Orthodox & Catholic Ecclesiology: Possible Synthesis?

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 2:55 pm By Dave Armstrong

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Bulgaria. Photo by Dennis Jarvis, 13 June 2013 [Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 license] (11-23-11) * * * Some Orthodox Christians have proposed something like the following scenario for a healing of the breach between Orthodoxy and Catholicism: 1. Bishops ought to do nothing of consequence without the consent of the pope. 2. The pope cannot do anything of momentous significance without the consent of the consensus of the bishops and the totality of the Church.... Read more

Papal Succession and the Bible: An Exchange

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 2:57 pm By Dave Armstrong

Venerable Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-1958) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (1-27-12) *** [from a Facebook discussion. My opponent‘s words will be in blue ] * * * * * Yet it always hinges on “interpretation” – the keys to Peter is scripturally clear . . . the passing of those keys as an “office” in perpetuity is an interpretation based on human thought rather than scripture . . . perhaps not unreasonable thought, but nevertheless not scriptural. * It is not explicitly scriptural (passing... Read more

Defending Mary (Revelation 12 and Her Assumption)

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:00 pm By Dave Armstrong

Assumption of the Virgin (1626), by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (5-28-12)*** This was on a public Facebook discussion thread on a friend’s Facebook page, underneath mention of a review of the above book of mine by Devin Rose. Greg Still describes himself as a “”skeptical Pentecostal” and is a former Catholic. His words will be in blue. * * * Since you brought up the supposed “Assumption of Mary” let us deal with that. You suggest that because a thing did happen to... Read more

Biblical Argumentation is NOT “Sola Scriptura”

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:06 pm By Dave Armstrong

[from Public Domain Images]*** (5-28-12)*** This was on a public Facebook discussion thread on a friend’s Facebook page, underneath mention of a review of the above book of mine by Devin Rose. Greg Still describes himself as a “”skeptical Pentecostal” and is a former Catholic. His words will be in blue. * * * I have a Lutheran “friend” who insists that The Church (meaning his church) is the ultimate interpreter of scripture. He thinks that an individual cannot properly read/understand scripture without the aid of The... Read more

Catholic Compassion and Beggars on the Street

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:09 pm By Dave Armstrong

What is Our Responsibility? / Analysis of Poverty and Its Causes and Solutions Mother and child on the steps of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Bulgaria (2-14-06) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license] *** (12-30-11) * * * * * My friend Brent Robbins sent me the following “self-examination” of sorts and made a request that I write about it, if possible: I get panhandled all the time by supposed homeless people while walking down the streets of Seattle.... Read more

Debate on Deportation of Illegal Immigrants

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:14 pm By Dave Armstrong

(vs. Andy Kirchoff) Mexican border wall. Photo by Edmond Meinfelder, 27 April 2002 [Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license] *** (2-21-12) *** Andy Kirchoff is (according to his Facebook profile), a “GOP-leaning independent Catholic voter.” His words (complete words from the original Facebook thread) will be in blue. * * * I love his [Clark Durant’s] pro-life stance and his education platform, but his immigration position is far too “out there” for me to enthusiastically support his candidacy. He sounds like a NumbersUSA dream candidate.... Read more

Reply to Criticisms of My Book Contra “Sola Scriptura”

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:17 pm By Dave Armstrong

(7-11-12) *** This one-star review on Amazon of my book, 100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura was posted by a Matt, or Matthew (safely semi-anonymous, of course, so I can learn nothing else about the person). But we do know that he is a Protestant and proponent of sola Scriptura. The review is much more like a “limited rebuttal” of a few of the book’s arguments. His words will be in blue. I shall cite the entirety of his review in my counter-reply. * * *... Read more

Answer to Sola Scriptura “Prooftexts” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 & Romans 16:15-16

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:33 pm By Dave Armstrong

vs. Reformed Pastor David T. King (6-26-12) *** Pastor King’s words from his book will be in blue. * * * * * My normative policy of time-management or stewardship of my time under God, and maintenance of sanity for nearly five years now is to refuse to waste time debating theology with the small fringe group of anti-Catholic Protestants (i.e., those who deny that Catholicism as a system of theology and spirituality is Christian, and who claim that in order to be... Read more

C. S. Lewis’ Belfast Childhood and Contra-Catholicism

Last updated on: September 12, 2019 at 9:39 am By Dave Armstrong

J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973): author of Lord of the Rings and good friend of C. S. Lewis, in 1916 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] This article has been re-uploaded as “C. S. Lewis’ Childhood in Belfast & Contra-Catholicism (Biographers and/or Friends Kreeft, Pearce, Derrick, and Possibly Tolkien Think This is Why Lewis Never Became a Catholic)” *** Read more

Traditionalism and Apologetics: Allies or Enemies?

Last updated on: March 29, 2017 at 3:41 pm By Dave Armstrong

. . . with Dr. Philip Blosser Friends & apologetics colleagues all. Gary and Steve are also fellow Michiganders. * * * * * Dr. Blosser teaches philosophy at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, and hosts the very influential blog, Musings of a Pertinacious Papist. Recently, we met for the first time at a discussion at my house about traditionalism. The guest lecturer was “Boniface”: webmaster of the Unam Sanctam Catholicam traditionalist website. Dr. Blosser wrote a piece on 3... Read more