[Nov. 2013; 395 pages. See full book and purchase information] ***** [James White informed me in a letter dated 10 January 2001 that he was a bishop: “I am an elder in the church: hence, I am a bishop, overseer, pastor, of a local body of believers”. So I have called him that ever since [see more material giving the background and rationale for this, based on White’s own stated beliefs]. As for his supposed doctorate (hence my quotation marks and... Read more
Photograph by “Maiconfz” (Jan. 2016) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] ***** (8-6-09) ***** Skeptics (atheists, agnostics, secularists and our beloved theologically liberal “Christians”) often feed us the line that if a thing can’t be found outside the New Testament, it is not to be believed at all. My argument back is to say “so what?” It is irrelevant if something is not attested outside the New Testament because there is no necessity for that to be the case in the first place. And there... Read more
Statue of John Wesley by Paul Raphael Montford (1868-1938), in Melbourne. Photo by Adam Carr (December 2005) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] ***** (7-13-09) ***** 1) From umc.org, the official site for the United Methodist Church: FAQ Belief What happens immediately after a person dies? Question: What happens immediately after a person dies? Do they go directly to heaven or hell or do they go to a holding place until Christ returns to earth for the final judgment? Answer: The... Read more
Photograph by “klimkin” (7-19-16) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (6-28-09) ***** Introductions Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: hermeneutics Study of the general principles of biblical interpretation. Its primary purpose is to discover the truths and values of the Bible, which is seen as a receptacle of divine revelation. Four major types of hermeneutics have emerged: literal (asserting that the text is to be interpreted according to the “plain meaning”), moral (seeking to establish the principles from which ethical lessons may be... Read more
Photograph by “klimkin” (7-19-16) [Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (6-17-09) *** I was asked: How, then, is the Catholic to interpret Scripture, the basic rules of hermeneutics; exegesis, along with what the Church teaches? I’m still a bit in the dark on this. Excellent question. Basically, first of all, the Catholic needs to learn good basic skills of Bible interpretation. I would recommend a book such as Making Senses Out of Scripture: Reading the Bible As the First Christians... Read more
— See One-Line Descriptions of My Books — All book titles (save the two Bibles and pamphlet) have individual book pages, with Tables of Contents, Introductions, excerpts, large photos of front and back covers, and sometimes reviews. Click on any book icon or written title to access these info-pages. ROCK-BOTTOM PRICING / INCREDIBLE ONGOING 67% SAVINGS ON E-BOOKS I offer you the lowest prices I possibly can (when I control the pricing). Please reciprocate with a purchase! This is my full-time work, and book royalties are... Read more
. . . According to Many Reputable Protestant Scholars Christ and the Good Thief (c. 1566), by Titian (1490-1576) [public domain / Wikimedia Commons] *** (5-25-09) ***** This comes from a good discussion I am involved in, at the CHNI forum. Dan Woodring is a former Lutheran pastor and now a Catholic. His words will be in blue. Words of my fellow moderator David W. Emery will be in green. * * * * * Apart from the obvious issues regarding... Read more
[19 October 2004] * * * * * Was Cardinal Newman a “Rationalist”? Fr. Stanley Jaki disagrees with classifying Newman as a “rationalist”: Then there is the Grammar‘s method that looks very similar to what later took by storm the philosophical and theological scene under the name phenomenology. It stands for a systematic aversion, to use a Pauline phrase again, to reasoned assurance about things that do not appear, that is, are not phenomena. Finally, there is the... Read more
“. . . A Source Book for Apologists and Inquirers“ [completed on 18 April 2009; 445 pages; published on 15 August 2009 by Sophia Institute Press] *** [cover design by Theodore Schluenderfritz] *** — To purchase, go to the bottom of the page — * * * * Now available for FREE online (original RSV version): follow the links for chapters in the Table of Contents * * * * *** [in final version: 2051 Bible Passages entirely written out:... Read more
[Pixabay / CC0 public domain] *** (2-16-09) *** Incense (i.e., a thing that burns and produce smoke and fragrances, which is similar to a candle, complete with the metaphorical smelling of the offering by God), as an image of prayer, is an explicit biblical motif: Genesis 8:20-21 (RSV) Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In