St. Paul: Orthodox Catholic or Theological Pluralist?

Last updated on: December 28, 2018 at 1:20 pm By Dave Armstrong

This was a blog dialogue, underneath my post, Baptized for the Dead: THE “UnProtestant” Verse (1 Cor 15:29). My dialogue opponent, Rod Bristol, started making his argument about how Paul supposedly allows all these different doctrines. At length, I discovered that he rejected both original sin and eternal hellfire: thus illustrating perfectly that if one goes down this road of “pluralism” and “secondary doctrines” that one will end up denying clear biblical teachings and Christian orthodoxy. His words will be in blue.... Read more

Dialogue w Lutherans: “Proxy Baptism”? (1 Cor 15:29)

Last updated on: December 28, 2018 at 4:12 pm By Dave Armstrong

These lively exchanges occurred on my Facebook page underneath a link to my post, Baptized for the Dead: THE “UnProtestant” Verse (1 Cor 15:29). Both men are Lutheran pastors (LCMS). Ken Howes’ words will be in blue; Eric Phillips’ in green. ***** He [Presbyterian Matt Slick, commenting on the passage] gives it the old college try, and e for effort, but I find it quite a stretch. In context, Paul is not rhetorically disagreeing with the practice he mentions in passing,... Read more

Baptized for the Dead: THE “UnProtestant” Verse (1 Cor 15:29)

Last updated on: August 27, 2019 at 10:58 am By Dave Armstrong

[from my 2004 book, The Catholic Verses: 95 Bible Passages That Confound Protestants] 1 Corinthians 15:29 [RSV] “Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?” Many Protestant commentators (I will provide examples shortly) think this is one of the most obscure passages in the New Testament, even the single most mysterious passage. As such, it is particularly relevant for our study. ... Read more

Detroit’s Own “Blue-Eyed Soul” Singer: Bob Seger

Last updated on: December 26, 2018 at 8:33 pm By Dave Armstrong

As a native of Detroit and lifelong resident in the city or close suburbs (I currently live right outside the southwest side of the city, where I grew up), there are things we are extremely proud of, music-wise: Motown (of course), Aretha Franklin (the Queen of Soul), John Lee Hooker, and Bob Seger (born in 1945), recent long-overdue inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eminem and Kid Rock? Yuck! We knew of Seger’s greatness ten years before... Read more

Early Bob Seger: Glorious “Lost” Classic Rock Music

Last updated on: December 26, 2018 at 8:38 pm By Dave Armstrong

I’d like to call attention to Bob Seger’s early work, that is, unfortunately, very unknown outside of my home town of Detroit (where we knew of his music and owned the record albums in the late 60s and early 70s; he even outsold the Beatles in metro Detroit). Most of his pre-1975 work isn’t even available on CD (amazingly enough, for one who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). He hit it big nationwide only in 1976,... Read more

Anton Bruckner: Devout Catholic & Great Symphonist

Last updated on: December 25, 2018 at 6:29 pm By Dave Armstrong

Introductory Thoughts * This is intended as an overview of several interesting tidbits (some of which I discovered last night) concerning Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). I am an unashamed, enthusiastic admirer of 19th-century German-Austrian romantic orchestral music (Wagner, Beethoven, and Mahler being my musical “trinity”). I played trombone in the orchestra and band (1973-1976) at Cass Technical High School in Detroit: a public school that has been nationally renowned for its musical program. Bruckner can plausibly be regarded as the last of the great... Read more

The Relationship of Full-Time Ministry and Business

Last updated on: December 24, 2018 at 6:23 pm By Dave Armstrong

I think we have to weigh very carefully whether “business” has become an idol in our lives. It is also something to deeply ponder, for those of us engaged in full-time Catholic apostolate work, or “ministry”: the relationship of “business” to that. In my own life, I try to minimize and avoid the application of pure, secular “business” techniques and outlook to my work. I’m here primarily to follow my calling and to serve others. Yes, I have to make... Read more

Review of Keating’s “Francis Feud” Removed, w Apology

Last updated on: December 25, 2018 at 12:53 pm By Dave Armstrong

There is a long back story here. I don’t want to bore readers with it, but briefly: Catholic apologist Karl Keating and I have disagreed from the outset as regards Phil Lawler’s book, Lost Shepherd (that is highly critical of Pope Francis). I first wrote about it almost exactly a year ago. Karl didn’t like that at all and I dialogued about it with both him and Phil and then with Karl alone. In January 2018 I wrote five lengthy critiques... Read more

Debate on JW Antipathy to Holy Days & Christmas

Last updated on: December 21, 2018 at 4:45 pm By Dave Armstrong

The following exchange came about in a combox on my blog, underneath the article, Christmas Trees as Idols?: Silly “Biblical” Arguments. The words of R. Green (possibly a Jehovah’s Witness: he didn’t say) will be in blue. ***** The scriptural understanding of idolatry, especially for Jehovah’s Witnesses, goes much deeper than just ‘worshiping the tree itself as an idol’. For a worshiper of God (as found in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures,) the real idolatry comes from the replacing the type... Read more

Christmas Trees as Idols?: Silly “Biblical” Arguments

Last updated on: December 21, 2018 at 11:59 am By Dave Armstrong

These foolish “arguments” ostensibly drawn from Holy Scripture come up now and then. The Puritans and large sectors of the Protestant Reformed (Calvinist) tradition historically reasoned in this way. These are the same folks who would say that an organ in a church or even a bare cross or statue of Jesus Christ is an idol — as John Calvin and some other early Protestant leaders argued. Jehovah’s Witnesses picked up the same reasoning in the 19th century (the founder,... Read more