Dr Paul Allen

English: Picture of Mary Immaculate in Orthodox Church in Perlez, Vojvodina (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Hail Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus . Holy Mary, mother of God , pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death. Amen. These excerpts from the Rosary are an important dimension of the devotional life of millions of adherents of Roman Catholicism. The first section is taken virtually from Scripture itself, reflecting Elizabeth’s words to Mary on the occasion of Mary’s visit to her during their pregnancies (see article on pp. 8ff.). The second is an appeal to Mary’s intercession for sinners both in the present and at the time of death. In the Rosary, Mary is addressed as the “mother of God.” This title has its roots in the creedal formulations of the ancient church wherein Mary is called Theotokos or “mother of God” (more technically the “bearer of God”). The intent of this formulation was not so much designed t

From October 1962 until December 1965, the Second Vatican Council was held to address the Catholic Church’s relationship to the Modern world (read: update God ’s revelation to deal with the Pill, etc.) The authority of the documents published by this council—known in Catholic shorthand as “Vatican II”—are considered to be on par with Scripture. This would have been an ideal time to rectify some of the issues Luther had with his mother church. But alas Vatican II made the Roman Catholic Church more Roman and less catholic (universal) than ever. To help you decide if Protestantism is outmoded, pertinacious or passé, I offer a few lines from the horse’s own vocal chords for your consideration. Indulgences The section titled, “ Apostolic Constitutions on the Revision of Indulgences” is dated 1 January 1967. This would be the most opportune place to denounce the crass practice of indulgences (manmade ways of expiating sin) which was addressed by Luther’s f

emblem of the Papacy: Triple tiara and keys Français : emblème pontifical Italiano: emblema del Papato Português: Emblema papal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I think Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) and similar efforts to make common cause with Roman Catholics are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of where the Roman Catholic Church is theologically and what it actually teaches. There is no question that the Roman Catholic Church has changed since the sixteenth century.  But the changes have not closed the gap between Rome and Protestantism . Indeed, the differences are greater now. For instance, the formally defined proclamation of the infallibility of the pope and all of the Mariology statements have come since the Reformation . Neither has Rome backed down from any of the positions it took in the sixteenth-century debate. In the updated Catechism of the Catholic Church, released in the mid-1990s, the treasury of merit, purgatory, indulgences, justification thro

emblem of the Papacy: Triple tiara and keys Français : emblème pontifical Italiano: emblema del Papato Português: Emblema papal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) What Roman Catholics refer to as “the Dogma of Papal Infallibility ” is one of the most stunning of all of RCC doctrine. According to this dogma, the Pope —when he speaks on matters concerning the church—is protected from the possibility­ of error. Note that it is not that what he says is always true, but something more radical is claimed: there is not even the possibility of him speaking something untrue. When this dogma was first codified (the first Vatican Council in 1870) they obviously defined it in more constrained terms than it had been practiced through history. Now, it only applies to matters concerning “faith and morals,” and when the Pope binds “the whole Church” to the declaration.  While it was codified by the First Vatican Council , it in effect has been practiced throughout much of Roman Catholic Church hist

Cover of Pope John Paul II It is coming. Among the largest religious media blitzes in U.S. history---scheduled to air more than 400 times during a three-week run---these commercials will depict humanity's experience of hopelessness before presenting redemption in Jesus Christ as the answer. Millions will view them on major television networks from December 16 through January 8. The program is called  Catholics Come Home . The primary audience---men and women who grew up Catholic, and are now inactive or "lapsed"---is 27.5 million strong, according to the  Pew Forum . They constitute roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population, making them the second-largest religious demographic in America behind Roman Catholics at 77.7 million and ahead of the Southern Baptist Convention (at 16 million plus). These former Catholics are among your church's elders, nursery workers, and often compose a sizable portion of your congregation. The Message of  Catholics Come Home If yo

Image via Wikipedia There are one billion Roman Catholics worldwide, one billion people who are subject to the Pope’s authority. How, one might ask, did all of this happen? The answer, I believe, is far more complex and untidy than Catholics have argued. First, I will give a brief explanation of what the Catholic position is, and then, second, I will suggest what I think actually took place. The Catholic Explanation The traditional Catholic understanding is that Jesus said that it was upon Peter the church was to be built (Matt. 16:18−19; see also John 21:15−17; Luke 22:32). Following this, Peter spent a quarter of a century in Rome as its founder and bishop, and his authority was recognized among the earliest churches; this authority was handed down to his successors. Indeed, the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) re-affirmed this understanding. Apostolic authority has been handed on to the apostles’ successors even as Peter’s supreme apostolic power has been handed on to each