The Jesus Prerogative: On Women Priests

Last updated on: January 11, 2022 at 5:32 pm By Dennis Knapp

The Catholic Church is not against women priests. The Church is not for men priests. The Catholic Church is for Jesus and follows His prerogative on the priesthood. Jesus set the standard on Church leadership when He chose His disciples, the eventual Apostles. These same Apostles then appointed their successors, and their successors appointed their successors, and so on… Simply put, the Church lacks the authoritative prerogative to overrule the second person of the divine Trinity. In this post, I... Read more

The New Testament Was An Afterthought

Last updated on: January 6, 2022 at 9:52 am By Dennis Knapp

The New Testament (NT) was not an historical inevitability. At best, the NT was a product of God’s passive will, not His active will. If one takes an infinitesimal amount of time to evaluate the historical record, this truth becomes crystal clear. In this post, I posit that, contrary to the current assumption that sees the NT as an historically inevitability, it was in fact not. On the contrary, the historical record shows the NT a byproduct of opportunity born... Read more

Confession in the Early Church: Fact or Fiction?

Last updated on: November 2, 2024 at 3:56 pm By Dennis Knapp

The Church has always taught the necessity of the baptized to confess sin. The practice’s form differs over time, but the truth remains the same. The sinner must confess their sins for forgiveness. To remain in unconfessed sin puts salvation in jeopardy. In the Lord Prayer Jesus states, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Martin Luther on Confession The Protestant reformer Martin Luther viewed confession of sin an “exercises of men” and... Read more

The Adventure of Catholic Faith

Last updated on: January 6, 2022 at 9:53 am By Dennis Knapp

I have an adventurous 16-year-old son. He recently expressed his desire for adventure to my wife. Son: I have a lot of things I want to do. Wife: Yeah, like what? (Imagining the pursuit of many academic and lifetime achievements…) S: I don’t want to die and leave any adventures behind. W: You mean a bucket list? S: Exactly. I want to go sky diving. Fight a black belt with my bare hands — I’d definitely win. I want to... Read more

Go and Sin No More… Really?

Last updated on: January 6, 2022 at 9:53 am By Dennis Knapp

The Woman Caught in Sin What is our responsibility to God? We know that God loves us, that He created us, and that he ultimately suffered and died to save us. We know that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). While we know all the wonderous deeds God has done for us, I believe we fail to take hold of our responsibility in the story of our salvation. We embrace the love, but not what... Read more

The Most Authentic Protestants

Last updated on: January 6, 2022 at 9:53 am By Dennis Knapp

What if I told you that I consider liberal Protestants, especially Unitarian Universalist, the most authentic expression of Protestantism? Furthermore, they are not only the most authentic, but the logical end to the Reformation that can still claim a faith tradition. The other offspring: Modernism, Post-modernism, scientism, rationalism, and materialism are the Reformation’s rebellious offspring that reject their parent’s faith. This is not a condemnation or judgment on Protestants themselves. Above all, it is an observation from a former Protestant... Read more

Sacramental Logic: Incarnate Word and Sacrament

Last updated on: January 6, 2022 at 9:56 am By Dennis Knapp

The sacramental logic, inscribed in the Trinitarian revelation, is prolonged and condensed in the sacraments, in which Christ makes himself present in a particularly intense way (SC 7). The sacramental structure and logic of faith hang on Jesus Christ, the Incarnate and redeeming Word. (THE RECIPROCITY BETWEEN FAITH AND SACRAMENTS IN THE SACRAMENTAL ECONOMY, The Incarnation: Center, Summit, and Key to the Sacramental Economy, 31) Sacramental Logic Some outside the Catholic Church may wonder why Catholics (both Roman Catholic and... Read more

Silence of St. Thomas More: Cancel Culture’s First Victim

Last updated on: August 16, 2022 at 5:18 pm By Dennis Knapp

What is the cost of silence? On the 6th of July, 1535, a head appeared atop a pole on London Bridge. Put on display as a warning to all of England—consent to the king or this WILL be your fate. This head belonged to one of the most respected men in Europe—Sir Thomas More. He died for refusing to take an oath, for this oath contained a redefinition of a term that he could not in good conscience consent to.... Read more

A Review of The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Keith Mathison

Last updated on: June 22, 2024 at 3:28 pm By Dennis Knapp

In anticipation of my update coming debate in late April, I am reposting this article with updates. Cheer! The Enthronement of One’s Interpretation What is sola scriptura? Keith Mathison offers the most comprehensive and widely accepted view of sola scriptura in his book, The Shape of Sola Scriptura (2001). Below, I address his arguments (drawn from Martin Luther and John Calvin) and his attempt to justify his own personal interpretations of the bible. Mathison’s view enthrones the individual and supplants Christ’s Church as the ultimate... Read more

Should You Own the “Conservative” Catholic Label?

Last updated on: August 16, 2022 at 5:15 pm By Dennis Knapp

In my introduction bio, I refer to myself as a Latin Rite “conservative” Catholic. I claim the label of “conservative” because that is what those who faithfully hold Catholic views are labeled by many in our current culture. I am “conservative” because I am Catholic. Here, I would like to unpack this “label” and how it is applied to Catholics like me. Let me know if you want further elaboration on any of the below points. Latin Rite Catholic I... Read more