Luther: God Predestines Reprobation of the Damned

Last updated on: January 9, 2018 at 3:25 pm By Dave Armstrong

Luther: “he damns the undeserving, . . . they cannot prevent themselves from being ungodly.” *** All the cited words below are Luther’s own, from various translations of The Bondage of the Will (his own favorite work). Sources are non-Catholic ones: with one noted Catholic exception. * * * * * Summary of English Versions of The Bondage of the Will (Luther Treatise of 1525) Translation by J. I. Packer and O. R. Johnston, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1957. Translation by Phillip Watson (based... Read more

Dialogue on Luther’s “Getting to a Gracious God”

Last updated on: January 10, 2018 at 11:30 am By Dave Armstrong

Martin Luther struggled with accepting God’s grace, his entire life. “CPA” (a Lutheran historian) wrote a piece: “How Do I Get a Gracious God?” in the Intertestamental Era (5-29-06). I also replied to comments of his in discussion, in my paper, Luther’s Projection of His Depression & Crises Onto St. Paul. Presently, I wish to reply to some of the biblical texts that CPA sets forth in order to show that Martin Luther’s own spiritual experience is normative, or, at any rate,... Read more

Ethics of Internet Discourse: Some Basic Observations

Last updated on: January 9, 2018 at 1:43 pm By Dave Armstrong

We don’t need new ethics to properly talk online. The NT is quite sufficient. At The Coming Home Network (“CHNI”), as a staff moderator for their Internet forums [2007-2010], I had to abide by company policy. The goal was to cultivate new or potential Catholics, not to have a rugby match or mud bath every day. The CHNI discussion forums were the “real world”: real people with real struggles and real questions, trying to come into the real Catholic Church so... Read more

Now I’m a Radical Feminist and an Anti-Catholic?!

Last updated on: January 8, 2018 at 2:32 pm By Dave Armstrong

I am characterized as “anti-male, anti-family, anti-Catholic feminist” in this bizarre “discussion”. Just when I think I have been called every conceivable, imaginable name and epithet, here comes someone else to up the ante! It is entertaining, at least, as well as exasperating. It all started when I made a simple comment underneath a post on the blog of Rebecca Bratten Weiss, actually by guest contributor H. Lillian Vogl. The premise and central theme of the article was simple: men should... Read more

Dialogue on (Supposedly Fallible) Pope Honorius

Last updated on: January 7, 2018 at 5:57 pm By Dave Armstrong

Pope Honorius possibly was personally a heretic, but infallibility isn’t involved. My evangelical Protestant friend’s words are in blue. Consider the following excerpt from [Pope] Leo II’s public confirmation of III Constantinople: …also Honorius, who did not illuminate the Apostolic See with the doctrines of the Apostolic tradition, but by profane prodition attempted to subvert the immaculate faith; and all, who died in his error… “Attempting” is not active? How can “prodition” not involve a public matter? Leo also sent private letters to the... Read more

Science, Logic, & Math Start with Unfalsifiable Axioms

Last updated on: January 6, 2018 at 1:59 pm By Dave Armstrong

Science, logic, and mathematics all begin from unprovable axioms. In other words, one must exercise a sort of faith to accept those without initial evidence, and then proceed: scarcely different in these respects from religious tenets. For science: The universe: 1. is rational and logical 2. is contingent (has cause and effect) 3. is objective (it exists independently of us) 4. is unified 5. operates in a consistent, uniform manner (uniformitarianism). 6. is able to be learned via our senses, and that... Read more

Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Biblical & Historical Critique (Pt. II)

Last updated on: January 5, 2018 at 4:59 pm By Dave Armstrong

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians. They deny that Jesus is God, and the Holy Trinity. Part Two * Go to Part One *** Scripture verses are from the Authorised Version (King James Version) of the Bible, unless otherwise noted. All primary works from the Jehovah’s Witnesses were published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Brooklyn, New York. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE I. History of the Jehovah’s Witnesses II. Watchtower Authority III. False Prophecies and Contradictory Date-Setting IV. The Scholarly... Read more

Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Biblical & Historical Critique

Last updated on: January 9, 2018 at 1:42 pm By Dave Armstrong

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Christians. They deny that Jesus is God, and the Holy Trinity. Part One * Go to Part Two *** Scripture verses are from the Authorised Version (King James Version) of the Bible, unless otherwise noted. All primary works from the Jehovah’s Witnesses were published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Brooklyn, New York. * TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE I. History of the Jehovah’s WitnessesII. Watchtower Authority III. False Prophecies and Contradictory Date-Setting IV. The... Read more

“Soul Sleep”: A Thorough Biblical Refutation

Last updated on: November 20, 2021 at 3:19 pm By Dave Armstrong

The false doctrine of soul sleep relies on the distortion of a few passages of supposed “proof.” A member on the CHNI [Coming Home Network] discussion forums, asked some good, probing questions. His words will be in blue. * * * * * Man, you are a question machine! But that’s good: inquisitive minds will find the truth if they sincerely seek it and (most importantly) are willing to submit to it when they find it. I ran into this objection on another... Read more

Apologetics: Best Antidote to Atheism & Secularism

Last updated on: January 4, 2018 at 12:41 pm By Dave Armstrong

Without apologetics, Christians are more likely to fall prey to secularism or atheism. [see book and purchase information for the above title] There is more than one way to accomplish the task of fighting secularism. When we personally wrangle and dispute with atheists (even if the discussion is congenial), we virtually never convince them to change. At best, we can influence observers on the fence (as with all debates and all elections) or those being pulled into atheism. We can strengthen... Read more