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>Scripture has its Own Authority – and Christ Alone is Our Mediator – A Response to Michael Liccione
>Roman Catholic Michael Liccione recently provided a comment in the comment box of a Roman Catholic blog that I think highlights two of the problems with Roman Catholic theology: (1) the disparaging of the authority of Scriptures themselves; and (2) the deification of “the Church.” He said: What’s needed is a concrete, communal, continuous locus…
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Bellisario Swings and Misses
Matthew Bellisario has a new post up (link to post). It purports to respond to an earlier post I provided (link to my post). The title of the post is “Another “Expert” on Catholicism Misrepresents Church Teaching.” The person he’s referring to as “Expert” is me. I’m flattered! No, I jest. I’m not really flattered,…
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Vatican Bank – Money Laundering Investigation
The press is reporting that funds have been seized at the Vatican Bank, aka the Institute for Religious Works (link to article). The chairman of the bank is apparently being investigated with respect to “a series of omissions in financial transactions,” and the alleged wrong-doing is that “the Vatican bank had neglected to communicate to…
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Bryan Cross places the Cart before the Horse, Theologically Speaking
Over at Called to Communion, in the comment box, Bryan Cross wrote: In the first century, no one needed to confess that Christ is homoousious with the Father. But after the fourth century, to deny the homoousious is to fall into [at least material] heresy. This is dead wrong and gets things exactly backwards. It…
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Test Case of the Infallible Magisterium: Ordination of Women
Here’s the Official Roman Catholic position on the ordination of women: COVER LETTER TO BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE PRESIDENTS Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger November 8, 1995 The publication in May 1994 of the apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis was followed by a number of problematic and negative statements by certain theologians, organizations of priests and religious, as well as…
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Vincent of Lerins on "Development of Doctrine"
Sean Patrick, under the nick Blogahon, wrote: Unfortunately for Mr. Mathison, the blessed John Henry Newman was not the first to posit doctrine of the development of doctrine. St. Vincent Lerins wrote on it extensively in the fifth century. … Lastly, it is puzzling to always see Protestants kicking the development of doctrine, as if…
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Dawkins Criticizes Rome and Original Sin
In a recent speech (link), Dawkins has attempted to criticize the Roman Catholic Church. Dawkins began by pointing out that contrary to the implications of Ratzinger in his recent speech in Edinburgh, Adolph Hitler was more Roman Catholic than Atheist, at least by the standard that is used by Rome when saying how many members…
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Quick Reply to "Mary is Jesus’ Mother, So He’ll Listen to her"
There’s a rather popular Roman Catholic argument that goes something like this: “Mary is Jesus’ mother. Jesus never sinned. The Fifth (fourth for RCs) Commandment is ‘Honor thy father and thy mother.’ Therefore, if Mary asks Jesus to do something for her, He’ll do it out of obedience to his mother.” But consider this: the…
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Response to John H. Armstrong regarding Roman Catholicism
John H. Armsrong writes: First, it utterly amazes me that there are evangelicals (more likely they are fundamentalists if this distinction is properly nuanced) who still think Catholics are not members of the Christian church. Some even think Roman Catholicism is a massive cult or “the synagogue of Satan.” This was not the view of…
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Rome and Freedom of Religion
Rome’s practices with respect to the freedom of religion have obviously changed. We don’t hear stories about any modern-day inquisitors. However, it should be noted that Rome’s view on coercion of apostates is actually set in a dogmatic definition. Specifically, Canon 14 on Baptism from Trent’s Seventh Session reads as follows: CANON XIV.-If any one…