“Novelties” of Vatican II (Religious Liberty & Ecumenism)?

May 7, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

I disagree that Vatican II taught novelties. I think they are developments; rather striking, but still developments. They were certainly not more radical developments than the Jerusalem Council suddenly making circumcision optional for Gentile converts, or even Vatican I proclaiming papal infallibility as a de fide dogma in 1870. I just put up a post today which is a defense of the Assisi ecumenical gatherings by a priest, utilizing St. Thomas Aquinas at length. As Fr. William G. Most has... Read more

How Much Can Catholics Disagree with the Church?

May 7, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

A Protestant asked: “Is my understanding correct that, as long as there is submission and no attempt at sabotaging unity, some disagreement is okay?” Basically, the “line” is where the Church has established a dogma or solidly established doctrine. Most theological issues have been settled, and Catholics are not really free to disagree. They can have doubts, and not perfectly understand everything (who does, anyway?), but they are required to submit to all that the Church has decreed, and... Read more

Ethics of Hiroshima & Nagasaki: Catholic Reflections

May 4, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

I have produced many popes, bishops, conciliar statements, leading theologians, well-known priests, and apologists who oppose those bombings as inherently contrary to just war tradition, and hence, proper Catholic ethics. Catholic bomb proponents with regard to this issue have not produced a single one that I am aware of. If it is such a respectable Catholic position, then I wish they would do that. But they haven’t, and I think that is very telling, if not compelling. We’re not Protestants;... Read more

U2: We Choose Legal Abortion Over Christianity

May 4, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

John Lennon (1966): “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus” [which was indeed sadly true for many millions of people: especially in relatively more secularized England] U2 (2018) [in effect]: “killing preborn children and being politically chic and popular [i.e., politically far left, of course] trumps the Christian prohibition of murder, and the sanctity of life from the womb to the tomb.” The Blaze reported (5-3-18): U2 posted an image of the repeal logo on Twitter accompanied by the written message,... Read more

Analyzing Luther / Protestant Traditions of Men Inevitable

May 2, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

Catholics & Protestants tend to have very different views of Luther & of the nature & scope of Christian tradition. Words of Steve (Catholic) will be in green. Words of Alexander (Calvinist) will be in blue. *** This seems to be the summary of the argument between Catholic and Protestant views of Luther: Catholic: Luther was a flawed and complex character therefore one should not trust his theological pronouncements and certainly not follow him out of the Church That’s... Read more

Prayer for the Dead & Retroactive Prayer (Luther & Protestants)

May 2, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

I happened to notice a very interesting piece on the Lutheran blog Here We Stand, from “CPA”, with whom I have had several dialogues. It’s entitled simply “Prayers for the Dead.” CPA opened the article thusly: In what Martin Luther regarded as his final confession of faith in his 1528 work against the Zwinglians, Confession Concerning Christ’s Supper, he wrote as follows: As for the dead, since Scripture gives us no information on the subject, I regard it as no... Read more

Protestant Principles of Authority are Self-Defeating

May 1, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

Some Protestants claim to have the “fullness of truth,” just as Catholics do. But how does a Protestant know that? How can he be sure, since he falls back on himself, by virtue of the Protestant notion and rule of faith, of private judgment? No Protestant can know this, consistent with their own system, because they have denied the infallibility of the Church: precisely that which was designed by God to provide us with assurance that we have divinely protected fullness... Read more

Catholic Predestination, Molinism, & Thomism in a Nutshell

May 1, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

The Catholic teaching is neither Pelagian (basically, “salvation by works”) nor semi-Pelagian (saved partially by our own self-generated works), though we are constantly falsely accused of this by Calvinists and even in the Lutheran confessions. Calvinists also unfairly accuse Arminian Protestants (including Lutherans) of semi-Pelagianism. Basically, many Calvinists (with their “either/or” mentality) collapse any position that holds to free will and predestination in paradox, as both true (like the Bible does), as Pelagian. It can’t comprehend God predestining alongside human... Read more

“Official” Catholic Use of “Convert” to Describe New Catholics

April 30, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

This was originally posted on the Coming Home Network board, where I was head moderator from 2007-2010. My esteemed friend and fellow moderator, David W. Emery wrote: You will see me speaking of becoming Catholic, for instance, or better, entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. To avoid confusion, I try to reserve the word conversion for its primary meaning: conversion of heart, as in And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their... Read more

Potential Catholic Converts: My “Hands Off” Approach

April 30, 2018 By Dave Armstrong

It seems that I am sometimes unjustly associated with others who do not share my ecumenical approach to possible conversions from non-Catholic brands of Christianity. It is a rather well-known fact, after all (for anyone who has followed my work to any appreciable degree) that I never pester people about their possible or actual conversions, or use the situation of a person struggling through issues to “go in for the kill,” so to speak. That’s as far from my method... Read more