Archive for category: Roman Catholicism

   About a month ago I followed a link to Frank Beckwith’s blog. The article (found here) is a response to John MacArthur on the topic of Lent. As I read through the article I could not help but feeling a very odd feeling about what I was reading. The language, the sources cited, all sounded so very familiar…as if I

I’ve been asking Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong a very simple question lately. It all has to do with one of Armstrong’s books. Dave cites one of the Reformers, and I’ve simply been asking him if he’s actually read the Reformer he’s citing, in context. So far, I’ve gotten a massive amount of response from Dave, but a simple yes or

This debate is also available on Sermon Audio.

   by William Webster        In the articles I posted on the status of 1 Esdras and its relationship to the Councils of Trent and Hippo/Carthage, there have been 3 main responses to which I want to give a brief reply. The first response has to do with Gary Michuta’s assertion that Trent passed over 1 Esdras in silence, the second

This debate is available here in mp3 format

I regularly visit Roman Catholic blogs and websites to see what the apologists are up to. Here are a few highlights.        Gerry Matatics says he’s continuing his 300-city mega tour “contrary to the hopes of my many enemies, critics, and detractors.” Gerry says:    “I pull no punches and make no apologies for opposing, and exposing, the novelties, oddities, heresies,

A recent blog entry from Catholic apologist Mark Shea demonstrates the difference in purpose between Catholics and Protestants. Mark took some shots at Dr. White’s work on the recent Jesus Tomb controversy. Shea writes,    “James is now stuck with thousands of copies of his laborious prose sitting in boxes in his garage. So he naturally tries to make lemonade from

The Envoy discussion board will not allow links to Alpha and Omega Ministries, yet they are fixated on this very blog. The following Envoy discussion threads from the last few weeks are specifically on James White or material posted on aomin.org. Some of these topics are posted to not move from the first page of the Envoy discussion board:    

   On Tuesday I noted in passing the importance of the relationship between theology and apologetics, and how a sub-biblical theology can only result in a sub-biblical apologetic. I have been a bit concerned about some of the replies I have seen. There is a lot of confusion about the relevant categories. One glowing example of completely missing my point (and

I mentioned a few days ago Catholic apologist Gary Michuta posted a response to William Webster’s entries on the Esdras problem. Gary said,    “My assertion that the Council of Trent passed over the question of the canonicity of Esdras in silence is not a matter of my own or anyone else’s interpretation of the decree. It is a historical fact.”

Catholic Apologist Gary Michuta asserts the Council of Trent chose to pass over in silence the status of the Septuagint book of 1 Esdras (or what Trent called, 3 Esdras). Michuta says,    “Both White and Webster take the position that the absence of a book called Esdras in the Council of Trent’s definition of the canon constitutes, not mere silence

   I had wanted to use this picture in my blog article last night, but could not locate it. With a little help this afternoon I was able to find it. Since Dave Armstrong posted this one of himself, I figure he likes it, and I would not want to be one to use a photo of him that he would

   Those who monitor the comings and goings of Roman Catholic apologists on the Internet know of Dave Armstrong. I have not interacted with the man in quite some time on this blog. I took the time a while back to examine one of his books directly, demonstrate its utter lack of meaningful argumentation, and challenge him to defend himself. He

   Here is the final clip I’ve recorded from the 1997 sola scriptura debate with Gerry Matatics on Long Island. This comes directly after the cross-ex I posted Monday, so they go together. I picked up the same theme and pressed forward with it here. Hopefully these clips have illustrated, in a way that only video can, the less than useful

Recently, Catholic apologist Gary Michuta began posting on the Catholic Answers forum. In his posts, he commented on his apocrypha debate versus Dr. White, presenting his novel way of reconciling the canon discrepancy between Hippo, Carthage, and Trent. Michuta also mentioned the work of William Webster, prompting these responses from Webster:    Bill Webster Responds to Gary Michuta Part I    Bill

   Here is Gerry’s cross-ex portion, including the 18 seconds of silliness Porvaznik has turned into an “admission of defeat” on my part. To do this, of course, he has to seriously argue that for sola scriptura to be true, it must have been true at all times and in all places and in all situations. Hence, Jesus and the Apostles,

