Introduction The sickening sex abuse scandal going on in the Catholic Church is causing much distress and confusion. While anger and outrage are appropriate reactions, now is not the time for misrepresentation or misdirection. That will neither help the victims nor stop the abusers. It’s a disease requiring a scalpel, not a hacksaw. To help…
Introduction I officially began my journey into the Catholic Church the year Pope Benedict XVI resigned, and came into full communion under the pontificate of Pope Francis. I have to say, becoming Catholic in the age of social media has been rough – and not just because of attacks from outside the Church (which have always…
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…
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…
Introduction It is not unusual for Catholics to include images (icons, statues, pictures, etc.) in their religious practices. Many, if not most, Protestants think Catholics are worshiping images when they do such things – and because of this, they will charge Catholics with practicing idolatry. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the Church has been accused of manipulating…
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…
Introduction State recognition of homosexual civil unions (“gay marriages”) is now the law of the land, and the ongoing discussion has revealed that the views of various Christians on the issue are themselves varied. What I wish to look at here is not which one is correct (that has been, and is being, done ad nauseum), but rather…
