Blaise Pascal on Ridicule & Sarcasm Regarding Sin & Folly

Last updated on: May 29, 2017 at 3:04 pm By Dave Armstrong

. . . Sanctioned by God; Many Biblical Examples Provided Death mask of Blaise Pascal (1623-1662): the great French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic apologist [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 France license] *** (12-29-11) *** From Provincial Letters, Letter XI (18 August 1656), pp. 167 ff. Bracketed, blue-colored additions are my own: biblical passages from RSV. Everything else is from Pascal. * * * Indeed, reverend sirs, there is a vast difference between laughing at religion, and laughing at those who profane it by... Read more

St. Francis de Sales: The Bible vs. Total Depravity

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

+ Biblical Evidence for the Indefectibility of the Church (from the Psalms) Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), statue de l’église Saint-Germain de Paris, Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac, Dordogne, France. Photo by Père Igor (9-19-10) [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license] (11-24-11) *** Psalm 14:2-3 (RSV) The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God. [3] They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good,... Read more

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Recipe Page

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

[Picserver / Creative Commons 3 – CC BY-SA 3.0 license] *** (11-14-11) ***** [see a vigorous discussion on the relative virtue of sweeteners, etc. on one of my Facebook threads] * * * * * BANANA QUICK BREAD DRY 2 C tapioca starch / flour [both are the same] 1 1/2 C chestnut flour (may substitute 1/2 C walnut meal or finely chopped peanuts for 1/2 cup of flour) 1 TBS + 1 tsp xanthan gum 1 TBS baking powder 2 tsp... Read more

Unisexism vs. New Feminism (+ Links)

Last updated on: May 29, 2017 at 3:12 pm By Dave Armstrong

World War II “Rosie the Riveter” poster. Uploaded by DonkeyHotey [Flickr / CC BY 2.0 license] *** (11-14-11) *** Like it or not, the word “feminism” as used today has been pretty much co-opted by radical unisex-type feminists. That is the big concern terminologically. “New feminism” might work if it is orthodox, because it contains within it the rejection of, or going further than feminism (i.e., the fashionable radical feminism). I like the phrase “feminine theology” because it bypasses all the... Read more

Luther: Monks and Priests More “Earnest” Than Lutherans

Last updated on: May 29, 2017 at 3:15 pm By Dave Armstrong

Portrait of Martin Luther (1528), by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-10-11) *** I confess, that I am much more negligent, than I was under the Pope, and there is now nowhere such an amount of earnestness under the Gospel, as was formerly seen among Monks and Priests. [Walch. IX. 1311] [from: Henry O’Connor, S. J.: Luther’s Own Statements Concerning His Teaching and Its Results (New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1884, second edition] Another translation comes from Catholic... Read more

Early Protestant “Unity”: Calvin vs. Westphal vs. Luther

Last updated on: May 29, 2017 at 3:22 pm By Dave Armstrong

Portrait of John Calvin; possibly by Hans Holbein (1497-1543) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-6-11) ***** Joachim Westphal (1510 or 1511-1574) was a German “Gnesio-Lutheran” theologian. He ran afoul of John Calvin on the issue of the Eucharist (he being far closer to the Catholic position than Calvin), almost precisely as the “sacramentarians” had clashed bitterly with Martin Luther. Thus all of Calvin’s angst and ire and ruffled feathers directed towards Westphal applies in equal measure to Luther himself.... Read more

Calvin Supports Death Penalty for Heresy After Servetus

Last updated on: May 29, 2017 at 3:27 pm By Dave Armstrong

[Pixabay / public domain] *** (11-6-11) ***** From: Last Admonition of John Calvin to Joachim Westphal, Who, if He Heeds it Not, Must Henceforth be Treated in the Way Which Paul Prescribes for Obstinate Heretics (1557); in the source, Tracts Relating to the Reformation, Volume 2; Jean Calvin, Théodore de Bèze, Henry Beveridge (Calvin Translation Society, 1849), pp. 357-358 (bolding my own): First, he maintains, that to prevent the contagion from spreading, sectaries and heretics are to be banished or... Read more

Books by Dave Armstrong: “Classic Catholic Biblical Apologetics: 1525-1925”

Last updated on: November 30, 2023 at 3:44 pm By Dave Armstrong

[completed and published at Lulu on 6 February 2012: 246 pages] *** [cover design by Dave and Judy Armstrong] *** — to purchase, go to the bottom of page — *** TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication (p. 3) Introduction (p. 5) [read below] Bibliography and Abbreviations (p. 9) [see below] Brief Descriptions of Apologists (p. 15) [read below] Classic Biblical Apologetics Listed by Scripture Passages (p. 27) Index of Scripture Passages (p. 233) Index of Topics (p. 241) INTRODUCTION *** The... Read more

“Leaven” of the Pharisees: Hypocrisy or False Doctrine?

Last updated on: May 29, 2017 at 3:34 pm By Dave Armstrong

Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees (bet. 1886 and 1894), by James Tissot (1836-1902) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (11-3-11) *** Nathan Rinne is a friendly Lutheran theological adversary. His words will be in blue. I will be changing excessive bolding in Nathan’s replies to italics. * * * * * Nathan’s latest reply — just one small portion of which I am now responding to –, is entitled, Round 2 with RC apologist Dave Armstrong: the unattractive body of Christ. I... Read more

Lutheranism: Catholic Critique (Index Page)

Last updated on: June 11, 2025 at 2:08 pm By Dave Armstrong

***** Am I “Anti-Luther” or “Anti-Lutheran”? (Clarifications) [9-30-08 / 5-28-09 / 1-6-15] ***** TABLE OF CONTENTS *** I. REPLIES TO LUTHERAN THEOLOGIAN / APOLOGIST JORDAN COOPER II. REPLIES TO PHILIP MELANCHTHON’S LOCI COMMUNES III. PHILIP MELANCHTHON (1497-1560) IV. THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION (1530) & CATHOLIC REPLIES (THEN AND NOW) V. REPLIES TO JOHANN HULSEMANN (1602-1661) VI. LUTHERANISM AND THE FATHERS VII. SOTERIOLOGY (SALVATION, JUSTIFICATION, & SANCTIFICATION) / “FAITH ALONE” VIII. LUTHERANISM AND MARY IX. THE DEATH PENALTY FOR HERETICS / THEFT OF... Read more