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So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 According to most Evangelicals, a Christian needs only to believe those teachings found in Scripture (a.k.a. the Bible). For these Christians, there is no need for Apostolic Tradition or an authoritative teaching Church. For them the Bible is sufficient for learning about the faith and living a Christian life. In order to be consistent, they claim that this "By Scripture Alone" (sola Scriptura) teaching is found in Scripture, especially St. Paul's Letters.The passage...

If you read reviews no further than the first paragraph, you need read only this: Buy this book, read it, keep it, set it as required reading for your children. Andrew Roberts has penned a splendid, episodic account of the triumph of the English-speaking peoples in the 20th century, charting not only their political and military victories over Prussian militarism, Nazi tyranny, and blood-stained Bolshevism, but their victories over disease and poverty, their successes in science and technology, and their inherent creativeness, love of liberty, and economic dynamism. It is an inspiring story.   There are brilliant set-piece battles,...

In a surprising departure from protocol, the Queen has sent the Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official of the Royal Household, to see Archbishop Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, to discuss Pope Benedict XVI’s offer to Anglicans wanting to convert to Rome en masse. My source says Her Majesty – who is expected to meet the Pope when he visits Britain this autumn – was “unhappy” about aspects of the scheme as she understood it. So, late last year, she dispatched Lord Peel with a list of questions for the Archbishop. The nature...

Did Martin Luther save the bible from the Roman Catholic Church? Was John Wycliff the first to translate the Bible into the English language in 1382 so the regular-Joe could read the Bible too? Many people answer yes to these questions. The same people also commonly accuse the Catholic Church of things like “hiding the Bible from the people.” And not letting the laity read the Bible for themselves in fear that the people would learn how wickedly warped and un-biblical the teachings of the Catholic Church truly were. So, naturally, for these reasons the Catholic Church kept Bibles...

Crystal Cathedral Laying Off Workers, Selling Property, Canceling "Hour of Power" In Some Markets January 29, 2010 The Crystal Cathedral, the Garden Grove megachurch, is laying off workers, selling surplus property and may be pulling its “Hour of Power” television show from eight markets in the wake of a precipitous drop in contributions. [Updated at 7:40 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said the church was pulling its "Hour of Power" TV show from a dozen markets.] The 7,000-member church has also canceled its “Glory of Easter” pageant, a popular reenactment of the life and death of Jesus Christ,...

Catholic Biblical Apologetics Apologetics without apology! What does the Roman Catholic Church teach about ...? ... and why? This website surveys the origin and development of Roman Catholic Christianity from the period of the apostolic church, through the post-apostolic church and into the conciliar movement. Principal attention is paid to the biblical basis of both doctrine and dogma as well as the role of paradosis (i.e. handing on the truth) in the history of the Church. Particular attention is also paid to the hierarchical founding and succession of leadership throughout the centuries. This is a set of lecture notes...

This is in response to another thread that posted a Politics Daily article that severely misreported what a committee of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote in a letter to the Congress. Follows is the text of the letter. I have noted a couple of items in red that mark the first time I've seen those comments. I am posting this as a separate thread as there are a lot of folks who might have read the Politics Daily article posted but who wouldn't bother to read post #58 in a thread they've already scanned. January 26, 2010...

January 27 Stephanie MannCatholics and the English Reformation Stephanie A. Mann earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English Language and Literature from Wichita State University, after attending the School of the Magdalen and Kapaun-Mount Carmel High School. She has taught English and History classes at Wichita State University and Newman University, RCIA Ministry and Spirituality Core courses at the Spiritual Life Center in the Religious Studies Program, and various topics in the RCIA program at her home parish, Blessed Sacrament. Her other interests include travel, reading and participating in reading groups, walking, White West Highland...

  January 25Dr. Doug Lowry and Kevin Lowry Former Presbyterians

Scott Brown, it turns out, is a symbol not just of public dissatisfaction with the direction of President Obama’s economic policies, but also of the centuries-long religious development of the United States toward greater religious tolerance and open-mindedness. And not just because he is a Protestant elected by Catholics in Massachusetts. Brown is a member of a church affiliated with the Calvinist-rooted Christian Reformed Church in North America. If you go on the website of his congregation, New England Chapel in Franklin, Mass., you will read the following testimony from an attendee: “I have found a home, a family, friends,...

I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you. 1 Corinthians 11:2 Most Protestant Christians believe that the Bible is the only source concerning faith. According to them, there is no need for Apostolic Tradition or an authoritative, teaching Church. All that they need is the Bible in order to learn about the faith and to live a Christian life. The "Bible Alone" teaching can be appealing in its simplicity, but it suffers from fundamental problems. A few are considered here.First the Bible itself states that not everything...

