Archive for category: Roman Catholicism

I mentioned yesterday my suggestion to Tim Staples that we do a similar type of fair debate and exchange on Catholic Answers Live. I said then that I would expect many in the CA audience would love to hear the “largest Catholic apologetics organization in the United States” actually doing direct, one-on-one apologetics with leading critics of their position. I

Sometime back I had a discussion with Dr. Art Sippo on Luther biographies. It was a written exchange via Patrick Madrid’s Envoy discussion forum. I can’t provide the forum link, because it was deleted. I did though save my posts and analysis of Mr. Sippo’s opinions. Eventually, I was banned from Envoy by Patrick Madrid. In fact, if you’re a

Don’t forget to be with us live this afternoon at 3pm PST, 6pm EST, for the special 90-minute edition of the Dividing Line, featuring a live debate with Tim Staples of Catholic Answers on 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 and the doctrine of Purgatory. The format is as follows: 15 minute opening statements (Tim gets to go first) 8 minutes rebuttals 5

Why can’t Roman Catholic priests get married? I’ve heard this question asked a number of times on Catholic Answers. Tim Staples recently commented on priestly celibacy here (mp3). Tim points out Roman Catholicism considers priestly celibacy a discipline, not a dogma. This means it’s something that could theoretically change, but probably will not because (as Tim says) “celibacy is a

Back in one my old philosophy classes I recall lengthy discussions as to the relationship between names and reality, and then spinning around for hours contemplating the brain teaser of what it means to “mean” something about anything. The aftermath: an entire class of young minds slipped further into skepticism, as if the reality each twenty something experienced was completely

Tim Staples argues that the Bible presents justification as a “process.” But close and careful examination says otherwise.

Francis Beckwith has a recent blog post entitled, “Sola Scriptura and the canon of Scripture: a philosophical reflection” (link). Let’s take a look at his reflection.

The following simple juxtaposition is a sufficient reason. Roman Catholic apologist Tim Staples: “The bottom line here is this: Jesus Christ did not suffer and die so that we don’t have to. Jesus Christ suffered and died so that our good works offered up in him can be truly pleasing and salvific before God. And indeed, Jesus didn’t suffer and

Steve Hays is driving his ’64 muscle car at the triad of Cross/Beckwith/Liccione at full speed, with all 8-cylinders guzzling gas so fast Al Gore is having a panic attack. A classic retort, and one that well needs to be said. As I said last night, the fact that these Roman apologists have made Rome’s magisterium the sole line of

My first moderated, public debate was on the subject of Roman Catholicism. It took place in August of 1990. Since I have a few decades of experience now, I find myself shaking my head in disbelief at one particular fact over and over again: Rome’s apologists just don’t seem driven to work hard in their field. Further, they clearly observe

Phoebadius (d. @ 392): Knowing, therefore, this unity of substance in the Father and in the Son, on the authority, not only of the prophets, but also of the gospels, how canst thou say that the Homoüsion is not found in scripture? Latin text: Cum ergo hanc unitatem substantiae in Patre et Filio non solum prophetica, sed et evangelica auctoritate

The always-creative adherent to the papacy, Mark Shea, seems to think that I (TurretinFan) am not much fun at parties because I spent part of Christmas 2009 in service to my Lord, demonstrating that the rule of faith of Aquinas is different from the rule of faith of Rome today (Aquinas and Formal Sufficiency & Aquinas and the Rule of

The title of this post is the concluding line of this article from Arturo Vasquez (link to article). In the following post, we explain that in fact there can be enough and more than enough of Mary.

Phil Johnson wrote a great blog article that goes hand-in-hand with my preceding discussion of the consistency and (as a result) supremacy of biblical revelation and truth. It focuses upon the primary writer of the Manhattan Declaration, Robert George, a Roman Catholic philosopher and leading conservative political thinker. Read Phil’s article, and follow his links. I wanted to provide one

Five years ago now I decided to celebrate my birthday by riding up South Mountain three times. The goal was simple enough: climb 100 ft in ascent for every year of my age. So, today I did that for the fifth time. Obviously, as the years have passed, each effort gets a little harder, partly due to the simple rules

Steve Hays (and our own Alan Kurschner) have already pointed out a Roman Catholic Psalter to Mary (link to Steve Hays’ post)(link to Alan Kurschner’s post)(link to “psalter”). I’m not sure the depth of the blasphemy involved is fully appreciated by most readers. In the following post, I will give both some high level information as well as a specific

In the midst of the needed and meaningful discussions prompted by the Manhattan Declaration, and especially due to the light it has cast upon the degradation of a commitment to the gospel as the means of changing hearts and minds in our world today, it is educational to listen to Roman Catholic apologist and writer Mark Shea demonstrate true ecumenism

Keep in mind, in reading this, that Catholics DON’T WORSHIP MARY! I repeat, Catholics DON’T WORSHIP MARY! Catholics are not idolatrous! (ht: Steve Hays)

Roman Catholic apologetics has come a long way. In the written disputes and published propaganda between sixteenth-century Protestants and Roman Catholics, the mass-marketing victory clearly lay in the hands of Rome’s detractors. Protestants out-published Rome’s apologists winning the popular opinion. Roman Catholic works were unlikely to sell, and therefore not sought out by printers. Rome exasperated the loss by not

Matthew 11:16-17 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. Mark Shea seems unhappy (link to his post). He states: Speaking of weird partisanship, here’s

I say it is ironic because it is provided by…a Roman Catholic. In criticizing “Catholicism: Crisis of Faith,” SDG wrote: In short, the video appears to be aimed at Catholics whose faith is shallow, ill-informed, and unstable, who will not realize that there is anything more to the issues than you have presented here. It seems to seek to make

It has long been understood by sound Christians that the Scriptures are the Word of God, yet, as Peter expressed it, they were spoken by men. “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” is Peter’s phraseology. Everyone knows that the language Paul uses in Ephesians, for example, differs in tone from Galatians, reflecting the

   In a comment left on James Swan’s blog (and then removed, I might add), Frank Beckwith noted: I use the term “Reformation” and “Reformers” even though I do not believe that there was any real Reformation for which the Reformers are morally responsible. Nevertheless, I use the terms out of respect for my Protestant brothers and sisters.    As if the

There are some topics that really do not require much effort in the way of argumentation. Frank Beckwith’s recent “pet peeve” article about the use of such terms as “Roman church” and “Roman Catholic church” is so easily refuted from Rome’s own official documents that it is amazing the discussion is still going around the net. I was directed to

Pope Boniface VIII, in Unam Sanctam, stated: “Now, therefore, we declare, say, define, and pronounce that for every human creature it is altogether necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman pontiff.” Scripture, in contrast, gives universal jurisdiction to Christ alone: “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy

From Christianity Today: “The gaping divide between evangelicals and Catholics is ecclesiology and authority, not justification and salvation, as important as that debate remains,” George said. “There is enough commonality that evangelicals and Catholics with a living faith can recognize one another as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ with a common Lord and common grace that brought them together.

See? The Gospel doesn’t need to divide anymore. Whether you think Jesus died once for all or the Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice that perfects no one, and whether you have priests and purgatory and all the rest…it matters not! Read for yourself.