Why do Catholics celebrate the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” today, and what does it have to do with (a) the Jansenist heresy, and (b) Christ’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane?
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The Nasty Return of Pelagianism
New piece at Catholic Answers Magazine on the resurgence of Pelagianism, and why that’s bad. A taste: Butler Bass’s own writings reveal the dangerous consequences of Pelagian thinking. She is the author of Freeing Jesus, which Fr. James Martin has praised as “an inviting, accessible, provocative, challenging and always inspiring look” at the “heart of… Continue reading The Nasty Return of Pelagianism
What’s the Deal with Relics?
One of the weirdest (and in my view, coolest) parts of Catholicism is our view of relics. Forgive me for calling it weird, but I don’t know another word to use to describe taking body parts of your heroes and then putting them on altars. It’s entirely understandable to me that our Protestant brothers and… Continue reading What’s the Deal with Relics?
The Difference Between Catholic Sacraments and Evangelical “Ordinances”
In certain Evangelical circles (particularly, but not exclusively, Baptists) you’ll hear talk of baptism and the “Lord’s Supper” being “ordinances.” What’s going on with that, and what does it have to do with the Catholic [and Orthodox] view of the Sacraments?
Does Conscience Trump Doctrine?
What’s the proper role of “conscience” in decision-making? What should I do if my conscience doesn’t line up with the Church’s teachings? Those are some of the questions that I explored with Cy Kellett on the latest episode of Catholic Answers Focus. Here is a taste of one of the questions he tried to stump me with:
Don’t Waste Your Cross this Easter
I didn’t want to interrupt Holy Week or Easter Sunday with personal news, but I have some pretty darn exciting news… I’m the newest apologist at Catholic Answers! To say that it’s a dream job is an understatement (admittedly, I’m not yet two weeks in, so many they’re going to surprise me with the terrible… Continue reading Don’t Waste Your Cross this Easter
Happy Easter to Those Who Screwed Up Lent (And Those Who Didn’t)!
Did your Lent not go as planned? Did you make a lot of resolutions and then mostly fail at them? Or maybe you failed to even make any Lenten resolutions, and sort of wandered your way into Easter. Well, if that sounds like you, St. John Chrysostom has a message for you.
What Science REALLY Says About the Soul (& Life After Death)
If you’re not following the debates on all things scientific and religious, it’s easy to come away with the vague sense that science has “proven” that (a) the ‘mind’ is really just the brain, or (b) that there’s no such thing as life after death, or (c) there’s no such thing as an immaterial soul.… Continue reading What Science REALLY Says About the Soul (& Life After Death)
Why N.T. Wright is Wrong About Purgatory
As I’ve mentioned before, N.T. Wright is one of the most interesting and influential theologians alive today, and I’m generally grateful for his career and his writings and his contributions to Christianity. Having said that, I think that he has some major blind spots and weaknesses in some of his arguments against Catholicism (and particularly,… Continue reading Why N.T. Wright is Wrong About Purgatory
3 Things I Wish I’d Said…
The French have an expression, l’esprit d’escalier (“the spirit of the stairs”), to describe that feeling of knowing just what you should have said … after the moment has passed. In a bit of that spirit, here are three points that I wish I would have said, or said better, or at least said more succinctly in my discussion / debate with Dr. Gavin Ortlund on the papacy.