[completed on 2 August 2014; 245 pages. Accepted for publication by Sophia Institute Press on 11 November 2014; published on 7 July 2015]
[cover design by Coronation Media in collaboration with Perceptions Design Studio]
—– To purchase, go to the bottom of the page —–
ENDORSEMENTS
“Dave Armstrong is a master of biblical citation and compressing arguments. He does in a few pages what many apologists take chapters to accomplish.”
*
Al Kresta, Host of Kresta in the Afternoon
***
“A treasure-trove of biblical texts demonstrating the veracity of the Catholic Faith. This is a must-read for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”
*
Tim Staples, Catholic apologist (at Catholic Answers) and Author
***
“Sophia Press is offering a collection of eighty short essays by Catholic convert and apologist Dave Armstrong, entitled Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical. Reading this is very like reading a collection of CatholicCulture.org’s commentaries by Phil Lawler or myself; the little essays are drawn chiefly from Armstrong’s excellent work online addressing questions that come up again and again as Protestants challenge the faith of their Catholic neighbors. A great many individual topics are covered, but the subtitle will give you the idea: ‘From priestly celibacy to the Rosary’.
*
Dr. Jeff Mirus, review of four Sophia books, at CatholicCulture.Org (8-18-15):
“Sophia Press is offering a collection of eighty short essays by Catholic convert and apologist Dave Armstrong, entitled Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical. Reading this is very like reading a collection of CatholicCulture.org’s commentaries by Phil Lawler or myself; the little essays are drawn chiefly from Armstrong’s excellent work online addressing questions that come up again and again as Protestants challenge the faith of their Catholic neighbors. A great many individual topics are covered, but the subtitle will give you the idea: “From priestly celibacy to the Rosary”.”
***
FACEBOOK INTRODUCTION / ANNOUNCEMENT OF ACCEPTANCE FOR PUBLICATION / SOPHIA PAGE
***
TABLE OF CONTENTS
[slightly different chapter titles in some cases, from the published book, which also doesn’t contain the larger categories (in Roman numerals)]
Dedication
I. Bible and Tradition (Authority)
***
***
1.Tradition is Not Always a Bad Word in Scripture +
2. The Catholic “Three-Legged Stool” vs. Sola Scriptura
3. Tradition: Short Reflection & Basic Explanation
4. The Bereans & “Searching the Scriptures”
5. Ten Deuterocanonical References in the New Testament
***
II. Doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology)
***
6. The Catholic Church: Why we Accept Her Claims
7. Catholic Ecclesiology & the Jerusalem Council
8. Three Biblical Arguments for an Authoritative Church +
9. “Call No Man Father” & Calling Catholic Priests Father *
10. We Believe All that the Catholic Church Teaches
11. On the Scandal of the Outrageous Claim to be a Church
12. On Whether God Would Protect His Church from Error
13. Are Church Councils More Authoritative than Popes?
***
III. Priestly Celibacy
***
14. Short Exposition on Catholic Priestly Celibacy
15. The Celibate Priesthood as a Higher Calling
16. A New Argument for Mandatory Priestly Celibacy? [cited in its entirety in a Renew America column by Matt Abbott: 8-31-15]
***
IV. Theology of Salvation (Soteriology)
***
***
17. Works Can be Good or Bad, Just as Traditions Are
18. Faith & Works (But Not Justification) in Isaiah Ch. 1
19. Catholic Soteriology in John 3:36 (“Disobey the Son”)
20. Hebrews 3:14 (Lots of Catholic Theology on Salvation)
21. Unanswered Prayers of Jesus as a Counter-Reply to Limited Atonement
22. John 12:32 vs. John Calvin & Limited Atonement
23. God Doesn’t Predestine the Damned (2 Thess 2:10-12)
***
V. Purgatory and Penance
***
24. Prayer, Penance, & the Eternal Destiny of Others
25. The Abundant Biblical Support for Lent *
26. Divine Chastisement (or, Purgatory in This Life) *
***
VI. The Holy Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass
***
27. Mystery is No Basis for Rejecting Transubstantiation *
28. On the Nature of Idolatry
29. “The Apostle Paul Says He is a ‘Priest’?! Where?!”
