Some people’s Bibles are bigger than others – especially if you’re Catholic. Having received the incredible Ignatius Catholic Study Bible as a gift recently, I did not think I’d ever want another Bible! However that powerhouse of Scripture and commentary weighs in at nearly 6 pounds. So I have to admit I don’t carry it…
Top 5 Catholic Books The Church has created a massive number of texts over her 2,000 year lifespan, and it can be overwhelming to even consider 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 with which one…
Before we begin discussing evidence for Christianity, we first need to make sure we’re using the same language. Here I go over how I use the words “knowledge,” “faith,” and “belief,” as well as why our understanding of these terms can affect what we think of the Christian message.
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…
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 Saint Thomas Aquinas is famous for his philosophical proofs for the existence of God, but proving theism does not prove Christianity. Fortunately, Aquinas did not stop there. Although they are less well-known, and sprinkled throughout several of his works, Aquinas extended his apologetic arguments to the truth of Christianity itself. In many apologetic systems (e.g., McDowell, Geisler, or Montgomery), the…
Introduction One of the most convicting (i.e., terrifying) theological passages I ever read had to do with lack of faith. Now, a reasonable guess as to its content would be something about the threat of Hell – maybe a Sinners In The Hands of An Angry God sort of thing. But it wasn’t. In fact,…
James K. Beilby and Paul Rhodes Eddy et al. Justification: Five Views. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011. [326 pages.$24.99. 978-0-8308-3944-5] Introduction Multi-view debate books have become a major publication genre, and, as many have noted, it is high time that one was released on the doctrine of justification. That such a publication is sorely…
Introduction In the Free Grace vs. Lordship Salvation debate particular focus is paid to James chapter two. Here James makes a number of troubling statements for those who favor a strict “faith alone” stance, and one of them has to do with James’s analogy of the body. In 2:26 he states, For as the body…
Introduction I have been reading a bit about Martin Luther lately, and I did not realize what a brawler this guy was! All I remembered from classes and movies was this pious guy crying out that, “there he stood and could do no other.” I knew he cussed and drank etc., and I had a vague notion…
Douglas Beaumont 