St. Augustine of Hippo One of the fundamentally differing premises between Catholicism and Protestantism, was the doctrine of the human will. Where Catholics argued that the will was weakened by original sin, but free to do good or evil, Protestants argued that the will was free only to choose between sins; free only to do evil. Here's a quotation from John Calvin's "The … [Read more...]
Andrew the Reprobate – Why I can never be a Humanist
Although I've read and continue to read alot of the pagan philosophers (Aristotle, Plato, etc) and the Enlightenment thinkers (Tom Paine, Gibbon, Rousseau, etc) I have to say that there's one reason I cannot be a Humanist in the modern sense of the word. I absolutely disagree with the idea that man is inherently good or even neutral. In the words of the genius Karl Barth "Man … [Read more...]
Jansenism Pt. 2 and Emphasis in Theology
Emphasis is important in theology. A church can believe in a doctrine but not emphasize it over a period of time. An example is 'sola gratia' - grace alone. Dr. R.C. Sproul is a very honest Reformed theologian and he says in his book "Faith Alone" that the Catholic Church has always fought to maintain that salvation is by the grace of God alone (though obviously not by faith … [Read more...]
Why I cannot be a Protestant Christian (Part 1): Authority
I'm not doing this to be bitter or angry, Jared Nelson has advanced my faith probably more than any Christian I've ever met before, and I'm sure he'll have alot less purgatory time than I (barring indulgences) *joke. But in reading some of his latest posts I've realized that in the same way that he could never be a Roman Catholic I could never be a Protestant.Sola Scriptura as … [Read more...]
Dinner Table In Heaven
So I made a new banner for this blog, and I was just thinking, if I had one wish when I got to Heaven, it's that I'd get to sit at a table for dinner one night (if there is food, and night) with Ravi Zacharias, St. Augustine, St. Paul, John Wesley, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. They're my heroes, and have contributed so much to my faith. I also hope Philip, Jared, and I … [Read more...]