A Protestant Bible Bind
Protestants often criticize Catholics for relying on Sacred Tradition for certain beliefs, like Mary’s bodily assumption. But Protestants rely on Sacred Tradition for some of their beliefs as well, even though they do so unknowingly. Take, for example, the belief that...
When Paul Does Your Homework for you!
Luke 1:43, where Elizabeth proclaims Mary as the “Mother of my Lord,” is usually the go-to biblical text for defending Mary “Mother of God.” But did you know there’s another text that we can appeal to? It’s Galatians 4:4. There, Paul writes, “When the time had fully...
The Problem with ‘God Punished Jesus’
Did God the Father punish Jesus on the cross? Some Christians say, “Yes.” For example, the late Reformed theologian R.C. Sproul, in his 1985 book The Holiness of God, writes, “[Jesus] was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God” (emphasis added). Sproul isn’t...
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,...