“Tradition” Isn’t a Dirty Word

Last updated on: February 24, 2017 at 4:44 pm By Dave Armstrong

The Pharisees Question Jesus (1886-1894), by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (late 90s; rev. 8-16-16) ***** Many Protestants (especially anti-Catholic ones) hold, by and large, the view that Scripture and sacred, apostolic tradition are somehow unalterably opposed to each other and, for all practical purposes, mutually exclusive. This is yet another example of a false dichotomy which Protestantism often (unfortunately) tends to create (e.g., faith vs. works, matter vs. spirit). The Bible, however, presupposes tradition as an entity prior... Read more

Mary’s Assumption & Historic Protestantism

Last updated on: February 24, 2017 at 4:46 pm By Dave Armstrong

Assumption of the Virgin (1526-1529), by Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (6-30-08) *** I’ve documented in the past that both Catholic and Protestant (including Lutheran) historians and Luther scholars accept the fact that Luther believed in the Assumption, at least in his early days, if not later. Catholic writer Thomas A. O’Meara, O. P., presents the confusing evidence about Luther (claiming he did accept this doctrine early on): In 1522 Luther preaches on the feast... Read more

Reply to Democrats for Life on Voting for Pro-Aborts

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:49 pm By Dave Armstrong

Color photo of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “Man of The Year” on the cover of Time Magazine, January 2, 1933 edition [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [written on 1 May 2012 on Facebook] ***** [I briefly joined a Facebook group for this organization and wrote the following]: Isn’t it a lost cause? If you are pro-life, I don’t see how you can’t vote Republican, on a national level. Obama favors infanticide, partial-birth “abortion”. It’s outrageous. I’m happy... Read more

“Apocrypha”: Why It’s Part of the Bible

Last updated on: February 24, 2017 at 4:48 pm By Dave Armstrong

Codex Sinaiticus (4th century): text of Matthew 6:4-32. This manuscript included all seven deuterocanonical books [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [Written in 1994; from A Biblical Defense of Catholicism: pp. 259-264] *** (Bible verses: RSV) *** The Old Testament in Catholic Bibles contains seven more books than are found in Protestant Bibles (46 and 39, respectively). Protestants call these seven books the Apocrypha and Catholics know them as the deuterocanonical books. These seven books are: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom... Read more

John Calvin: Ignatian Epistles (c. 110) Not Authentic

Last updated on: February 24, 2017 at 4:49 pm By Dave Armstrong

Joseph Barber Lightfoot (1828-1889): Anglican biblical scholar, translator of the early Church fathers and Bishop of Durham. He was a key advocate of the authenticity of the epistles of St. Ignatius of Antioch [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (6-7-09) *** The Catholic Encyclopedia (“St. Ignatius of Antioch”) provides an overview summary, with which we can begin our closer examination (my blue coloring): At intervals during the last several centuries a warm controversy has been carried on by patrologists concerning... Read more

Bible on Procreation and the Blessing of [Many] Children

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:51 pm By Dave Armstrong

Triplets. The original uploader was Michael L. Kaufman at English Wikipedia (2-10-05) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** [3-9-09] ***** Genesis 38:8-10 (RSV) Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he... Read more

Biblical Evidence Against Contraception

Last updated on: February 12, 2020 at 12:31 pm By Dave Armstrong

Family of Ole Hanson (1874-1940), mayor of Seattle and founder of San Clemente, California (c. 1919) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** This article has been re-uploaded under the title, Contraception and Biblical Teaching (Fer or Agin)? *** Read more

Publishers Omit Calvin’s Anti-Contraception View?!

Last updated on: April 18, 2017 at 6:52 pm By Dave Armstrong

Original title: Why Did Baker Books and Crossway Omit John Calvin’s Remarks Against Contraception in His Commentaries (Genesis 38:10)? Photograph by Nic McPhee (1-26-08) [Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 license] *** (9-14-13) *** This came about on one of the threads on my Facebook page, when a Reformed Protestant (his words in blue below) questioned a quotation of mine from John Calvin; the following: I will content myself with briefly mentioning this, as far as the sense of shame allows... Read more

Theosis & the Exalted Virgin Mary

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 11:42 am By Dave Armstrong

The Coronation of the Virgin with Six Saints (1504), by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio (1483-1561) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** [7-11-04] *** The exaltation of Mary is the supreme example of how highly God sought to raise man. This is part and parcel (as the foremost and most extraordinary instance) of the notion of divinization or deification or theosis — a common motif, particularly in Orthodox thought, Catholic mysticism and spirituality, and the early Eastern Church fathers. Matthias Scheeben (1835-1888), the extraordinary... Read more

Mortal vs. Venial Sin: Biblical?

Last updated on: February 25, 2017 at 11:43 am By Dave Armstrong

St John the Evangelist, by Vicente Juan Masip (1507-1579) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [1997; additions on 2-25-03] ***** 1 John 5:17 explicitly differentiates a mortal sin from a less serious one (RSV): “All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal” (RSV; KJV: “not unto death”). Denying this would be tantamount to saying that a white lie or a momentary pang of jealousy or lust (especially if unrepented of) is the moral equivalent in God’s eyes... Read more