In my post on icons, I cited Origen as evidence against the early Christian use of icons. The quote below shows that Origen didn’t believe veneration of images to be a Christian practice: [Christians] abhor altars and images on the ground that they are afraid of degrading the worship of God, and reducing it to …
This article is an argument for Anabaptism for those who are confused by endless doctrinal disputes. You may see good things in different Christian denominations, but you also see the holes in the narratives of different sides. So how are you going to pick which Christian denomination you should be a part of? You just …
The essence of Anabaptism, and our most defining belief, is probably the doctrine of the two kingdoms, or the related doctrine of “separation from the world.” Basically all our distinctive beliefs flow from this doctrine, which was also held by the early church up until Constantine. In this article, I will give a defense for …
Two Kingdoms & Separation From the World—a Defense Read More »
One thing that confuses many Christians is the difference between the Old and New Testaments. Is the Old Testament still in effect? How do the books of the Old Testament apply to Christians? Anabaptists believe that the Old Testament is no longer our rule of life. The New Testament supersedes the Old, and Jesus and …
The one major difference between the Roman Catholic Church and all other Christian groups is the Pope. Roman Catholics believe that the bishop of Rome is in charge of the entire Christian church, and that he can never lead the church into doctrinal error. Because of the special grace given to the Pope, the church …
Scripture & Church Fathers Don’t Support the Papacy Read More »
Roman Catholic apologists teach that their doctrine of the Papacy is an apostolic institution, and that church history demonstrates that. They often point to early Christian writings that they believe support their position, and they argue that these writings show that Peter, and each bishop of Rome after him, had supreme authority over all other …
A lot of churches say that they are the One True Church. Each of these churches believes that it alone was founded by Jesus Christ and keeps the Christian faith today. Each believes that all true Christians are (or at least should be) part of their church. This is a big deal. If it’s true …
In the New Testament, you might have noticed that the word “tradition” is used in different ways. For example, Jesus condemns the Jewish religious leaders for holding to their tradition rather than to God’s word (Matt 15:6). On the other hand, Paul tells the Thessalonian church to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you …
In one of their most interesting arguments, Catholic apologists say that Eliakim (steward of the house of David) in the Old Testament prefigures the Papacy in the New Testament. They argue that, if Eliakim held a Pope-like role, and Jesus referenced him when defining Peter’s role, then it would seem that Jesus was giving Peter …
One of the reasons the Roman Catholic Church and some other churches give for believing their authority claims is apostolic succession. In its simplest form, apostolic succession describes church leadership offices or churches themselves that were founded by the apostles and continued through the succeeding generations. However, these churches claim even more for themselves. They …
