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[book and purchase information<\/a>]<\/p>\n I am critical of Luther where I think he was wrong. What\u2019s wrong with that? Do Catholics not have a right and even a duty to defend Catholic truth claims when they are severely attacked? I don\u2019t \u201chate\u201d the man or think he was a \u201cbad\u201d man. I admire him in some ways.<\/p>\n Some folks insist on blasting my Luther research, largely based on hearsay and reading only critiques without reading my replies to such critiques. I think it is a problem today, especially on the Internet, that lots of people like to talk about others and make comments about their work, without actually reading or interacting with it. I\u2019m all about friendly dialogue. If someone doesn\u2019t care for something I write, they are more than welcome to critique it (I positively encourage it), and I\u2019d be delighted to have a dialogue and present all of my critics\u2019 views on my own blog.<\/p>\n The views of my severest critics concerning my treatment of Luther, are more than a little unbalanced and inaccurate. My concern, as a Catholic apologist, is with theological truth and historical truth, not tearing down human beings simply because I disagree with them.<\/p>\n Hence I am happy to defend Luther or agree with him, when I am able to do so as a Catholic, in good conscience. I\u2019m as ecumenical as I am apologetic. In some ways, I am less critical of Luther than even his fellow Protestants were. Calvin said he was an idolater. I haven\u2019t said that. Other Protestants during his time implied that he was mad or otherwise profoundly unbalanced. I haven\u2019t claimed that, either. I have simply noted that he was prone to depression, as all of his biographers freely acknowledge. And I say that this may have had an effect on his soteriology, which I think is quite plausible, and which has been asserted by many historians also.<\/p>\n My positions on Luther are often quite \u201cmoderate\u201d compared to what is seen in some Catholic circles. For example, there is a current controversy going on (I\u2019ve only skimmed it), where a Catholic has apparently claimed that Luther lost faith because two of his children died. I think that is outrageous and disgusting, to make such a tragic issue fodder for Luther-bashing.<\/p>\n If many thousands of certain sorts of Protestants can make out that Catholics aren\u2019t even Christians, because we are Catholics (an extreme insult indeed), then certainly I can criticize a man for having what I believe is incorrect theology, or incorrect moral positions, no?<\/p>\n Reviews from Lutherans about me are mixed. I get accused of being \u201canti-Luther\u201d by some and am commended by others. But the ones I have actually dialogued with<\/em>\u00a0say nice things about me:<\/p>\n Dave Armstrong is a former Protestant Catholic who is in fact blessedly free of the kind of \u2018any enemy of Protestantism is a friend of mine\u2019 coalition-building . . . he\u2019s pro-Catholic (naturally) without being anti-Protestant (or anti-Orthodox, for that matter). [\u201cCPA\u201d: professor of history: LCMS]<\/p>\n Whether one agrees with Dave\u2019s take on everything or not, everyone should take it quite seriously, because he presents his arguments formidably.<\/p>\n Dave is one of the best Catholic apologists. [Lutheran Pastor Ken Howes: LCMS]<\/p>\n You are a very friendly adversary who really does try to do all things with gentleness and respect. For this I praise God. [Nathan Rinne, Lutheran apologist: LCMS]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Also, a very severe critic of mine who is Reformed Protestant (and anti-Catholic), a guy who goes by the nickname, \u201cTurretinfan\u201d, bore extraordinary witness to my true attitude in this regard:<\/p>\n One other thing I should point out in Dave\u2019s defense. He has, if I recall correctly, previously responded to some of the most extreme anti-Lutheran garbage out there. So, while he\u2019s clearly on the other side of the Tiber from Luther, one should not conclude that his errors in scholarship are somehow solely the result of malice and ill-will toward Luther. (3-1-10, on a Lutheran blog<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n First I\u2019m accused (usually by Lutherans or those non-Lutheran Protestants who fancy themselves experts on Luther) of being a Luther-hater and anti-Protestant and evil incarnate and all the rest. Then I\u2019m accused of loving and being infatuated with Martin Luther so much that I have excommunicated myself and grossly compromised my Catholic beliefs. It\u2019s amazing what two different people will perceive in the very same thing (my book on Martin Luther<\/a>), and the very same person (me!), ain\u2019t it?<\/p>\n First a couple sophist anti-Catholic Protestants say I ain\u2019t a real Catholic; then an anti-Catholic radical reactionary Catholic who is more Catholic then the pope sez I ain\u2019t a real Catholic in good standing, cuz I just excommunicated myself. Shortly before that, one of his buddies claimed I was a wicked, deceitful enemy of Christ and of His Church. It\u2019s the hyper-literal, can\u2019t-see-the-forest-for-t People of this sort (whether anti-Catholic Protestants or anti-Catholic radical reactionary Catholics) just don\u2019t get it. If they are horrendously burdened with the task of having to analyze anything more subtle than a water buffalo or an elephant, they\u2019re out to sea. In fact, if they saw a whale while they were out to sea, they\u2019d probably think it was a water buffalo.<\/p>\n To paraphrase G. K. Chesterton\u2019s humorous remark about critics and William Shakespeare (I\u2019m sure he wouldn\u2019t mind, under the ludicrous circumstances, being a great advocate of the witty retort): \u201cDave Armstrong is quite himself; it is only some of his critics who have discovered that he was somebody else.