Was Jesus “Spiteful” When He Said, “Shake the Dust Off of Your Feet”?

Last updated on: May 21, 2017 at 6:03 pm By Dave Armstrong

Sermon on the Mount, by Carl Heinrich Bloch, 1876 [public domain / Wikipedia] . . . against those who refused the gospel? Is this a refusal to “meet people where they are at”? If we think that something Jesus said is “spiteful” we clearly have taken a wrong turn in our exegesis. This isn’t consigning folks to hell. It’s a typically Jewish figurative-but-concrete expression of protest against rebelliousness, hardheartedness, and stubbornness (perhaps the leading theme of the entire Old Testament).... Read more

Top Ten Remarkable “Catholic” Beliefs of Martin Luther

Last updated on: November 22, 2021 at 4:35 pm By Dave Armstrong

Luther as an Augustinian Friar (Workshop of Lucas Cranach) [public domain / Wikipedia] 10. Luther believed that crucifixes were a good and edifying thing. 9. Luther believed in the value of private confession. 8. Luther believed that good works were a necessary expression of the authenticity of true faith. 7. Luther believed that the sacrament of baptism regenerated and saved men. 6. Luther believed in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, in adoring the consecrated host, and that the sacrament... Read more

About Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information

Last updated on: May 1, 2025 at 11:31 am By Dave Armstrong

Dave & Judy Armstrong, 7-23-09; photograph by fellow Michigander apologist, Steve Ray, taken at fellow apologist Gary Michuta’s Michigan home! Dave Armstrong is a Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981, and Catholicism in particular since 1991 (full-time since December 2001). Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Servant of God Fr. John A. Hardon,... Read more

Final Judgment Always Has to Do with Works; Never with “Faith Alone”

Last updated on: May 21, 2017 at 6:10 pm By Dave Armstrong

Stefan Lochner, Last Judgement, c. 1435. [public domain / Wikipedia] A Presbyterian pastor once asked me: “If you were to die tonight and God were to ask you why He should let you into heaven, what would you tell Him?” The problem here is: I don’t see anywhere in the Bible where God speaks like this. In all the passages we can find concerning judgment, we never hear about the “faith alone” that many Protestants tell us is the sole criterion... Read more

What to Do About Mediocre, Milky Homilies at Mass

Last updated on: May 24, 2017 at 1:37 pm By Dave Armstrong

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman, drawn by George Richmond, 1844 [public domain / Wikipedia] *** A friend of mine complained about priests failing to actually present Catholic teachings in their homilies and the scarcity of sermons about contraception and the Real Presence and other Catholic doctrines. He thought that many homilies were feel-good pep talks that are at best marginally Catholic. Insofar as this occurs (sometimes it is a greatly exaggerated problem, and some folks are never pleased, no... Read more

“Who is Dave Armstrong and Why Should I Read His Stuff?”

Last updated on: June 3, 2017 at 1:07 pm By Dave Armstrong

With Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin in my home in early 2004 [photo by my wife, Judy Armstrong] *** I’m delighted to be part of the Patheos roster of bloggers. I thought I’d share a little bit about myself, for those of you unfamiliar with my writing. I’m a full-time Catholic apologist. Catholic apologetics was a very “sexy” endeavor about twenty years ago when the Catholic world was abuzz with the phenomena of Karl Keating’s Catholic Answers, Scott Hahn’s conversion, Catholic... Read more

Argument for Veneration of Saints & Angels from Prohibition of Blasphemy

Last updated on: May 24, 2017 at 1:50 pm By Dave Armstrong

Vision of Cornelius the Centurion (1664) by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1621-1674) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (8-8-15) *** The Bible looks negatively on what it describes as “blasphemy” — not just against God, but against holy persons or those set apart for His purposes (Moses: Acts 6:11; St. Paul: Acts 13:45; 18:6; saints in heaven: Rev 13:6; Christians in general: 1 Pet 4:4), and against angels (2 Pet 2:10; Jude 8; Rev 13:6). The same words for blasphemy are... Read more

Dialogue with an Atheist on My Semi-Satirical Critique of Atheism

Last updated on: June 3, 2017 at 1:08 pm By Dave Armstrong

It’s satire folks; like Monty Python (four of the six members of the British comedy troupe above) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license] *** (7-10-15) *** This came about as a result of an atheist responding to my paper, Why Atheists Are Far More Religious Than we Think. It occurred on a public Facebook page. His name will remain anonymous (unless he requests otherwise), but all the words are his, and will be in blue. * * * *... Read more

Pope Francis Defended: Resources for Confused Folks

Last updated on: April 25, 2025 at 5:04 pm By Dave Armstrong

Pope Francis, 8-17-14 in South Korea [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license] *** See also my own articles: Replies to Critiques of Pope Francis [241 as of 3-24-25] See also my book, Pope Francis Explained: Survey of Myths, Legends, and Catholic Defenses in Harmony with Tradition. *** I wrote on 9-20-13: For all of you out there worried about the pope. Relax; chill. All is well. We have a pope who says the unexpected: a lot like Jesus. And,... Read more

Apologetics-Oriented Biblical Commentary on Colossians (RSV)

Last updated on: May 24, 2017 at 1:59 pm By Dave Armstrong

Folio from Papyrus 46, (dated between 175 and 225) containing 2 Corinthians 11:33-12:9 [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] (1998) Chapter 1 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colos’sae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of... Read more