CALGARY, Alberta, January 21, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has revoked the charitable status of Kings Glory Fellowship (KGF), a Christian church in Calgary.  CRA cites a number of issues with KGF's application, but the decision is based, in part, on the ground that certain KGF Board members have spoken out strongly against abortion, and other moral issues."The members of the Board of Directors espouse strong negative views about sensitive and controversial issues, which may also be viewed as political, such as abortion, homosexuality, divorce, etc.,” wrote CRA agent Dian Prodanov in an October 29th letter.These “political”...

Coming Home Network: a Catholic apostolate for converts Marcus Grodi The following quote from a Protestant minister on the "journey home" to the Catholic Church best describes the reason the Coming Home Network International exists:"I am a Protestant minister with a family of five. However, after many years of searching, study, prayer, and at times painful disagreement, my wife and I now know that I must resign from my pastorate so that our family can come home to the Catholic Church. We are not scared. We have been completely broken down and now have nothing to do but trust Him....

Former Protestant Pastor Helps Shepherd Catholic Converts Marcus Grodi's Coming Home Network Focuses on Inquiring Clergy ZANESVILLE, Ohio, OCT. 8, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Every year, about 100 clergy from dozens of denominations make a step toward the Catholic Church by contacting the Coming Home Network International. The network, which has 800-some clergy members who have converted or are still discerning their conversion, connects those inquirers with others from the same background who have converted to Catholicism, and provides them with prayerful, moral and sometimes financial support. Marcus Grodi, who was a Congregationalist and Presbyterian pastor before coming into the Catholic Church...

I have noticed a recent upsurge of the use of virulent anti-Catholic websites be some of our calumnizers and detractors in recent weeks. I know that this is sort of a cyclical thing that never really disappears, but just fades in and out. Anyway, I am wondering if there would be any interest in openly refuting these sites as a caucus. In other words, post the anti-Catholic article from the source and then rip it to shreds. A recent example of such an article that can be easily refuted is ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH PUTS MARY ON THE CROSSI will ping...

Ex-Mistress Says Minister Admitted Killing Wife Angela K. Brown WACO, Texas – A minister drugged his wife, handcuffed her to the bed under the guise of spicing up their marriage, then smothered her with a pillow until she died, his ex-mistress testified Tuesday at his murder trial. Vanessa Bulls [Pic in URL] said Matt Baker, then a Baptist preacher, had talked about killing his wife and making it look like a suicide. His wife, Kari Baker, had previously attempted suicide, Bulls said. Bulls told jurors she did not help Baker plan the murder or participate in it, but she never...

Vatican City, Jan 18, 2010 / 09:10 pm (CNA).- The Holy Father began the Week of prayer for Christian unity as he welcomed an ecumenical delegation from the Lutheran Church of Finland in audience. Their visit was celebrated by the Pope, who expressed his hope that the groups efforts would make headway in restoring "our lost unity." Pope Benedict welcomed the group's 25th annual visit from Finland to celebrate the feast of St. Henrik with gratitude, calling to mind the significant contribution the continuing pilgrimages have made "to strengthening the relations among the Christians" in the Nordic nation. The Holy...

Adult conversion to Catholicism involves more than adding a few new beliefs. It means a whole new world and life view. No ingredient in that new perspective was more of a shock to my old Protestant sensibilities when I became a Catholic than the idea that the God-man is really present in, and not just symbolized by, what appears to be a wafer of bread and a cup of wine. It seemed scandalous! It has ceased to scandalize me, though it has not ceased to amaze me, that Almighty God suffers me to touch him, move him and eat him!...

[H/t NewsBuster P.J. Gladnick.] How panicked is the MSM at the prospect of a Scott Brown victory tomorrow? So much so that Chris Matthews has stooped to seeking to use Scott Brown's Protestant religion against him in heavily Catholic Massachusetts . . . The Hardball host made his despicable pitch during a Morning Joe appearance this morning. View video here.

This was on Christian Campbell's blog: The Anglo CatholicLiving in one of the Casa de Clero in Rome, even for short time, means that despite one’s best efforts one hears gossip. I was a little surprised that three or four Curial officials implied or said outright dealing with the English hierarchy was incredibly difficult, much more difficult than most of the worlds heirarchies. One conversation contained the following rant… “We write gentle letters, they ignore them”. “We insist more strongly, they acknowledge receipt of the letter but we hear nothing more”. “We press for the resolution of a matter, they...