This past weekend, a Calvinist explained to me that she left the Methodists after concluding that they weren’t a church, since they didn’t preach the pure word of God. To Catholic ears, this sort of claim can sound pretty strange, so I wanted to explain what Calvinists mean by this, and why it’s wrong. I.… Continue reading What Are the Marks of the True Church?
Tag: Calvinism
Sheep Without a Shepherd
If Scripture is as clear as Protestants claim it is, and we Christians are left with sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”) to determine the authentic content of the faith, why can no two groups of Protestants seem to agree what exactly our beliefs as Christians are supposed to be? In response to yesterday’s post, Drew (a… Continue reading Sheep Without a Shepherd
Tough Questions About Predestination, Free Will, Evil and Hell
A recent convert to Catholicism, in response to last Friday’s post on the problems of free will, evil, and Hell, asks some really hard questions. There are actually a lot of good comments on that post, so if it’s a subject that interests you, you should check it out. Let me start out with two hypotheticals, before moving… Continue reading Tough Questions About Predestination, Free Will, Evil and Hell
How Did the Puritans Become Unitarians?
One of the strangest religious transitions in American history is that the Puritan congregations in New England became Unitarian Universalists. It would be hard to find a religious group who cared more about getting doctrine exactly right than the Puritans, yet within the span of only a few generations, they’d devolved into something unrecognizable as either… Continue reading How Did the Puritans Become Unitarians?
Can Classical Protestantism Affirm the Lord’s Prayer?
Called to Communion had a great discussion on this topic in regards to Calvinism, but I wanted to look at the same thing in regards to traditional Lutheranism. Pastor Hemmer of Hope Lutheran Church contrasts the Lutheran position with Catholicism quite neatly: Can you be forgiven of sins you have not yet committed? The answer to… Continue reading Can Classical Protestantism Affirm the Lord’s Prayer?
Did Christ Die for “All,” or Just “Many”?
Five-point Calvinists claim that Jesus’ Death on the Cross was not for the whole world, but only for those few who are saved. For the rest, Calvinists claim, Christ didn’t die for them, and no amount of faith or virtue could ever save them. Catholics rightly reject this as contrary to both Scripture and even a… Continue reading Did Christ Die for “All,” or Just “Many”?
Can Christ’s Glorified Body be in Locked Rooms and in the Eucharist?
In Luke 24, we hear how, on Easter Day, Jesus made Himself visible to two travelers on the road to Emmaus and then, after breaking Bread and giving it to them, He disappeared. And in John 20:19, in one of the Resurrection appearances of Jesus, we hear: On the evening of that first day of the week,… Continue reading Can Christ’s Glorified Body be in Locked Rooms and in the Eucharist?
Can Protestants Accept the First Council of Nicea?
I noted in an earlier post that Reformed folks like Keith Mathison condemn Evangelicals for not caring about Ecumenical Creeds and Councils, while rejecting the teachings of those same Creeds and Councils themselves. Before, I talked about the Second Council of Nicea, which Calvin openly rejected. But let’s consider the First Council of Nicea, the… Continue reading Can Protestants Accept the First Council of Nicea?
Pope Peter, Part IV: “Peter and the Eleven”
This is the fourth in what I hope will be five daily posts on Peter’s primacy this week. Monday’s post explored Peter’s unique ministry from Luke 22 to lead and care for the other Apostles; Tuesday’s post followed it up by showing that Peter is the shepherd that Jesus promised in John 10; and yesterday’s post looked at… Continue reading Pope Peter, Part IV: “Peter and the Eleven”
St. Augustine v. St. Justin Martyr on Double Predestination?
A few days ago, I suggested ChurchFathers.org, and noted that they had a great quote from St. Justin Martyr disproving double-predestination, since Justin, writing in 151 A.D., rejects the possibility of anything like double-predestination as (1) unthinkable – treating it as if it were something a Christian audience would obviously reject, (2) contrary to the justice of God,… Continue reading St. Augustine v. St. Justin Martyr on Double Predestination?