Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has caught my attention lately. If you’re not aware, he’s the head of the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church here in the US. The man is something of a tragic figure. He’s usually painted as a conservative who’s too diplomatic or weak-willed to impose his brand of orthodoxy… Continue reading Anglicanism: Rotting From the Top Down?
Tag: apologetics
Was Judas at Jesus’ Right Hand at The Last Supper?
Over on Mark Shea’s blog, there’s been a lively, ahem, “discussion,” on how graphic (particularly, how scatological, more or less) Christ can be depicted devoutly. On the one hand, it seems blasphemous (or at least in extremely ill-taste) to talk about Jesus’ bodily functions. But on the other hand, it was St. Augustine who said… Continue reading Was Judas at Jesus’ Right Hand at The Last Supper?
Happy Feast of St. John Vianney!
Today celebrates the 150th anniversary of St. John Vianney’s death. It is this day that prompted Pope Benedict’s Year for Priests. Here are a few things that I find awesome about St. John Vianney, better known as the Curé of Ars: He could hardly speak Latin. He failed his entrance exam for the seminary the… Continue reading Happy Feast of St. John Vianney!
St. Francis De Sales on the Protestant Tower of Babel
St. Francis De Sales is a profound writer, whose Introduction to the Devout Life has been enjoyed by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. While it is specifically and unabashedly Catholic, the work’s broad themes — on the glory of God, our own sinfulness and insignificance, etc. — are powerful to almost any serious Christian. As Bishop… Continue reading St. Francis De Sales on the Protestant Tower of Babel
The Scottish Reformed on the “Marks of the Church”
Since we covered Calvin Friday, it’s only right to cover John Knox. Knox, along with five others, drafted the Scottish Confession of 1560. Like the other confessions we’ve examined so far, it’s Reformed, and much of the language tracks very closely with the previous two, particularly with the Confession of the English Congregation at Geneva… Continue reading The Scottish Reformed on the “Marks of the Church”
Calvin on the “Marks of the Church”
For the second Protestant Confession to examine, it seems sensible to go for the who’s who and what’s what of Reformed Christianity, Mr. John Calvin himself. He wrote the 1559 French Confession of Faith [.DOC], and there’s much in it to admire. To wit: XXV. Now as we enjoy Christ only through the gospel, we… Continue reading Calvin on the “Marks of the Church”
The English Reformed on the “Marks of the Church”
In my post on Wednesday, I identified as “one of the classic Reformed beliefs on the nature of the Church” the idea of a primarily-invisible Church which can be visibly identified only by subjectively divining 3 marks. Since this week, we’ve focused on Matthew 13 at Church, which talks at length about the Church as… Continue reading The English Reformed on the “Marks of the Church”
Sam Harris: Playing Fast and Loose With the Facts
For some reason, Sam Harris is sort of a big deal to the “New Atheists,” as the angsty suburban anti-theists like to call themselves. What I can’t get is why. Take, for example, his most famous book, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. As with all great defenses of reason,… Continue reading Sam Harris: Playing Fast and Loose With the Facts
The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, pt. 2
The other passage from the thirteenth Chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel that we looked at this week was Matthew 13:31-35, which includes two succinct parables: Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of… Continue reading The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, pt. 2
Is There Salvation Outside the Catholic Church?
There’s going to be a lot of discussion on the visible v. invisible Church upcoming, I think. I’d like to look at a number of Protestant (particularly Reformed) Confessions, to see how they understand and identify the Church. But there’s something I need to make clear, which is how Catholics understand the phrase extra ecclesia… Continue reading Is There Salvation Outside the Catholic Church?