Did Peter Really Deny His Own Authority?
Some Protestants challenge the Catholic claim of Peter’s headship by appealing to 1 Peter 5:1, where St. Peter refers to himself as “a fellow elder.” They argue that if Peter is a fellow elder, then he must not have had the superior authority that Catholics say he...
What is Beatification?
There is a buzz in the air about the newly declared “Blessed” Fulton J. Sheen. He is no longer “Venerable.” Yet he is not declared “Saint.” What in the world? Please explain! Sure thing! Before Thursday’s beatification (the ecclesiastical act by which the Church...
God Loves Us. He Doesn’t Owe Us.
Some atheists think God’s existence and the presence of evil in the world are logically incompatible. The reasoning goes like this: if God were all-powerful and all-good, as classical theists say, then surely he would eliminate evil and not permit it. But evil is...
A Miracle that Proves the Bible
Is the Gospel portrait of Jesus as a healer merely the stuff of legend, or is it rooted in history? The account of his cure of the centurion’s servant (Matt. 8:5-13, Luke 7:5-10, John 4:46-54) strongly points toward the latter. Let’s examine the evidence. Right from...
No Pope in the First Century?
Some Christians argue that there was no single bishop who governed the Church of Rome in the first and early to mid-second century. They assert this historical claim as a challenge to the early papacy because the Catholic claim concerning the papacy involves Peter’s...
Justification: Declaration or Transformation?
One of the major divides among Christians is their view of justification. Some understand justification as merely a declaration by God that we are just—regardless of our interior state of holiness. Others, like Catholics, view justification as being rooted in our...
Baptism is the New Circumcision
When it comes to infant baptism, Colossians 2:11-12 is a go-to text. But some Protestants aren’t convinced. So what’s their hang-up? Let’s take a look. We’ll start with the text itself. There, Paul teaches that baptism is the New Testament fulfillment of circumcision....
Can We Trust the Gospel Portrait of Jesus, “Healer of Paralytics”?
central characteristic of the Gospel portrait of Jesus is that he is a healer. For instance, the Gospel stories focus on Jesus healing paralytics. But are these accounts worthy of belief? Should we take them as history or legend? Let’s take a look. There are two...
Jesus Says, ‘Chew and Gnaw My Flesh’
Catholics, along with other Christians, argue that Jesus’ body and blood must be present in the Eucharist because in John 6, Jesus commanded us to eat his flesh and drink his blood. And he meant it literally. But some Christians argue that Catholics overlook a key...
The Wine is Jesus’ Blood
Conversations among Catholics and Protestants concerning Jesus’ words at the Last Supper usually involves Catholics giving arguments for a literal interpretation and Protestants simply countering. But Protestant apologist James White gives his own positive line of...