{"id":96125,"date":"2026-01-19T19:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T23:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=96125"},"modified":"2026-02-14T00:59:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T04:59:20","slug":"catholics-r-christians-2-vs-patrick-obrien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2026\/01\/catholics-r-christians-2-vs-patrick-obrien.html","title":{"rendered":"Catholics R Christians 2! (vs. Patrick O&#8217;Brien)"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>With Emphasis on \u201cWhat is the Gospel?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_96784\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-96784\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2026\/01\/CBHCatholicsRChristians.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-96784 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2026\/01\/CBHCatholicsRChristians-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-96784\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Photo credit<\/strong>: copyright 2026 by <em>Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This is substantially a transcript of the video, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GJsWeisCwl4\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cAre Catholics Even Christians? Wait\u2026Are Protestants?\u201d<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(<em>Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em>, with Kenny Burchard, 2-13-26)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Patrick O\u2019Brien runs the YouTube channel, <em>Philippians 1:9 Ministries<\/em>. It has 9,640 subscribers. This was originally a video response to his video, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=w5wcoJWch80&amp;t=1061s\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\u201cAre Catholics Christians?\u201d<\/a> (12-2-25), on my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@Catholic-Bible-Highlights\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em><\/a> channel where I partner with Kenny Burchard. But we had technical problems, so it\u2019ll have to be an article only. Patrick\u2019s words from his video will be in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">blue<\/span>. Kenny\u2019s words will be in <span style=\"color: #008000;\">green<\/span> in indented dialogue sections, and mine in regular black.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Dave Armstrong, were you a Christian before you were a Catholic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The answer is yes. I was an evangelical Protestant of the Arminian variety, and I was not anti-Catholic, but definitely a Christian.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">And question number two. Now that you\u2019re Catholic, are you still a Christian?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Last time I checked! Yeah, that\u2019s what, that\u2019s what we\u2019re gonna argue.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Well, it sounds so funny. It sounds so funny to ask these questions, but this is the argument, isn\u2019t it? That\u2019s out there. In the Bloggersphere Twitter sphere, whatever, Catholics aren\u2019t really Christians. And then in the other direction there are some Catholics that feel that if you\u2019re not Catholic, you\u2019re not really a Christian.\u00a0So we\u2019ve gotta dig through this today and we\u2019re gonna make sure we have some Catholic Bible highlights as well. But you found a great video that we\u2019re gonna respond to today that\u2019ll help us to work through some of it.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He starts out by revealing that he grew up Catholic, was an altar boy, and even studied Catholic apologetics before he became a Protestant. \u200a I wonder if he read one of <em>my<\/em> books? Then he stated that he doesn\u2019t <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201chate\u201d<\/span> Catholics and is <em>not<\/em> an <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201canti-Catholic.\u201d<\/span> I grant that he likely didn\u2019t make the video because he hates people, but rather, because he wrongly but sincerely believes that Catholicism is a non-Christian so-called \u201ccult\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve used the term <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/11\/anti-catholicism-index-page.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">\u201canti-Catholic\u201d<\/a> for 35 years <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2019\/01\/theological-doctrinal-anti-catholicism-scholarly-use.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">in the same way that scholars use it<\/a>. It means the belief that Catholicism is not a Christian belief-system and lacks a saving gospel (exactly as Patrick himself says). It has nothing directly to do with attitudes or bigotry. It\u2019s about doctrines. So let\u2019s dive in. Patrick makes no bones about what he believes:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">1:25 Roman Catholic theology is not equal to biblical Christianity. But in this video, we\u2019re looking at it from just a little bit of a different angle. We want to answer the question, are Catholics Christians? Because remember, Christians are really those who are saved and going to heaven.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>What Patrick describes here are the elect. The problem is that we can\u2019t know with certainty who is included in the elect. