In an earlier post, I talked about how the NIV (which I generally like) plays unfortunate sectarian games with its translations. The example I gave was this one: the word paradosis means “tradition,” and the NIV translates it as “tradition” when its used in a negative sense in Scripture (when Christ condemns the Pharisees’ adherence to traditions… Continue reading More Sketchy Translations by the NIV
Tag: tradition
Answering Nine Protestant Arguments About the Bible
After yesterday’s post, Brent Stubbs pointed out that a thoughtful Protestant named Shawn Madden raised a number of arguments against the Catholic Bible, and in favor of the Protestant Bible, in the comments at Called to Communion. His full argument is here, but he essentially makes nine points: Many versions of the TNK used by Greek-speaking Jews… Continue reading Answering Nine Protestant Arguments About the Bible
An Evangelical Disproves Evangelicalism
Yesterday, I talked about Scot McKnight’s essay From Wheaton to Rome: Why Evangelicals become Roman Catholic, in which he explores reasons people leave Evangelicalism for Catholicism. It’s written from the perspective of a Protestant (McKnight’s an Anabaptist), but one more interested in finding out the real reasons people become Catholic, than on belittling those reasons. Because… Continue reading An Evangelical Disproves Evangelicalism
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 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?
Rob Bell and the Need for a Magisterium
Rob Bell’s written a book called Love Wins. I haven’t read it, but it’s been clear — both from the video he made promoting the book, and from the reaction of those who have read it (h/t Phil Naessens), it sounds like Bell’s promoting universalism – the notion that everyone is saved and goes to Heaven,… Continue reading Rob Bell and the Need for a Magisterium
A Blessing from the East: Russian Orthodoxy’s Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev
An Eastern Orthodox reader of Mark Shea’s blog asked: Have you ever heard of Met. Hilarion Alfeyev? He’s the No. 2 figure in the Russian Orthodox Church, the church’s chief diplomat. He’s only 44 years old. Super-brilliant guy, and startlingly open to the West. I heard him speak this past weekend in NYC, and let… Continue reading A Blessing from the East: Russian Orthodoxy’s Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev
Why “Scripture Alone” is Wrong In All Its Formulations
I know I’ve written on the sola Scriptura debate many times before, but I think there might be a simpler way of explaining the Catholic view than I’ve done in the past. The difference between the Evangelical formulation of sola Scriptura, the classic Reformed formulation of sola Scriptura, and the Wesleyan notion of prima Scriptura… Continue reading Why “Scripture Alone” is Wrong In All Its Formulations
Some Thoughts on Catholic Tradition and Justification
The 27th Comrade left a four-part comment in response to my last post. He’s clearly given it a lot of thought, and it warrants a thoughtful reply, but if I try and tackle it line by line, this post would be insanely long. So let me hit on a few major themes today, and then… Continue reading Some Thoughts on Catholic Tradition and Justification
How Do We Know Which Traditions Are Apostolic?
In response to my post on the NIV’s skewed translation (namely, that the translate bad paradosis as “tradition” and good paradosis as “teachings,” even though it’s the exact same word), a blogger calling himself “The 27th Comrade” raised a number of arguments. He noted at the beginning of his second comment, “While this comment here may… Continue reading How Do We Know Which Traditions Are Apostolic?