A common mistake that Catholics make is assuming that every Catholic teaching carries equal weight, and that as the faithful, we are equally bound to follow everything that the pope or a bishop says. Related to this is the idea that a politician who goes against Church “teaching” on one issue, like supporting a particular… Continue reading Catholic Voting and The Order of Truths
Author: Joe Heschmeyer
Does Saint Jerome Endorse the Protestant Canon?
In response to last week’t two–part series on the canon of Scripture, my Lutheran friend Rev. Hans wrote: Guercino, St Jerome in the Wilderness (1650) I am curious about the view St. Jerome has on the Deuterocanonical books. I have read that he questioned these books and separated them from the Old Testament Canon. You brought… Continue reading Does Saint Jerome Endorse the Protestant Canon?
Why Not 66: Answering Brian Edwards’ Arguments for the Protestant Canon (Pt. II)
This is the second part of my response to Evangelical theologian Brian Edwards’ case for the 66-Book Protestant canon, “Why 66?” Yesterday, I answered three of Edwards’ major claims: that the Deuterocanon was rejected by the early Jews, by Jesus and the Apostles, and that the Septuagint at the time of Christ probably “did not include” the… Continue reading Why Not 66: Answering Brian Edwards’ Arguments for the Protestant Canon (Pt. II)
Why Not 66: Answering Brian Edwards’ Arguments for the Protestant Canon (Pt. I)
Brian Edwards In continuing my search for a principled basis for the Protestant canon of Scripture, I found what looked to be the perfect fit. It’s a talk called “Why 66?,” an hour long presentation by the Evangelical theologian Brian Edwards, which sought to answer, for a Protestant audience: (I, 6:37). “So what is the… Continue reading Why Not 66: Answering Brian Edwards’ Arguments for the Protestant Canon (Pt. I)
Debunking the “Pro-Choice” Euphemism
To no great surprise, it turns out “pro-choice” just means the choice to abort your kid, not the choice to, say, have an incandescent light bulb or drink a large soda. This reality was highlighted by a recent Reason TV video in which Democratic delegates and supporters were interviewed about “choice” at the 2012 Democratic National… Continue reading Debunking the “Pro-Choice” Euphemism
How Do We Know Jesus Wasn’t Married?
An LDS couple I’m friends with asked me recently about the so-called Gospel of Philip, and specifically, about its claim that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. Let’s address the reliability of the “Gospel of Philip” first, and then the broader question: how do we know that Jesus wasn’t married? The So-Called Gospel of Philip… Continue reading How Do We Know Jesus Wasn’t Married?
The Deuterocanon and the Communion of Saints
If Catholics are right about the Books that make up the Bible, then we’re also right about the Communion of Saints. In fact, if the Second Book of Maccabees is true (whether or not the Book is inspired Scripture), then the Catholic doctrines on the Communion of the Saints are true, as well. How can… Continue reading The Deuterocanon and the Communion of Saints
Do Scripture and the Church Fathers Depict the Eucharist as a Sacrifice?
A Protestant reader wrote to me, asking how we Catholics could rectify the Sacrifice of the Mass with Hebrews 10:8-14, which describes Christ’s Sacrifice on Calvary as once-for-all: When he said above, “Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he… Continue reading Do Scripture and the Church Fathers Depict the Eucharist as a Sacrifice?
Calvinism’s Internal Contradiction, Part 2
On Tuesday, I wrote about what an an apparent contradiction within Calvinism: namely, trying to harmonize “perseverance of the saints,” the view that nobody falls away from the faith, with the Calvinist belief in a Great Apostasy, that the entire Church fell away from the faith. In response, I’ve seen two attempts to harmonize these two… Continue reading Calvinism’s Internal Contradiction, Part 2
Perseverance of the Saints v. the Great Apostasy: Calvinism’s Internal Contradiction
Calvinism affirms two critical doctrines that are in apparent contradiction with one another. On the one hand, Calvinists claim that nobody falls permanently away from the faith. On the other hand, they claim that the entire Church fell away from the faith for generations, and that the Divinely-ordained Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was destroyed,… Continue reading Perseverance of the Saints v. the Great Apostasy: Calvinism’s Internal Contradiction