Without a doubt, the most thoughtful and engaging New York Times columnist is Ross Douthat. He’s one of very few people at the Times qualified to speak on the issue of religion (in that he doesn’t write faith off as a cute escapism, opiate of the masses, sociological abnormality, nor does he view religion as… Continue reading Ross Douthat: Columnist to Keep an Eye On
Author: Joe Heschmeyer
Is the Book of Judith Historically Accurate?
I. General Historicity of the Deuterocanon One of the oft-repeated claims against the validity of the Deuterocanonical books is that they’re historically unreliable. This is generally untrue. In fact, without them, there’s no Biblical record for the establishment of one of the biggest religious holidays in Judaism: Hanukkah, which Jesus Himself celebrates (see John 10:22).… Continue reading Is the Book of Judith Historically Accurate?
Is Scripture Self-Attesting?
I went to an interesting Theology on Tap lecture last night, given by Joe Manzari called “Confessions of a Former Calvinist: The Top Five Reasons Your Protestant Friend Isn’t Catholic” (it’ll post here eventually). The summer 6-pack is all about Converts and Reverts, so it’s a bit more personal and narrative than general apologetics. It’s… Continue reading Is Scripture Self-Attesting?
For More on Annulments…
… I just discovered that Fr. Klienman, my pastor at St. Mary’s in Old Town Alexandria (VA), gave a talk at a Theology on Tap on the subject. I haven’t heard it yet, but I bet it’s great. Check it out here, and feel free to let me know how it is. I’ll check it… Continue reading For More on Annulments…
GotQuestions: A Negative Development
Those who have just started reading the blog recently may not be aware of an ongoing conversation I’ve been having with GotQuestions.org. They have an article about annulments which grossly misrepresents the Biblical evidence, in my opinion. If you want the full backstory, I’ve added a GotQuestions tag. Because it’s been a while, I’m going… Continue reading GotQuestions: A Negative Development
Why Pray The Hail Mary?
I was asked why Catholics pray the Hail Mary, when Jesus tells us to pray the Our Father. He thought this was disobeying God. Here’s my reply: Answer: Jesus gives us a model prayer, but I don’t know any Christian who only prays the Our Father. We pray the Our Father at every Mass (we… Continue reading Why Pray The Hail Mary?
The Real Debate On Faith and Works
I think C.S. Lewis said it best when he said, “Regarding the debate about faith and works: It’s like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most important.” There is a real difference between the sola fide position and the Catholic position, but not half as much as might be claimed. It seems… Continue reading The Real Debate On Faith and Works
Common Misunderstandings About Catholic Tradition
What do Catholics mean by the statement that they believe in Scripture plus Tradition? Here are some sources of common confusion amongst non-Catholics (and even some poorly catechized Catholics) that I’ve run into. I hope this helps:(1) Tradition is a Separate Deposit of Faith from Scripture. (Alternatively: Tradition and Scripture Are Identical).Neither view is correct.… Continue reading Common Misunderstandings About Catholic Tradition
Papal Lineage
Catholic Eye Candy, a blog which aims to depict the beauty of all things Catholic, had a very nice post on papal lineage, consisting of a series of popes meeting with their successors (e.g., Pope Paul VI meets with the future Pope John Paul I, JPI meets with the future JPII, JPII meets with the… Continue reading Papal Lineage
Be Wary of the “Sabbatine Privilege”!
Today is the Optional Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. I hate to be a wet blanket, but a lot of the legends surrounding the so-called brown scapular (that is, the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel) are just that: legends. If you go to daily Mass, you may hear something about it,… Continue reading Be Wary of the “Sabbatine Privilege”!