The Tired “Angry Conservative” Charge (and Game)

“Angry” and passive-aggressive Dave Armstrong with his ever-suffering wife Judy (July 2009) *** This pathetic display took place on my [very public] Facebook page. It’s classic; textbook, which is why I re-post it. ***** T*** S***** (TS): You consider Breitbart a credible news source? Are you kidding? Dave Armstrong (DA): Yes. No. Do you consider […]

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Dialogue w Agnostic on Basic Differences and Hell

Edward Babinski is an agnostic who has written quite a bit online. In April 2005, we had a little exchange, occasioned by a visit from an anti-Catholic Protestant, who was spewing fire and brimstone against us lowly, unregenerate, idolatrous “papists.” Ed was kind enough to defend me a bit — including the following statements, which were quite gracious […]

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Swearing & “Younger” Generations (Sliding Scales)

[I wrote this on Karl Keating’s Facebook page, where he put up a popular piece about foul language] *** Ephesians 4:29 (RSV) Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. Luke 6:45 The good man out […]

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Fickle, Reviling, & Betraying “Friends”: Biblical Commentary

Here we see some of the darkest aspects of human nature and sin. It’s not a pretty sight. All passages are from RSV. Job 16:14 He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. Job 19:14 My kinsfolk and my close friends have failed me; Job 19:19 All my intimate friends […]

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Imprimaturs (or Lack Thereof) & Catholic Apologetics Books

Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin has a good article explaining why the Imprimatur isn’t much used in apologetics books, using his own book, The Salvation Controversy (which does not have an Imprimatur) as an example. In a nutshell, it’s not required if a book isn’t used in official catechetical instruction. My books are popular apologetics; no more, […]

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“Strong” Logical Argument from Evil Against God: RIP?

[for general, philosophically lay-level background, see my paper: “Logical” Problem of Evil: Alvin Plantinga’s Decisive Refutation] ***** Atheist Jeffery Jay Lowder (prime mover behind the influential Internet Infidels / Secular Web network) maintains that the former position is currently widely accepted: Ever since Alvin Plantinga refuted J.L. Mackie’s logical argument from evil, the majority of contemporary philosophers of religion have come […]

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Dialogue with an Atheist on the “Basic” Issues

Creation, Freedom, Rebellion, Suffering, Etc. This exchange comes from the Debunking Christianity blog (my favorite atheist / agnostic haunt at the moment), from a discussion thread Daniel Morgan’s words will be in blue. * * * * * “God desired to love and be loved by other beings. God created human beings with this end in view. To […]

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Dialogue w Atheist on Premises & Axioms of Atheism

From an atheist discussion list: 13 January 2002, uploaded with editorial permission from Steve Conifer, whose words will be in blue. * * * * *I’d like to get down to basics and inquire as to the atheist’s (or agnostic’s) first principles, axioms, starting-points, premises, initial presuppositions or assumptions (pick your favorite term). Then I’ll play […]

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Dialogue w Atheist on Epistemology of Disbelief in God

From public discussions on an Internet List devoted to the question of existence of God: May-July 2001. Uploaded with the full permission of Sue Strandberg (who refers to herself primarily as a secular humanist). This was one of the best dialogues I’ve ever had with anyone (maybe my second favorite ever; and the other was with […]

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Was Luther Excommunicated Due Partly to Sola Scriptura?

Anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant Luther expert James Swan had a lively exchange with a Catholic (Mark Rome) on the anti-Catholic CARM forum. I am concentrating on this particular back-and-forth: Mark Rome:  Luther was excommunicated and declared a heretic for many issues including his insistence on sola scriptura and setting himself up (and every individual) as the private judge of […]

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Faith Alone & Original Sin: Reply to Smalcald Articles

I offer extensive Catholic replies to portions of the Lutheran Smalcald Articles (1537). It was written by Martin Luther and is part of the Lutheran Book of Concord: which is binding on all Lutherans who wish to follow their denomination’s historical doctrinal teaching. Luther’s words will be in blue. ***** I. Of Sin 1] Here we must confess, […]

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Materialism & Narcissism: Protestant Self-Critique #3

[from the original 1994 manuscript of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism; this portion dated 6-20-91] 1. Materialism A. Kenneth Kantzer, professor of Theology and Dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a senior editor of Christianity Today, declares that: The overriding problem of the evangelical church today . . . is materialism . . […]

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Worldliness & Compromise: Protestant Self-Critique #2

[from the original 1994 manuscript of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism; this portion dated 6-20-91] Prominent evangelical leaders have critiqued themselves quite strongly. Evangelicals will be exclusively quoted, with the exception of two excerpts. 1. Donald Bloesch, well-respected professor of theology at the University of Dubuque, has some hard words to say, quoting […]

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Pragmatism: Protestant Self-Critique Number One

[from the original 1994 manuscript of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism; this portion dated 6-20-91] 1. Pragmatism: A Definition Pragmatism, according to the dictionary, is defined as follows: An American movement in philosophy founded by C. S. Peirce and William James and marked by the doctrines that the meaning of conceptions is […]

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Protestantism: Compromising & Liberalizing Tendency

[from the original 1994 manuscript of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism; this portion dated 6-20-91] 1. Louis Bouyer Bouyer continues his remarkable analysis of Protestant historical pathways in his chapter, “The Decay of the Positive Principles of the Reformation”: What the Reformation took over from the Middle Ages was just what it […]

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How Many Sacraments: According to Martin Luther?

