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…
Catholics sometimes struggle with Protestant “proof texts” – single verses that appear to support certain teachings. While proof texts are often taken out of context and sometimes are used to support unbiblical teachings, they are not all bad. While knowing the teaching of Scripture as a whole is best, it doesn’t hurt to have a…
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” With these words, St. Dismas (one of the two thieves crucified with Jesus) was saved by Our Lord who promised: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43). Unfortunately, some Christians cite this beautiful story as evidence against the…
Are You Among the Elect? It is a question that plagues many Christians. Calvinists will typically say that we simply cannot be sure, but little do they know that tucked away in his discussion of the canon of Scripture, John Calvin seems to have given us a means of discovery: “For as God alone can properly…
James White’s #1 fanboy recently took on Catholic Answers with an Alpha and Omega Ministries blog post titled “Shattering Catholic Answers’ Wedge“. The post responds to the Catholic claim that, “Jesus told his apostles to establish a church, not write a book.” It’s hardly his (or any other Protestant polemicist’s) best work, and I am…
Introduction The two foundational Protestant doctrines are those of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) and Sola Fide (faith alone). These two “solas” are known, respectively, as the formal and material causes of the Reformation. Sola Scriptura might be thought of as the methodological doctrine of the Reformation, for Protestantism is said to be founded on Scripture Alone (as…
Introduction The Reformation’s unparalleled rupture of the unity of Christ’s Church is said to have begun on Oct. 31, 1517, when a monk named Martin Luther nailed his soon-to-be-famous 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. These theses were a list of religious complaints Luther wished to debate with any who would do so. Although…