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2016\/09\/calvin-only-god-knows-who-is-elect.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Even John Calvin<\/a> stated that. In the meantime, Christians are those who profess the Christian faith and are baptized and regenerated. Or, Protestants would say they are saved or born again through believing in the gospel and giving their hearts to Jesus, etc. But many people who did these things and were thought to be \u201creal Christians\u201d and saved, later fell away from the faith. The Apostle Paul routinely addresses entire congregations as fellow believers and Christians. Here\u2019s how he writes to the Corinthian Christians:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>1 Corinthians 1:2, 4, 6-7, 9<\/strong> (RSV) To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:. . . [4] I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, . . . [6] . . . the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you \u2014 [7] so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, . . . [9] God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But in the same letter, Paul roundly rebukes them; for example, he writes, \u201cthere is immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father\u2019s wife\u201d (1 Cor 5:1).<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3:24 the Roman Catholic Church does not see those outside of Roman Catholicism as truly saved.\u00a0Now, Catholics are going to push back on that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Yes we will, because it\u2019s <em>untrue<\/em>. In fact, we believe that baptism regenerates and causes the recipient to enter the kingdom of God. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.papalencyclicals.net\/councils\/trent\/seventh-session.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Canon IV on baptism<\/a> from the Council of Trent held that Protestant baptism was valid:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>CANON IV.-If any one saith, that the baptism which is even given by heretics in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the intention of doing what the Church doth, is not true baptism; let him be anathema.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So Protestants are our brethren in Christ on that basis. Vatican II, in its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewtn.com\/catholicism\/library\/decree-on-ecumenism-1518\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Decree on Ecumenism<\/em> <\/a>from 1964, is very clear:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. . . . All who have been justified by faith in baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. . . . [Protestant] liturgical actions most certainly can truly engender a life of grace, and . . .\u00a0 give access to the communion of salvation. (3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3:38 Catholics will speak out of both sides of their mouth. They\u2019ll say one thing one way to one audience and say it a different way to another audience to try to get a different meaning. But when we really look at it, it\u2019s quite clear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve cited Catholic official doctrines. That\u2019s how one accurately, seriously analyzes <em>any<\/em> point of view.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3:57 In paragraph 834 it [The Catechism] says that particular churches are fully Catholic through their communion with one of them the church of Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a different thing from being in the grace of God and a fellow Christian. He then cites the Council of Florence from 1441 saying that those outside the Catholic Church will go to hell. But we don\u2019t believe that Protestants are totally \u201coutside\u201d of the Catholic Church in the <em>first<\/em> place. Rather, they are in an <em>incomplete, imperfect communion<\/em> with us, enough to be saved, as our citations above and below prove.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the same council proclaimed in its Decree for the Armenians (Nov. 22, 1439), that by baptism \u201cwe are made members of Christ and belong to his body, the Church\u201d. That\u2019s from Denzinger #1314, p. 339 in the 2012 edition. This is the standard compendium of Catholic dogmas and doctrines. In the same work is a related statement from the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 (\u201cChapter 1. The Catholic Faith\u201d):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The sacrament of baptism (which is celebrated in water at the invocation of God and of the undivided Trinity, that is, the Father, the Son, and te Holy Spirit) conduces to the salvation of children as well as of adults when duly conferred by anyone according to the Church\u2019s form. (#802, p. 267)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In sum, Patrick is disagreeing with straw men, rather than our authentic doctrines. He goes on to say that Catholics will claim that we started regarding Protestants as \u201cseparated brethren\u201d in the 1960s, but as we just demonstrated, the same view was already present in ecumenical councils in 1215 and 1439 and moreover, it goes back at least as far as St. Augustine, who contended that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjImr22spiSAxUd4skDHViDDIkQFnoECCMQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FDonatism&amp;usg=AOvVaw3LOY8NYrRQFbfvv8ANGQj0&amp;opi=89978449\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Donatist<\/a> baptism was valid.