Tag: apologetics

Sort of my Grand View of Catholicism

A friend of mine was talking with me about the ecclesiology (particularly the differences in how it’s understood by Catholics and Eastern Orthodox), and said: “It seems that there is a tension here between a desire to establish and protect dogma, affirm unity, and preserve relations as a body catholic as much as possible but… Continue reading Sort of my Grand View of Catholicism

Is The Catholic Church the Kingdom of God?

I just finished reading what I thought was a pretty excellent starting point for a good discussion on ecclesiology and ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and non-Catholic Christians (Protestants, non-Catholic Charismatics, Orthodox, etc.). I was referred to the site by one of the nicest commenters I’ve ever heard from (or of) via my e-mail. Much thanks… Continue reading Is The Catholic Church the Kingdom of God?

The Vine, the Branches, and Catholic Justification

Today’s Gospel is John 15:1-8: Jesus said to his disciples:“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to… Continue reading The Vine, the Branches, and Catholic Justification

Why Everyone Should Read (and Believe in) the Deuterocanon

This is part III of an e-mail (edited, of course, to make it more blogable) which I sent to Reese Currie about two Catholic doctrines: priestly celibacy and the Deuterocanon. Thursday’s post dealt with celibacy, and yesterday’s answered two of Reese’s arguments against the Deuterocanon (they’re common arguments, so perhaps worth your read). If you… Continue reading Why Everyone Should Read (and Believe in) the Deuterocanon

Answering Two Arguments Against the Deuterocanon

This is the second part of an e-mail I sent to Reese Currie, regarding specific concerns which he had about the Catholic faith. The first half, lightly edited, was yesterday’s post. Today, I’m paraphrasing a somewhat lengthy section where I talked about his two major arguments against the Deuterocanon. His first argument relied upon 1st… Continue reading Answering Two Arguments Against the Deuterocanon

Priestly Celibacy: Eunuchs for the Kingdom

I don’t feel comfortable sharing the full content of my e-mails back and forth with Reese (Currie), but this didn’t seem too personal, so I thought I’d see what people thought. Do these points make sense, and are they compelling? Are there other and better things I should be saying? I. Priestly CelibacyI wanted to… Continue reading Priestly Celibacy: Eunuchs for the Kingdom

He took it down!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this: I sent a copy of this post to Reese Currie, the author of the page I was criticizing, “Can Catholic Tradition Be Valid?” He responded, and we started what I think has been a really great dialogue. He has had a lot of qualms and questions… Continue reading He took it down!

Tradition, pt. 3: When did the Church add THAT?

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?

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