Topics

Glossolalia & the Long Middle Ages

Christopher Beiting

Speaking in tongues is a public act of communication in a foreign language, not a private act of devotion in a personal language.

Theosis: The Nexus of Ecology & Eschatology

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Louise Zwick

Dorothy Day often quoted St. Catherine of Siena, emphasizing one particular saying of hers: “All the way to heaven is heaven because He said ‘I am the Way.’”

The Magnificent Otherness of Yahweh

SOURCE OF AWE & DEVOTION

Phillip Campbell

The Old Testament depiction of God is the most convincing and compelling description of a transcendent being in the entire corpus of religious literature.

Heaven: A Stumbling Block?

WHAT DO WE REALLY BELIEVE ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE?

Mike Filce

Our impoverished ideas of Heaven often result in our overvaluing our earthly life and giving it more attention than the one to come.

Why Must Man Work?

ON PRODUCTIVITY & PERSONHOOD

Edmund B. Miller with Patricia Bonar

That which is the first object of our making is not stuff but — like God — life itself, which means friendship, justice, generosity, love, peace, and children.

Understanding the Sacrifice of Isaac

A “LIVING” PARABLE

Monica Migliorino Miller

Can the God who condemns the killing of the innocent be the same God who orders the innocent to be killed? How could God command such an action?

The Universal Dimensions of the Incarnation

GUEST COLUMN

Thomas J. Kronholz

The Creator’s assumption of a created nature has effects that reach all of time and space — a truth supremely realized in the administration of the sacraments.

The Seventh Last Word

REVERT'S ROSTRUM

Casey Chalk

Christ's final word is not a cry of desperation or defeat but a “victory cry,” a uniting of His will with God, pregnant with eager expectation of everlasting joy.

Jesus Christ, Our God of Surprises

AMAZING BUT TRUE

Frederick W. Marks

The mathematical probability of one person in the first century fulfilling just eight of the most straightforward Messianic prophecies is one in 100,000,000,000,000,000.

A Gift of the Spirit, Rarely Given

Christopher Beiting

From the Patristic era to the 18th century, the consensus of Christianity was that speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift and is vanishingly rare in history.

The Sixth Last Word

'IT IS FINISHED'

Casey Chalk

At death will our thoughts be aimed at how to defeat it or how to make the experience an extension of the redemptive work of the Cross?

The Paradox of Silence

ON THE SUPERFLUITY OF WORDS

David Vincent Meconi

Consciously removing ourselves from the world of distractions and the din of destructive gossip allows the silent Word of God to speak deeply in our hearts.

The Fifth Last Word

'I THIRST'

Casey Chalk

We followers of Christ are likewise called to thirst for souls, to burn with desire to see others saved — not only our family and friends but everyone we meet.

Are We Living in the Last Days?

A TIME OF TESTING

James Patrick

Scripture and Tradition testify that the order of this world ends in the chaos from which it was formed when the hand of God withdraws its providential order.

The Fourth Last Word

REVERT'S ROSTRUM

Casey Chalk

Through our pain, we are capable of actually participating in the salvific economy of Christ. This spiritual power is all the more acute at death.

The Third Last Word

REVERT'S ROSTRUM

Casey Chalk

Jesus chose for His mother’s guardian the disciple “whom He loved.” There were few, if any, who were better fit for such an important task than St. John.

Perspicuity: Protestantism’s Achilles’ Heel

REVERT'S ROSTRUM

Casey Chalk

Within the Reformed tradition, the most famous articulation of perspicuity, or clarity, is found in the 17th-century Westminster Confession of Faith.

Will There Be Sex in Heaven?

THE SEVEN-HUSBANDS QUESTION REVISITED

Randall B. Smith

Christ’s answer to the Sadducees does not indulge the misunderstandings that underlie their question but points us back to what is fundamental.

Will There Be Marriage in Heaven?

WHAT GOD HATH JOINED TOGETHER

Michael V. McIntire

Is the bond of unity of man and wife, created by oath in a sacramental marriage, also a spiritual bond that survives mortal death?

A New Look at the Old Testament

TWO TESTAMENTS, ONE WORD

Frederick W. Marks

Short-selling the Old Testament is regrettable. The Church of Rome has always been clear that the New Testament doesn’t supersede the Old.

Is America Rooted in Exodus?

Preston R. Simpson

Kass describes three key components in the formation of the Israelite nation: their deliverance from slavery, the covenant and Law, and the Tabernacle.

The Gospels of Peter & Mary

THE FIGURES BEHIND THE EVANGELISTS

Frederick W. Marks

Peter was almost certainly looking over the shoulder of Mark during the writing of the second Gospel, and Jesus’ own mother had enormous influence on Luke.

The Ancient Game of Guilt Abatement

CRUSHING COMFORTING CANARDS

Frederick W. Marks

Pew-sitters and religious leaders have come up with their own formulas to lessen the pain of guilt, all of them at odds with Scripture.

