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History and Religion

2026-06-06T00:51:51-04:00

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.

Bible vs. Faith Alone: 2 Thessalonians 2:13

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:51 am By Dave Armstrong

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2 Thessalonians 2:13 (RSV) . . . God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Protestantism formally separated sanctification from justification in a way contrary to the Bible. Justification saves through faith alone, according to their view. Sanctification and good works, on the other hand, are definitely encouraged and regarded as necessary in the Christian life, but are not a cause of either justification or salvation; only God’s grace... Read more

Salvation & Justification

2 Thessalonians 2:13

faith & works

Faith Alone

Protestant soteriology

sanctification

Sola Fide

2024-07-10T19:05:20-04:00

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.

Luther: “All” Lutherans “Indulge” in “License” & “Vices”

Last updated on: July 10, 2024 at 7:05 pm By Dave Armstrong

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+ Luther’s ignoring of the biblical motif of “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16) The following is drawn from The Interpretation of the Second Psalm (March 1532), derived from the transcription of the “indefatigable scribe” Georg Rörer (1492-1557), possibly also from the notes of Veit Dietrich (1506-1549), who prepared it for publication in 1546 (see the Introduction in Luther’s Works, Vol. 12, viii). Since it is included in a set called Luther’s Works, the editors evidently concluded... Read more

Martin Luther

corruption of early Lutheranism

You will know them by their fruits

2026-06-06T00:04:17-04:00

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.

Luther Feared Lutherans “Even Worse Than Papists”

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:04 am By Dave Armstrong

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From Martin Luther’s Thirty-Second Sermon, on Matthew 23:14, preached sometime “after March 27 and before September 25, 1538” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 68 [2014], 168-173): Now people do not give anything at all when the Gospel is being preached and people can pray correctly. Now they can find a pastor who does more than all the pope’s bishops, but they give him only about ten gulden. No one wants to give now, and if we did not have the stolen property of... Read more

Martin Luther

early Lutheranism

James Swan

Luther scolding his congregation

Luther sermons

Martin Luther

nominal early Lutheranism

2024-07-10T00:26:50-04:00

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.

1 Esdras, Trent, the Canon, & James Swan

Last updated on: July 10, 2024 at 12:26 am By Dave Armstrong

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Anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant apologist James Swan is again trying to make polemical and rhetorical hay out of a supposed dispute between myself and a fellow Catholic lay apologist; in this instance, my very good friend, Gary Michuta. He calls this post, “Why the Canon Is Closed According to Roman Catholic Apologists, and Why the Canon is Not Closed According to Roman Catholic Apologists” (3-14-12). Here is most of it: You can’t make this stuff up: The Canon is closed: “Scripture... Read more

2024-07-08T09:50:11-04:00

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 the Onan Story About Contraception?

Last updated on: July 8, 2024 at 9:50 am By Dave Armstrong

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In his article, “Roman Catholic Confusion on Contraception in the Bible” (3-15-12), anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant apologist James Swan observed: You can’t make this stuff up: Genesis 38 is about contraception: Bottom line is that God killed Onan for some reason. The only plausible reason we have from the text itself is contraception. A straightforward reading of the text lends itself readily to that interpretation (though not absolutely of logical necessity).[source] Genesis 38 is not about contraception: “In the case of... Read more

Anti-Catholicism

Life Issues

Calvin & contraception

contraception

Humane Vitae

Luther & contraception

Onan & Contraception

procreation

2024-07-06T11:26:25-04:00

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.

SCOTUS Decision on Homelessness: Highlights

Last updated on: July 6, 2024 at 11:26 am By Dave Armstrong

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The decision in the case, City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson Et Al was written by Justice Gorsuch, joined by the other five legally “conservative” Justices. Note that it wasn’t the Supreme Court’s task to solve the problem of homelessness. It simply overturned a lower court ruling that disallowed enforcement of the prohibition of ongoing occupation of public property. Justice Gorsuch explains why such a prohibition actually helps the homeless, rather than harm them. I won’t bother to add... Read more

Political & Ethical & Moral Issues

City of Grants Pass Oregon v. Johnson et al

Justice Gorsuch

SCOTUS

SCOTUS decision on homelessness

Supreme Court

Trespassing on public streets

2026-06-06T00:51:51-04:00

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.

James Swan is Clueless Re Purgatory & Development

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:51 am By Dave Armstrong

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Anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant polemicist James Swan (his words in blue below) is up to his old tricks again. This time, he attempts to cynically draw a line between Catholic scholars and lay Catholic apologists (including myself). His argument is that all we apologists do is dogmatically assert with insufficient reason that 2 Maccabees 12:41-46 self-evidently asserts purgatory in its full developed dogmatic meaning or proves that doctrine, whereas Catholic scholars (he provides the example of noted Franciscan theologian and Bonaventure... Read more

Anti-Catholicism

Development of Doctrine

Saints & Purgatory & Penance

2 Maccabees 12:39-46

afterlife

development of doctrine

development of purgatory

James Swan

purgatory & development

2026-06-06T00:51:51-04:00

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.

Sola Scriptura: Reply #2 to Keith Mathison

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:51 am By Dave Armstrong

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Presbyterian Keith A. Mathison (M.A. Reformed Theological Seminary; Ph.D. Whitefield Theological Seminary) is the author of The Shape of Sola Scriptura (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2001): a book that many Protestants and Catholics alike believe to be the best recent defense of sola Scriptura. In 2012, I wrote a reply-article, “Solo” Scriptura vs. Sola Scriptura: Reply to Keith Mathison, which was in response to Keith’s article, “A Critique of the Evangelical Doctrine of Solo Scriptura“ (which in turn was taken from his book: pp. 237-253).... Read more

Bible and Tradition

Bible Only

Keith Mathison

Protestants & the Bible

Rule of Faith

Scripture Alone

Sola Scriptura

2026-06-06T00:04:17-04:00

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.

Works & Salvation: Luther vs. Scripture

Last updated on: June 6, 2026 at 12:04 am By Dave Armstrong

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Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, believed that works played no direct role in salvation or justification. Faith derived from God’s grace is what saves. He also taught at the same time (as I have documented at length) that good works are absolutely necessary in the Christian life, as a verification of authentic faith, and flow out of gratefulness for a justification imputed wholly apart from them. His view is very clear in the following comments, all from one work,... Read more

Martin Luther

Salvation & Justification

Faith Alone

Justification

Luther & faith alone

Protestant soteriology

Salvation

Sola Fide

2024-07-02T16:57:21-04:00

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.

Pelagian Erasmus? (Fr. McSorley’s False Accusations)

Last updated on: July 2, 2024 at 4:57 pm By Dave Armstrong

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Anti-Catholic Reformed Protestant James Swan dug up a book, Catholic Scholars Dialogue With Luther (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1970; edited by Jared Wicks, SJ), and highlighted Harry J. McSorley, C.S.P.’s chapter, “Erasmus versus Luther- Compounding the Reformation Tragedy.” His goal was to “prove” that Erasmus was a Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian (variations of the heresy of “works-salvation”), who supposedly denied the Catholic Church’s official teachings on grace. As usual with Swan and Anything Catholic, he was dead wrong. He cited McSorley... Read more

Anti-Catholicism

Martin Luther

Eramus & Pelagianism

Erasmus & Semi-Pelagianism

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