Why Bother Sending Gabriel?
For many believers in the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity, the exchange between Gabriel and Mary in Luke 1:28-35 is positive evidence that at least lends credence to the belief that Mary was a perpetual virgin. Most focus on Mary’s response to Gabriel’s...
Protestants Against Mom
The belief that Mary is the mother of God is not unique to Catholicism. The vast majority of Christians (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutherans, and Anglicans) accept this dogma, with only a minority in the Protestant community objecting. One text appealed to...
Protestants Reign on the Catholic Parade
Catholics believe we will be judged based on our works. And there’s no better argument for this belief than one that appeals to Jesus’ teaching about judgment in Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the sheep and the goats. The difference between the sheep and the goats...
A Protestant Counter to the Biblical Case for Purgatory
When it comes to biblical evidence for Purgatory, Catholics know to turn to 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. There, Paul writes, For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any one builds on the foundation with gold, silver,...
Mary, Mother of Whom?
Christians who believe that Mary is the mother of God often employ a three-step argument that runs as follows: P1: Mary is the mother of Jesus. P2: Jesus is God. C: Therefore, Mary is the mother of God. It’s as simple as that, right? Some Protestants say, “Not quite!”...
An Acorn for Atheists
We all know from experience that an acorn develops into an oak tree. It’s as if the mature oak shapes or molds the acorn’s growing activity, influencing the acorn to act in one way rather than some other way—say, developing into a banana tree. And the fact that an...
God Gives Grace However He Pleases
Some Protestants argue against the Catholic belief that grace is given through the sacraments, saying that this takes away from God being the giver of such grace, thereby usurping the glory and sovereignty of God. If it’s the sacraments that give grace, so they argue,...
How Can the Saints Hear a Million Prayers?
The Catholic practice of invoking the intercession of the saints assumes that the souls in heaven can know our interior thoughts. But for some Protestants, this is a problem, because it attributes to the saints a power that the Bible says belongs to God alone. In 2...
Did Mary Break the Rules of Heaven?
If there’s one thing Catholics and Protestants can agree on, it’s that whatever we believe can’t contradict Scripture. But some Protestants think the Catholic belief in Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven contradicts John 3:13. There, Jesus says, “No one has ascended...
Why Not Just Go Straight to Jesus
When talking about the Catholic practice of asking the saints to pray for us, a question arises from both Catholics and Protestants: “Why seek the help of saints when we can go straight to Jesus?” Protestants often pose this question as an objection. For Catholics,...