Is there a greater work of fiction than The Lord of the Rings? Its epic scale and thematic grandeur make it exist on a level unto itself. Peter Jackson’s cinematic adaption, with its billions of dollars earned and a myriad of awards received, confirms the timelessness of this work. Why the universal appeal? The answer is simple, it is a Catholic work. A Catholic Work The Lord of the Rings was written by the devout Roman Catholic, JRR Tolkien. The... Read more
Why would a all-power good God allow the innocent to suffer? All suffering is the result of the Fall. The answer to the problem of evil is Jesus and the cross. The Son of God, guilty of no crime and innocent in nature, suffered and died on a cross. God allowed it. Why? To show the true nature of humanity when in the presence of pure love and holiness, and to show this love as sacrifice. Therefore, Jesus chose to... Read more
Today is International Women’s Day. This day begs the question, what is a woman? The Current War on Women In our current culture, a “woman” is anyone who identifies as such, regardless of biology. So, a biological male who thinks he is a woman is one through sheer force of will. Does this force of will effect a true substantial change in this biological male to morph into a female? No. Biologically, this male remains a male, regardless. Furthermore, when... Read more
Let’s do it! In his most recent article on Patheos, Matthew Ditsefino admonished his readers to not “let bad Christian theology off the hook.” I totally agree with Matthew. Bad theology is rampant and can lead to bad ethical behavior. Moreover, it can lead people astray to the detriment of their souls. Therefore, we should not let “bad Christian theology” off the hook. But… what is “bad Christian theology?” Bad Christian Theology Defined… Kind of Matthew does not initially define... Read more
Let’s do it! Let’s talk straight about abortion and a woman’s right to choose (to take the life of her unborn child). Kathryn Shihadah recently posted an article on her Patheos blog calling for “straight take about abortion.” As someone who also holds strong and well thought out views on abortion, I thought I’d answer her call. Below are my responses to her call for “straight talk about abortion.” Pro-killing vs. Pro-Choice/Abortion Pro-choice people don’t really want to kill babies... Read more
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Catholics all over the world receive the mark of Christ’s cross in ashes on their forehead. This practice transcends race, culture, and politics. In the United States, both Democrats and Republicans receive the ash cross and therefore show themselves marked for Christ. Sadly, some of these same Catholic politicians publicly stand against Christ and His Church in their endorsement and support of legislation that destroys innocent unborn human life. This is most evident... Read more
Did you know JRR Tolkien was critically instrumental in the conversion to C.S. Lewis to confessional Christianity? The author of The Lord of the Rings, a close friend of C.S Lewis (whom his friends called Jack), helped open Lewis’ eyes to the truth of Christianity through Lewis’ love and appreciation of myth. This happened on a walk in the early hours on September 20th, 1931. While at this time a theist, Lewis viewed the story of Christ as he did... Read more
What of grave sin after baptism? Those baptized had an expectation to live holy lives reflective of their new nature. Sin, still a reality in the baptized life, required confession and forgiveness to make the baptized right with God once more (1 John 1:9, James 4:7-8). How did the early Church deal with such sins? Early Church vs. Martin Luther This early Christian view of sin stands in stark contrast to the view of sin and justification espoused by Martin... Read more
In my previous article, the concept of faith alone as forensic justification (FAFJ) was shown to be unknown to early Christians. They may have placed the words “faith” and “alone” together in a sentence, but they did not have in mind Martin Luther’s innovation of FAFJ. We now turn to baptism in the early church. Early Christians viewed baptism as a regenerative act that removes sin and restores the baptized to new life in God. They did not view baptism a... Read more
Did the Church fall in its infancy? According to German Reformer Martin Luther, it did. In this article, I will evaluate the claim by Martin Luther that the Church stands or collapses on the understanding of faith alone as forensic justification (FAFJ). This article will NOT demonstrate a developed Tridentine understanding of justification existed in the early Church. There existed no such understanding. A fully developed understanding of justification, like the Trinity, took time. Furthermore, the Catholic Church nowhere states... Read more
