Replies

"We read the NT and treat it as authoritative precisely because it comes ultimately from the Apostles, who were appointed and entrusted with the authority to represent Christ."

Maybe in your church. In my church we recognize the Bible as the inerrant word of God.
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"Protestants cannot explain the fact that the early Church, spread all over the known world, held to the same Catholic faith."

You should reread your history and look for objective sources outside your church. Your just wrong. Why isn't Tertullian a St. in your church?

You should reread your history and look for objective sources outside your church.

I have an M.Div. from a Protestant seminary. Do you have any other ad hominems for me?

Your just wrong.

Nothing like begging the question. Show me one church in the first three centuries that did not have a bishop.

Why isn't Tertullian a St. in your church?

Later in his life, Tertullian became a Montanist.

-A8

"Protestants cannot explain the fact that the early Church, spread all over the known world, held to the same Catholic faith."

Well, Protestants are Catholics that left the Catholic church for one reason or another...But as far as I can see, they're still Catholic...

But you didn't mention that Constantine basically joined your church with the Pagan worshippers of Diana when he took charge...That's the group that worshipped the Queen of Heaven...That's why you celebrate Jesus' birthday on the winter solstace, the worship of the Sun God...

It's a matter of your same history that your church burned as many copies of scripture that didn't line up with your church as they could find...And killing many 'heretics' in the process...

But the fact is, a lot of these groups survived the onslaught by Rome...And they grew and branched out...And they made copy after copy of the scriptures and passed than on, to be copied some more...

And bucketloads of manuscripts survived that were passed on to different groups dating from around 4 AD and for hundreds of years to follow...

These make up the majority of manuscripts that the King James bible was created from...Your church didn't invent, or create, or write the bible I use...There's no connection between my bible and your church...