<\/p>\n<p>For <em>much<\/em> more on this, see an excellent article by my friend, Rod Bennett, hosted on my blog: <a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2017\/08\/baptismal-ecumenism-new-paradigm-rod-bennett.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Baptismal Ecumenism: A New Evangelistic Paradigm <\/a>\u00a0[8-11-17]; also my very in-depth article, <a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/02\/catholicism-non-catholic-salvation-vs-gavin-ortlund.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catholicism &amp; Non-Catholic Salvation (Vs. Gavin Ortlund) + How Early Protestants Widely Damned Other Protestants Who Held Different Theological Views<\/a>\u00a0[2-9-24]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">9:13\u00a0you can\u2019t have salvation unless you\u2019re in the Roman Catholic Church. But you can be saved outside the Roman Catholic Church with exceptions. That\u2019s not how Jesus talked, right? He didn\u2019t speak that way. There\u2019s one way to the father, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The idea of the Church \u2013 however we define it \u2014 being absolutely necessary to salvation is not just a Catholic one. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, expressed it this way:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>He who would find Christ must first find the Church. . . . For outside of the Christian church there is no truth, no Christ, no salvation. (Sermon: <em>The Gospel for the Early Christmas Service<\/em>, 25 December 1521, in <em>Luther\u2019s Works<\/em>, vol. 52, pp. 39-40)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>John Calvin also made many such statements. Here\u2019s just one:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There is no other means of entering into life . . .\u00a0 beyond the pale of the Church no forgiveness of sins, no salvation, can be hoped for,) . . . the abandonment of the Church is always fatal. (<em>Institutes of the Christian Religion<\/em>, 1559, Book IV, 1:4)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Patrick continues:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">10:55 Well, there can be saved individuals within Roman Catholicism, but they are saved not because of the Catholic Church, not because of the sacraments of Roman Catholicism, but in spite of Roman Catholic teaching, in spite of Roman Catholic theology and Roman Catholic sacraments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This is absolutely classic, playbook anti-Catholicism. Take note! I have a huge web page countering this nonsense, and a book, that we will link to. Then he tells us how we get saved:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">11:12\u00a0true salvation comes from the gospel and putting our faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Dave, have you put your faith in Jesus and His finished work on the cross?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>That was April, April, 1977, at the age of 18, and it\u2019s still valid according to Catholic position. You give your life to Christ. There\u2019s nothing un-Catholic about that.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Yeah, I, I did the same thing in July of 1987 and I\u2019ve been walking with Jesus ever since. And lo and behold, when I came into Catholic church, they welcomed me as a brother.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So now the question is, what is the <em>gospel<\/em>? We throw this word around a lot, but what <em>is<\/em> it? It seems to me that we have to get the definition from the Bible. I\u2019m weird that way. A lot of people say a lot of things. But they often don\u2019t quote the Bible to support them. It seems to me that we have to get the definition from the Bible. I\u2019m weird that way. Peter\u2019s first sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:22-40) is certainly the gospel, especially since 3000 people became Christians upon hearing it (2:41). In it he uttered not a word about \u201cfaith alone.\u201d He instructed the hearers, rather, to \u201crepent, and be baptized . . . so that your sins may be forgiven\u201d (2:38). Paul defines the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Of course, Catholics believe all of these things, so, according to the Bible and even Patrick himself, we accept the gospel and are therefore \u201csaved.\u201d I\u2019ve written many articles about this:<\/p>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2018\/09\/good-news-evangelical-catholic-gospel-presented.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Good News: Evangelical &amp; Catholic Gospel Presented<\/a>\u00a0[June 1982;\u00a0rev. 7-17-02]<br>\n*<\/div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2018\/09\/gospel-defined-by-the-earliest-christian-preaching.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gospel: Defined by the Earliest Christian Preaching<\/a>\u00a0[January 1988; rev. 7-8-02]<br>\n*<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2017\/11\/catholicism-christian-vs-james-white-pt-1.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Is Catholicism Christian or Not?<\/a> [\u201cpostal debate\u201d with James White: March-May 1995]<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2017\/04\/what-is-the-gospel.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is the Gospel? Catholic-Protestant Agreement\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0[12-3-96 and 1-4-97]<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2018\/10\/galatians-and-the-gospel-dialogue-with-a-calvinist.