Catholicity - Apologetics For Our Time

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ....      Catholics often hear, “That’s not in the Bible!” from non-Catholics.  It is one of the favorite expressions of anti-Catholics, in particular.      But before jumping up in reaction at hearing this, the Catholic should directly ask a deeper question: "Does the Bible itself teach that every Christian belief must be found explicitly in its pages?" THE CLAIM 💬"That’s Not in the Bible.”      Many Protestant Christians argue that if a teaching is not stated clearly and rendered explicity in the Bible, then Christians should not believe it.  This has been their go-to for five centuries, and this idea is called sola scriptura ( Latin for, "by scripture alone").      It  is   most intensely and strictly emphasized by Baptists, non-denominational Evangelicals, Reformed/Presbyterian churches, and the Churches of Christ.      They claim to weigh everything aga...

MYTH #1: The Protestant Reformation Birthed Democracy and Liberty. THE PROPAGANDA SPIN: Luther and Calvin awakened the conscience of man, liberating Europe from monarchy and tyranny. CATHOLIC REALITY:      The main problem here is it just is not true. There is a half truth, in that the Reformation pushed people away from The Church, so they could, "do their own thing."      But one cannot say that the movement singlehandedly made democracy and liberty the new standard. Quite the opposite, in fact - as we shall see. 🟦 The Catholic Defense of Ordered Freedom     It should be recognized that Catholic theology recognizes both the dignity of the individual and the authority of the common good. This never has changed as a source of doctrine, despite the occasional human 'bad actor' in the mix. Gaudium et Spes teaches that true liberty is “freedom from slavery to sin and to self.” (GS §17).     The Church has upheld subsidiarity long befo...