| History of Dogma, by Adolph Harnack |
The first couple hundred years of Christianity. |
| Development of Doctrine |
Overview of the book, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, by John Henry Cardinal Newman, written in 1878. |
| Doctrinal Development |
I discuss the topic of doctrinal development from a Protestant perspective (but I highlight issues that are typically ignored by Protestants). |
| Sola Scriptura (Bible Only) |
The Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura (scripture only) is unsound and unbiblical.
The Protestant Reformation was based, in part, on the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (scripture alone). I highlight the many side-effects and contradictions which Protestants rarely discuss. |
| Inerrancy of Bible |
Discussion of the doctrine of Inerrancy in the context of the debate between Protestants and Catholics. |
| Faith Alone |
Martin Luther, the first Protestant "Reformer," invented the doctrine of Sola Fide (faith alone). But there are a few obvious problems with this doctrine. |
| Faith vs. Works in Romans |
Martin Luther based the Protestant doctrine of Sola Fide (faith alone) on the book of Romans — but he ignored many passages. |
| Calvinism |
Biblical passages which clearly contradict one or more of these five points of Calvinism. |
| Is Protestant Teaching Unbiblical? |
Is Protestant Teaching Unbiblical? — This article highlights the biblical passages which clearly contradict the doctrine, teaching, and faith of the Protestant denominations. |
| Ignored Verses |
In discussing the Catholic Church with Protestant naysayers of Catholicism I've noticed that they often have selective amnesia — They simply don't address the very biblical verses which strongly support the Catholic view. When I bring these verses to their attention they typically ignore them and present other verses instead. We should consider all verses of the Bible, not just those that support our view. |
| Martin Luther's Teachings |
I highlight the problems and inconsistencies of Martin Luther's teachings using quotes from his own writings. I should note that I consider him to be a great man of God and I enjoy reading his writings (but I do find him to be a bit irascible). |
| Binding and Loosing |
Jesus made some remarkable statements to the Apostles and to Peter in particular, which the Catholic Church uses as the basis for some important, foundational doctrines. |
| Biblical Interpretation: Literal vs. Figurative |
There are clearly many figurative passages in the Bible. But how are we to know which passages are to be interpreted literally and which figuratively? |
| The Trinity |
A real-life example to help in understanding the Trinity. |
| Hell |
Is Hell really eternal torture? |
| Mary in the Bible |
Protestants object to the Catholic doctrines concerning Mary, claiming that these doctrines can not be supported from the Bible. In this article I reference the many biblical passages about Mary and her role in God's plan of salvation. |
| True Catholic Teachings |
I believe that most Catholic dogmas regarding faith and morals are true. |
| The Church Went Bad? |
The church could not have gone bad before the essential doctrines of Christianity were developed. |
| Marian Doctrines |
References from Early Church Fathers |
| The Church Fathers |
In reading the writings of the Church Fathers it is clear that the Catholic Church of today is the same church which Jesus Christ founded through the apostles. |
| Marian Doctrines |
This article discusses the various doctrines of the Catholic Church regarding Mary, the mother of Jesus. |
| The Stages of God's Election |
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate from the Bible that both God and man have roles in the salvation process and to show what these roles are. |
| Justification |
I compare and contrast the Protestant and Catholic views of the topic of justification. All too often neither side understands the views of the other. |
| Hermeneutics |
A seven-article series on the topic of Biblical interpretation. |
| Salvation History |
The Bible, Old and New Testaments, is all about God, salvation, and salvation history. These charts contain the key events in salvation history. |
| Non-essential Doctrines |
Various Christian denominations and faith communities have different opinions and beliefs about many doctrines and practices. |
| How to Select a Church |
My criteria. |
| Essential Doctrines |
A teaching must satisfy certain conditions to be an essential, core Christian truth |
| I Believe |
This article addresses the topic of whether doctrines can be determined from scripture and the writings of the Early Church Fathers without the need to refer to an infallible teaching authority. |
| Doctrines of Church Fathers |
An examination of what the Early Church Fathers wrote about various topics. |
| One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church |
Jesus clearly established a church, a unified church, a holy church, the apostolic church. I discuss this using quotations from the Bible. |
| Doctrines |
Various doctrines such as apostolic succession. The doctrine of apostolic succession is a cornerstone of Catholic teaching. If it's flawed the whole structure collapses. |
| Typology |
In my mind, typology is merely a way to pretend that your interpretation of an Old Testament passage is literal when it is, in fact, allegorical. |
