I hope that all of my Canadian followers had lots of turkey on Monday as it was Canadian thanksgiving. My family had our thanksgiving dinner on Sunday so on Monday I was free. I did the three hour drive home and then got ready because I had an interview booked. It was with Catholic apologist Erick Ybarra who blogs at erickybarra.org and is a co-host along with Michael Lofton on Reason and Theology.
Category Archives: Church History
Dr. E. Michael Jones vs. Dr. James White on the Reformation
by
The remains of Glastonbury Abbey which was looted by Henry VIII and Cromwell in 1539
This post is actually a good follow up to my last post which says that by around the year 1500, the days when a Pope wielded immense political power were long gone. The 16th century was one of Kings, Queens, and Princes. In my interview with Dr. E. Michael Jones he mentioned that the Protestant reformation was a state sponsored looting operation. He has mentioned this before as well.
The Trinity and John 3:16
by
The Baptism of Christ where all three members of the Trinity worked together
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
– John 3:16
Was Islam a Theological Threat to the Church?
by
When Muslims talk about the early Islamic invasions, they often talk about how Monophysites, Jews, and other religious minorities welcomed the Muslims as liberators from the oppressive Roman Empire. When one reads the early sources, they search in vain for references to this event. But how did the Roman Christians get treated?
Muhammad and the Conquest of Constantinople
by
Medina – The city that was never attacked by the Romans
In 1453 the Turkish Ottoman Empire captured the city of Constantinople. For a while Sultan Mehmet actually tried to call himself the Roman Emperor but no one really bought into it. He turned the largest Christian city in the world into the largest Muslim city in the world. No small achievement. If the Romans had held them off, Constantinople would probably look like a Greek Orthodox version of Rome. While Rome has marvelous churches on every block, and magnificent basilicas all over, Constantinople probably looked similar before 1453 AD.
Matthew 16 and Islam
by
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
The above verses are Matthew 16, verses 18 and 19. This has always been the classical proof text for the Catholic view of the Papacy. St. Peter was the first bishop of Rome and therefore his successors carry authority granted to no other bishop.
Muslims are Ashamed of the Early Islamic Conquests
by
Islamic apologist Mohammed Hijab
Part of the Christian faith is something called Just War Theory. Basically there are only certain scenarios when a Christian nation may go to war. This philosophy was largely developed by St. Augustine since there existed Christian governments at his time. It is largely based off of Biblical texts like Luke 14:31 and others.
Islam and the Assumption of Mary
by
Yesterday Catholics around the world celebrated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven to be with her divine Son. This is a doctrine that is often mocked by Protestants like James White. I always say that there isn’t a verse in the Bible that denies this doctrine. Of course that doesn’t mean it’s true, but I always point out that justification by faith alone is word for word condemned in the Bible and therefore its more consistent with Biblical Christianity to believe in the Assumption of Mary into heaven than justification by faith alone. If I ever said this to James White I bet he’d mention the 24 pages of his book on justification(which I’ve read btw) that deals with James.
How the Church Went From Being Greek to Latin Centered
by
Pope Gregory VII
In the early church the two biggest players were the Greek Church and the Latin Church. The Greek Church was larger but the Latin Church was clearly second. I’m aware that there were other churches such as Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian and others. However, these churches were quite small and by the end of the sixth century, most of them had fallen into Monophysitism.
Church Corruption in 16th Century Europe
by
Queen Isabella and King Fernando of Spain
The Protestant Reformation revolved along theological issues. However, church corruption was the spark that set off the theological powder keg. Keep in mind the doctrines that the reformers protested against were nothing new at the time of the 16th century.