Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:8-9). Confession of sin is a vitally important part of being a Christian. There … Read more
Obsessed with Sex? The contemporary Church is way too obsessed with sexual morality. It wastes so much time and energy preaching an extreme, prudish standard of sexual ethics, rather than focusing on more important ethical issues. Obviously, justice is much more important than chastity. Insisting on the extreme, traditional standards of Christian sexual ethics does … Read more
Immaculate Conception? All orthodox Christians believe in the Immaculate Conception of Jesus, that Jesus was sinless from the moment of His conception. But the Catholic Church also teaches as dogma the Immaculate Conception and sinlessness of Mary, His mother. Is this a biblical idea? Protestants frequently point to the teaching of Scripture that “all have … Read more
Mary the mother of Jesus is an extremely important figure in Roman Catholic theology. According to Catholic Church teaching, Mary is the Mother of God, a perpetual virgin, was conceived without original sin (Immaculate Conception) and remained completely sinless, is the Ark of the New Covenant, was assumed bodily into heaven, and is Queen of … Read more
The veneration of saints is an important part of both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox piety. There is a sense, of course, in which all Christians are saints, that is, God’s holy people (Rom 1:7, I Cor 1:2, II Cor 1:1, Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1, Col 1:2). But both of these churches have officially recognized … Read more
According to the Catholic Church, the pope, the bishop of Rome, is the supreme head of the entire Church, having authority over every bishop and every Christian. Further, in 1870, the First Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church officially declared the dogma of papal infallibility: when the pope speaks ex cathedra (officially as the … Read more
What is the Church? This is one of the biggest issues dividing the Protestant and Catholic traditions. According to the Protestant tradition, the Church exists wherever a disciplined community of Jesus’s disciples gathers around the preaching of God’s word and the administration of the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper). According to the Catholic tradition, … Read more
In this series, I will explore some of the key differences between the Protestant and Catholic traditions and explain why, in most of these cases, I believe the Protestant position to be correct. In a previous post, I have already made the case for why the Protestant idea that Scripture alone is our highest Authority … Read more
Apocalyptic Genre Two books of the Bible are of the literary genre known as apocalyptic literature. In the Old Testament, there is the book of Daniel. In the New Testament, there is the book of Revelation. Of the various literary genres found in Scripture, apocalyptic is one of the least well understood and most frequently … Read more
The Psalms occupy a unique place in the canon of Scripture. Most of the writings that make up the Scriptures consist of God’s prophetic words to us, or narratives about God’s dealings with human beings in salvation history. The book of Psalms, on the other hand, is a collection of human prayers addressed to God. … Read more