June 30, 2004
For the Record: Protestant Positions on Sola Scriptura
Recently a couple of those commenting on our blog have suggested we are misrepresenting the protestant position concerning the nature of Scripture in various protestant denominations. So, I wanted to document the various positions of the major protestant denominations in...
June 29, 2004
Michael Moore and Fairenheit 9/11
Christopher Hitchens, a liberal on the left side of his party, has written a review of Michael Moore's Fairenheit 9/11. Hitchens doesn't ask for much, but he does ask that a documentary have some honesty in it: Some people soothingly...
The Dark Ages, Revisited
The Dark Ages were characterized by a terrible lacking of knowledge and learning. People were illiterate and ignorant with little opportunity to gain knowledge outside of the monasteries and churches. I believe we are currently in a second Dark Ages...
June 28, 2004
Democrats are killing their voters - literally
We've often argued on this blog that the Democratic political party would be shocked at the number of votes they would get by putting forward a pro-life candidate (this is apparently against party "doctrine"). But a new Wall Street Journal...
June 27, 2004
Spirit and Truth: A Catholic Lay Movement Seeking To Lead Young Adults Into A Deeper Relationship With Jesus Christ
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for...
June 26, 2004
Congratulations Jon and Keri!
Congratulations Jon and Keri on your wedding day! I just ask that everybody keep the happy couple in your prayers today. Jon and Keri are both teachers at a private Catholic school. Keri is a kindergarten teacher. Jon teaches middle...
June 25, 2004
Mary's Gospel: The Marian Influence on the Gospel of Luke
We have often discussed on this blog the role of Mary in the Early Church. Many have insisted that her role was minimal and insignificant. Yet we cannot deny the vividly strong presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the...
June 24, 2004
Should We Examine the Bible to Verify Truth?
Acts 17:11. Now those Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Absolutely. That’s the simple answer, but in our...
How should Christians practice Apologetics?
I recently read an interesting article by Doug Giles called A Biblical Defense for Giving Offense that I thought was very interesting. Mr. Giles makes the argument that throughout Scripture (and in the early Church), Apologists for God weren't overly...
June 23, 2004
Oral Tradition in the Old Testament
Often on this blog we engage in dialogue, or maybe debate would be the better word, about "oral tradition" verses the "written word." Many of our Protestant brothers and sisters insist that it is the Bible alone that reveals to...
June 22, 2004
Catholic Priests and Sexual Abuse
The hot topic these days often centers on the sexual abuse cases of Catholic priests. We haven’t said much about this on our blog, but I felt it was important to at least detail that we understand the problem and...
June 21, 2004
The Mass: The Heart of Liturgy
When considering the Mass, one can reach hasty conclusions as to the meaning and purpose of it in the life of the individual believer and the Church. In fact, many reveal their conclusions by making such premature statements as; I...
June 20, 2004
Why should you consider the Catholic Church?
I thought I would take a different path in this post and just point out why every person should consider looking into the Catholic Church. Some people never examine Catholicism when choosing their faith, but I think it’s important to...
Happy Father's Day
Fatherhood is a special gift from God as well as a special responsibility. A father is known through his children, the "fruit" of his life. We're praying today for fathers, that they have the love, leadership, and willpower needed to...
June 19, 2004
Understanding the word "Hate"
I recently ran across a site that pretended to be a "Godly" site (I won’t link to it here). However, the site had a funny definition of "hate" that simply meant: don't tell anyone else they are wrong. This is...
June 18, 2004
More proof Hollywood doesn't understand Christianity
Saved! is a new movie just released which takes aim at Evangelical Christianity. Although I have not seen the movie, I wanted to point out this Wall Street Journal Op-ed piece detailing the contents of Saved!. Jonathan Last points out...
June 16, 2004
BOOK REVIEW: An American Conversion by Deal Hudson
The pitch for this book was very compelling to me; Deal Hudson had a different conversion experience from me, but he also came from a Southern Baptist background. His conversion centered around his desire for beauty and his belief in...
Southern Baptists debate Public Schooling
In an interesting twist in American schooling today, the Southern Baptists debated passing a resolution encouraging parents to remove children from public schools in favor of religious schools or homeschooling. Traditionally, the Southern Baptists have been ardent supporters of public...
June 14, 2004
REFERENCE: The Real Presence (the Eucharist)
There has been some discussion on the blog where non-Catholics claim the Early Church was not convinced of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. So, I've pulled together the references to the Eucharist from Scripture and the Early...
June 13, 2004
The Perfect Man: Is the Pope completely Infallible?
As a starting note, we’ve shown where the Bible teaches that Peter was the first Pope here and in numerous other places, so this is not a discussion on that topic, but rather an overview of papal infallibility and what...
June 12, 2004
BOOK REVIEW: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Why did I choose to read The Fountainhead? It’s considered Ayn Rand’s key work detailing her philosophy of Objectivism in a work of fiction. Objectivism, for those who are unaware, is a philosophy espoused by more and more Americans who...
June 11, 2004
Faith and Devotion: An Excerpt from The Mystical Rose
I am currently reading The Mystical Rose by John Henry Cardinal Newman. For all of those not familiar with Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman it would be well worth your time to learn more about him. I have provided a...
Worship of Self: Americans go Overboard
There's an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today entitled Do It Yourself Religion about individuals who decided their choice of churches didn't fulfill their needs, so they started small churches of their own, essentially. I find this fascinating....
June 9, 2004
Darius Lesesne: A Catholic Artist
Darius Lesesne is a personal friend of mine and a fellow parishoner at our local Catholic Church. Darius is a convert to Catholicism and now produces Christian gift cards. Each card portrays a unique Christian historical figure as well as...
June 6, 2004
Prayer Requests
Prayer is a key aspect of every Christian's relationship with God. As C.S. Lewis eloquently put it, prayer doesn't change God, it changes us. Through prayer we grow in hope, love, and charity; we also seek God's assistance through grace...
June 5, 2004
Union through Communion: The Necessity of the Eucharist
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that...
June 1, 2004
What is Conscience?
In recent days we hear the word conscience quite a bit. Politicians claim they must follow their conscience rather than church teaching when deciding on matters of life or death. But what is conscience? How can you know if your...
What Does it Mean to be Catholic?
I found this great article by the Archbishop of Milwaukee while poking around the Website, Pentecost Message. This is a stirring call to true Catholicity, and with the day of Pentecost just passed, it is very timely. The article is...
The Catholic Movie Poll
Which movies best present Catholic life? Take ten minutes and add your suggestions: This is a good idea by NCR. God bless, Jay PS - thanks to the Curt Jester for the classy banner ad . . ....
