This is where I show you some of the highlights of my blog, in case you’re new to the road or are just passing through.

First, a word of introduction about me.

Important Paths

These are posts that sum up what my blog is about.

• Signposts — My account of the journey so far, and the many signposts and heralds that have led the way here.
• Affinities — Posts about the things that have drawn me to the Catholic Church.
• Apologia — My defenses of the Catholic faith, attempting to teach and explain to a Protestant audience oft-misunderstood and maligned Catholic doctrines.
• Sacraments — My studies of the Sacraments of the Church.
• Theology — My explorations of both Catholic and Protestant theology.
• Quotations — I’m building a collection of valuable quotes from authors I’ve read, and especially important proof texts in early Christian writers for the foundations of the Church.
• Scripture — Scripture studies or considerations of Scripture.

My Favorite Posts

These are a few of my personal picks, my favorite things I’ve written about here.

St. Peter and the Papacy

• The Tomb, Grave, and Bones of St. Peter — A three-part, in-depth examination of the the tomb of St. Peter under St. Peter’s Basilica on the Vatican in Rome, its archaeological excavations in the 1940s, and the provenance of the relics discovered there believed to be St. Peter’s.
• Early Testimonies to St. Peter’s Ministry in Rome — A collection of historical testimony demonstrating the universal belief of the Early Church that St. Peter was leader of the Church in Rome and died there.
• On this Rock: An Analysis of Matthew 16:18 in the Greek — An explication of this critical verse in the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus proclaims the foundation of the Church.
• A Biblical Argument for the Authority of the Papacy — An exposition from Scripture of why we believe the Apostles, and in particular, had authority that descends to their successors today.
• The Pope’s Holiness and Infallibility — An explanation and clarification regarding why we call the pope the “Holy Father” and what we believe about papal infallibility.
• Some Answers to Common Protestant Objections to Peter’s Ministry as Bishop of Rome — Some answers to objections I’ve commonly heard from Protestant critics regarding St. Peter and the papacy.

Justification

• Salvation by Grace Alone — I demonstrate that the Catholic Church does not teach “salvation by works” or “works’ righteousness.”
• Faith and Love — A step forward in my understanding of the Catholic theology of justification: Not “faith plus works,” but “faith and love.”
• Work out your own salvation: The Apostle Paul, William Tyndale, and the leaven of a phrase — An explication of a well-known Pauline passage, and a reflection on its history in translation.
• The Doctrine of Justification: Augustine is Catholic — An examination of Alister McGrath’s chapter on Augustine’s doctrine of justification in Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification. (This is meant to be continued, to discuss the rest of the story: why McGrath thinks Augustine might have been wrong and Protestants right — but I haven’t continued it yet.)

Tradition and Authority

• What Sacred Tradition Is and Is Not: Answers to Some Common Misconceptions — 7 points about which doubtful Protestants might have mistaken ideas with regard to the Catholic Church’s Sacred Tradition.
• Semper reformanda: The Continuity of Vatican II with Catholic Tradition — My conclusions about the Second Vatican Council, what it did, what it said, and what it meant for Catholic tradition, after a brilliant lecture in RCIA.
• Tradition and Authority and Another Analogy for Church Authority — My reflections on the importance of the teaching authority of the Church.
• Sola Scriptura and Sacred Tradition, By Scripture Alone; Alone with Scripture, and Tradition and Biblical Interpretation — I take sola scriptura to task.
• Defending Sola Scriptura: A Challenge — A holding of Protestants to account for the doctrine of sola scriptura: some questions that demand to be answered for any thorough defense; a challenge that has yet gone unanswered.
• A Note on “Hebrew Roots” or “Messianic” Christianity — A thought on my concerns about the “Hebrew Roots” movement — its rejection of history and tradition.

Catholic Doctrine

• St. Ignatius of Antioch, Witness of the Early Church, and Three Important Lessons He Can Teach Us — St. Ignatius’s testimony to the historic doctrines of the Church: the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the power of the bishop, and the canon of Scripture.
• St. Augustine on How to Divide the Ten Commandments: Did Catholics “Change” the Ten Commandments? — An answer to the common (and empty) anti-Catholic charge that Catholics “changed the Ten Commandments” or “left out the Second Commandment” regarding idolatry — going straight to the source, the authoritative voice of St. Augustine.
• What is a Saint? An Introduction for Protestants — An explanation of Catholic veneration of saints — a brief FAQ for Protestants.
• A Scriptural Defense of the Saints in Heaven — A further scriptural exposition of the idea of saints in heaven, in answer to the charge that Catholics “pray to the dead” (“necromancy”) in opposition to scriptural precepts.
• Bishops and Priests — I delve into etymology, Bible translations, and history to discover the origins of the Early Church offices of bishop, priest, and deacon.
• Too Many Jameses: Untangling Jesus’s Family and Friends — A fun piece delving into the notions of Catholic theologians in trying to identify and connect Jesus’s associates — with some implications for belief in the Perpetual Virginity of Mary.
• “Let him be Anathema”: Not what many Protestants think it means — An answer to the often-repeated charge from Protestants that the Catholic Church “anathematized” Protestants — what that really means: the doctrine of excommunication, a disciplinary measure and not an eternal condemnation.
• Indulgences: It’s about Healing and Indulgences: Gift of the Martyrs — An introduction to the doctrine of indulgences, its true implications and its visible roots in the Early Church.

