Catholic Authority and Conscience (vs. Calvin #28)

January 23, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

This is an installment of a series of replies (see the Introduction and Master List) to much of Book IV (Of the Holy Catholic Church) of Institutes of the Christian Religion, by early Protestant leader John Calvin (1509-1564). I utilize the public domain translation of Henry Beveridge, dated 1845, from the 1559 edition in Latin; available online. Calvin’s words will be in blue. All biblical citations (in my portions) will be from RSV unless otherwise noted. Related reading from yours truly: Biblical Catholic Answers for John Calvin (2010 book:... Read more

Tradition, Church, & the Rule of Faith (vs. Calvin #27)

January 23, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

Is it “Racist” to Criticize President Obama or Any Black Person?

January 21, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

Equality means that a black man who is President or who holds any high office is treated exactly like anyone else: and that includes being criticized and blasted on policy and being described accurately as a far-left liberal. Welcome to the rough-and-tumble world of politics! If someone can’t take it, he or she ought to get out of the kitchen. But that’s equality. If we treat a person with kid gloves, it’s precisely because we think they are too ignorant... Read more

Civil Rights Movement Sadly Ignored Sexual Morality

January 21, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

For necessary background information, in order to understand my opinion below, see the tremendously insightful article: “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies,” by Kay S. Hymowitz (City Journal, Summer 2005). * * * * * As we celebrate the true greatness of the accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King as a civil rights leader on this holiday in his honor, it is also good to ponder where the civil rights movement went wrong. I would contend that its fatal decision and crossroads... Read more

Theological / Doctrinal “Anti-Catholicism”: Scholarly Use

January 20, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

(1) . . . theological anti-Catholicism or anti-‘Romanism’ remains an important part of Irish Protestant identity. (Irish Society: Sociological Perspectives, edited by Patrick Clancy; this section [“Nation Unequally: Sectarianism in Ireland”] by R McVeigh, 1995, 637) (2) Brewer (1998) also argues that theological anti-Catholicism does not necessarily lead to a strong unionist position and, in fact, that some evangelicals are . . . (“The Moral Minority: Evangelical Protestants in Northern Ireland and Their Political Behaviour,” Claire Mitchell and James Tilley, Political Studies, Volume 52, Number 3, October 2004 , pp. 585-602(18)... Read more

Biblical “Ass” (Donkey) & Holier Than Thou Anti-Catholics

January 19, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

It Matters Not to Anti-Catholics Like James Swan Whether “Ass” is a Legitimate Term in the Bible, Shakespeare, & Even John Calvin *** This was a surreal 2007 exchange with several prominent online anti-Catholics, including James Swan. I have abridged the original, which can be viewed in all its gory details at Internet Archive (Parts One / Two / Three): and have added just a little bit presently. Words of my opponents will be in various colors. ***** [My original... Read more

Biblical Evidence: Personal Relationship with Jesus

January 18, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

This material is from my 2013 book, Revelation! 1001 Bible Answers to Theological Topics; except that here the Bible passages will be RSV. In the book they are mostly KJV, for copyright reasons. The book was designed to answer 1001 theological questions solely by Scripture. I have included selected portions of the section on indwelling also, since it is a closely related concept. I’ve also added two additional questions (answered by Galatians 4:9 and Philippians 3:8) that weren’t in the book.... Read more

Authority and Infallibility of Councils (vs. Calvin #26)

January 18, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

Jesus, Vegetarianism, Bambi, and Us (A Dialogue)

January 17, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

Keith Akers is a vegetarian writer. First let’s briefly examine the background of some of Mr. Akers’ religious beliefs. He is drawn to several ideas of the Unity School of Christianity (which is not a Christian group, according to traditional notions of orthodox Christianity held by all the major Christian groups: Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox). Here are some of his thoughts about this group, in his paper, “Unity and Early Christianity”: Unity School of Christianity, a New Thought denomination initiated by Charles... Read more

Waterboarding: How and Why I Changed My Mind

January 17, 2019 By Dave Armstrong

I wrote a lengthy explanation which was wiped out by hitting a wrong key. I was 95% done with the re-write and then IT was wiped out. This almost never happens to me. Okay, I guess God doesn’t want the lengthy version. So now I will do a “nutshell” one. I changed as a result of interacting with my friend Patti Sheffield, who manages to engage in wonderful dialogue without either 1) questioning the integrity and orthodoxy of Catholics who disagree... Read more