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Book: Biblical Catholic Apologetics: A Collection of Essays

Book: Biblical Catholic Apologetics: A Collection of Essays

Last updated on: July 14, 2026 at 7:01 pm by Dave Armstrong

Book: Biblical Catholic Apologetics: A Collection of Essays 2026-07-14T19:01:44-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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[completed on 22 March 2013: 236 pages; published by Lulu on the same day]

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PURCHASE INFORMATION

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[PAPERBACK: Amazon / Lulu] [PDF + ePUB: $9.99]

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INTRODUCTION

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As anyone who has followed my apologetics work through the years knows (I’ve been published in print since 1993 and online since 1996), I have a great number of posts on my blog (2,483, as of writing). Periodically, I collect many of these and re-read and re-edit them, for use in my books. The previous effort most similar to this volume was More Biblical Evidence for Catholicism (Lulu, 2002), since it included multiple topics: sort of similar to a collection of newspaper articles from political commentators, compiled into a book. Several other books of mine, devoted to one general area, were mostly or wholly composed of existing blog papers as well.

The carefully selected “essays” presented here were originally written and posted on my blog between the years of 2000 and 2013. I consider them to be some of my best: the “cream of the crop” of what has not yet been published in a book. A few have been condensed down from their original dialogue formats. Per the subtitle, I’d like this collection to be more along the lines of essays per se, with less written-out Bible verses: a bit more readable and flowing, so to speak. A good deal of my apologetics writing or research is more for the purpose of reference / documentation rather than “straight reading” .

The 23 chapters will be organized under seven broad topics. In order, they are: 1) Observations on Catholic Apologetics, 2) Bible and Tradition / Rule of Faith, 3) Justification and Salvation, 4) Sacramentalism, 5) Purgatory, 6) Prayer and the Communion of Saints, and 7) The Blessed Virgin Mary.

I make no attempt to be systematic, and no necessary relation exists between one chapter and the next. This is, after all, a collection of diverse articles. But I think each one stands up on its own and has enough specific content and substance to warrant being included. Throughout, I presuppose in readers an above-average interest in apologetics and a certain amount of basic theological knowledge. Some particular chapters may not interest individual readers, and can be skipped over.

As always, my goal is to present writing that is characterized by the “three E’s”: edifying, educational, and enjoyable. By God’s grace, I hope I succeed, and I’d like to thank each reader from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me the privilege of sharing and defending the truths of the Catholic faith. Thanks especially to those who have followed my work for some time, and have purchased and read one or more of my books. You’ll never know how much I appreciate that, but rest assured that I do, very much so. All glory to God!

DEDICATION

For all those who would be greatly blessed and made more confident in their faith, if they could only come into contact with Catholic apologetics. I pray that they will realize this, first of all, and then find the appropriate orthodox Catholic material to read. Knowledge is power. As someone stated, “the heart cannot rejoice in what the mind rejects as false.” Nor can we appreciate and benefit from doctrines that we don’t even yet understand. Apologetics is, therefore, crucial in the attainment and maintenance of a solid and robust faith.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication (p. 3) [read above]

Introduction (p. 5) [read above]

OBSERVATIONS ON CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS

1. Internet Apologetics and Practical Advice Regarding Evangelism (p. 11)

2. A Defense of Lay Catholic Apologetics a la Chesterton and Lewis (p. 39)

BIBLE AND TRADITION / RULE OF FAITH

3. Luther’s Lie: Was the Bible Utterly Obscure Before His Translation? (p. 67)

4. Did St. Athanasius Believe in Sola Scriptura? (p. 79)

5. Does Extensive Use of Biblical Arguments Reduce to Sola Scriptura? (p. 89)

6. Private Judgment vs. Catholic Epistemology (p. 101)

7. Is Private Judgment Inconsistently Applied in Accepting Catholicism? (p. 111)

JUSTIFICATION AND SALVATION

8. Justification is Not by Faith Alone and is Ongoing (p. 119) [read similar and expanded version online]

9. St. Paul’s Use of “Gift” and Infused Justification (p. 129)

SACRAMENTALISM

10. St. Augustine’s Acceptance of Seven Sacraments (p. 139)

11. Sacramentalism, Relics, and the Pious Use of Physical Items in Worship (p. 147)

12. Does the Catholic Mass Re-Sacrifice Jesus? (p. 155)

PURGATORY

13. John Wesley’s View of Purgatory: a Classic Case of Ironic and Inadvertent Approximation of the Very Catholic Teaching Ostensibly Being Opposed (p. 161)

14. Martin Luther’s Assertion That Purgatory is “Quite Plain” in 2 Maccabees (p. 173) [read online]

PRAYER AND THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

15. Biblical Evidence for Prayers of the Righteous Having More Effect and Power (p. 179) [read online]

16.Does the Bible Forbid All “Talking to Dead Men”? Lazarus and the Rich Man as a Counter-Argument (p. 189)

17. “Vain, Repetitious Prayer”: Jesus Illustrates What This Does Not Mean (p. 195)

18. Should we Invoke Mary at Our Death, and Does This Minimize Jesus? (p. 201)

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

19. Catholic Mariology and its Biblical Basis: Reply to a Lutheran Scholar (p. 209) [read original dialogue]

20. The Annunciation: Proof that Mary was Already in a Sublime State of Grace? (p. 219)

21. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary: Argument from the Analogy to “Holy Ground” (p. 223)

22. A Biblical Defense of the “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” Devotion (p. 227)

23. Theosis and God’s Role for the Blessed Virgin Mary (p. 231)

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PURCHASE INFORMATION

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[PAPERBACK: Amazon / Lulu] [PDF + ePUB: $9.99]

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Practical Matters: This is the most comprehensive and multi-faceted Catholic apologetics blog: rated #1 for Christian sites by leading AI tool, ChatGPT. I offer more than 5,000 free online articles, fifty-eight books, and many scores of videos at the Catholic Bible Highlights YouTube channel (please subscribe!). If you believe my full-time apostolate is worth supporting, please seriously consider financially supporting it. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: [email protected]. You’ll see the term “Dave Armstrong Bookstore”. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including Zelle and 100% tax-deductible donations if desired), see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million!

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Last updated on 14 July 2026

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