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Galatians and the Gospel: Dialogue with a Calvinist<\/a>\u00a0[1997]<br>\n*<\/div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2019\/07\/do-catholics-the-catholic-church-preach-the-gospel.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Do Catholics &amp; the Catholic Church Preach the Gospel?<\/a>\u00a0[2002]<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2017\/01\/catholics-never-hear-gospel-jesus-mass.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catholics Never Hear About the Gospel or Jesus at Mass?\u00a0<\/a>[6-4-07]<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2020\/04\/dialogue-definition-of-christian-vs-reformed-pastor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dialogue: Definition of \u201cChristian\u201d (vs. Reformed Pastor)\u00a0(+\u00a0<\/a><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2020\/04\/dialogue-definition-of-christian-vs-reformed-pastor.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Did Trent Anathematize all Protestants?<\/a>)\u00a0[6-5-10]<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2017\/11\/catholicism-false-gospel-exchange-anti-catholic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catholicism = \u201cFalse Gospel\u201d?: Exchange with Anti-Catholic<\/a>\u00a0[3-18-17]<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">13:02 Individual Catholics often don\u2019t know what Roman Catholicism teaches. Even though they mock me and they make the claim that I don\u2019t know what Catholics believe in, even though I have all their books, read all of their commentaries and study Bibles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">13:44 I\u2019m not invincibly ignorant. I\u2019m not Catholic by choice. I know what Catholics teach . . .<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m saying, as a professional Catholic apologist these last 24 years, that he does <em>not<\/em> (in these areas we are presently covering). He\u2019s misinformed, as many millions of Protestants are. This is just one video. I could certainly find many more errors in others. But I will say that if one truly <em>does<\/em> know and understand Catholic teaching, and rejects it, then they may end up in the wrong place for all eternity. God knows their hearts. We don\u2019t. We can only speak to what Catholics believe.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">14:36 we would agree with the late Walter Martin who was also wrote <em>The Kingdom of the Cults<\/em> who would identify them as well as a cult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>This is untrue. He specifically excluded Catholicism from that category. I started out doing apologetics in a cult ministry as an evangelical Protestant in 1981, and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Walter_Ralston_Martin\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Walter Martin<\/a> was one of my heroes. I read his book (the 1974 edition), met him, and heard him speak once, where he strongly objected to some people in the audience making out that Catholicism was a non-Christian cult. Anyone can look at the table of contents of the <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books\/about\/The_Kingdom_of_the_Cults.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">revised 2003 edition<\/a> on Google Books and see for themselves that there is no chapter devoted to Catholicism. The entire <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/doctrine-critics-walter-martin-kingdom-of-the-cults\/mode\/2up\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1997 revision<\/a> is available online at Internet Archive. I searched \u201cCatholic\u201d and it appears 25 times, but never once connected with the word \u201ccult.\u201d And in one instance on page 204 he classifies Catholicism as Christian and <em>contrasts<\/em> it with the cults:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We see the various cult systems, specifically Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, <a href='https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/library\/mormonism' target='_blank'>Mormonism<\/a>, Unity, etc. . . .\u00a0 wooing converts from professing Christian fellowships, Protestant as well as Roman Catholic. (<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/doctrine-critics-walter-martin-kingdom-of-the-cults\/page\/203\/mode\/2up?q=wooing+converts\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">p. 204<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>*<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">I listened to Walter Martin too a lot when I was a young man, Dave, and he got me through months of trying to interact with my LDS [Mormon] friends.\u00a0So we both look to Walter Martin as an early hero, and I had his book, <em>The Kingdom of the Cults<\/em> too, and I noticed when I was reading his stuff that there was no \u201cCatholicism is a cult\u201d [parts] in his writing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>I used to listen to his cassette tapes that I got at this Christian library. They were great. He was a good teacher. \u200a It was probably mainly from him that I was not anti-Catholic, because he had the correct view.