Ulf Ekman Faces His Accusers After Catholic Conversion
6:00AM EDT 8/15/2014
Jennifer LeClaire
It caused more than just a stir when a well-known Swedish megachurch pastor told his congregation he planned to covert to Catholicism. In fact, Ulf Ekman described it as a a "real uproar" in his overwhelmingly Protestant nation and opened the door to "contention and debate."
Despite Ekman's well-known and growing fascination with Catholicism over a number of years, Word of Life members were shocked, and some were dismayed. Nevertheless, Ekman doesn't see how he or the church could have handled it differently. These are among the revelations Ekman shared in a column written for the Catholic Herald.
"Yet there were many emotions: criticism, as well as sorrow and feelings of loss and rejection. How could I as a pastor leave my flock? Did I not betray them and my own calling? Didn't I consider them Christians anymore? Was everything I taught before wrong now? Some wondered how I, who seem to have been standing strong for so many years, could fall for such an outright deception and lie. Accusations were hurled from left and right, and emotions ran high. Some still do," he wrote.
Ekman made it clear that he's not rejecting his background or the rich ministerial experiences he has had over the many years as a founder and leader of Word of Life. He stressed that he's forever thankful to the Lord for that season but is immensely happy to be part of the Catholic Church.
http://www.charismanews.com/world/45033-ulf-ekman-faces-his-accusers-after-catholic-conversion
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