The Kiss of Judas, by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** There are about 5,100 Catholic bishops in the world. Jesus picked twelve disciples, yet one of them betrayed Him. That’s an 8% ratio of “bad apostles / bishops.” Another denied Him three times, but he repented, so (to be gracious) we won’t count that. Using the same ratio, there would be 408 bishops out there right now willing to betray or forsake Jesus Christ. If... Read more
Jan Hus before the Council of Constance (1883), by Václav Brožík (1851-1901) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** My Presbyterian (OPC) friend John E. Taylor started this discussion on Facebook, in relation to my paper, Why Do Protestants Reject the Notion of “One True Church”? His words will be in blue. *** Dave, the record of Old Testament councils isn’t rosy, so I honestly have a hard time over infallible councils. I’m not counting what happened in Mizpah (Judges 21). The... Read more
Christ and Saint Mina. 6th-century icon from Bawit, Egypt [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-15-02) *** The following excerpt from the Anglican Nonjuror Bishops — in 1722 (text in blue) — was taken from a web page by Anglican priest [later, Anabaptist] David Bercot [link now defunct]. Afterwards I make a general defense of the propriety of veneration of images, and explain the distinction between Christian veneration and pagan idolatry. ***** Stephen D. Jayne wrote (as an introduction to the... Read more
Leipzig New Town Hall. The tower is a remnant of the old Pleissenburg building: where the Leipzig Disputation took place in 1519: arguably the historical origin of the Protestant doctrine of sola Scriptura. Photograph by Johannes Kazah (5-23-10). [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license] *** Recently, two Protestants (originally on my Facebook page) vigorously and vociferously condemned this doctrine (or more specifically, particularly objected to any Christian saying that their own church was the one true Church: as... Read more
One person [who has since changed his mind on this issue, by the way: almost seven years after the time of this paper] asserted that “an estimated 50-68 million people were killed by Rome” in the Inquisition. That caught my eye (being a cherished anti-Catholic myth that I have encountered many times), and I replied, citing his numbers: Really? Please tell me the name of reputable historians who assert such an absolutely ridiculous figure. Thanks! I’ve yet to get... Read more
Street art: photograph taken by Matt Brown (1-25-16) [Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license] *** This is the latest in the liberal media’s ongoing ultra-hostile narrative: deliberately intended to destroy President Trump’s presidency. For example (one of many such articles): “Trump Humiliates Himself By Not Knowing That Israel Is In The Middle East” (Jason Easley, PoliticusUSA, 5-22-17). This article quotes the President: speaking to Israelis in Israel: “Our Secretary of State has done a great job. We just got back... Read more
Something called “my church” was built by Jesus upon St. Peter (meaning, “Rock”), who was also given “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). Saint Peter Catholic Church (Millersburg, Ohio) – stained glass, St. Peter – detail. Photograph by “Nheyob” (4-18-15) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license] *** My friend, John E. Taylor (Presbyterian [OPC]) wrote the following on my Facebook page (his words in blue; my bolding added). I then respond to it: I’ve... Read more
The Mass of St. Giles, detail, by Meister des Saint Gilles (c. 1500) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** This article has been re-posted under the title, Ad Orientem (Facing the Altar at Mass): A Defense *** Read more
Jesus referred to “Moses’ seat” as the basis upon which the Pharisees had teaching authority. This is an analogy to apostolic succession. The Pharisees and the Saduccees Come to Tempt Jesus, by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** John E. Taylor is a Presbyterian friend of mine (OPC). This occurred in a Facebook thread on my page. His words will be in blue. *** Then someone tell me what “Jewish traditions” we should be observing, if it was... Read more
Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (1630), by Rembrandt (1606-1669) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-4-12) * * * * * If someone is fasting “for” the dead, they obviously think that the dead can be helped in some fashion by that act. Thus, it is the same act in essence as praying for them: some action that we do by which they are aided, in God’s grace. 1 Samuel 31:11-13 But when the inhabitants of Ja’besh-gil’ead heard what the... Read more
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