One of the greatest non-Catholic Victorian protestant scholars acknowledged that the papacy is the most enduring institution in world history.
Read MoreThe Jewish understanding of the terms “bind and loose” is essentially the same as, or compatible with, the Catholic understanding of the authority given to the Apostles and their successors to teach and govern the Church with God’s authority and ratification.
Read MoreThe biblical case that Jesus and the Apostles forbade divorce and remarriage is incredibly strong. As a protestant exploring the ancient Faith, I discovered that the Catholic Church alone has adhered to this clear teaching.
Read MoreMany people miss how clearly Jesus teaches the doctrine of Purgatory in one of His parables.
Read MoreThere is only one “denomination” today that matches each one of these descriptions, and makes the same claims, and it goes by the exact same name used by St. Augustine: the Catholic Church.
Read MoreNot only does the Wisdom prophecy describe Jesus’ claims and His crucifixion in remarkable detail, but it quotes His enemies, and describes their folly in the same way as St. Paul does.
The only other Messianic prophecy I knew of that came even close to this level of detail and clarity was Isaiah 53. So how could one be Scripture, and the other not?
Read MoreFew conversion stories had as big of an effect on my own conversion as that of Dr. David Anders. Before becoming Catholic, he was a Calvinist theologian and historian who had set out to defend the reformation and disprove Catholicism. But after years of studying the sources, Anders himself ended up Catholic.
Read MoreWhile the ancient Christians were absolutely unanimous on the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, many protestants claimed it was absent from the New Testament. However, when I realized that the principle of succession was so thoroughly established in the Old Testament for priests, tribal heads, judges, kings, and even some prophets, and that this was confirmed by extra-biblical Jewish sources, I knew this was the default.
Therefore, since Christianity does not abolish, but fulfills the Jewish religion, the burden of proof is on protestants to show that the New Testament does not speak of or exemplify the principle of succession via Apostolic Succession. In fact, given its ubiquity throughout the Old Testament, the burden is on protestants to show that the New Testament explicitly denies the principle of succession, which is the norm and default by which the government of God’s people is perpetuated through time.
Read MoreGrowing up a protestant, I was accustomed to hearing how bad the Catholic Church was before the “reformation.” But when I dove into the details myself, I found a fascinating story my fellow protestants had never told me about. Just two years after Martin Luther was excommunicated, and before some of Europe’s most powerful leaders, the Catholic Pope openly admitted how deeply moral corruption had infected the Church, and that much of it stemmed from the papacy itself.
Read MoreThe Church’s structure, like that of ancient Israel, is very simple, and straightforward. All you have to do is answer “yes” to two questions: (1) Are you in one of the tribes (are you under an Apostle/his successor)? And (2) Is your tribe in communion with the head tribe (is your Apostle/bishop in communion with Peter/his successor)?
That’s it.
Read MoreThis Quote Archive on the Sacrament of Confession is part of the Becoming Catholic series. Each archive of quotes is intended to serve as a reference source on the various topics addressed in the articles. They are periodically updated as more research is completed.
Read MoreThis Quote Archive on the Sacrament of Confirmation is part of the Becoming Catholic series. Each archive of quotes is intended to serve as a reference source on the various topics addressed in the articles. They are periodically updated as more research is completed.
Read MoreThis Quote Archive on the Sacrifice of the Eucharist is part of the Becoming Catholic series. Each archive of quotes is intended to serve as a reference source on the various topics addressed in the articles. They are periodically updated as more research is completed.
Read MoreThis Quote Archive on Apostolic Succession is part of the Becoming Catholic series. Each archive of quotes is intended to serve as a reference source on the various topics addressed in the articles. They are periodically updated as more research is completed.
Read MoreThis Quote Archive on the Catholic Church and Faith is part of the Becoming Catholic series. Each archive of quotes is intended to serve as a reference source on the various topics addressed in the articles. They are periodically updated as more research is completed.
Read MoreOne of the most common objections against the Catholic Church is it is corrupt and full of wicked shepherds. This supposedly justified the protestant revolt, and people leaving the Church to this day…
But as I discovered when I began studying the Church Fathers, this is not a new objection. In fact, it’s a very old one, to which the Fathers offered a unanimous and resounding answer: separation from the Church is never justified.
Read MoreWhile I had assumed my whole life that Christians could differ in Faith, in government, and in sacraments (though I could not harmonize this with Scripture), I found the ancient Church universally believed the opposite, and everywhere asserted that the Catholic Church was the one true Church established by Christ.
Read MoreI discovered when I read the Church Fathers they did not disagree on what baptism was, or what it did. In fact, in every single instance, the Church Fathers unanimously asserted their belief in baptismal regeneration—a doctrine affirmed by the Catholic Church, but denied by virtually all protestant sects.
Read MoreThis Quote Archive on Baptismal Regeneration is part of the Becoming Catholic series. It is intended to be a reference source for those who are open to hearing why they should become Catholic.
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