Did Calvin Advocate Praying To Or For The Dead?
Sometimes one of the most helpful ways to consider why we accept or reject claims of Protestantism or Catholicism is to step outside of the argument. There is so much heat and emotion that covers these issues, that it’s very helpful to go back to the basics and read the earliest debates. I’ve found this helpful in particular instances: there is the letter from Martin Luther to Pope Leo X whi

Where Did You Get That Halo?
There is a general presumption that the religious art seen in churches of the Apostolic Tradition inevitably leads one to idolatry. There are times when I still am overwhelmed by the beauty of the religious art which adorns the sanctuaries and naves of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But if icons and the like are truly “windows into heaven”, it is not surprising that some amount of emotion and awe is invoked. At times (as mentioned in a previous

But is There a Practical Difference in Solo and Sola?
In the recent discussion following Bryan and Neal’s article, which demonstrated that there was no principled difference between solo and sola scriptura, one guest conceded that there might not be a principled difference between the two, but there was a practical difference. That claim was addressed, but perhaps insufficiently, and I think it’s an idea worth discussing. If there is no principled difference between a position known to be false and a putatively true position, can there be a practical difference between them, and if so, does that justify one in holding the latter position instead of seeking a new position with a principled difference between i

On Skepticism and Humility
The proud man, says C.S. Lewis, cannot see God because he is always looking down his nose at things and people, and so long as you are looking down, you cannot see what is above you.  We can never let ourselves forget that in this on-going search for truth, the truth will always remain above us.  We must approach the truth as children ready to be transformed by and conformed to something greater than ourselves and not as aggressors.  We do not conquer the truth; if we seek it rightly, it will conquer us. Catholic Christianity is something far too big for us to grasp, much less command.  I believe it was Chesterton who said that Paganism was the biggest thing the w

A Grammar of Conversion, and a Conversation
There were all kinds of doctrines that I already believed before coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. Many of these were things that the Catholic Church taught. Some of them, however, were not taught by the Catholic Church. And some of my beliefs were contradicted by the Catholic Church. Of course, the similarities between some of my own beliefs and some of the (putatively) infallible teachings of the Catholic Church rendered me better disposed to admit that there is truth and goodness in that Church. I even drew epistemic consolation from the fact that some of my most cherished and firmly held convictions were thus sanctioned by the Catholic Church, e