\u201d (Orthodoxy<\/em>, 1908, ch. 2)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n ***<\/p>\n Related Reading:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n (originally 9-30-08, 5-28-09, and 1-6-15)<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [book and purchase information] I am critical of Luther where I think he was wrong. What\u2019s wrong with that? Do Catholics not have a right and even a duty to defend Catholic truth claims when they are severely attacked? I don\u2019t \u201chate\u201d the man or think he was a \u201cbad\u201d man. I admire him in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":43950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[415,23],"tags":[5903,628,5909,5900,5891,5894,4273,5888,488,5906,419,2348,5897,690,692,693,2349,691],"class_list":["post-43947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lutheranism","category-martin-luther","tag-anti-luther-polemics","tag-anti-protestantism","tag-catholic-biographers-of-luther","tag-catholic-views-of-luther","tag-cochlaeus","tag-denifle","tag-hartmann-grisar","tag-johannes-cochlaeus","tag-luther","tag-luther-biography","tag-lutheranism-2","tag-martin-luther","tag-patrick-ohare","tag-protestant-reformation","tag-protestant-revolt","tag-protestant-revolution","tag-protestantism","tag-reformation"],"yoast_head":"\n\nFor more of my opinion on Martin Luther, see the\u00a0Introduction<\/a>\u00a0to my book,\u00a0Martin Luther: Catholic Critical Analysis and Praise<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0A full third of that book is devoted to areas where Catholics and Luther substantially agree. Also, my book,\u00a0\u00a0The \u201cCatholic\u201d Luther: An Ecumenical Collection of His \u201cTraditional\u201d Utterances<\/a><\/i>, (see the\u00a0Introduction<\/a>) is devoted to his statements that Catholics would\u00a0agree with.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n***<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nLastly, here is a post I wrote on 9-30-08:<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nI\u2019ve Excommunicated Myself! Do I Hate or Love Martin Luther and His Errors?????<\/em><\/div>\n*<\/div>\nIt never fails. Just when I think I\u2019ve heard every conceivable insult against my person and my apostolate, here comes another one to prove my instincts wrong (it never takes very long between instances, either).<\/div>\n\nLuther Thought Jesus Committed Adultery w Mary Magdalene?<\/a>\u00a0[8-14-03; rev. 6-2-17]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nCritiquing Martin Luther (My Motivations and Purposes)<\/a>\u00a0[9-19-04]
\n*<\/div>\nThe Supreme Importance of Interpreting Martin Luther in Context (For example, His Views on Marriage and Sexuality)<\/a>\u00a0[2-22-07]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nDenunciation of \u201cAnti-Luther\u201d Catholic Polemics<\/a>\u00a0[1-11-08; slightly revised on 6-30-18]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nMartin Luther\u2019s Remarkably \u201cPro-Tradition\u201d Strain of Thought<\/a>\u00a0[1-18-08]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n\nMartin Luther: Good Works Prove Authentic Faith<\/a>\u00a0[4-16-08]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n\nThe \u201cCatholic-Sounding\u201d Luther: 25 Examples<\/a>\u00a0[6-16-08]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMartin Luther: Faith Alone is\u00a0Not<\/em>\u00a0Lawless Antinomianism<\/a>\u00a0[2-28-10]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n\nDialogues with Lutherans Regarding Three Luther Mary Quotes\u00a0<\/a>[10-6-11]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n\n\nMartin Luther: Catholicism is Christian<\/a>\u00a0[6-12-13]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nMartin Luther\u2019s \u201cImmaculate Purification\u201d View of Mary<\/a>\u00a0[National Catholic Register<\/em>, 12-31-16]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDid Martin Luther Advocate and Praise the Raping of Nuns?<\/a>\u00a0[11-3-16; revised 8-26-17]<\/div>\n<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n\nMy Luther Research Lied About Again (James Swan & CARM)<\/a>\u00a0[8-22-17]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nMartin Luther\u2019s (\u201cCatholic\u201d) Mariology in a Nutshell<\/a>\u00a0[4-12-18; links added on 5-8-19]
\n*<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWas Luther \u201cBloodthirsty\u201d & Violent? (James Swan & I Agree!)\u00a0<\/a>[8-29-17]<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n10 Remarkably \u201cCatholic\u201d Beliefs of Martin Luther<\/a>\u00a0[National Catholic Register<\/em>, 10-6-17]
\n*<\/div>\n<\/div>\nUnfortunately, Money Trees Do Not Exist<\/strong>:\u00a0<\/span>If you have been aided in any way by my work, or think it is valuable and worthwhile, please strongly consider financially supporting it (even $10 \/ month \u2014 a mere 33 cents a day \u2014 would be very helpful). I have been a full-time Catholic apologist since Dec. 2001, and have been writing Christian apologetics since 1981 (see\u00a0my Resume<\/a>).\u00a0My work has been proven (by God\u2019s grace alone) to be fruitful, in terms of changing lives (see the tangible evidences\u00a0from unsolicited \u201ctestimonies\u201d<\/a>).\u00a0I have to pay my bills like all of you: and have a (homeschooling) wife and three children still at home to provide for, and a mortgage to pay.<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nMy book royalties from\u00a0three bestsellers in the field<\/a>\u00a0(published in 2003-2007) have been decreasing, as has my overall income, making it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.\u00a0 I provide over 2600 free articles here, for the purpose of your edification and education, and have\u00a0written 50 books<\/a>.\u00a0It\u2019ll literally be a struggle to survive financially until Dec. 2020, when both my wife and I will be receiving Social Security. If you cannot contribute, I ask for your prayers (and \u201clikes\u201d and links and shares). Thanks!<\/div>\n*<\/div>\nSee my\u00a0information on how to donate<\/a>\u00a0(including 100% tax-deductible donations). It\u2019s very simple to contribute to my apostolate via PayPal, if a tax deduction is not needed (my \u201cbusiness name\u201d there is called \u201cCatholic Used Book Service,\u201d from my old bookselling days 17 or so years ago, but send to my email: apologistdave@gmail.com). Another easy way to send and receive money (with a bank account or a mobile phone) is through\u00a0Zelle<\/a>. Again, just send to my e-mail address.\u00a0May God abundantly bless you.<\/div>\n*<\/div>\n