope (who will be the most prominent antipope in Church history).

The great apostasy is near. Most Catholics will be left in great consternation, not knowing which teachers to follow. The issue is not salaries. The issue is that many Catholic teachers are teaching one grave doctrinal error after another, without correction, and the faithful do not mind at all.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.