Ever had the experience of vaguely remembering the perfect quote from the Church Fathers on a certain topic, only to find that you can’t remember who said it, or where? Or perhaps you’re just curious as to what the Fathers said on a certain issue, but don’t have time to comb through hundreds of pages… Continue reading Great New Resource for the Early Church Fathers
Tag: ECFs
Denying Communion to Notorious Sinners
One of the most controversial moves of US bishops in recent years has been announcing that avowedly pro-choice politicians, and anyone else who actively promotes abortion, are not permitted to receive Communion unless they have repented. Moreover, in many dioceses, bishops instructed their priests to refuse Communion to these individuals (identified by name) should they… Continue reading Denying Communion to Notorious Sinners
Remembering 9/11, and the Grief of St. Ambrose
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Today is the ninth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, events which are hard to forget in D.C. (Going into D.C. from Alexandria, for example, requires taking the Metro past Pentagon station). Words fail me… Continue reading Remembering 9/11, and the Grief of St. Ambrose
Evangelicalism, Catholicism, and Mormonism
In the comments of Tuesday’s post, an interesting discussion arose, started by Fr. Greg of the ACCA, about the interrelation between Evangelicalism and Mormonism. Fr. Greg himself wrote a worthy post on the subject. His argument is that while Mormonism and Catholicism have what may appear, on the surface, as similarities, Mormonism is actually a… Continue reading Evangelicalism, Catholicism, and Mormonism
Salvation Outside of the Church
The Catholic Church teaches that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church. Yet, She acknowledges that it is possible that there are some on Earth who nobody thinks of as Catholic, and yet are saved. This teaching is the source of a lot of confusion and misrepresentation, with a number of people (both… Continue reading Salvation Outside of the Church
The Early Church Fathers on The Sign of Peace
Continuing Friday’s sign of peace theme, I had mentioned that the Early Church Fathers had some fascinating stuff on the Sign of Peace. Back then, as noted, it was a kiss. That difference might actually make a difference, because it’s likely the reason that these two examples are routinely overlooked by us, but not by… Continue reading The Early Church Fathers on The Sign of Peace
Matthew 23:37 and Calvinism, Revisited
Fr. William Most has some great commentaries from Grace, Predestination, and the Salvific Will of God on the issues I was discussing last week: namely, that Matthew 23:37 only makes sense if there’s some sort of real ability to accept or reject Christ at some point in the salvation process. Well, Fr. Most addresses this… Continue reading Matthew 23:37 and Calvinism, Revisited
Unwritten Tradition, Birth Control & Abortion
I’ve got a final tomorrow, so this post will be short and sweet. Actually, it’s a modified version of a comment I left on Roderick’s blog. He was skeptical about what we Catholics call “unwritten Tradition,” so I tried to respond with a concrete example of why the (admittedly confusing) term means: The short answer… Continue reading Unwritten Tradition, Birth Control & Abortion
Did Irenaeus Believe in Sola Scriptura?
I. Background Last Monday, I wrote a post explaining as succinctly as I know how to the two types of sola Scriptura. Long story short, Tradition 0 (associated typically with Evangelicals like Independent Baptists and other “low-church” people) gives virtually no weight to the Early Church Fathers, and is sometimes rather hostile to them, while… Continue reading Did Irenaeus Believe in Sola Scriptura?
Testing the Catholic Claim
Yesterday, I responded to Brian Simmons on the issue of Tradition. In his post, he addresses a number of specific points I raised previously here and elsewhere. He’s divided his response into five sections, and so I’ve done likewise. A few things to consider before I begin, though. Brian doesn’t refute any of the substance… Continue reading Testing the Catholic Claim