I would argue that the office of the papacy is explicitly indicated in the Bible itself, and that everything we need to establish the papacy in all essentials is in the Bible. * * * The Trinity and Two Natures of Christ are “clear” in the Bible with the convenience of historical hindsight that we have, yet they weren’t fully defined till 325 and 451, respectively. * Protestants claim that the canon of the Bible was so “clear” from the outset,... Read more
[words of Paul Mansbacher will be in blue] We the Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland, prostrate at the feet of your Holiness, humbly offer you our warmest congratulations on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of your ordination to the priesthood …. our thoughts go back to that great event fifty years ago by which your Holiness was taken from amongst men and appointed for men in the things that appertain to God, was made a minister of Christ and... Read more
Atheist and anti-theist Bob Seidensticker, who was “raised Presbyterian”, runs the influential Cross Examined blog. He asked me there, on 8-11-18: “I’ve got 1000+ posts here attacking your worldview. You just going to let that stand? Or could you present a helpful new perspective that I’ve ignored on one or two of those posts?” He also made a general statement on 6-22-17: “Christians’ arguments are easy to refute . . . I’ve heard the good stuff, and it’s not very good.” He added in the combox: “If I’ve misunderstood the Christian position... Read more
Atheist and anti-theist Bob Seidensticker, who was “raised Presbyterian”, runs the influential Cross Examined blog. He asked me there, on 8-11-18: “I’ve got 1000+ posts here attacking your worldview. You just going to let that stand? Or could you present a helpful new perspective that I’ve ignored on one or two of those posts?” He also made a general statement on 6-22-17: “Christians’ arguments are easy to refute . . . I’ve heard the good stuff, and it’s not very good.” He added in the combox: “If I’ve misunderstood the Christian position... Read more
The fully developed theory of infallibility cannot be “proven” — it is a matter of faith. But the principles behind it can be. I deal with various facets of infallibility on my Papacy web page. As usual, it is an accumulation of many individual evidences and indications that make it compelling. All the evidence taken together make it exceedingly “probable” (from a standpoint of human reason alone. I think Newman’s Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine remains the best treatment... Read more
It is incorrect to say that the pope does not possess the gift of infallibility in and of himself when (in proper circumstances) he exercises that gift, and this is contrary to the proclamations of Vatican I and Vatican II. Though the pope in fact almost always acts in concert with the bishops, it is not intrinsically required that he do so, and they are always subject to his supreme authority. A clear example of this is Humanae Vitae: an infallible document that... Read more
1. The Church’s Developing Understanding of Infallibility A. Papal Primacy and the Universal Church (Catholic Statement) “We believe that the New Testament is given to us not as a finished body of doctrine but as an expression of the developing faith and institutionalization of the church in the first century. “In many respects the New Testament and the doctrines it contains are complemented by subsequent developments in the faith and life of the church. For example, the statements of faith in the... Read more
The notion of popes possibly being heretics (and what to do in that eventuality) is nothing new or alarming. For example, John Chapman, a prominent Catholic writer and defender of the papacy, writing in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article “Pope Honorius I” — though he denies that Honorius violated papal infallibility because he did not make an erroneous ex cathedra proclamation –, states outright (my emphasis): Hefele, with many others before and after him, held that Leo II by the same words explained the sense in... Read more
1. Christians don’t sin? 2. Universalism? 3. “Tomb evangelism”. 4. Can human beings see God or not? Atheist and anti-theist Bob Seidensticker, who was “raised Presbyterian”, runs the influential Cross Examined blog. He asked me there, on 8-11-18: “I’ve got 1000+ posts here attacking your worldview. You just going to let that stand? Or could you present a helpful new perspective that I’ve ignored on one or two of those posts?” He also made a general statement on 6-22-17: “Christians’ arguments are easy to refute . . . I’ve heard... Read more
“CPA” attends the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod (LCMS). He is a Professor of Mongolian Studies. His words will be in blue. * * * * * Dave, you’ve misunderstood my project and failed to draw a number of key distinctions (ones drawn by both the Apology of the Augsburg Confession AND post-Tridentine scholastics). What I am trying to do is NOT to “dispute” that “sacrifice was indeed a prominent motif in the fathers”. Instead I accept that fact, but argue... Read more
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