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Patrick refers to the Bereans, who were praised in the book of Acts as \u201cnoble\u201d because \u201cthey received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily\u201d (Acts 17:11):<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">17:49 They went to the written word, the scripture, not a list of oral traditions. They didn\u2019t go to their rabbi. They went to the scripture\u00a0and with a ready mind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s silly to say that they didn\u2019t incorporate the guidance of a rabbi in their learning, since, after all, Paul ran across them in a synagogue, as Acts 17:10 informs us. We simply don\u2019t know enough about them to claim that they were some primitive \u201cBible only\u201d people. But we <em>do <\/em>know that synagogues were part of mainstream pharisaical tradition, that fully accepted authoritative oral law alongside written Mosaic Law. And we also know the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip, in Acts 8:30-31:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and asked, \u201cDo you <em>understand <\/em>what you are reading?\u201d [31] And he said, \u201cHow can I, unless some one guides me?\u201d . . .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And we know about Nehemiah, chapter 8, where Ezra the scribe reads a \u201cbook of the law of Moses\u201d (8:1) to the assembled people, and it says in 8:7 and 8:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>. . .\u00a0the Levites, helped the people to understand the law, while the people remained in their places. [8] And they read from the book, from the law of God, clearly; and they gave the sense, so that the people <em>understood<\/em> the reading.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So in both cases, there were necessary authoritative teachers, and the relevant words used are \u201cunderstand\u201d and \u201cunderstood\u201d: brought about by these oral guides (Levites and an apostle).<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">18:48 But at the very least, go to the Bible and read it for yourself and see what it says and actually read it without putting on lens of Catholicism or any other theology and just let the word of God speak to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not what the <em>Bible<\/em> teaches about Bible-reading, as we proved above. The author of Hebrews also concurs. He writes in 5:12-13:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach you again the first principles of God\u2019s word. You need milk, not solid food; [13] for every one who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>These teachers are necessary because of what Peter notes regarding Paul\u2019s letters in his second letter at 3:16:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>All of this is why we don\u2019t <em>only<\/em> read the Bible all alone without any guidance \u2014 or what Patrick calls a <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u201clens\u201d<\/span> \u2014 whatsoever. We accept the wisdom of others, now and in the past, regarding biblical doctrine.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">19:46 I would encourage anybody that has any questions, leave them down in the comments. If you have specific things, maybe we can address them in future videos.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Great! We have offered several <em>questions<\/em>, and also several <em>rebuttals and<\/em> <em>answers <\/em>for Patrick. So we\u2019ll see if he wants to address <em>this<\/em> video.<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Yeah, that would be <em>grea<\/em>t, wouldn\u2019t it? You know, just a few things I think about here, Dave. You know, I really appreciate the question that we\u2019re coming into this video with. Should Christians think of non-Catholics as Christians if they\u2019re baptized?\u00a0Of course, Catholics are Christians, and of course a baptized believer in Jesus, though imperfectly\u00a0 united to the Catholic Church, is no less a brother or sister in Christ by virtue of their baptism. This is just a really tough thing that goes on out there. But it was a question that I had when I was on my journey into the Catholic Church. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">I wondered if the Catholic Church thought that I was a Christian, though I hadn\u2019t been Catholic before. And they said, \u201cwell, were you baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit?\u201d I said, yes, and they asked, \u201cdid you believe in and follow Jesus?\u201d Yes. I mean, I answered a bunch of questions and they said, \u201ccan you get your baptism certificate so that we can verify that you received a valid baptism?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">And I contacted my pastor from back in 1987. He\u2019s still the same pastor of the same church, and he sent me a certificate of baptism and I took it to the parish church office, and they said, \u201cthanks.\u201d You know, it\u2019s like \u201cwe just wanna make sure that you\u2019ve received the sacraments, because we wanna receive you into the full fellowship of the Catholic Church.\u201d\u00a0So there was never any doubt that I had been a Christian before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">But now, interestingly, I had been a pastor, you know, for twenty years, and I was the senior pastor of our church for twelve years. And there were a lot of people in that congregation that I really loved. And I was with them for the birth of their children, their funerals, their weddings. I preached to them week in and week out. I baptized them, etc., etc. And when I became Catholic, I will tell you it was shocking to me on Facebook to see some of my dear friends who called me Pastor Kenny, say to each other that I had become Catholic, and said, \u201cI guess he was never really a Christian, because he went and became Catholic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">And one of the guys whom I dearly love said in a post on Facebook, \u201cIt\u2019s a cult.