St. Athanasius’ Rule of Faith (NOT Sola Scriptura)

Last updated on: July 17, 2018 at 4:53 pm By Dave Armstrong

Did St. Athanasius (c. 296-373) believe in sola Scriptura? Hardly. Let us look at some of his statements: ***** But, beyond these sayings, let us look at the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, the Apostles preached and the Fathers kept. (To Serapion 1:28) But after him and with him are all inventors of unlawful heresies, who indeed refer to the Scriptures, but do not hold such opinions as the saints have handed down, and... Read more

Marian Apparitions & Public vs. Private Revelation

Last updated on: July 17, 2018 at 1:46 pm By Dave Armstrong

I wrote this on the Coming Home Network boards [where I moderated from 2007-2010] in response to someone saying that no one could comment on the reputed apparitions at Medjugorje unless they had been there themselves. * * * * * First of all, it’s wrong to say that no one can comment on a thing without firsthand experience. That’s like the pro-aborts saying that men can’t talk about abortion because they are not women. It’s a fallacy. I agree... Read more

The Perspicuity (Clearness) of Scripture: A Summary

Last updated on: July 17, 2018 at 11:04 am By Dave Armstrong

The Catholic position on the perspicuity (clearness or clarity) of Scripture, briefly stated, is the following: 1) Scripture, is, by and large, clear, in its treatment of theological doctrines. The truth can be obtained by proper study. I’ve done this myself, many times, in Scripture study on various topics, and my experience has always been the same, for thirty years now. 2) Scripture is materially sufficient: it contains all Christian doctrines, either explicitly, implicitly, or by direct deduction from doctrines... Read more

Classic Reflections on Tradition, Sola Scriptura, & the Canon

Last updated on: July 17, 2018 at 9:38 am By Dave Armstrong

I. Tradition: Catholic Commentary Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Tradition first means all of divine revelation, from the dawn of human history to the end of the apostolic age, as passed on from one generation of believers to the next, and as preserved under divine guidance by the Church established by Christ. Sacred Tradition more technically also means, within this transmitted revelation, that part of God’s revealed word which is not contained in Sacred Scripture. (Pocket Catholic Dictionary, New... Read more

Dialogue with a Skeptic of Christianity

Last updated on: July 16, 2018 at 7:27 pm By Dave Armstrong

Charlie Kluepfel is a former Catholic, who still believes in God in a somewhat unorthodox, self-described “theistic” fashion. He is, however, quite skeptical of Christianity. I discovered his writing and website [now defunct] while doing a word search on the book Surprised by Truth (ed. Patrick Madrid, San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994): a collection of conversion stories (including my own). He critiqued several of the stories in the book (but alas, not mine, except in a very brief way). * I had... Read more

Catholics R More Biblical Than Protestants? (Dialogue)

Last updated on: July 16, 2018 at 1:38 pm By Dave Armstrong

This is always a fun Catholic-Protestant discussion to have (i.e., if tempers are moderated and ecumenical unity isn’t forgotten!). The words of Dustin Buck Lattimore (Protestant) will be in blue. ***** I’ve called this “the Protestant quest for uncertainty.” Protestants manage to be uncertain about (and to actually glory in being uncertain about) any number of supposedly “secondary” doctrines which the Bible (usually Paul) teaches quite clearly and definitively indeed. And Roman Catholics are quite certain on several doctrines the... Read more

“Biblical Evidence” from the Catholic Point of View

Last updated on: July 16, 2018 at 12:59 pm By Dave Armstrong

My methodology is not all that different from the Protestant approach, with regard to how biblical texts are used to support one’s position. As I keep pointing out, anyone who does systematic theology at all, does this. If you read Vatican II or papal encyclicals you’ll see Catholics citing many Scriptures in passing (in parentheses) or whole passages, that corroborate the point of view being presented. All Christians do this. As for the principles of exegesis, again I wouldn’t differ... Read more

Dialogue w Agnostic on Elijah and John the Baptist

Last updated on: July 5, 2018 at 6:06 pm By Dave Armstrong

***** Agnostic “paul” over at the Debunking Christianity blog has written a piece entitled, “A few questions about Elijah” [link no longer active]. This is my reply. His words will be in blue. Any past words of mine cited will be green, and his past words in purple. *** I was thinking about Elijah the other day, and came up with a few questions. Did Elijah ever die? It would appear (prima facie) not. But we can’t say for sure. If not, why? Since he was... Read more

Dialogue w Atheist on Jesus, Demons, Pigs, & Animal Rights

Last updated on: July 18, 2018 at 12:09 pm By Dave Armstrong

The words of Jim Scott and Jim Dailey (fellow Catholics) will be in blue and green, respectively. Words of atheist “Grimlock” will be in purple. See the entire original exchange (that got into some other topics as well). I may edit and rearrange a bit for the sake of levity and back-and-forth “dialogical flow”. ***** This [one of my papers on atheist “exegesis”] reminds me of when I was a freshman at college and my Philosophy professor gave us the... Read more

Atheist Botched Biblical Exegesis: Example #4,974

Last updated on: July 3, 2018 at 1:04 pm By Dave Armstrong

Atheist “BeeryUSA”: My story is pretty simple. I escaped from Christianity when I read the Bible, cover to cover, and realized it was all a load of complete nonsense. And I actually got pretty far through it before it hit me (partly because I was already at the point where I had realized the Old Testament was just myth). In fact, I recall the precise passage that I was reading when I realized that Jesus was actually a xenophobic nationalist... Read more