Introduction It is not unusual to hear the complaint from Protestants that Catholics cannot prove their beliefs from Scripture. While it is admitted that Catholics do OK with the Trinity, deity of Christ, and obvious stuff like that, when it comes to Catholicism’s distinctive doctrines (e.g.,baptism, the Eucharist, Mary, the Pope, prayers to the saints,…
“The Noble Bereans were Catholic: Is ‘Bible-Only’ Christianity Biblical” is the 2015 print offering from Catholic blogger Patrick Vandapool. Vandapool specializes in dealing with criticisms leveled at Catholicism from the “Stone-Campbell churches of Christ (CofC) and other Restoration-leaning ecclesial communities” with which he was once associated. In this book, Vandapool challenges the idea that “Bible-Only” Christianity…
Introduction It is said that recitation of the Islamic “creed” known as the shahadah is all that is required for a person to convert to Islam. “Shahada” comes from a word meaning “to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed, testification.” The shahadah affirms the following: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is…
Introduction A while back I got my first Catholic study Bible, and that was a difficult choice.* Recently, however, I bought another “first” Bible – this time for one of my kids. Wow, I thought shopping for an adult Bible was scary! In case you are facing the same decision yourself, here is what I…
Introduction Although non-Catholics from the original Reformer Martin Luther, to evangelical hero C. S. Lewis, to modern Protestant scholars like Jerry Walls and Roger Olson, affirm the possibility of a purgatorial state between Heaven and Hell, the idea remains generally unpopular among most non-Catholics. Some do not agree that Purgatory can be found anywhere in Scripture, and reject it on…
Introduction In many churches, the Our Father (“The Lord’s Prayer”) is said slightly differently. Some (e.g., the Catholic and Orthodox) conclude with the prayer for deliverance from evil, while others (mostly Protestant) go on to say, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” before saying “Amen.” Indeed, this follows from…
Introduction Atheistic attacks on Christianity typically focus on philosophical issues concerning theism or evidential attacks on the Bible. The latter, however, plays upon a certain view of Christian theological methodology and ecclesiology that is flawed. These attacks assume that Christianity is relying on the Bible for its existence – which certainly seems fair, as many…
Introduction In his article “The Sufficiency of Scripture,” John MacArthur states that, Psalm 19:7–9 is the most monumental and concise statement on the sufficiency of Scripture ever made. Penned by David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these three verses offer unwavering testimony from God Himself about the sufficiency of His Word for every…
Introduction One of the biggest issues with Sola Scriptura (the idea that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority for faith and morals) is that the Bible nowhere says that it alone functions as the ultimate authority for faith and morals (or anything else). This makes Sola Scriptura an authoritative extra-biblical tradition (the very thing it was supposed…
Introduction Michael Kruger’s Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (Crossway, 2012) is an important contribution to the ongoing issues biblical scholars face when considering what material should be counted as scripture by Christians. Having personally sat under his teaching, I can say that Kruger is a smart guy and his book is…
Douglas Beaumont 