Fresco of the Council of Nicaea (325), from the Sistine Chapel, Vatican (1590) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (August 1997) *** James White, a professional anti-Catholic, wrote in his own public discussion list (of which I was a member) on 7-15-96:***I simply encourage everyone on the list to read any decent modern historical source, Roman Catholic or Protestant, on the subject of Nicea and the role of the bishop of Rome. The idea that the council was called by, presided... Read more
[May-June 1996. James White is the most well-known and influential anti-Catholic apologist. He is a Reformed Baptist elder. I find this exchange utterly remarkable — even by White’s rock-bottom standards of discourse –, in that he takes the greatest pains to never ever defend the very thing that he asserted. In this way, the “dialogue” might be read as high comedy. But there are very important issues discussed here. Back in those days: now over 20 years ago, White at... Read more
Altar of Calvary (Golgotha): the actual site of Jesus’ crucifixion, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem. Photograph by Ana Ulin: 10-13-07). I was there in October 2014. [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license] *** (6-4-07) *** From my Study Guide (available online) for the ecumenical video / book Common Ground: Pastor Steve described frequent reports of former Catholics who attend his church: “I didn’t find Christ in the Catholic Church. I didn’t meet Jesus . .... Read more
Remains of Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki: August 1998. Photograph by Yuniko [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** (8-28-06) *** By 1945 the Nagasaki community of Roman Catholics, the descendants of these hidden Christians, formed the largest Catholic colony in Japan. Ironically, they inhabited the Urakami valley, which is the district of Nagasaki over which the atomic bomb exploded. The bomb killed nearly 9,600 of the 12,000 Catholics who lived near the hypocenter of the blast,... Read more
Jesus and the Centurion (c. 1571), by Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (April 1987) *** 1. Jesus’ Attitude A. Our Lord Jesus acknowledged the right of civil defense: ” . . . let him who has no sword sell his robe and buy one” — Luke 22:36. B. Jesus accepted the notion of obedience to civil government in general when He said: “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” (in this particular instance, taxes, which, no... Read more
Christ and the Good Thief (c. 1566), by Titian (1490-1576) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (1996) *** Many evangelical Protestants like to point out that the thief on the cross next to Jesus wasn’t baptized and went to heaven anyway (Lk 23:39-43). From this they then conclude that both baptism, and sacraments in general are unnecessary for salvation. This is a weak, insubstantial argument from the get-go, because it presupposes a fallacy of wrongly applying the elements of an... Read more
Seven Sacraments Altarpiece; detail: Ordination, Marriage, and Extreme Unction (c. 1450), by Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1400-1464) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [2009; Addendum added on 1-10-17] *** [all passages: RSV] *** DISCIPLES AND ELDERS ANOINT WITH OIL TO HEAL Mark 6:12-13 So they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them. James 5:14-15 Is any among you sick? Let him... Read more
Luther and fellow “Reformation” leader Zwingli tried to settle their dispute about communion in Marburg in September of 1529. Unsurprisingly, they were unsuccessful. Luther continued to regard Zwingli as damned and no Christian, due to his denial of the Real Presence in the Eucharist. Protestants retain this internal disagreement to this day, along with profound differences on baptism. Anonymous woodcut from 1557 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** [this took place recently on Jerry Wall’s (public) Facebook page. He is a... Read more
Confirmation (1712), by Giuseppe Crespi (1665-1747) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (5-6-08) *** [all passages: RSV] *** THE HOLY SPIRIT’S DESCENT UPON PERSONS Wisdom 9:17 Who has learned thy counsel, unless thou hast given wisdom and sent thy holy Spirit from on high? Matthew 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; (cf.... Read more
Martin Luther, Bust in Three-Quarter View (1520), by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (1996) ***** Scripture seems to clearly refer to baptismal regeneration in Acts 2:38 (forgiveness of sins), 22:16 (wash away your sins), Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Titus 3:5 (he saved us, . . . by the washing of regeneration), and other passages. For this reason, many prominent Protestant individuals and denominations have held to the position of baptismal regeneration, which is... Read more
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