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History and Religion

2021-04-03T13:13:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Problem of Good: More Difficult than Problem of Evil?

Last updated on: April 3, 2021 at 1:13 pm By Dave Armstrong

Atheists love to discuss the problem of evil, which they consider a knockout punch to Christianity: or at least to the notion that God is good and all-powerful. Recently an anti-theist atheist polemicist noted that someone “constructed an annotated bibliography of more than 4,200 philosophical and theological writings on the problem of evil published from 1960 to 1990—nearly one publication every 2½ days, and that is only in English.” They milk it for all it’s worth. And for our part,... Read more

Atheism & Agnosticism

epistemology of atheism

Philosophy of Religion

presuppositions

Problem of evil

problem of good

science & Christianity

scientific materialism

2026-06-06T00:44:19-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is Sola Scriptura Biblical? (vs. Dr. Greg Bahnsen)

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:44 am By Dave Armstrong

[see book and purchase information] According to Wikipedia: Greg L. Bahnsen (September 17, 1948 – December 11, 1995) was an American Calvinist philosopher, apologist, and debater. He was a minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and a full-time Scholar in Residence for the Southern California Center for Christian Studies (SCCCS). He is also considered a contributor to the field of Christian apologetics, as he popularized the presuppositional method of Cornelius Van Til. I am replying to an article, “Is Sola Scriptura a Protestant Concoction?: A Biblical Defense of Sola Scriptura“ by Dr. Bahnsen; transcribed... Read more

Clearness of Scripture

denominations

ecclesiological chaos

theological relativism

2021-03-28T15:11:23-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Weavers (1949-1963) & the New Leftist McCarthyism

Last updated on: March 28, 2021 at 3:11 pm By Dave Armstrong

It’s good once in a while to look back in history, in order to ascertain the pedigree and “background information” on various strains of thought and movements of our present time. It struck me in watching — for about the fifth time — a documentary about the legendary folk music group, The Weavers (called The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time!), how different some things were among those even considered “far left” in the 50s and 60s. The Weavers (Pete Seeger, Lee... Read more

Personal Page

Political & Ethical & Moral Issues

evolution of the left

folk music

Fred Hellerman

House Committee on Un-American Activities

political correctness

2026-06-06T00:44:18-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Papacy & Infallibility: “Keys of the Kingdom”

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:44 am By Dave Armstrong

Chapter Ten of My Bestselling (and Probably Most Well-Known) Book, A Biblical Defense of Catholicism A Biblical Defense of Catholicism (my first book) was completed in May 1996 and “officially” published in June 2003 by Sophia Institute Press. The following is from pages 211-233, 238, minus the final section, Petrine panoply: fifty New Testament proofs for the pre-eminence of St. Peter: which I have long since linked as its own self-contained article. It was published in The Catholic Answer (Jan/Feb. 1997 issue).... Read more

Papacy & Infallibility

A Biblical Defense of Catholicism

papacy & infallibility

2021-03-27T14:35:40-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Catholic Mass as “Idolatry” Reductio ad Absurdum

Last updated on: March 27, 2021 at 2:35 pm By Dave Armstrong

Some Protestants want to claim that the Mass is idolatrous? I could just as easily say (only rhetorically, not actually) that their denial of worship of Jesus in the consecrated host is blasphemy, since they are going against the very essence of the ritual and miracle by denying that He is really there (therefore they refuse worship and maintain that the bread and wine are never transformed). * [excerpt from a Treatise on Transubstantiation that I wrote in 2005] *... Read more

Mass as "idolatry" Mass

Real presence

sacrifice of the mass

transubstantiation

wafer

2026-06-06T00:44:02-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Cardinal Newman’s Premises Re Doctrinal Development

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:44 am By Dave Armstrong

[book and purchase information] Everyone has axioms that they can’t absolutely prove, by definition. That goes for atheist, nominalist, realist, pedestrian, blue-eyed, left-handed moth catcher, everybody. My epistemological position is that nothing can be proven absolutely, in a purely philosophical, logical sense, but that one can have a certitude of faith. I think that would be a supposition common to both Newman and a presuppositionalist. Cardinal Newman’s theory is a helpful paradigm for understanding development, which is only one aspect of Church history. Personally, I... Read more

Development of Doctrine

An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine

development of doctrine

doctrinal development

history of Christian doctrine

history of Christian theology

John henry cardinal newman

John Henry Newman

St. John Henry Newman

2026-06-05T23:58:08-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Loftus Lies #24: David Madison & Atheist Cowardice

Last updated on: June 5, 2026 at 11:58 pm By Dave Armstrong

Atheist author and polemicist John W. Loftus wrote an article entitled, “Dr. David Madison, Debunker Par Excellence!” (3-25-21). His words will be in blue. ***** I’m a big fan of former Methodist minister and biblical scholar Dr. David Madison, who no longer believes. He understands how best to debunk Christianity. Really? I never noticed that. I have refuted his attacks on the Bible and Christianity now 44 times (without a peep in reply) and, frankly, it was always very easy to refute his nonsense: so... Read more

Atheism & Agnosticism

atheist intellectual cowardice

atheist polemics

David Madison

Debunking Christianity

John Loftus

John W. Loftus

Loftus

2026-06-06T00:44:02-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Development of Doctrine: an Exclusively Catholic Concept?

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:44 am By Dave Armstrong

[book and purchase information] Reply to a Protestant apologist’s comments (in blue) on a public discussion board: ***** Do you even comprehend that whether Newman’s theory is seen as “development” or “evolution” largely depends on one’s philosophical presuppositions . . . ? No, because that is a non sequitur. You seem to believe that one’s philosophy almost entirely colors their perceptions of theology, ecclesiology, and Church history. I don’t buy that (not nearly to the extent that you do). I continue... Read more

Development of Doctrine

development of doctrine

doctrinal development

history of Christian doctrine

history of Christian theology

John Henry Newman

2026-06-06T00:44:02-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Pope Francis vs. Same-Sex “Marriage”: The Record

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:44 am By Dave Armstrong

[book and purchase information] All words are those of Pope Francis (both before and during his papacy), except for additional text in blue. ***** 1) In the coming weeks, the Argentine people will face a situation whose outcome can seriously harm the family…At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of their human development given by a father... Read more

Liberal / Modernist Theology

Papacy & Infallibility

Sexuality and Gender Issues

Pope Francis & homosexual marriage

Pope Francis & same-sex couples

Pope Francis & same-sex marriage

sacred tradition

same-sex marriage

Theological Liberalism

2021-03-24T14:28:47-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Did Pope Gelasius (r. 492-496) Deny Transubstantiation?

Last updated on: March 24, 2021 at 2:28 pm By Dave Armstrong

Reformed Protestant apologist Matt Hedges wrote an article entitled, “Documentation for Pope Gelasius’ Denial of Transubstantiation” (3-23-21). In it, he claimed: Here is an interesting quote from Pope Gelasius concerning the nature of the elements of the bread and wine in the Eucharist: “The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, which we receive, is a divine thing, because by it we are made partakers of the divine-nature. Yet the substance or nature of the bread and wine does not... Read more

Development of Doctrine

Eucharist & Liturgy

Fathers of the Church

Papacy & Infallibility

Church fathers

Church fathers & transubstantiation

development of eucharistic doctrine

eucharist

eucharistic sacrifice

Fathers & eucharistic sacrifice

fathers & transubstantiation

Fathers of the Church

history of Catholic liturgy

History of the Mass

liturgy

patristic eucharistic theology

Pope Gelasius

Pope Gelasius & transubstantiation

The Mass

transubstantiation

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