Worship and the Sacraments
Responding to “Where is that in the Bible?”
Introduction “Where is that in the Bible?” is a challenge Protestants commonly issue to Catholics when matters of disputed doctrine arise. Two common response strategies include trying to find a biblical reference to support the belief in question or to return the challenge by asking, “Where in the Bible does it say something must be…
Protestants and Polygamy
A “New Sexual Frontier”? Christianity Today recently posted a report on the shifting views of polyamory (polyamory is the generic term for multiple-partner sexual relationships / marriages, polygamy only refers to having multiple wives – polyandry for multiple husbands). After explaining a situation in which a “Christian couple” was encouraged by a “Christian counselor” to…
James’ Box and Jesus’ Brethren
Introduction An article appeared recently at Ancient Origins concerning the James Ossuary – an artifact thought to be the bone box of St. James the Just.* It contains an inscription (“James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”) that makes it the earliest non-scriptural archeological evidence for Jesus Christ. The article explained that the Ossuary has…
Indulgences Explained
Introduction Indulgences do not take up a lot of space in Catholic theology. (The Catechism, for example, devotes only 8 of its 2,865 sections to discussing them – a total of about one standard, typed page). However, due to their abuses in the 16th Century (which were acknowledged and dealt with in the same century),…
Paradigm Shift and Religious Conversion
Introduction Conversations between Catholics and Protestants often produce more heat than light. The struggle is real, and is not made easier by inappropriate tactics and strategies that can turn friendly dialogue into an occasion for division. Seeing religious conversion in terms of a “paradigm shift” can be of great value to those seeking to give…
Five Reference Books Every Catholic Should Own
Introduction The Church has created a massive library of texts over her 2,000 year lifespan, and it can be overwhelming to even contemplate attaining (much less reading) them all. The good news is that among the millions of volumes of writing the Church has produced, many of them are summaries or collections of previous writings. While…
Transubstantiation and the Christian Faith
Introduction Some time ago, one of the guests on a friend’s podcast was asked for his thoughts on the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation (that the bread and wine used in Mass communion actually become the body and blood of Jesus Christ). The guest’s reply was brief (86:30 – 90:00), but in that time he managed to make several…
Faithful Catholicism
Introduction St. Paul commands people to “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5). As a Protestant, I always thought that the test for faithfulness was how much I agreed with whatever doctrines I was taught – that faithfulness came in degrees, so to speak. I figured if I was…