“Live Chat” Debate: Mariology of the Church Fathers (vs. James White)

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:04 pm By Dave Armstrong

Madonna and Child, by Filippo Lippi (1406-1469) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * * * Original title: “Live Chat” Dialogue on Patristic Consensus (Particularly, Mariology) (vs. James White) (original exchange: 29 December 2000. “Footnotes” added shortly afterwards. Revised on 4 December 2002) The following live exchange (with an “audience”) occurred in the chat room of the website of Reformed Baptist anti-Catholic apologist James White, on 29 December 2000. White asked to dialogue with me. This was absolutely spontaneous and not... Read more

Are Catholics Christians? Is Catholicism Christian? (vs. James White)

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:07 pm By Dave Armstrong

My book (2013, 395 pages; available for as low as $1.99). * * * * * James White is the most influential anti-Catholic polemicist today. He’s written a ton of books (though not all about Catholicism), does lots of oral debates, and has had a website for some 20 years now. Hang around anti-Catholics much and you’ll hear his name pretty soon, and often. He’s their big champion. The anti-Catholic is one who thinks that Catholicism is not a species... Read more

Biblical Evidence for Sunday Worship (Rather Than Saturday)

Last updated on: November 22, 2021 at 3:53 pm By Dave Armstrong

Ellen G. White (1827-1915) and James White (1821-1881): founders of Seventh-Day Adventism [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * I was in a Facebook discussion with Seventh-Day Adventists about their view that worship is properly on the Sabbath (Saturday) and not Sunday. I provided a link to a collection of links on the topic that I compiled, then made my own comments (and it became a mini-argument). * * * * * Johan Von Wielligh wrote: Yes people of different church speak... Read more

Reply to a Lutheran on the Intercession & Invocation of Saints

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:16 pm By Dave Armstrong

Title Page of Book of Concord (Dresden: 1580) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * Rev. Jordan Cooper is a Lutheran pastor and theologian (I’m not sure which branch of Lutheranism he is part of). He has a blog here at Patheos (Just and Sinner) and has written what look like two extremely interesting books, on theosis (I’ve noted Luther’s views on theosis myself) and patristic soteriology and the new perspective on Paul. I will cite his entire blog post, The... Read more

John 3:5 and Titus 3:5: Proofs for Baptismal Regeneration?

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:19 pm By Dave Armstrong

Baptismal font from the 6th century (Tunisia); photo by Ad Meskens, 1 August 2012 [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] * * * This is a reply to a portion (section V) of the article, Nowhere Does the Bible Teach that Water Baptism Saves, by Reformed (Calvinist) Steve C. Halbrook. It’s a 2009 article, but I was made aware of its existence by a hearty recommendation from the folks at the notorious Reformed Protestant anti-Catholic site, Boors All. The author... Read more

Grace Alone: A Biblical and Fully Catholic Teaching

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:22 pm By Dave Armstrong

[Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0 license] * * * The Catholic Church teaches that good works done after regeneration (at baptism) and justification are (if certain conditions are met) meritorious and can contribute to salvation and attainment of eternal life, but only hand-in-hand with, soaked in, enabled by, grace, which alone saves us. Catholics believe in sola gratia. But it is a faith that is not separated from works (per James). Faith inherently includes these works. We’re not saved by faith... Read more

Real, Genuine Tolerance vs. PC Pseudo-“Tolerance”

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:26 pm By Dave Armstrong

Jesus knew all about being misunderstood, betrayed, forsaken by friends, hated, despised, slandered, lied about, persecuted, tortured, and murdered. The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ (1880), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * I just wrote this to a friend here at Patheos, with whom I have significant differences. He was making the point that Christians do lots of bad things, too (who ever said they didn’t?); and perhaps Christianity is at least partially to blame... Read more

My Apologetics Question & Answer You Tube Session

Last updated on: April 24, 2017 at 7:33 pm By Dave Armstrong

[selfie from January 2013] (3-31-15) I did an informal Q & A teaching session (1 hr, 17 min. total, in two parts) with a Catholic high school youth group, called ROCK (Relying On Christ our King), in Southgate, Michigan (3-22-15), answering 30 or so questions, completely unprepared and “off the cuff.” We managed to upload the footage to You Tube: Links: Part One / Part Two I hardly ever do this, whether filmed or not. I did an actual talk / lecture a... Read more

How Newman Convinced me to Become a Catholic

Last updated on: March 16, 2018 at 3:33 pm By Dave Armstrong

Original title: “How Cardinal Newman Convinced me of the Apostolicity of the Catholic Church” Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890) in the 1840s, at the time of his own conversion [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * [Written in 1996. Published in The Coming Home Newsletter, Sep-Dec 1997, pp. 1-8; also in The Latin Mass, Fall 1999, Vol. 8, No. 4, 65-71. This is the most “theologically technical” version of the several variants of my conversion story] * * * * *... Read more

St. Paul on Sinners in the Church: the Notorious Galatians

Last updated on: October 29, 2019 at 6:39 pm By Dave Armstrong

1903 German map of the Galatian region (in present-day Turkey) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] * * * * * This article has been re-uploaded under the title, St. Paul on Sinners in the Church (Notorious Galatians). ***** Read more