Do Ecumenical Councils Eliminate the Need for the Papacy?

A friend asked me about an argument against Catholicism raised by Fr. Viktor Potapov, an Orthodox priest based here in D.C., in Chapter Ten of his Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy.  The argument essentially says that the early Church believed in conciliar infallibility, but that the West replaced this idea with papal infallibility.  Fr. Potapov first explains… Continue reading Do Ecumenical Councils Eliminate the Need for the Papacy?

John Piper v. John Piper on the Apostles’ Creed

Harrowing of Hell (15th c.) The Apostles’ Creed declares that Jesus “was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell.  On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right… Continue reading John Piper v. John Piper on the Apostles’ Creed

If We Can’t Call Priests “Father,” It Doesn’t Leave Much

Padre Pio de Pietrelcina Some time ago, I wrote a post on why we Catholics call our priests “Father.”  In a nutshell, this is a recognition of the priest’s spiritual fatherhood. St. Paul sets the pattern for this in 1 Cor. 4:15, when he tells Timothy, “I became your father through the Gospel.”  The typical objection to… Continue reading If We Can’t Call Priests “Father,” It Doesn’t Leave Much

CNN’s Easter-Bashing Goes Laughably Awry

CNN’s annual “Bash Christianity on Easter” story is crazier than usual.  This year, they ran an article entitled The Jesus Debate: Man vs. Myth. On one side were John Dominic Crossan and Bart Ehrman, who deny the physical Resurrection. On the other side, are folks like (self-proclaimed “spiritual pioneer”) Timothy Freke who go even further, and deny… Continue reading CNN’s Easter-Bashing Goes Laughably Awry

A Sacramental Look at Holy Thursday

Jaume Huguet, Last Supper (1470) Today is Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday.  One of the very first posts that I wrote was about the significance of Maundy Thursday.  It’s here, at the Last Supper, that we see: (1) the institution of the Eucharist, (2) the institution of the sacramental priesthood, and (3) references… Continue reading A Sacramental Look at Holy Thursday

Women of the Bible and Holy Week

Salomon de Bray, Jael, Deborah and Barak (1635)(If you don’t know what the tent peg is for, read Judges 4-5) Sarah at A Beaten Copper Lamp of Deplorable Design, has a post on “Girl-Power Bible Movies,” in which she writes reviews of four different films about Old Testament heroines Ruth and Esther. I haven’t seen… Continue reading Women of the Bible and Holy Week

Are We to Take the Bible “Literally”?

Dr. Peter Enns, an Evangelical blogger and Affiliate Processor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, has started an interesting conversation on the appropriate way to analyze and understand Genesis 1-3 specifically, and the Bible more generally.  I wanted to wade into this controversy, because I think Enns shows us the need for solid Biblical hermeneutics, and in… Continue reading Are We to Take the Bible “Literally”?

Does Water Baptism Save?

An Evangelical blogger and prison chaplain named Jeremy Myers wrote a post called “Don’t Get Baptized. Cut Your Hair!” His argument was that since Baptism was only symbolic, we should substitute for a symbol that we find more meaningful, like cutting our hair, or changing our names. From a Christian perspective, this is some of… Continue reading Does Water Baptism Save?

Did the Greek Old Testament Include the Catholic Deuterocanon?

Fragment of the LXX A reader e-mailed to ask about the use of the Septuagint (or LXX), the Greek version of the Old Testament used by the Jews at the time of Christ, and by the early Christians.  This reader had encountered Protestants claiming that while the early Church used the LXX, this didn’t include the Deuterocanon.… Continue reading Did the Greek Old Testament Include the Catholic Deuterocanon?