Mary Mediatrix vs. Jesus Christ the Sole Mediator?

Last updated on: December 20, 2016 at 2:04 pm By Dave Armstrong

Coronation of the Virgin (1324), by Paolo Veneziano [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** (1-30-03) *** In disputes over words, definitions, and proper uses of words, it is always good to consult the dictionary. A simple use of the words mediate, mediatrix, or mediation does not necessarily imply some sort of equation with 1 Timothy 2:5: “there is one mediator between God and man.” My dictionary defines mediate thusly: 1. to be in an intermediate position... Read more

Why Transubstantiation Isn’t Idolatry At All

Last updated on: December 16, 2016 at 7:39 pm By Dave Armstrong

Real idolatry: The Adoration of the Golden Calf (1633), by Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (11-22-96) *** An anti-Catholic Protestant evangelical stated in a list I was on: Transubstantiation is a form of idolatry. The Catholic belief in transubstantiation is why when the host is elevated, Catholics bow and pay homage. The charge of idolatry is absolutely wrongheaded. To be an idolater is fundamentally to put something in place of God. An animist who is truly... Read more

Is Pope Francis a Heretic?

Last updated on: November 20, 2021 at 2:38 pm By Dave Armstrong

Options and Respectful Speculations on the Synod on the Family, Amoris Laetitia and Practical Applications Pope Francis at Varginha in southwest Minas Gerais state, Brazil during World Youth Day (7-27-13). Photograph from Agência Brasil, a public Brazilian news agency. [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Brazil license] ***** As most of you who have followed my writings know, I have been a staunch defender of Pope Francis: holding that he is orthodox and has often been grossly misrepresented, for a variety of... Read more

Total Depravity & the Evil of the Non-Elect (vs. John Calvin)

Last updated on: December 12, 2016 at 5:51 pm By Dave Armstrong

Noah’s Ark Cycle: 3. The Flood (1588), by Kaspar Memberger the Elder (c. 1555-1618) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (10-12-12) *** [my Bible citations: RSV] **** Of how little value it is in the sight of God, in regard to all the parts of life, Paul shows, when he says, that we are not “sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves,” (2 Cor. 3:5). He is not speaking of the will or affection; he denies us... Read more

25 Biblical Passages Against Limited Atonement

Last updated on: November 22, 2021 at 2:40 pm By Dave Armstrong

Christ on the Cross (1627), by Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (4-29-10) *** [Important Note: I have now, upon reflection, decided that many of the passages below are weak arguments (see my thoughts on that in the related paper, Dialogue: Does the Bible Teach Limited Atonement?). Therefore, I have removed it from listings of papers on my blog. My revised position is explained in the referenced and linked paper] ***** Luke 19:10 (RSV) For the Son of... Read more

Defense of “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” vs. Calvinists

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:16 pm By Dave Armstrong

Our Mother of Perpetual Help, a 15th Century Marian Byzantine Icon [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (7-16-07) ***** The following exchange about the Our Lady of Perpetual Help devotion occurred on the Parchment and Pen blog. C. Michael Patton and others have been very gracious and polite in allowing me to give my dissenting viewpoint. I’d like to thank them and express my appreciation for that. C. Michael Patton’s words will be in blue; “Seven”‘s in green, and Vance’s in... Read more

Joy!: A Christmas Poem for My Wife Judy

Last updated on: December 8, 2016 at 4:30 pm By Dave Armstrong

Christmas 1991 (already married for seven years), with our first son Paul (then 8 months old). ***** Many times I’ve reflected, gazing at a sparkling Scotch pine tree or by a cozy fire, How blessed I’ve been with you by my side, during Advent and Christmastime. Each year it’s so lovely to ponder baby Jesus or listen to carols sung by a choir, With the one I adore; sharing our holiday experiences so treasured and sublime. *** At first it was just the two of... Read more

Immaculate Conception & Assumption: Why Defined So Late?

Last updated on: December 8, 2016 at 4:08 pm By Dave Armstrong

Assumption of Mary (c. 1650), by Juan Martin Cabezalero (1633-1673) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (2-1-09) ***** [The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was proclaimed ex cathedra (highest level of dogmatic authority) in 1854, and likewise, the dogma concerning the Glorious Bodily Assumption of Mary in 1950] ***** From a Protestant questioner on the Coming Home Network board, with my replies: * It kind of bugs me. Why did the Church have to announce those dogmas in the... Read more

James the Lord’s “Brother” (i.e., Cousin)

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:17 pm By Dave Armstrong

+ Who Wrote the Book of James? Icon: Saint James the Just [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-6-08) ***** According to The New Bible Dictionary (Protestant), the most plausible (though not certain) theory is that the author was James, the “brother” (i.e., cousin, from biblical and historical evidences) of Jesus, and that the data is quite consistent with his being also the bishop of Jerusalem. It is stated that this was the view of the early Church. A variety... Read more

Does God Forbid ALL Contact with the Dead?

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:22 pm By Dave Armstrong

Saint Benedict in Glory (1748), by Johann Jakob Zeiller (1708-1783) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (6-23-07) ***** The following illustrates the logical structure of biblical arguments in favor of contact with the dead under special and specific circumstances and indirectly for the invocation of the saints in heaven (at least how I myself make the argument): 1. We ought to pray for each other (much biblical proof). 2. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its... Read more