(vs. Scott Nemeth) Scott Nemeth is a person who seems to want to be identified online as one who has “proven” that premarital sex, or fornication, is permitted by the Bible. Hence he states in his profile: I’m someone who has studied the topic of premarital sex in the New Testament in great detail. Over the years I’ve known that this whole topic was weaker in the original Greek writings of the New Testament than we are traditionally taught. This... Read more
This will be a reply to the James White Opening Argument of a debate between him and Gerry Matatics (article posted on 13 November 1992: transcript of the oral debate that took place on 11-13-92). I will be replying point-by-point to White’s arguments: which virtually never occurs in oral debates such as this. For example, each person gives their opening statement. But the opponent will almost never systematically refute the opponent’s opening, as I will be doing. In most cases, he... Read more
(vs. C. Jack Elliott) Jack’s words will be in blue. A question about sexuality for you. All sin is, in essence, a refusal to love. God is love. We are created in God’s image – we are to be love as well. When we fail to love (sin), we are separated from Him. Sin is a refusal to love. This is why God hates sin. Not because it’s an infringement upon some arbitrary legal code of His, but because it separates... Read more
James White wrote his first known anti-Catholic article in May 1991, for the Pros Apologian theological journal, entitled: “Papal Pretensions: Evaluating the New Roman Catholic Apologists.” He was responding to the rapidly budding Catholic apologetics movement, of which I am a part: spearheaded by Scott Hahn, Karl Keating (who had just begun Catholic Answers), and Keating’s co-worker, Patrick Madrid (all of whom have enthusiastically recommended my work). Prior to that time he had concentrated on (agreeable) anti-cult apologetics: particularly Mormonism,... Read more
[from a thread on Mark Brumley’s Facebook page] *** I’m not legalistic at all about this, but I think it is undeniable that ad orientem makes more sense, given what is happening in the Mass. If the prayers at Mass are directed to God (obviously prayers aren’t directed towards the congregation!), then clearly it is more “natural” to face God in the Tabernacle on the altar while saying the prayers, and offering the sacrifice. That’s why the Church for most of her history in most... Read more
Many of you who have followed my work know that there is a long (and sordid) backstory here. I have to at least summarize it because it will always come up. For those of you (no doubt, most) who are bored with such tedious “polemical history” detail, just skip over all of it and scroll down to the final seven paragraphs, where I explain what I am planning to do. I’ve even made it easy for you to get to:... Read more
From: The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis: Volume II: Books, Broadcasts, and the War, 1931-1949 (edited by Walter Hooper, HarperSanFrancisco, 2004) To Dom Bede Griffiths, 4 April 1934: I had better say once and for all that I do not intend to discuss with you in the future, if I can help it, any of the questions at issue between our respective churches. . . . I do not think there is any thing distressing for either of us... Read more
Alvin Plantinga (who was born in 1932 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and started his teaching career at my alma mater, Wayne State University, in Detroit) is widely considered — by his Christian or theist admirers and atheists alike — to be the greatest living Christian philosopher and philosopher of religion. He wrote a very influential book in 1974, called God, Freedom, and Evil (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans / New York: Harper & Row), which is now widely regarded as the best (and indeed, a... Read more
The argument is made (and it may very well be true) that having altar girls causes boys to have less desire to be altar boys and priests. I reply to that, taking it (I think) to a somewhat deeper level of analysis. *** [See, for example, the article, What Altar Boys Can Do That Altar Girls Can’t, and my own previous post, Altar Girls: Pro and Con] *** The article makes a good point, but it’s true that it does not become... Read more
Biographers and/or Friends Kreeft, Pearce, Derrick, and Possibly Tolkien Think This is Why Lewis Never Became a Catholic This is a discussion from a Facebook thread on a recent Anglican convert. I’ve known Rob Corzine for almost 20 years. He currently works with Scott Hahn as a Program Director for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. His words will be in blue. I have presently added or modified a few things, and added relevant links as well. * * * C. S. Lewis was... Read more
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