Have you ever been doing research and can’t remember where you found a quote or a certain piece of information? You might even know what book it’s in but you have to look through hundreds of pages. What do you do?
Category Archives: Church History
St. John of Damascus vs The Quran
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The Writings of St. John of Damascus
One of my favorite Church Fathers to read is St. John of Damascus. He is a saint and one of three dozen Doctors of the Church, which means that his writings are held in very high regard. He was an Arab born in Damascus in 675 and he became a monk in the Mar Saba monastery in the Holy Land. He was ordained a priest in the last years of his life. He is known for his writings on theology and polemics against heretical movements. St. john is also known for his extensive writings on the Assumption of Mary and is referred to as the Doctor of the Assumption. He died in 750.
Church History Book Haul
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As I often mention, Church history is a subject that is extremely important to a Christian apologist. Many apologists don’t understand its value. They believe that since the Bible is the word of God and Church history is not divine, we should focus wholly or almost wholly on scripture. I agree that scripture is the priority and that is why I try to spend two hours each day studying scripture but Church history is the second most important area to study.
Church Fathers….Which Church Fathers?
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Fathers of the Church
People often wonder what Church fathers to read. That’s a very important question since the Church fathers were the ones that formed the faith in the early centuries and fought many heresies. As stated on previous posts, I like focusing on primary sources when I read Church history in contrast to people like Dr. James White. What I’m trying to say is that we need to read the Church fathers.
The Importance Of Knowing Church History
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Church History Books
Protestant apologist James White always claims that he teaches Church history. Listening to his show and his debates shows that he doesn’t know the subject as well as he thinks. In 2000 White debated Robert Sungenis on whether the Catholic Mass is Biblical and Ancient. Sungenis was quoting Church fathers while James White was quoting Philip Schaff, Jaroslav Pelikan, JND Kelly and other modern Protestant historians.
St. Francis And The True Spirit Of Assisi
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St. Francis of Assisi
A couple of years ago, I was reading a set of homilies by St. Francis de Sales bound into one volume. The preface of this volume was written by Cardinal Carberry on May 31, 1985. In the preface he wrote:
There Is No Contradiction On Baptismal Instruction In The New Testament
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St. John The Baptist
A common criticism leveled against the New Testament is that it gives the reader contradictory instructions on Baptism. This is often used by atheists and Muslims. The two instructions are baptism in the name of Jesus or baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The second one comes from the lips of Christ Himself.
The Feast Of St. Robert Bellarmine
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St. Robert Bellarmine
Today is the feast of St. Robert Bellarmine. In my opinion he is the greatest Christian thinker, Biblical scholar, apologist, and theologian in the last 500 years. I would also say that he is the second greatest Christian theologian of all time after St. Thomas Aquinas. In other words, better than St. Augustine of Hippo, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He was born in 1542 when the Protestant “reformation” was in full swing. He eventually became a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and participated in three papal conclaves. He is a canonized Saint and a Doctor of the Church. There are only 36 Catholics who hold the title Doctor of the Church and it is only reserved for the greatest theologians.
Shabir Ally And The Resurrection Of Christ
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The Crucifixion Of Our Lord
Recently there was a debate between Protestant apologist Mike Licona and Islamic apologist Shabir Ally. The proposition was Jesus: Resurrected or Rescued. While Licona was defending resurrection, Ally was defending what is known as swoon theory. Classical Islam has traditionally stated that Jesus was never crucified but that someone was meant to look crucified in his place. This comes from the Quranic verse Surah 4:157 which reads:
Islamic Apologetics And The Majority of Scholars
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The Sanhedrin – The Majority Of Scholars That Rejected Christ
According to the majority of scholars….The majority of scholars say…..Most scholars have concluded….
Ever heard these lines before when dealing with Islamic apologists? I certainly have. To Islamic apologists, this argument carries a lot of weight. However, they’ll only pull out the “majority of scholars” when it backs up their position. Since I have written on this inconsistency in the past, I won’t repeat it here. I want to touch on how to confront these arguments head on.