“Armstrong vs. Geisler” #1: Purgatory (Mt 12:32)

Last updated on: February 17, 2017 at 5:24 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “jclk8888” (7-7-13) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] ***** [This is the first installment of a new series of mine, in which I interact with the book that I believe is the best Protestant critique of Catholicism in our times: Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences, by Norman L. Geisler and Ralph E. Mackenzie (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1995).] ***** Geisler lists Matthew 12:32 as one of four primary biblical proofs that Catholics offer for purgatory... Read more

Catholics & the Historicity of Jonah the Prophet

Last updated on: February 16, 2017 at 2:37 pm By Dave Armstrong

Jonah Is Spewed Forth by the Whale (Jon. 2:1-11), 1866, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (6-27-08) *** Regarding Jonah, the straightforward sense would seem to be that he was an actual historical person, as were all the prophets. The book about him, after all, is included in the prophetic writings in both the Christian and Jewish Bibles. We don’t deny that any of the other prophets (to my knowledge) were actual persons; why should Jonah be... Read more

“Moses’ Seat” & Jesus vs. Sola Scriptura (vs. James White)

Last updated on: February 16, 2017 at 2:00 pm By Dave Armstrong

The Pharisees and the Sadducees Come to Tempt Jesus, by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (12-27-03) *** The first section of this paper is from my book, The Catholic Verses: 95 Bible Passages That Confound Protestants (Sophia Institute Press, Spring 2004) and is a reply to White’s arguments in his book, The Roman Catholic Controversy (Bethany House, 1996). The second section answers the relevant portion of White’s Internet article, “A Response to David Palm’s Article on... Read more

Levites & Old Covenant System vs. Sola Scriptura

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:10 pm By Dave Armstrong

Moses and the Brazen Serpent (1640), by Adriaen van Nieulandt (c. 1586-1658) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (4-9-06) *** Is it true that in Old Testament times, the people were basically on their own vis-a-vis biblical interpretation, and application of the Mosaic Law. No! Theirs was not a sola Scriptura system. I offer examples below. ***** 1) Moses didn’t just give the Law to the Hebrews; he also taught it: Exodus 18:15-20 (RSV) And Moses said to his father-in-law,... Read more

Sola Scriptura is Self-Defeating & False if Not in the Bible

Last updated on: February 14, 2017 at 2:52 pm By Dave Armstrong

vs. Kevin Johnson A diagram of how arms form in spiral galaxies. Authors: User:Dbenbenn / User:Mysid (11-10-06) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** (5-4-04) *** I’ve seen many Protestants deny the Catholic counter-reply that if sola Scriptura isn’t taught in the Bible, it is a self-defeating belief, and therefore untrue. It certainly is self-defeating if in fact it can’t be found in the Bible (as I maintain). The inexorable, unarguable reasoning works as follows: 1. Sola... Read more

Sola Scriptura, the Old Testament, & Ancient Jewish Practice

Last updated on: February 14, 2020 at 11:44 am By Dave Armstrong

Ezra Reads the Law to the People (Neh. 8:1-12), by Gustave Doré (1832-1883) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** This is from my 2002 book, More Biblical Evidence for Catholicism: the entirety of Chapter Nine (same title): pages 77-88 (I discarded some capitalizations used in the original, added capital letters in the sequential indented lists, and added some bolding of Scripture passages). *** A Baptist man whom I met on the Internet, wrote a thought-provoking and well-researched essay, seeking to establish... Read more

Defense of Bishop Barron (Rubin Interview)

Last updated on: February 14, 2017 at 4:47 pm By Dave Armstrong

Did He Do Anything Wrong? Was it a Missed Opportunity (Particularly Regarding the “Gay Marriage” Issue)? Bishop Robert Barron: photograph by Frank Licorice (1 May 2012) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license] *** This has (I hear) become a big controversy. Bishop Barron was recently interviewed by the gay atheist political commentator, comedian, and talk show host Dave Rubin. See the two-part You Tube video. Two days ago, I made an off-the-cuff response after reading a critical article.... Read more

“Hated by All”, Catholic Evangelism, & the Fullness of Truth

Last updated on: February 13, 2017 at 1:12 pm By Dave Armstrong

Is it Possible for an Orthodox, Morally Traditional Catholic, Who Shares the “Unabridged” Catholic Message, to be Rapturously Loved and Liked by One and All Radically Secularist Leftists and Atheists? Christ Crowned with Thorns, by Matthias Stom (fl. 1615-1649) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] “If they have called the master of the house Be-el’zebul, how much more will they malign those of his household?” (Mt 10:25; RSV) *** In the effort to be heard and to be liked by leftists... Read more

Defense of 2nd Ecumenical Gathering at Assisi (Mark Shea)

Last updated on: February 10, 2017 at 2:23 pm By Dave Armstrong

President and Mrs. Reagan meet Pope St. John Paul II, The Vatican, 1982. [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (originally edited and uploaded by Dave Armstrong from public bulletin board postings on 6 February 2002) ***** The following thoughts were expressed on the God Talk public bulletin board. An Orthodox respondent’s words are in blue. Christopher Ferrara is a radical Catholic reactionary who attended, reported on the proceedings, and has taken (not surprisingly at all) an extremely negative view. *****... Read more

Ecumenical Gatherings at Assisi: A Defense (Fr. Alfredo M. Morselli)

Last updated on: February 10, 2017 at 1:44 pm By Dave Armstrong

Ecumenism in St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, by Fra Bartolomeo (1472-1517) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (Edited by Dave Armstrong, from forwarded e-mail letters: 1 August 1999) *** The meeting in Assisi (27 October 1986) is a very complex issue: there are a lot of issues here, and it is necessary to study all of them and – above all – [to] make the proper distinctions. In my mail I intended only to give a moral evaluation of the... Read more