Dionysius (d. c. 264) vs. Sola Scriptura as the Rule of Faith

Last updated on: August 1, 2017 at 1:07 pm By Dave Armstrong

Pope St. Dionysius of Alexandria (anonymous icon) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (8-1-03) *** For preliminaries concerning my methodology and the burden of proof for showing if a Church Father believed in sola Scriptura, see my paper, Church Fathers & Sola Scriptura. Dionysius’ words will be in blue. Evangelical Protestant / Anti-Catholic apologist Jason Engwer’s words will be in green. *** St. Dionysius of Alexandria was pope from 247 or 248 until his death in 264 or 265. Jason Engwer cites the following as... Read more

Catholic Questions Regarding Protestant Ecclesiologies

Last updated on: July 31, 2017 at 4:45 pm By Dave Armstrong

Photograph by “skeeze” (11-17-14) [Pixabay / Pixabay license] *****(6-5-03) *** These questions and comments of mine came about on a public Catholic Discussion Board, in dialogue with a Reformed Protestant.* * * * * Are we to believe that the Bible presents or teaches no single ecclesiology? Is the governance of the Church of Christ is strictly a matter of relativism and individual choice and happenstance (sort of like secular democracy)? I find it fascinating that our Lord Jesus and the... Read more

Atheist Blogs Delete & Block Insulters & Idiots, Too!

Last updated on: July 31, 2017 at 7:23 pm By Dave Armstrong

Image by “OpenClipart-Vectors” (4-1-16) [Pixabay / Pixabay license] ***** The droning drumbeat of personal insults sent my way continues over at atheist Jonathan MS Pearce‘s blog, A Tippling Philosopher. By now the routine is old and tired: Pearce writes a post about me, then his minions of followers start in on the attacks in his combox. This has now occurred five times (one / two / three / four / five). I’ve documented what was written, from the first two threads. He... Read more

Reply to Atheist JMS Pearce: Bethlehem & Nazareth “Contradictions”

Last updated on: August 27, 2019 at 2:17 pm By Dave Armstrong

Including Extensive Exegetical Analysis of Micah 5:2 Wife Judy’s photograph of the spot where Jesus was born in Bethlehem (October 2014). ***** This is my fourth and last installment of replies to atheist Jonathan MS Pearce‘ skeptical series, Debunking the Nativity. I have previously responded to his claims about the alleged mistranslation of “virgin” (Isaiah 7:14), supposed irreconcilable differences regarding the death of Herod the Great and biblical chronology, and the genealogies of Christ. Presently, I am responding to his paper, “To Bethlehem or Not to Bethlehem”... Read more

Reply to Atheist JMS Pearce: “Contradictory” Genealogies?

Last updated on: December 21, 2018 at 5:20 pm By Dave Armstrong

King David (ancestor of Jesus), by Rembrandt (1606-1669) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** This is my third installment of replies to atheist Jonathan MS Pearce skeptical series, Debunking the Nativity. I have previously responded to his claims about the alleged mistranslation of “virgin” (Isaiah 7:14), and supposed irreconcilable differences regarding the death of Herod the Great and biblical chronology. Presently, I am responding to two of his papers (both posted on 12-12-16): “Contradictory Genealogies” and “Conflicting Genealogies of Jesus and... Read more

Atheists & Inherent “Omnipotent” Creative Qualities of Godless Matter

Last updated on: July 26, 2017 at 6:19 pm By Dave Armstrong

Fractal image by “hrohmann” (9-15-15) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** This is a little (but idea-packed) discussion about these issues in one of my blog comboxes with three atheists (with one getting testy). Their words will be in blue (“Illithid”), green (“islandbrewer”), and purple (“Stupid Atheist”): ***** Thanks for linking to your atheism index [link], I may have missed it before. It seems we have different ideas of what “evidence” is, despite my agreement with your definition above. Your article... Read more

Reply to Atheist JMS Pearce: “Mistranslation” of “Virgin”? (Isaiah 7:14)

Last updated on: July 27, 2017 at 7:18 pm By Dave Armstrong

[many thanks to Glenn Miller of A Christian Thinktank for his extraordinary biblical research, which I’ve massively utilized] Virgin and Child with Four Angels, by Gerard David (c. 1450/1460-1523) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** Jonathan MS Pearce has written a series, “Debunking the Nativity”: in which he offers up a series of weak, fallacious, highly selective arguments, that he believes are decisive refutations of Christian and biblical contentions regarding the birth and infancy of Jesus. I’ve already dealt with his argument... Read more

Reply to Atheist JMS Pearce: Herod’s Death & Alleged “Contradictions”

Last updated on: August 1, 2017 at 12:10 pm By Dave Armstrong

[many thanks to Jimmy Akin for massive citation of his research] Herod the Great, by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** Atheist contra-Christian polemicist and biblical skeptic Jonathan MS Pearce has challenged me to grapple with his material on the biblical infancy narratives of Jesus (that, of course, asserts massive contradictions). I’m more than happy to do so. At first I hesitated due to time constraints and a feeling that scholars have done — or could do — a... Read more

Gadarenes, Gerasenes, Swine, & Atheist Skeptics

Last updated on: July 25, 2017 at 12:12 pm By Dave Armstrong

The Swine Driven into the Sea, by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** Prominent online atheist Jonathan MS Pearce (A Tippling Philosopher) loves to write about alleged biblical contradictions. He produced the post, “On Harmonising Biblical Contradictions” (7-23-17) and was kind enough to mention my name in the beginning: This is a post I once made for John Loftus at Debunking Christianity [my italics] and contradictions came up in a recent conversation with Dave Armstrong, so here it is.... Read more

Reason, Science, & Logic Not the Exclusive Possessions of Atheists

Last updated on: July 24, 2017 at 11:33 pm By Dave Armstrong

+ Double Standards in How Christian Conversions are Treated, Compared to the Often Chilly Reception of Critiques of Atheist Deconversion Stories / Atheist “Exegesis” of the “Doubting Thomas” Passage Illustration (anonymous) from Nursery Novelties for Little Masters and Misses (1820), showing a “dunce” wearing a fool’s cap with bell and ass’s ears. The loving, infinitely wise atheist comes to give aid to the poor, imbecilic, ignorant Christian, devoid of reason, logic, and facts alike [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** I’ve... Read more

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