\u201d I had to watch this, and I had to get off of social media for a while because of it. And this video that we\u2019re referencing here is part and parcel of this big conversation that goes on out there, where people are saying Catholics aren\u2019t Christians and Christian Catholics are saying Protestants aren\u2019t Christians. And yeah, I really love some of the stuff that you brought out here, Dave. It\u2019s really important. I dunno if that ever happened to you. Did anybody ever tell you you weren\u2019t a Christian<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">since you became a Catholic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In the circles I moved in, I guess they knew enough about me to not say something that dumb. People that are anti-Catholic \u2014 as I defined it \u2013, say that Catholicism isn\u2019t a Christian system. They\u2019ll say, \u2014 I\u2019m sure Patrick would say \u2014 that there might be some people who are saved in there, but it\u2019s <em>always<strong>\u00a0despite<\/strong><\/em> our teaching. It\u2019s like, \u201cthey barely scraped by, despite all the nonsense over there.\u201d And so in saying that, I think they almost want to claim that Catholics do the same thing in reverse, to justify themselves, as if they are saying in effect, \u201cyou guys say <em>we\u2019re<\/em> not Christians, so that\u2019s all <em>we\u2019re<\/em> doing, the other way around. We\u2019re saying <em>you\u2019re<\/em> not Christians.\u201d But we do <strong><em>not <\/em><\/strong>believe that, as we\u2019ve documented. So that falls flat.<\/p>\n<p>Martin Luther and John Calvin didn\u2019t get rebaptized when they left the Catholic church. They never denied that it was\u00a0Christian. I don\u2019t know if Patrick knows this. Gavin Ortlund confirms that in his book that I just read, called, <em>What it Means to be Protestant.<\/em> There\u2019s a lot to discuss with all this stuff.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Yeah, there sure is. I\u2019m thinking maybe the way we can wrap this up, would be for us to affirm a couple of things, for the benefit of Patrick. And that is to say, as, as Catholic followers of Jesus, as people following Jesus who are in communion with the Catholic church, we believe the gospel, and here the gospel: in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 it says that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, which is a longer way of saying a shorter thing, which is, \u201cJesus is Lord.\u201d Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth. He has been raised from the dead, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father, and is in charge of God\u2019s creation as king, and we can\u2019t get out of church before we confess that and say that in as many ways as you can imagine. Catholics are constantly talking about the Lordship of Jesus and how we believe it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Every Mass we go to, we say the creed, which begins with, I believe in Jesus Who died, Who was buried, Who was raised, Who ascended, and Who is coming in glory to judge the living and the dead. That is the gospel and the way that you become a Christian.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had people do this, Dave.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #008000;\">They\u2019ll say, \u201cokay, preach the gospel to me then as a Catholic.\u201d And of course I\u2019ll say, \u201cwell, Jesus Christ is Lord. If you want me to preach the gospel to you, that\u2019s a royal announcement: good news. Jesus is the king; follow the king.\u201d So that\u2019s a short way of doing it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">\u200aIf I was gonna preach the gospel to somebody, lead them to Jesus, I\u2019d say four things to them. And I\u2019d say this to Patrick:\u00a0 number one, <strong>repent<\/strong> of your sins. The same thing Peter said in Acts. Turn away from your sins to Jesus.\u00a0That\u2019s the first. Two, <strong>receive<\/strong> Jesus in the sacraments, which is the other thing that Peter said. He said, \u201cAnd be baptized every one of you and receive the Holy Spirit.\u201d So that\u2019s baptism and confirmation. Third, <strong>remain<\/strong> in the faith your whole life. So it says they \u201cdevoted themselves to the apostles doctrine, to the breaking of bread, to fellowship and to the prayers.\u201d They became part of the church. They kept following Jesus. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">And the fourth R is if you\u2019re walking with Jesus and you sin and you do something that you shouldn\u2019t do as a Christian, then number four, <strong>return<\/strong> to Jesus through the sacrament of reconciliation. That\u2019s the rhythm of the Christian life: how you become a Christian, how you integrate yourself into the communion of the church and how you remain in him, and even how you return to him if you fail.\u00a0So we have no problem as Catholics leading people to Jesus and helping them walk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Typically the anti-Catholic will redefine the gospel. That\u2019s why I quoted the Bible. What\u2019s the <em>gospel<\/em>? We go look up the word in the Bible, to see what it is, but many Protestants will redefine it as \u201cfaith alone\u201d,\u00a0 or if they\u2019re Calvinist, as <a href=\"https:\/\/reformationbiblecollege.org\/blog\/what-are-the-five-points-of-calvinism\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">TULIP<\/a>.