Tag: Eastern Orthodox

  • The Gospel: Defined and Defended

    Background If you ask many people, who espouse Christ and go to church every week, just what is the gospel you will get various responses. Some will say being a “good person” is the gospel. Roman Catholics may say the gospel is that Jesus died for us and is present in a real way in…

  • Mary Deconstructed: Mariology or Mariolatry?

    I’ve seen numerous times on Facebook, Catholics and Orthodox more vigorously and passionately defend their Marian beliefs than they do Christ’s divinity. The emphasis is always on Mary! There are Marian processions with thousands of people carrying a statue of Mary through the streets, there are numerous statues of Mary that people bow to and…

  • The Supreme & Critical Importance of Sola Scriptura

    The more I carefully and closely examine Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologies, the more problems and outright error I find. These theologies were 100% man made. Reformed theology alone is derived directly and solely from Scripture. The Roman Catholics and Orthodox are the blind leading the blind, tossing and drifting alone on the sea…

  • A Critical Examination of Sacramental Theology: Another Gospel?

    The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches both have 7 sacraments, they are roughly the same. The 7 Sacraments celebrated in the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Contemporary Orthodox catechisms and textbooks all affirm that the church recognizes seven mystēria (“sacraments”): baptism, chrismation, Communion, holy…

  • The Lost Generations: Christians in America to Become a Minority by 2070

    The Problem I’ve noticed recently some polling showing that young people aged 18-25 are leaving the faith they were raised in record droves! These young apostates are the Millennials and Gen-Z’ers. Some Context Let’s be frank, the real issue here is not that these churches (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant) didn’t have a good enough youth…

  • Sola Scriptura: Defined and Defended – A Study in Authority Structures

    Background Sola Scriptura, Latin for Scripture Alone, is part of the 5 Solas of the Protestant Reformation. They are a cornerstone of Reformed theology. Sola Scriptura simply means that Scripture is our highest authority in matters of faith and morals. As this statement implies, there are other lesser authorities, but they are always subordinate to…

  • Mary and Joseph had sex

    Joseph and Mary had sex after Jesus was born. Scripture says so. There is no biblical evidence for the perpetual virginity of Mary. It is an ad hoc Catholic and Orthodox dogma alien to Scripture. The Bible mentions Jesus’ brothers and sisters! When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord…

  • The One True Church

    I often hear Catholics and Orthodox say they are the oldest churches and can trace through apostolic succession their churches back to 33 AD. I posit that what is most important is having the correct doctrine. Men are fallible and can make mistakes. Once a church is institutionalized correcting those mistakes becomes very difficult, if…

  • Women in the Early Church

    Background Orthodox Metropolitan Kallistos Ware describes his view, on the possible ordination of women in the Orthodox church below: Thankfully, most Orthodox oppose the practice and see it absent in church tradition, and the writing of the Church fathers. Kallistos is a theological liberal who has taken up many heresies over the years. This video…

  • Early Church Fathers and the question of authority

    As I see it, Scripture confers no special status to the so-called Early Church Fathers. As such their theological opinions should be judged against the Scriptures and they should not be given substantial weight when interpreting Scripture. They were closer to the Apostolic age and may well have some insights into certain matters, but their…