The Elephant-Horse and Catholicism

Michael Novak, on page 43 of No One Sees God: The Dark Night of Atheists and Believers, uses a wonderful analogy: In an inn in the little village of Bressanone (Brixen) in northern Italy, there is a fresco painted many centuries ago, whose main subject is an elephant, by a painter who had obviously never… Continue reading The Elephant-Horse and Catholicism

Answering a Smart Defense of Sola Scriptura

This is from a comment which I left at Nick’s Catholic Blog. I think my response makes it pretty clear what the original argument had been. If not, check out JoeyHenry’s comment here. Joey, Very well-written and thoughtful reply. As I understand it, there are three possible ways of defending sola Scriptura: (A)The Bible says… Continue reading Answering a Smart Defense of Sola Scriptura

Two Things to Consider Regarding Sola Scriptura

Nick responded to my last post, and pointed me to his blog post on the subject. There were two parts which I liked enough that I think that they’re worth mentioning here. 1. Sola Scriptura Wasn’t True When the Bible Was Written. These aren’t Nick’s words, these are James White’s. White, if you’re not familiar,… Continue reading Two Things to Consider Regarding Sola Scriptura

Two Types of Sola Scriptura

Back on April 3rd, Roderick_E said in response to a post about the two types of tradition (traditions of men and Sacred Tradition): The “anti-traditionalists” who shout “Sola Scriptura” but actually mean their private interpretation alone seem to fail to realize that Martin Luther even understood there is such a thing as the “ancient faith”… Continue reading Two Types of Sola Scriptura

John MacArthur on Sola Scriptura and Justification

I.John MacArthur often has thoughtful and interesting things to say: just not, typically, on Catholicism. On this topic, he says things like: While there are many errors in the teaching of the Catholic Church (for example its belief in the transubstantiation of the communion wafer and its view of Mary), two rise to the forefront… Continue reading John MacArthur on Sola Scriptura and Justification

St. Francis De Sales on Sola Scriptura

As I’ve mentioned before, I try and make it over to the Catholic Information Center at noon for Mass during the workweek. Since the chapel is literally inside a bookstore, it’s natural to peruse through some books afterwards for a bit. Once, I read a passage which was just so good it bowled me over,… Continue reading St. Francis De Sales on 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

Beckwith v. TurretinFan on Sola Scriptura

TurretinFan attacks Frank Beckwith’s excellent article on sola Scriptura by calling it a “bait and switch.” I’m interested in this subject, since I was quite impressed with how simply Beckwith made his case the first time I encountered this. He just says things so succinctly that you’re left to mull it over a bit before… Continue reading Beckwith v. TurretinFan on Sola Scriptura

The Unanimous Consent of the Fathers

I mentioned earlier that I’ve been a bit under-impressed with Keith Mathison’s The Shape of Sola Scriptura, and that he doesn’t seem to have a good grip on the topic he’s written a book on. The book attempts to take the creedal Protestant sola Scriptura view, and show its alleged superiority to both the Evangelical… Continue reading The Unanimous Consent of the Fathers

St. Clement, Sola Scriptura, and Mary

After a post I wrote about sola Scriptura, John Armstrong suggested that I read The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Keith Mathison. The book is written by a creedal Protestant – that is, he believes in sola Scriptura, but believes that any interpretation of the Bible which falls outside of the historic Creeds is wrong.… Continue reading St. Clement, Sola Scriptura, and Mary