***
VII. Sacramentals, Devotions, and Worship
***
30. Sacramentalism & the Bible +
31. Biblical Support for Ritualistic & Formal Worship +
32. Is the Rosary “Vain Repetition”? *
***
VIII. The Communion of Saints and Angels
***
33. Asking Saints to Intercede is a Teaching of Jesus *
34. Praying to Angels & Angelic Intercession *
35. Worshiping God Through Images in Holy Scripture
36. Martin Luther’s Belief in the Invocation & Intercession of Mary & the Saints, as Late as 1521
37. The False Doctrine of “Soul Sleep”
38. New (?) Biblical Argument for the Veneration of Saints: God “In” & “Through” St. Paul
***
IX. The Blessed Virgin Mary (Mariology)
***
39. Biblical Arguments for the Perpetual Virginity of Mary *
40. Holy Ground & the Perpetual Virginity of Mary *
41. Rationalist Objection to the In Partu Virginity of Mary
42. Martin Luther & the Immaculate Purification of Mary*
43. Mary’s Immaculate Conception & the Bible*
44. Quick Biblical Proof that Mary is the Mother of God
45. The Bible & the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary *
46. Mary the “Queen Mother” & “Queen of Heaven”
47. Mary as the Woman in Revelation 12
48. Biblical Analogies for Marian Apparitions
***
X. Papal Infallibility
***
49. Protestant Difficulties Regarding Papal Infallibility
50. The So-Called “Infallibility Regress” Objection [read original longer dialogue]
***
XI. Christology and Trinitarianism
***
51. The Bible “Never Says that Jesus is God”? Wrong! +
52. The Holy Trinity Proven from Scripture +
53. Is Trinitarianism Demonstrable from Scripture Alone?
54. Trinitarian Baptismal Formula & “Jesus Only” Baptism
55. Should God the Father be Visually Depicted in Paintings?
56. Satan’s Tempting of Jesus as a Proof of His Divinity
57. Jesus’ Divinity & Matthew 21:16 (cf. Psalms 8:2)
58. Jesus is Explicitly, Directly Called “God” (Romans 9:5)
59. Jesus’ Agony in the Garden vs. “Be Not Anxious”
***
XII. Marriage and Sexuality
***
60. Annulment is Not Catholic Divorce
61. Contraception: “Be Fruitful and Multiply” *
62. Contraception: God Blesses Parents with Children *
63. Contraception: Onan’s Sin & Punishment [read online]
64. Reply to an Attack Against NFP & Spacing of Children
65. Contraception, Murder, & the Contralife Will
66. Does the Bible Condemn Homosexual Acts?
67. St. Paul’s Argument from Nature Against Homosexual Acts (Romans 1)
68. The Prohibition of Premarital Sex in the New Testament
69. Does 1 Corinthians 7:36-38 Sanction Premarital Sex?
70. Thoughts on Women’s Ordination
***
XIII. Hell, the Devil, and Demons
***
71. Philosophical Defense of the Necessity of Hell
72. The Stupidity of the Devil
73. Demon Possession & Modern Bible Translation Bias
74. The “Conditional” Possibility of Universalism Refuted
***
XIV. Philosophy, History, and Apologetics
***
75. Thoughts on a Perfect God Creating an Imperfect World
76. Can God be Blamed for the Nazi Holocaust?
77. The Inevitability of Development of Doctrine *
78. New Testament Proofs of Noah’s Historical Existence * [read online]
79. Jesus’ Use of Socratic Method in His Teaching
80. Apologetics Isn’t Saying You’re Sorry for Your Faith! +
* * * * *
* = originally published in Seton Magazine: The Premier Online Magazine for Catholic Homeschoolers (from March to July 2014). See my author page with links to all the articles.
***
+ = originally published in The Michigan Catholic: the official newspaper for the Archdiocese of Detroit (from May to August 2014).
INTRODUCTION
***
This is a collection of essays that are (1) short (usually two or three pages), (2) characterized by lots of biblical argumentation, and (3) written in defense of Catholicism (apologetics). Most of them came about as a result of my ongoing efforts to comment on issues that regularly come up in “worlds” of Catholic apologetics and theology online.
The brevity of the chapters indicates the trend in my apologetic writing for many years now: “quick,” precise answers to apologetics questions. For better or ill, this is the world that we live in, and the apologist must make efforts (as St. Paul did, and as Vatican II stressed) to meet people where they are.
I don’t deny the continuing utility and necessity of longer treatments (my “corpus” still contains plenty of those!), but most people prefer shorter essays, and their interest in theology and apologetics generally doesn’t extend to treatise-length expositions. This is all the truer for beginners in theology.
Many of these essays were written as columns for Seton Magazine, which is devoted to Catholic homeschoolers. Others came from my regular column in The Michigan Catholic, the official newspaper for the Archdiocese of Detroit. Some were originally posted as part of my work in the Internet forum of the Coming Home Network from 2007-2010 (I was the head moderator during that period), and several were initiated on Facebook. All of these essays are meant to answer the questions that people ask and to make the Catholic Faith more understandable, leading to a confident belief and the ability to “make a defense” (1 Pet. 3:15) for this Faith as opportunities arise. I hope by God’s grace I have accomplished these goals.
Thanks so much for reading, and God bless you!
RADIO INTERVIEWS
Meet the Author (9-3-15). 23 minutes. Host Ken Huck; show produced by Radio Maria. [listen to the audio file on-site: start at 28:00]
Pathways of Learning: Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical (10-15-15). 60 minutes. Interview with Sister Marie Pappas, on The Catholic Channel: ch. 129 on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. See #17 on my Radio Interviews page, in two parts.
PURCHASE OPTIONS
***
Last updated on 30 March 2023
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In