The Bible teaches that God is absolutely transcendent. He is eternal; He is the Creator. Words of “Tom” will be in blue. *** My general opinion is that the Bible teaches that Jesus is divine. There is clearly a degree of subordinationism within the Bible (and the pre-Nicene Fathers). I do not think the Bible suggests that Christ’s –ousia is inferior to the Father’s –ousia, but I do not think that God’s divinity or Christ’s divinity in the Bible is... Read more
Very interesting discussion from one of my blog comboxes . . . The words of “Ancalagon” will be in blue; those of “quantumleap42” in green, and Eoin Moloney’s in purple. I eventually chime in. *** Don’t Mormons believe that the Gods are basically super-human beings, made of some kind of physical material? My understanding is that even the Mormon conception of the soul has it made of spiritually refined matter. So from a classical theist perspective, Mormon theology could be... Read more
(vs. Bishop “Dr.” [???] James White) James White runs the Alpha and Omega Ministries website, perhaps the most extensive anti-Catholic critique of Catholicism on the Internet, and has written several books against the Church, including The Roman Catholic Controversy (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996). He earned an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. His words will be in blue. *** Contrary to you guys, we hold that all Christian doctrines are important, and to be preserved with the utmost care and... Read more
From the first draft of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism (1994). Perhaps a bit more reflection on the nature of the ark, the tabernacle, and the temple is helpful at this point, in order to grasp the profundity of the parallelism between these “holy places,” where God is “specially” present (after all, He is omnipresent), and the Blessed Virgin, in whom God in the flesh chose to take up His abode. By analyzing the similarities, one can see... Read more
Heretical cults such as Mormonism are not theologically derived from Protestantism. ***** As a former evangelical counter-cult researcher and evangelist myself, I disagree with statements by some Catholics about the ecclesiological category of Mormons and other heretical groups. Mormons are not Protestants by any reasonable definition of the word because they deny the Trinity and divinity of Christ. They cannot be said to be “Protestant” simply because they accept private judgment or deny apostolic succession any more than Nestorians or Arians or... Read more
Catholics think that Protestants are fully incorporated into the Body of Christ by virtue of baptism. [Pastor Keller’s words will be in blue. I was responding to his article, so he wasn’t “there” personally, to respond] *** I have rebuked and rejected the extremists who made the claim that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true church and that you are not even saved unless you are part of that church. Every Christian group believes that it has the truest theology,... Read more
Reactionaries are disproportionately influential in criticisms of Pope Francis. *** The document from 29 June 2016, signed by 45 theologians, priests, and other Catholic scholars, included ten known radical Catholic reactionaries [see definition] who were signatories of the Filial Correction (which I dealt with at length in my recent paper on that influence). The common reactionary signatories are Fr. Barthe, Fr. Crean, Fr. Hunwicke, Dr. Lamont, Fr. Lanzetta, Dr. Pierantoni, Dr. Radaelli, Dr. Rao, Dr. Shaw, and Dr. Silvas. Additionally, six more people... Read more
Reactionaries are our present-day Pharisees and rigorist Donatists and Montanists. [see further information for the book above, and purchase details] What I do is refuse to wrangle with reactionaries (be sure to see how I define this term) over endless “legal”-type particulars. This is the game that they try to play: “the exception becomes the rule” or “death by a thousand qualifications” or “can’t see the forest for the trees” and caricature of orthodoxy and obedient Catholicism as “ultramontanism” or supposedly thinking that the... Read more
Christianity has an objective meaning, and it is trinitarian. Words of Richard Cranium will be in blue. *** So Mormons aren’t Christians? I think that would be news to a Mormon. No they’re not. They deny the Trinity. They’re well familiar with Christians saying they are not Christians: on this basis and others. Just because you have some doctrinal dispute with Mormons doesn’t mean they aren’t Christians. For instance, historians, Christians and otherwise, say Arius was a Christian, and he... Read more
Mormonism holds to “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4) and many gods (polytheism). (vs. Dr. Barry R. Bickmore) PART TWO GO TO PART ONE *** IV. Mormon Historian Lance Owens’ Hypothesis Concerning the Occultic, Kabbalistic, and Gnostic Origins of Mormonism It is the Mormon conception of God, not the Christian one, which is derived from non-biblical and non-apostolic sources, if we accept the fascinating and quite plausible Mormon arguments in the following works: Joseph Smith and Kabbalah: The Occult Connection, and Joseph Smith:... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In