December 3, 2024

Special thanks to Matt Graham for his very thoughtful and honest contribution to this discussion. I hope we both grow in greater understanding through this continued dialogue. To start, I appreciate that Matt started on where we agree. I also appreciate that Matt sees the difference between latria, dulia, and hyperdulia. However, Matt veers a bit off track in his claim that the veneration of the Saints and the Virgin Mary entered the Church via pagan accretion. For this article,... Read more

November 27, 2024

Guest contributor: Matt Graham I want to thank Dennis Knapp for asking me to engage with him on this important topic. To kick things off, I would like to start by pointing out those things upon which we agree. This is helpful for friendly dialogue and for avoiding misunderstanding regarding where the disagreement really lies. Where we agree: Those who have distinguished themselves in their love and service to God or have been chosen by God for a special purpose... Read more

November 24, 2024

I recently watched a series of videos by Dr. Jordan Cooper, a Lutheran theologian and YouTuber, concerning the Catholic practice of venerating (praying to) the Saints and the Virgin Mary. Dr. Cooper considers this practice unbiblical and a historical accretion into Christianity via Roman pagan syncretism. In this article, I lay out the Catholic practice of venerating the Saints and the Virgin Mary and address Dr. Cooper’s criticisms. As an added layer of analysis, my Protestant friend Matthew Graham agreed... Read more

November 21, 2024

Guest contributor: Todd Flowerday Recently, Dennis identified docility as a trigger word. He cited one dictionary definition: 1: easily taught a docile pupil 2: easily led or managed: tractable a docile pony Docile implies a predisposition to submit readily to control or guidance. A few questions on my part: Does teaching in the Church always go in one direction, popes to Catholics, bishops to dioceses, clergy to laity? Do adults (and even insightful youth and children) have something to teach... Read more

November 19, 2024

In the US, two words seem to trigger negative emotions among Catholics more than any other: docility and obligation. Now, many US Catholics reading this will think I overstate the situation. They may feel no initial emotional response at all to words like docility and obligation. However, if they take the time to examine the role of docility and obligation in Catholicism, they will inevitably arrive at a strong emotional response. In short, US Catholics do not like others, including... Read more

November 16, 2024

Before the election, I had the honor of visiting with my good friend, Matt Graham, on the Rational Animal Podcast. We discussed the role of abortion in the 2024 presidential election. Given the outcome of the election, it appears most American Catholics agreed with me that Harris’ extreme abortion views barred her from the Catholic vote. For more on that reality, please click here. Please take a listen. Feel free to comment. Thank you. Click here to listen.   Read more

November 11, 2024

Kamala Harris lost big in 2024. She not only lost the electoral college, but she also lost the popular vote. As of November 10, 2024, Donold J. Trump won 312 electoral votes and the popular vote by over 3.5 million votes. A major factor contributing to the Harris loss, the Catholic vote, witnessed Catholics supporting Trump in droves. According to Tyler Arnold at Catholic News Agency, the exit polls showed: According to the Washington Post’s exit poll, Trump won the... Read more

November 7, 2024

Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, now holds the rare distinction of also being the 47th. As a conservate Catholic, Trump’s victory provides me with hope that most Americans (as Trump won the popular vote) do not buying into the Leftist narrative that Trump (and conservates in general) represent American bigotry, racism, and fascism. That the Harris campaign turned to this rhetoric during the final days shows how desperate Democrats were to win in 2024. By... Read more

November 3, 2024

In 1532, former Catholic monk Martin Luther made the following claim regarding the Protestant doctrine known as faith alone (sola fide) in his commentary on Psalm 130:4: When it stands by this article, the church stands, when [this article] falls the church falls. To anyone well versed in the Scriptures, this statement of the Church standing or falling brings up Jesus’ promise to His disciples in Matthew 16:18: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I... Read more

October 25, 2024

Recently, I wrote a couple of articles expressing my views on politics and abortion. Specifically, how Vice President Kamala Harris’ extreme views on abortion bar all faithful Christians, Catholics or not, from voting for her. Whereas the seamless garment argument may apply to Democrats of the past, it no longer applies to Democrats in the present. Furthermore, for faithful Catholics, the United States Conference of Bishops released an official statement advising US Catholic voters to Protect Children in Law and... Read more


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