Last year, I compiled a list of three Reformation Day ironies. In a nutshell, they were that Reformation: (1) is celebrated by making graven images of Reformers who hated images;(2) is intended to Christianize a “pagan” holiday, yet is celebrated by many of the same Evangelicals who refuse to celebrate Christmas for fear that it’s… Continue reading Two More Reformation Day Ironies
Tag: Church
Could It Be That Jesus Had a Wife?
While seminary life prevents me from being able to post as often as I used it, it also connects me with a whole world of thoughtful, orthodox Catholic thinkers in the form of professors, formators, and fellow seminarians. I wanted to take a moment to highlight one of them, a fellow barbate seminarian for Kansas… Continue reading Could It Be That Jesus Had a Wife?
Calvinism’s Internal Contradiction, Part 2
On Tuesday, I wrote about what an an apparent contradiction within Calvinism: namely, trying to harmonize “perseverance of the saints,” the view that nobody falls away from the faith, with the Calvinist belief in a Great Apostasy, that the entire Church fell away from the faith. In response, I’ve seen two attempts to harmonize these two… Continue reading Calvinism’s Internal Contradiction, Part 2
Five Ways to Defend the Faith Against Unexpected Attacks
There are times where we seek out opportunities to evangelize for the faith, but sometimes, the opportunity comes to us. When this happens, it’s not always pleasant. A couple months ago, for example, I was on a flight next to a guy who spent nearly the entire time telling me how rotten the Catholic Church… Continue reading Five Ways to Defend the Faith Against Unexpected Attacks
Is the Church Simply the Set of All the Saved?
One of the major differences Catholics and Protestants have is on the nature of the Church. Is the Church a visible entity founded by Jesus Christ, or simply the invisible collection of all of the saved? Bible.ca, for example, includes a series of lessons from Ron Boatwright, who argues that “Only The Saved Are In The Lord’s Church”:… Continue reading Is the Church Simply the Set of All the Saved?
Flannery O’Connor on the Eucharist and Church History
I know I’ve posted this before, but I’m struck at how beautifully Flannery O’Connor expressed herself regarding both the Eucharist and Church history. First, she famously had this to say of the Eucharist, as recounted in a letter she wrote in December of 1955: Flannery O’Connor “I was once, five or six years ago, taken by some… Continue reading Flannery O’Connor on the Eucharist and Church History
Why Bishops Don’t Say, “The Lord be With You”
When we switched to the new translation of the Mass this past Advent, much was said about the fact that now, when the priest says, “The Lord be with you,” we respond, “and with your spirit,” instead of “and also with you.” In a 2005 newsletter announcing this change, the USCCB explained: Eugeniusz Kazimirowski,Divine Mercy (1934) Where… Continue reading Why Bishops Don’t Say, “The Lord be With You”
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”?
Uniting Pro-Life Protestants and Catholics in Christ
Yesterday’s “Conversation on Unity in Christ’s Mission” between Francis Cardinal George and Evangelical author and former pastor John Armstrong was thoroughly enjoyable. The two men shared an obvious love for one another and for Jesus Christ. John spoke of being enriched by Catholic writers from long before the Reformation, who sound little like modern Evangelicals; Cardinal… Continue reading Uniting Pro-Life Protestants and Catholics in Christ
Catholicism, Protestantism, and Saint Paul’s Vision of the Church
At or near the heart of the Reformation is a debate over Saint Paul, and how we should understand his writings, particularly his statements about justification in his Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians. This is an interesting exegetical question, but in my opinion, it overlooks an obvious reality: St. Paul would never… Continue reading Catholicism, Protestantism, and Saint Paul’s Vision of the Church