Jennifer Lawrence defended taking nude photos for her ex-boyfriend by saying that “either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he’s going to look at you.” That’s exactly the problem. Jennifer’s response exposes four of the biggest lies we tell ourselves about pornography, including that it’s a victimless vice.
Author: Joe Heschmeyer
Aim at Mary, Hit Jesus
Many of the most popular attacks on Mary (both by Protestants today, and by figures like Nestorius throughout the history of the Church) end up being attacks on Jesus. This post looks at three specific examples: (1) “all have sinned” as a denial of the Immaculate Conception; (2) “no one greater than John the Baptist”; and (3) refusing to acknowledge Mary as Mother of God.
Does Jesus Rebuke His Mother at the Wedding of Cana?
In John’s Gospel, Mary sparks Jesus’ public ministry by requesting the changing of water into wine at the Wedding of Cana. Does Jesus rebuke her for this? Or is He warning her?
The Good Shepherd and the Great Apostasy
Some Protestants view John 10 as rendering the Church unnecessary (for example, for setting the canon of Scripture), since Jesus says that “My sheep hear My voice.” In fact, this passage is actually a ringing endorsement of the necessity of the Church.
Is Praying to the Saints Idolatrous?
Praying to the Saints isn’t just not idolatry. It’s the opposite of idolatry.
Idolatry relies upon the idea that God is impotent, or at least not powerful or loving enough. Prayer to the Saints relies upon the idea that God is sovereign, and powerful or loving enough to answer the prayers we’re asking the Saints to make for us. So the logic of prayer to the Saints and the logic of idolatry are diametrically opposed.
So. Much. Popery!
I have two big pieces of news to share: 1) As you might have noticed, I’ve got a new blog layout and a new web address. I’ve switched over from Blogspot to WordPress, which should give me a little more flexibility in designing the page. All of this was made possible by John Lamansky, a seminarian for… Continue reading So. Much. Popery!
Do You Need God to Know That Abortion is Wrong?
The New Republic’s latest “contribution” to the abortion debate is remarkable, in that, despite getting virtually everything it says factually wrong, it still raises an interesting problem for pro-choicers and atheists. Here’s the Twitter teaser to the piece that started it all: How the anti-choice platform is fighting to stay alive: http://t.co/m8kuGANs2Q pic.twitter.com/fxTeRyj444 — The New… Continue reading Do You Need God to Know That Abortion is Wrong?
Does Scripture Teach Us to Pray for the Departed, and to Pray to the Saints?
Daniel Chorny, The Bosom of Abraham (15th c.) In regards to prayer and the Saints, Catholics do two things to which Protestants tend to object: Praying to the Saints: Asking the Saints to pray for us, etc. Praying for the Saints: Praying for the dead, commending their souls to God. Yesterday, I talked about some of… Continue reading Does Scripture Teach Us to Pray for the Departed, and to Pray to the Saints?
Three Things You’re Probably Getting Wrong about Praying to the Saints
As Christianity Today acknowledges, prayers for and to the Saints date back to the early Church (in fact, these practices date back far earlier, even to Old Testament Judaism, but I’ll talk more about that tomorrow). Nevertheless, these practices are controversial within Protestantism. Today, I want to look at just one of them — prayer… Continue reading Three Things You’re Probably Getting Wrong about Praying to the Saints
The Tragic Case for Christ
Johannes Moreelse, Heraclitus (1630) I. An Anatomy of Tragedy Man knows two things: how things are (the World), and how they should be (the Ideal). I don’t mean that he knows these things perfectly, or that every man completely agrees with every other man about what is or what ought to be. But everyone has… Continue reading The Tragic Case for Christ