+ Luther Expert James Swan’s and Luther’s Works Editors’ Confusion as to Luther’s Position Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, believed that there were only two sacraments (not seven). And he believed that there were more than two. If you’re confused by the previous two sentences, you should be. Luther was quite capable of both […]

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Old Liberal Moral Causes (“The Post”) vs. Tabloid Liberalism

The Media Today is Vastly Different than it Was in 1971 but Remains as Free as it Ever Was I watched Steven Spielberg‘s film, The Post last night: about the Washington Compost and its publishing of The Pentagon Papers (obtained from Daniel Ellsberg).   I was struck yet again by the fact that it’s been so long […]

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Protestant Revolt Was Largely Politically Motivated

I mostly compiled citations from Catholic and Protestant scholars, in this section, which was part of my much longer original 1994 version of my first book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism. The few interjections of my own will be in blue. The rest of the material (minus my category titles) consists of citations: which I […]

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Debate: SCOTUS & GOP in Relation to Abortion Rates

Scott Eric Alt, my friend and a pro-lifer who proudly voted Democrat in November 2018, wrote on his Facebook page on 13-14 November (his words in blue henceforth): The majority opinion in Roe v Wade was written by Harry Blackmun. Blackmun was appointed by Nixon. The dissent in Roe v Wade was written by Byron […]

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Debate [?] on Biblical Honor of Rulers: Including Trump

I had an exchange on my Facebook page. It’s now deleted from there because my opponent (a man who has visited my page for years: almost always commenting on political matters, rather than theological) absolutely refused to allow me to post his words here. He also absolutely refused to ever answer my questions (as you […]

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Review of The White Album (Beatles): 50th Anniversary Remix

My favorite-sounding songs from The White Album up till now were a mixture of mono and stereo (I preferred ten in mono). Generally in my “Beatles taste” I prefer the rockers in mono, with the drums centered (unless they’re already centered in the stereo). Almost always, I dislike the drums in one channel only. It […]

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Bishops Fail At Being Human; Seek “Small Laws” to Guide Them

As the US bishops gather in Baltimore this week, I have to admit that I’m so weary of people saying that “the bishops can’t police each other. They have no authority over each other.” Of course this is true, but it completely misses the point. Why in God’s name (literally) do you need a formal […]

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Silly Atheist Arguments vs. the Resurrection & Miracles

From my book, Mere Christian Apologetics  (2002; published in paperback in 2007) *** It is often claimed that the Resurrection is suspect because it defies natural laws. But that’s what all miracles do. The question is whether they occur or not, and that is determined by substantiation and eyewitnesses. More than 500 people saw the risen Jesus (1 […]

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Wicked Rulers Honored (Saul, Solomon, Nero, High Priest)

This was originally a back-and-forth debate on Facebook. I have condensed the heart of my thoughts. ***** From his Facebook page tonight. Rod Dreher wrote a hit-piece on President Trump (“Trump: The Long Emergency”), with all the usual insinuations of out-of-control insanity, etc. It’s yet more Trump Derangement Syndrome. Did he go after the turkey-pardoning […]

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Good Christians Can Support Trump (Amazingly Enough)!

***** Of course a Christian can do that, and quite obviously so: 1. Just as God made an eternal covenant with David and made him a forerunner of the Messiah Jesus, knowing from eternity that he would have a man killed in order to have his wife, whom he was already sleeping with. 2. Just […]

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Calling of St. Paul & Church Authority: Dialogue w Calvinist

This is a Facebook exchange I had with Neil Shenvi, a chemist who is a Calvinist. His words will be in blue. * * * * * I haven’t actually been arguing for Sola Scriptura. In fact, it is completely compatible with my argument to claim that there are also traditions passed on by the apostles that […]

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Jesus Associates Works, Merit, & Heroic Sacrifice w Salvation

I’ve already noted how He did this in the case of the rich young ruler: which passage appears immediately before the one we will shortly examine: Jesus vs. “Faith Alone” (Rich Young Ruler) * Dialogue: Rich Young Ruler & Good Works * Now here is what our Lord and Savior and His disciples say after […]

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Debate w Lutheran: Church Infallibility & Death Penalty

Mark Martinson is a Lutheran (WELS). He showed up on my Facebook page under my link of a talk I gave on the radio (11-9-18) on sola Scriptura, or the Protestant rule of faith. Sola Scriptura entails the denial of papal and Church infallibility. Presumably, that’s why he challenged those doctrines in this particular thread. At […]

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Catholic Critique of Anglicanism and the Via Media