\u00a0 I won\u2019t go into the whole Calvinist system, but that\u2019s not the gospel. Rather, it\u2019s a theory of soteriology, which has to do with salvation. Abstract theology isn\u2019t the gospel, which is the good news. So they redefine it as \u201cfaith alone\u201d and it\u2019s not even <em>biblical<\/em>. I have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/08\/bible-vs-faith-alone-90-proofs.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">150 arguments<\/a> about that from the Bible that has never been answered. No one\u2019s even <em>attempted<\/em> it. So it\u2019s just not the gospel [according to the Bible]. The premise is wrong.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Right. Yes, it is. Well, Dave, I\u2019m, I\u2019m glad you found this video. We hope if Patrick watches it, he\u2019ll give it a fair watch. We hope he has stayed tuned all the way through to this part, where we preached the gospel to him. And Dave, I\u2019m really grateful for the chance, always, to talk with you about this stuff. You find the most interesting things. And this has been a really good one.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Related Books<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4pOaW35\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Debating James White: Shocking Failures of the \u201cUndefeatable\u201d Anti-Catholic Champion<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0<\/em>(Nov. 2013, 395 pages)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/48Ceqij\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Twin Scourges: Thoughts on Anti-Catholicism &amp; Theological Liberalism<\/em><\/a> (June 2003, 167 pages)<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Related Web Page<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/11\/anti-catholicism-index-page.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Anti-Catholicism<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>******<\/p>\n<p>SUPPORT Dave Armstrong\u2019s apologetics work with a <a href=\"https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/dt7eum96\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">tax-deductible gift<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div>***<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div>\n<div><em><strong>Practical Matters<\/strong><\/em>:\u00a0 I run the most comprehensive \u201cone-stop\u201d Catholic apologetics site:\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/adrianwarnock\/2024\/07\/top-personal-christian-blogs-ranked-by-ai-composite-score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rated #1\u00a0for Christian sites<\/a>\u00a0by leading AI tool, ChatGPT \u2014 endorsed by popular Protestant blogger Adrian Warnock. Perhaps some of my 5,000+ free online articles or\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2009\/06\/dave-armstrongs-catholic-apologetics-bookstore-49-books-paperback-e-pub-mobi-nook-book-amazon-kindle-itunes-pdf-rock-bottom-regular-prices-67-savings-for-e-books-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fifty-six books<\/a>\u00a0have helped you (by God\u2019s grace) to decide to\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/11\/feedback-comments-on-my-writing-from.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">become a Catholic<\/a>\u00a0or to\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2014\/01\/feedback-comments-on-my-writing-from-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">return to the Catholic Church<\/a>, or better understand some doctrines and\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2021\/02\/the-biblical-basis-of-apologetics-defense-of-christianity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>why<\/em>\u00a0Catholics believe them<\/a>. If you believe\u00a0my\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/07\/my-literary-resume.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full-time apostolate<\/a>\u00a0is worth supporting, please seriously consider a much-needed monthly or one-time financial contribution. \u201cThe laborer is worthy of his wages\u201d (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV).<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad__child-13 ad__align ad__slot--wrapper\" data-instance-child=\"iGmLn\">\n<div id=\"incontent15\" class=\"ad__slot\" role=\"region\" data-unit=\"Alfv5\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-google-query-id=\"CIftibvO3IsDFa8VigMdOcM5FQ\">\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/us\/webapps\/mpp\/sem\/account-selection-signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">PayPal donations<\/a>\u00a0are the easiest: just send to my email address:\u00a0apologistdave@gmail.com. Here\u2019s also a\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/us\/digital-wallet\/send-receive-money\/send-money\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">second page to get to PayPal<\/a>. You\u2019ll see the term \u201cCatholic Used Book Service\u201d, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zellepay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Zelle\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0<strong>100% tax-deductible donations<\/strong>\u00a0if desired), see my page:\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2015\/08\/about-dave-armstrong-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong \/ Donation Information<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div>You can support my work a great deal in non-financial ways, if you prefer; by subscribing to, commenting on, liking, and sharing videos from my two\u00a0<em>YouTube<\/em>\u00a0channels,\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@KennyBurchard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Catholic Bible Highlights<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Lux Veritatis<\/em><\/a>, in partnership with Kenny Burchard (see\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/12\/my-videos-page-catholic-bible-highlights.