Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, The First Thanksgiving (1915) There’s a side to Thanksgiving with which you might not be familiar: historically, this was a day in which Americans were encouraged to call upon God both in gratitude for His blessings, and to ask mercy for our sins.† We see seeds of this in Lincoln’s 1863… Continue reading Our National Sin: What Racism Reveals About God and Man
Tag: apologetics
Why Won’t the Church Ordain Women?
Women’s ordination has been in the news twice this week. The major story was that the Anglican Communion, which has allowed women to be ordained priests for some time now, has just announced that they will start ordaining female bishops. On this side of the Tiber, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley caused something of a stir… Continue reading Why Won’t the Church Ordain Women?
The Dark Side of Martin Luther
Yesterday was Martin Luther’s 531st birthday, and today is the Feast Day of St. Martin. It seems like a fitting time to give an honest assessment of some of the darker parts of Luther’s legacy, and consider their implications. There’s a popular Luther narrative that plays out a little like Star Wars. A humble son… Continue reading The Dark Side of Martin Luther
How to Perfectly Know the Existence of God
St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae It’s common today to hear both believers and nonbelievers claim that the existence of God is ultimately unknowable, or at least unprovable. According to this view, we’re left to take a leap of faith, or else to go with the option we think is more likely. Classical theism rejects this… Continue reading How to Perfectly Know the Existence of God
Two More Reformation Day Ironies
Martin Luther Jack-o’-lantern For most Americans, today is Halloween. But for some Protestants, today is Reformation Day, the day to commemorate October 31, 1517, when Luther (allegedly) posted his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenburg church, sparking the Protestant Reformation. But while it may or not really be the 497th anniversary of the posting… Continue reading Two More Reformation Day Ironies
What the Media Got Wrong about Pope Francis and Evolution
Have you heard about Pope Francis’ recent comments about God, evolution, and Creation? If so, chances are you’ve heard wrong. Brantly Millegan with ChurchPOP asked me to write a post clearing up some of the confusion. Here’s the first of my three points: No, The Pope Isn’t an Atheist Amazingly, the popular news site Independent Journal… Continue reading What the Media Got Wrong about Pope Francis and Evolution
Does Tertullian Reject Infant Baptism?
Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra, Baptism of St. Francis of Assisi (1665) I’ve said before that the Church Fathers are unanimous in their belief in regenerative baptism: that is, they believe that Baptism actually saves us (as 1 Peter 3:21 explicitly says), by causing us to be born again by water and the Spirit (John… Continue reading Does Tertullian Reject Infant Baptism?
Pope Francis Shows His Cards
I. The Crises in the Synod Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, one of the leading opponents of Cardinal Kasper’s proposals The Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which began on October 5, ended yesterday. The Synod was, to put it mildly, a bumpy ride. A group of bishops, lead by the German Cardinal Walter Kasper, vocally pushed… Continue reading Pope Francis Shows His Cards
Did the Papacy Exist While John Was Alive?
For my money, one of the strongest arguments against the papacy (or at least one of the most interesting) is that the Catholic view requires us to hold that the first few popes after Peter had authority over St. John the Evangelist, even though these popes weren’t Apostles, and John was. So how do we answer… Continue reading Did the Papacy Exist While John Was Alive?
The Peril of False Mercy: Divorce, Remarriage, and Holy Communion
Sandro Botticelli, The Last Communion of St. Jerome (1495) (detail) Imagine a kid who has a severe peanut allergy, but wants a peanut butter cookie. Peanut allergy is one of the worst of the food allergies, since it can be triggered by even trace amounts of peanuts (even 1/1000th of a peanut), and it can… Continue reading The Peril of False Mercy: Divorce, Remarriage, and Holy Communion