I. The Dilemma of Competing Ecclesiologies: the Visible vs. the Invisible Church If Anglicans have any sort of notion of “indefectibility” — whereby the true Christian Church (or a valid portion of the universal catholic church, etc.) cannot and will not fall into rank heresy; being protected by the Holy Spirit, then it would be […]

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Christians & the Stupidity of Satan (vs. Insulting Humanist)

***** Cassidy McGillicuddy, who goes by “Captain Cassidy” runs a blog called Roll to Disbelieve.  She describes herself and her views as follows: “I was raised Catholic by a very fervent family, converted to evangelicalism in my teens, and became a full-on fundamentalist shortly thereafter, . . . But shortly after college I figured out that my […]

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16th c. Calvinists vs. Lutherans: Who Suppressed Catholics

Lutheran pastor and blogger Paul T. McCain has written a post decrying historic Calvinist iconoclasm and intolerance against Lutherans (citing in turn a reader’s translation of a German website about Lutheran history [link now defunct] ): All those Lutherans out there pining about what’s so “wrong” about orthodox Lutheranism’s supposed stubborn and unloving attitude toward non-Lutheran churches need […]

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Left-Wing “New Pro-Lifers” Are Also Pro-Life (DUH!)

A left-wing pro-lifer is a thing to discuss in and of itself (and I do quite often). I’m critical of the new pro-life movement (NPLM) in many ways (mostly when its adherents try to run down other pro-lifers, and who they vote for), and have repeatedly written about it in no uncertain terms. Here, however, I’m […]

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Catholicism is More Important than Political Differences

I am so blasted tired of controversy and in-fighting among Catholics (mostly about political nonsense these days) that I could spit. While I defend Catholicism, I also defend Christianity in general over against atheism and today’s rampant cultural secularism, and I am ecumenical, too. I rejoice in the many things we Catholics have in common […]

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Trump’s Inadequate Rebukes of Rocket Man & Neo-Nazis

I stumbled upon this solution today in a flash of inspiration. It’s one of those moments of figuring out something that is so simple that it was overlooked. Somehow, the President’s advisors: folks like Kellyanne “Goehring” Conway and Sebastian “Himmler” Gorka neglected to give him this rather obvious advice. If he had done what I […]

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Trump is Attila the Hun, Vlad the Impaler, and Stalin

Trump is the worst President ever, nuts, an egomaniac and incompetent stooge who hasn’t done one good thing for the country. We need to get him out of there so we can get back to business as usual in Washington, with a Democrat who cares so much about people and African-Americans and women and Muslims […]

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Dialogue w Lutheran Historian on 16th-Century Intolerance

The following exchange was taken from comments concerning an old paper now split into two different ones: Word “Protestant” Stemmed from Intolerance of Catholic Worship / Philip Melanchthon’s Agony Over Protestant Sectarianism. “CPA” is a Lutheran professor of history, with whom I have had many fruitful, amiable dialogues. His words will be in blue. ****** If the United […]

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John Calvin, Early Calvinism, & Violent Iconoclasm

Calvinists and other Protestants sometimes argue as follows: 1. The Church needed reform (particularly its hierarchical leaders). 2. Traditional, crucifixes, stained glass, church architecture, organs, music, and painting and art in general are good things (hidden common assumption). Maybe statues are idols, but all this other stuff is good and wholesome. 3. These were destroyed […]

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Holy Spirit, Procession, & the Father’s & Son’s Love

This is from an exchange on the Coming Home Network forum, where I was staff moderator from 2007-2010. * * * * * Yesterday, I attended a “Theology of the Body” class with workbook: Into the Heart: A Journey Through the Theology of the Body, by Christopher West, 2009. The speaker provided the following quotation without […]

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Can God Change His Mind?: Four Dogmatic Arguments

Church documents apparently do not specifically say that God doesn’t or can’t change His mind. It doesn’t follow, however, that God changing His mind is not prohibited by the statements about immutability and simplicity and omniscience and God’s timelessness. My argument is that it follows inexorably from simple deduction, from several Church dogmas, that God could not change […]

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Dialogue: Original Sin, Jesus, & Mary’s Immaculate Conception

The following is from the Coming Home Network forum (where I was staff moderator from 2007-2010). The primary person I’m interacting (blue color) with is Orthodox, and seriously considering Catholicism. He may not always accurately reflect what is Orthodox belief. Those colored in green and brown are other Catholics. *** Since the Orthodox view has been presented at such […]

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“The Last Days”: Meaning in Hebrew, Biblical Thought

I was asked the following question: I would like to ask you what is perhaps a very stupid question. Even if it is stupid, though, it has always been a (small) stumbling block for me, and I have never seen it adequately addressed. Here it is: Most if not all of the writers of the […]

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Political Polarization and Demonization: Reflections

[these are my opinions, originally expressed in a private dialogue with a severe critic of President Trump, so they may seem a little disjointed, because of my side only being presented below. But I think I get my point across] We know that liberals are far less tolerant of others with different opinions, than conservatives […]

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