Reply to Michael Spencer’s “Five Questions For Roman Catholics”

Last updated on: January 3, 2017 at 5:07 pm By Dave Armstrong

First Baptist Church of Ossining, New York (1874). Photograph by Daniel Case (2-9-09) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** (9-26-07) *** [Note (1-3-17): this is a post from 2007. Sadly, Michael Spencer passed away in 2010 from cancer. He was an ordained pastor in the Southern Baptist denomination. I was privileged to engage in some constructive, amiable discussions with him. Very nice and spiritual man . . . ] ***** Protestant pastor (and self-described “post-evangelical”) Michael Spencer, aka... Read more

Showing Graphic Abortion Photos: Justifiable & Necessary

Last updated on: January 2, 2017 at 7:45 pm By Dave Armstrong

Image by “stux” [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (12-17-10) *** [Note from 1-2-17: Opposition to this has been one of the hallmarks of the self-named “New Pro-Life Movement” but their basic argument in this regard has been around a long time. Double standards abound at every turn. The same people who are dead set against showing photos of aborted children, think nothing of showing pictures of, e.g., a dead refugee child washed ashore, or heartrending images of a bloodied, injured orphaned... Read more

Calvin, Zwingli, & Bullinger vs. Statues of Christ, Crucifixes, & Crosses

Last updated on: January 2, 2017 at 6:44 pm By Dave Armstrong

Iconoclasts in a church (1630), by Dirck van Delen (c. 1604-1671) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (9-19-09) ***** John 1:18 (KJV). . . the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (RSV, NIV: “made him known”) John 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. John 14:7-9 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen... Read more

Ten Commandments: Changed by Catholics to Uphold Idolatry?

Last updated on: November 20, 2021 at 2:06 pm By Dave Armstrong

Moses and Aaron with the Ten Commandments: Creechurch Lane Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, London (1674), painted by Aron de Chaves [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (9-4-04) *** This is a critique of an anti-Catholic article, entitled, “Catholic Religion Purposely takes out one of God’s Ten Commandments.” It listed alternate numbering of the Ten Commandments as follows: First Commandment [Catholic] I, the LORD, am your God…You shall not have other gods besides me. First Commandment [KJV] I am the LORD thy God…Thou shalt have... Read more

Dialogue: Why Was Luther Excommunicated?

Last updated on: December 30, 2016 at 2:45 pm By Dave Armstrong

+ Luther’s Expressed Obedience to the Pope’s Decision Regarding His Orthodoxy Martin Luther and the Emperor at the Diet of Worms, 1521 (1887-1891), by Ernst Wilhelm Hildebrand (1833-1924) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (6-18-08) *** This exchange was brought on by my paper, The “Catholic-Sounding” Luther: 25 Examples. Discussion immediately followed in the combox. “Peter” asked: ” interesting, but why didn’t Luther return then?” I replied (linking to another paper of mine): “Because of the 50 things where he... Read more

Luther’s Inflammatory Rhetoric & the Peasants’ Revolt (1524-1525)

Last updated on: December 29, 2016 at 2:05 pm By Dave Armstrong

Title page of the Memmingen Articles of War drawn up in March 1525, during the German Peasants War. It shows armed peasants with an assortment of weaponry. [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]***(10-31-03) ***[see Part II] *** I. Introduction and Statement of Purpose Historians on both sides are in agreement that Luther never supported the Peasants’ Revolt (or insurrection in general). Many, however (including Roland Bainton, the famous Protestant author of the biography Here I Stand), believe that he used highly... Read more

Luther’s Inflammatory Rhetoric & the Peasants’ Revolt (1524-1525), Part II

Last updated on: December 29, 2016 at 5:37 pm By Dave Armstrong

Martin Luther (1526), by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons]***(10-31-03) ***** [see Part I] ***** Affiliations of historians will be noted where known (with question marks in cases where affiliation is suspected but not known for sure): P = Protestant C = Catholic S = Secular Citations will simply refer to the author of books in the bibliography, and page number. Whatever doesn’t appear there will be fully-documented after the quote itself. 1524 *** If they... Read more

“Xmas” & the Christian “Fish”: Etymology & History

Last updated on: December 19, 2017 at 11:18 am By Dave Armstrong

[public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (12-22-98) ***** The following was a response to an anti-Catholic named Matthew Bell, on an anti-Catholic-dominated discussion list (called “Apologetics,” I believe). Matthew Bell wrote: Twice you have used the designation Xmas in the title of your posts rather than Christmas. Such is erroneous, Christ is not an X, but a title of the Lord Jesus. What would be more appropriate for you to mark with an X or remove is the latter half... Read more

Orthodox Catholic Christology: A Theological Primer

Last updated on: December 23, 2016 at 2:06 pm By Dave Armstrong

Jesus: detail of the Ghent Altarpiece (1432), by Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (11-13-07) ***** The “short version” of orthodox Christology is to remember the following formulas (the fine points and details are best left to theologians, as long as they are undeniably orthodox and are teaching opinions in total accord with infallible Catholic dogma): 1) Holy Trinity: God exists eternally in Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: all eternal... Read more

Mary Mediatrix & the Bible (vs. Dr. Robert Bowman)

Last updated on: December 20, 2016 at 2:47 pm By Dave Armstrong

The Coronation of the Virgin, by Jean Fouquet (1420-1480) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (8-1-03) ***** Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Jr. is an eminent Protestant evangelical theologian and apologist. His words will be in blue. *** Biblical Evidence: Mary, Paul, and “Spirits” as Distributors of Grace Mary as Mediatrix, or Co-Redemptrix (rightly understood) is no more shocking or unbelievable than Paul in effect calling himself a “savior” and a “steward” of God’s grace: Ephesians 3:2 assuming that you have heard... Read more