I received a private message over on the Catholic Answers forum informing me William Webster was being accused of lying about the edition of the Bible called the Biblia Complutensia which contains a statement from Ximenes, Archbishop of Toledo, against the canonicity of the apocrypha. This Bible was published by the authority and consent of Pope Leo X. The assertion

Almost five hundred years after the fact, Roman Catholics still scrutinize Martin Luther. One the most popular quotations from Luther is the infamous “epistle of straw” remark, directed at the canonicity of the book of James. It really is amazing how frequently this citation appears. It is usually brought forth as proof one must believe an infallible church authored an

   Here is the final portion of my cross examination of Gerry Matatics in 1997 on the topic of sola scriptura. In the next section I will present his turn, which will include the 18 second clip Porvaznik has posted. This portion ends with my giving Gerry a copy of the Soli Deo Gloria book on sola scriptura. Footnote 41 in

The Teaching of Major Western Theologians of the Middle Ages    The perspective of the Glossa ordinaria is reflected in the views of the most influential theologians of the Church throughout the Middle Ages. They separated the Apocrypha from the canon, consistently citing the Hebrew canon and Jerome as authorities. Bruce Metzger affirms this reality: Subsequent to Jeromes time and down

Augustine and the North African Councils    Since the Bible used by the North African Church was the Old Latin, a translation of the Septuagint which included a number of the books of the Apocrypha, Hippo/Carthage were confirming the traditional canon for the North African Church based on the Septuagint. Philip Schaff confirms the fact that the North African Church followed

   Ah, it is a great weight off my shoulders. I am now irrelevant. I can now sit on my porch (if I had one) and rock the rest of my brief life away. At least, that’s what a Texas attorney who, to my knowledge anyway, has never taught a seminary class, never been published in book form, in a scholarly

   When I checked on the link I have used a number of times recently for my Nicea article in the CRI Journal of July/August, 1997, I discovered it had gone dead. So I contacted CRI, and they contacted their webfolks who are busy migrating their website to a new format. They jumped my article to the head of the line

   A few days ago I began presenting clips from the cross-examination section of the sola scriptura debate from 1997 on Long Island. I did so because Phil Porvaznik, a Roman Catholic apologist of sorts, has posted, on the site I believe is maintained by Apolonio Latar, an 18 second clip which he calls my “concession of defeat.” That anyone would

   “Crimson Catholic,” Jonathan Prejean, has actually attempted to offer an excuse for Hugh Barbour’s refusal in the Envoy article to either name me directly, or even provide meaningful bibliographical references (i.e., so that his readers can do something more than just “trust him” and check things out for themselves). Now, let’s remember that Barbour wrote his article in response to

Yesterday on the Envoy forums, Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid posted a link to an old article, “Ancient Baptists” and Other Myths. This article appeared in the July/August 1998 issue of Envoy magazine. The article was a hit piece against Dr. White, and he proved it so here.    I am still registered on the Envoy forums, even though I haven’t made

A few days ago I played a clip of my cross-examination of Gary Michuta on the issue of the canon of Scripture. I had noted that Gary had commented elsewhere that he felt “embarrassed” for me at this point in our debate. I personally think the cross-examination went very well, and exposed some very weak replies. In any case, Michuta

   This clip from the veneration of saints and angels debate with Patrick Madrid starts out with a humorous incident. I am answering a question from Madrid when the moderator, Bill Shishko, who is sitting behind Patrick, bangs his gavel to mark the end of the time. Patrick almost jumped out of his skin. It got a good chuckle out of

It wasn’t that long ago my Roman Catholic friends directed me to the books of Robert Sungenis as the definitive works refuting sola scriptura and sola fide. He was the apologist extraordinaire, a seminary trained ex-protestant; yet another wonder-convert who swam the Tiber. There was such an amazing gathering of ex-Protestants, all living in harmony, zealously defending Rome.    I’m not

The responses we have been receiving from posting video clips have been truly amazing. Most folks really enjoy them. Those on “the other side” do not. Recently I noted the words of Gary Michuta over at the Catholic Answers Forums. I did a little search yesterday, and ran across a fascinating thread here. I do find it intriguing to see

   Sometimes you are tempted to feel sorry for those stuck trying to defend the concept of the infallibility of the Church of Rome. You have to slay your mind upon the Altar of a Thousand Qualifications on a regular basis. We saw this with Gary Michuta telling us that when it comes to whether certain Scriptures are inspired and canonical,