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my own videos<\/a>), and\/or by signing up to receive notice for new articles on this blog. Just type your email address on the sidebar to the right (scroll down quite a bit), where you see, \u201cSign Me Up!\u201d\u00a0<em><strong>Thanks a million!<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<div>***<\/div>\n<div>*<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Photo credit<\/strong>: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">copyright 2026 by Catholic Bible Highlights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Summary<\/em>: I refute various bad arguments that Protestant anti-Catholic YouTuber Patrick O\u2019Brien makes with regard to the supposed non-Christian status of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With Emphasis on \u201cWhat is the Gospel?\u201d \u00a0 This is substantially a transcript of the video, \u201cAre Catholics Even Christians? Wait\u2026Are Protestants?\u201d (Catholic Bible Highlights, with Kenny Burchard, 2-13-26) Patrick O\u2019Brien runs the YouTube channel, Philippians 1:9 Ministries. It has 9,640 subscribers. This was originally a video response to his video, \u201cAre Catholics Christians?\u201d (12-2-25), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":96784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,20171],"tags":[855,2361,190,20318,1070,2606],"class_list":["post-96125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-catholicism","category-videos","tag-anti-catholic","tag-anti-catholicism","tag-idolatry","tag-patrick-obrien","tag-pelagianism","tag-romanism"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Catholics R Christians 2! (vs. Patrick O&#039;Brien)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I refute various bad arguments that Protestant anti-Catholic YouTuber Patrick O&#039;Brien makes with regard to the supposed non-Christian status of the Catholic Church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2026\/01\/catholics-r-christians-2-vs-patrick-obrien.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Catholics R Christians 2! (vs. Patrick O&#039;Brien)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I refute various bad arguments that Protestant anti-Catholic YouTuber Patrick O&#039;Brien makes with regard to the supposed non-Christian status of the Catholic Church.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2026\/01\/catholics-r-christians-2-vs-patrick-obrien.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-19T23:15:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-14T04:59:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2026\/01\/CBHCatholicsRChristians.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2026\/01\/catholics-r-christians-2-vs-patrick-obrien.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2026\/01\/catholics-r-christians-2-vs-patrick-obrien.html\",\"name\":\"Catholics R Christians 2! 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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, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \\\"This Rock\\\" (now called \\\"Catholic Answers Magazine\\\"), \\\"Envoy Magazine\\\" (Patrick Madrid), \\\"The Catholic Answer,\\\" \\\"The Coming Home Journal,\\\" \\\"Gilbert Magazine\\\" (American Chesterton Society), and \\\"The Latin Mass.\\\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \\\"The Michigan Catholic\\\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \\\"Catholic Answers Live\\\" (twice), \\\"Faith and Family Live\\\" (Steve Wood), \\\"Kresta in the Afternoon,\\\" \\\"Son Rise Morning Show,\\\" \\\"Catholic Connection\\\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \\\"The Catholics Next Door.\\\" His large and popular website, \\\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\\\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \\\"index\\\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \\\"Surprised by Truth\\\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \\\"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\\\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \\\"The Catholic Verses\\\" (2004), \\\"The One-Minute Apologist\\\" (2007), \\\"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\\\" (2009), \\\"The Quotable Newman\\\" (editor: 2012), and \\\"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\\\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \\\"The New Catholic Answer Bible\\\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \\\"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\\\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \\\"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\\\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \\\"Quotable Wesley\\\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Catholics R Christians 2! 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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, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. 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