“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Depending on who’s counting, that’s the Eighth or Ninth of the Ten Commandments. Either way, it’s part of the Ten Commandments, which makes it both ironic and unfortunate that so many falsehoods are spread about the Catholic Church and the Ten Commandments. Here are three that you might… Continue reading 3 Falsehoods About the Ten Commandments
Tag: images
The Most Important Moment in History: Why the Incarnation Matters
Today is the Feast of the Annunciation, which celebrates the Angel Gabriel’s message to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It also celebrates the Incarnation, which is brought about through Mary’s faith-filled response (“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word,” Luke 1:38). This is the greatest event… Continue reading The Most Important Moment in History: Why the Incarnation Matters
Do Protestant Views on the Eucharist and Religious Imagery Contradict?
There are a lot of Protestants, particularly Evangelicals within the Calvinist tradition, who hold (a) that symbolic depictions of Christ, like the Crucifix, are idolatrous and wrong, and (b) that the Eucharist is a religious symbol. As far as I can tell, these two views just can’t be reconciled; at least, not without declaring Christ… Continue reading Do Protestant Views on the Eucharist and Religious Imagery Contradict?
Does the Bible Prohibit Religious Images?
Earlier, I came across this discussion, in which an iconoclast Protestant accuses the Catholic Church of eliminating the Second Commandment because we have statues… and then asks how to add an image to his post. Bravo, irony! But this is a real stumbling block for a lot of Protestant Christians, and even Catholics often are… Continue reading Does the Bible Prohibit Religious Images?
The D.C. Earthquake and the One-Armed Jesus Statue
With all the talk about the damage that the recent earthquake here did to the Washington Monument and the spires of the Anglican Washington National Cathedral, I thought I’d mention some earthquake damage which I haven’t seen on the news: my own church, St. Mary’s, now has a Crucifix with a one-armed Jesus, as the… Continue reading The D.C. Earthquake and the One-Armed Jesus Statue
Keith Mathison and John Calvin on Ecumenical Creeds and Councils
I’ve talked at some length about Calvinist author Keith Mathison’s book The Shape of Sola Scriptura, but enough thoughtful and intelligent Protestants rely on this book that it’s worth responding to again, and from a different direction than before. I. Mathison’s Two-Front War In a nutshell, Mathison argues that there are four views of Tradition. There’s Tradition 0, the… Continue reading Keith Mathison and John Calvin on Ecumenical Creeds and Councils