The Sacraments

• The Real Presence — Early evidences of the Church’s belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist in the first and second centuries.
• Whatever Happened to the Eucharist? Why Don’t Evangelical Protestants Celebrate It? — A musing on why so many Evangelical Protestants today neglect the celebration of the Eucharist, the source and center of our faith both now and in the Apostolic Church.
• An Exposition of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist in John 6, and a Common Protestant Rejoinder — A close examination of the doctrine of the Real Presence as revealed in Jesus’s Bread of Life discourse, and why the most common Protestant deflection doesn’t work.
• Does Baptism Regenerate? A Look at the Times It Didn’t — One of my favorite Scripture studies that I’ve written, focusing on three incidents commonly used as objections to the sacramentality of Baptism. Part of my ongoing series on Baptism in Depth.
• The Sacrament of Confirmation: Sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit and The Sacrament of Confirmation in Scripture and the Church Fathers — An introduction to the Sacrament of Confirmation.
• Sacraments and “Works”: Where Protestants Get It Wrong — A realization about why Protestants misunderstand and reject the Sacraments.

The Blessed Virgin Mary

• Mary and the Living Tradition of the Church — A sound address to a Protestant friend on each of the major Marian dogmata, and why we believe them: because the living tradition of the Church has held them the earliest times.
• Some light for Christmas on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary — A reflection on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary: why Catholics believe in it, and some of its evidences in Scripture.
• Going to the source: Some light on the Assumption of Mary from Munificentissimus Deus — A reflection on the Assumption of Mary from Munificentissimus Deus, the 1950 Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII which declared the Assumption a dogma — going to its apostolic roots, and demonstrating that it is not an “invention” but an element of received Revelation.

Ecumenism and Reunification

• The Same Gospel: A Plea to Bible Christians — A heartfelt plea and a case for Catholics believing the same Gospel as Protestants.
• Why Protestants Should Care — Something of a manifesto to my Protestant readers about why it might be worthwhile to read my blog.
• The Onus of Reunification — Another manifesto, for why all Christians should strive to reunify all branches of the Body of Christ.
• Saved by Faith: A Modest Proposal for Protestants — A suggestion of how Catholics and Protestants can agree to disagree regarding justification: how, even holding to one’s position, the other might still be saved. (In particular, this is an answer to the common Reformed charge that “sola fide is the gospel,” and Catholics are therefore apostate.)

My Story

• Why I am a Catholic: The Short Version — Probably the shortest, most succinct account you’ll ever read of why I became Catholic.
• The Passion of the Lord and Emotion and the Leap of Faith — Two exultant posts I made during Holy Week, immediately before and immediately after entering the Church.
• A Musical Journey — My account of discovering the Church through liturgy and classical music.
• The Damascus Road — The most crucial juncture of my testimony — the moment when God stopped me in the road and turned me around.
• Resurrection Chapel: Or, God Makes a Home for the Lonely

— The joyous discovery of my the parish that is now my family.

Most Popular Posts (by total views, last updated November 7, 2013)

1. The Bones of St. Peter
2. The Tomb of St. Peter
3. The Grave of St. Peter
4. Whatever Happened to the Eucharist? Why Don’t Evangelical Protestants Celebrate It?
5. The First Roman Martyrs
6. The Sacrament of Confirmation and Protestants: Profession of Faith or Pentecostal Fire?
7. Eat my flesh and drink my blood: A crucial Gospel passage, the Catholic Eucharist, and bad Protestant commentary
8. Work out your own salvation: The Apostle Paul, William Tyndale, and the leaven of a phrase
9. The Damascus Road
10. “Let him be Anathema”: Not what many Protestants think it means
11. The Veneration of Mary: An Introduction for Protestants
12. Amazing Grace: Saved a wretch like me? The Catholic Church and total depravity
13. The Sacrament of Confirmation: Sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit
14. St. Augustine on How to Divide the Ten Commandments: Did Catholics “Change” the Ten Commandments?
15. Indulgences: It’s about healing
16. The Assumption of Mary: Scriptures and texts
17. Too Many Jameses: Untangling Jesus’s Family and Friends
18. Semper reformanda: The Continuity of Vatican II with Catholic Tradition
19. The Eternal City
20. On this Rock: An Analysis of Matthew 16:18 in the Greek
21. The Wilderness
22. Justification by faith alone, or what? What do Protestants think Catholics believe?
23. Why I am A Catholic: The Short Version
24. Seeing the Pope
25. Why I am not a “Roman” Catholic
26. St. Ignatius of Antioch on the Episcopacy
27. The Sacrament of Confirmation in Scripture and the Church Fathers
28. Mary and the Living Tradition of the Church
29. The Baptist View of Baptism: Symbol or Sacrament? (Baptism in Depth)
30. The Same Gospel: A Plea to Bible Christians

A new, automatically updating list beginning February 19, 2018:

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