For part 3 of this segment on Tradition, I thought I’d answer one of the Church’s critics. I was reading an article by someone named Reese Currie for something called Compass Distributors (who charge themselves with “Distributing Christian Truth to all points of the compass”). The article was called, “Can Catholic Tradition Be Valid?” The… Continue reading Tradition, pt. 3: When did the Church add THAT?
Author: Joe Heschmeyer
Tradition, pt. 2: Development of Doctrine v. Continuous Revelation
The Church believes that doctrines can develop over time, as we understand them better, but this is the organic growth from an apostolic root, not a new plant. John Henry Cardinal Newman described it like this, in opposing the idea of an absolutely new revelation: “Revelation is all in all in doctrine; the Apostles its… Continue reading Tradition, pt. 2: Development of Doctrine v. Continuous Revelation
Tradition, pt. 1: Scripture & Tradition
Catholic Tradition is confusing to some non-Catholics, so I thought I’d briefly address the issue. Sacred Tradition is binding to Catholics, and for good reason: the Bible says it is. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul instructs his readers to “stand firm, and cling to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word… Continue reading Tradition, pt. 1: Scripture & Tradition
Paul and the Power of Prayer
Eric Bohn said… Good post. A few weeks ago, at a mass honoring St Paul, the reading of the paralytic was read. I couldn’t help but think that Paul was very much like the paralytic with regard to the faith. If I had to guess, I’d say that the people who prayed for Paul were… Continue reading Paul and the Power of Prayer
Georgetown, Seriously?
I know, I know, on Saturday I said that I would probably do a post yesterday on Christological prophesies in the Old Testament, and on the issue of typology, but I didn’t. I’ll get to it eventually, but there are a lot of other things I want to talk about in the meantime. One of… Continue reading Georgetown, Seriously?
What the Road to Damascus Taught St. Paul
It’s the year of St. Paul. – for those of you who aren’t aware or are not Catholic, the pope declared a year, from June 28, 2008 to June 29, 2009, to celebrate St. Paul’s unique contributions to the faith. There really is at least a year’s worth of discussion one could do just on… Continue reading What the Road to Damascus Taught St. Paul
Welcome, Mark Shea fans!
Wow! I’ve only just started the blog, and have had just a handful of visitors. Suddenly, I come back from lunch and notice that my new traffic counter has spiked up in a serious way. You probably know the rest of the story. Truth of the matter is, I’d e-mailed Mark a few times over… Continue reading Welcome, Mark Shea fans!
Georgetown: Caesar > Jesus?
If you follow Catholic (or even political) news, you’ve probably already heard about the recent scandal at Notre Dame University. ND has a generally proud Catholic tradition, (although there have been a few notable missteps), and has suffered greatly for the actions of her president, Fr. John Jenkins. Fr. Jenkins decided that the appropriate way… Continue reading Georgetown: Caesar > Jesus?
Mea Maxima Culpa
A few apologies I felt were in order: Mea Culpa: I managed to write about papal infallibility with hardly a reference to the Early Church Fathers. The ECFs are probably the strongest support for the papacy, and papal infallibility. For example, St. Irenaeus, in his book Against Heresies (Book 3, Chapter 3, section 2) written… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa
Which Came First, James or Romans?
A friend of mine asked: You’ve frequently said that James was a commentary on people’s reception of Paul’s theology. It has always bothered me, and I was wondering what source material you base that on… the most common protestant view is that it was one of the earliest epistles written (c. 47, no later than 49). Considering that, I… Continue reading Which Came First, James or Romans?