The Resurrection: A Case of Collective Hallucination?

SCIENTISM CONFRONTS THE EMPTY TOMB

Carl Sundell

The scientific community holds a bias against the supernatural that is more censorial than any bias religion could have against science.

Love of God & Love of Neighbor: One Commandment or Two?

CARDINAL KASPER’S NOVELTIES

Christopher Roberts

Carinal Kasper grounds mercy in New Testament revelation and the Fathers of the Church. But his sources often do not say what he claims they say.

Who Determines Scripture's "Plain Meaning"?

Casey Chalk

The "I'm too catholic to be Catholic" line of argumentation falls to a subjectivity or "lowest common denominator" critique.

Which Church Is the Real 'Bible Church'?

ONLY ONE CHURCH FOLLOWS THE BIBLICAL BLUEPRINT

Frederick W. Marks

The completeness of Catholic conformity to the biblical blueprint is nothing less than astounding.

If God Is Love, Why Does He Command the Annihilation of Entire Peoples?

IS YAHWEH A BLOODTHIRSTY, GENOCIDAL MANIAC?

David D. Jividen

We draw spiritual lessons from the Bible's 'herem' passages; we can interpret them in a manner that resolves the difficulties they pose.

The Other Side of Mercy

CHRIST'S MISSION OF TOUGH LOVE

Frederick W. Marks

Meditation on divine mercy is counterproductive if it crowds out our fear of Hell, along with our recognition that God can and will allow souls to go there.

The Virgin Birth: Where Science Meets Scripture

PUTTING JESUS TO THE DNA TEST

Maria Hsia Chang

Whereas the results of a DNA test of a famous person such as Jesus normally would be published in a major scientific journal, not so the results of this DNA test.

Is There a Biblical Basis for Capital Punishment?

UNDOING CALVARY

Anne Barbeau Gardiner

Advocates of the American death penalty must stop hiding behind the Bible, or rather behind those three verses they quote out of context.

Isaac Newton: Scientist, Theologian & End-Times Prophet

COUNTDOWN TO 2060

Carl Sundell

Newton's terminal date is reckoned by the prophets Daniel and John that the return of Christ will commence 1,260 years after the restoration of the Roman Empire.

The Crisis in Biblical Scholarship

SCRIPTURE STRIPPED OF DOGMA

Hurd Baruch

Just as historians crank out “revisionist” history, theologians remake the image of Jesus in order to reshape everything from doctrine to architecture.

The Davidic Typological Basis for the Dogma of the Assumption

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN MOTHER

Marcelo A. D'Asero

This Marian dogma is integrally related to the notion of our Lady as the Queen of Heaven or, rather, the queen mother of the Messiah, the Son of David.

In Defense of Jacob

A MARTYR OF POLYGAMY

Alice von Hildebrand

We know that Jacob ardently loves Rachel, and that Rachel requested that he fecundate her maid. What do we not know? His feelings about such a request.

Marian Misconceptions

HER OWN HAVE RECEIVED HER NOT

Frederick W. Marks

She who shared the highs in our Lord's life shared as well in His rejection. There is a striking similarity between the indignities suffered by Mother and Son.

Garry Wills's Assault on Christian Faith

Lawrence B. Porter

A review of Why Priests?: A Failed Tradition

Finding the Christ in His Apostles

THE CULMINATION OF THE QUEST

Maria Hsia Chang

Only the risen Christ could have caused so quick and complete a transformation of sane, rational men into men they were not.

The Case for a Consistently Pro-Life God

DISPELLING AN ATHEIST ILLUSION

Frederick W. Marks

A favorite ploy for nonbelievers is to play off an allegedly vengeful "God of the Old Testament" against a peace-loving "God of the New." But this will not stand.

Discerning the Spirits of Deception

The presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church has difficulty distinguishing the work of the Lord from that of the spirits of deception.

Mysteries of Christ's Early Life

Stephen J. Kovacs

Throughout Ratzinger/Benedict XVI's theological career and pontificate, the Person of Jesus Christ has always been at the heart of his teaching.

On Taking the Kingdom by Force

TO THE VICTORS GO THE SPOILS?

William F.E. Mahoney

Some New Testament passages are a challenge to understand, require deeper reflection, and often lead to a plethora of questions.

The "Big" Little Papyrus Fragment

The recent find of a small papyrus piece that quotes Jesus saying "my wife" is the latest to make a temporary media sensation before fading into obscurity like other, similar discoveries.

Understanding the Biblical Basis of the Mass

Rosemary Lunardini

What could be more Bible-based than the Mass, already saturated with Scripture, following a liturgical year of readings that corresponds to the life of Jesus?

What Does It Mean to 'Serve Mammon'?

A HEART PIERCED WITH MANY PANGS

Christopher Zehnder

The possession of great riches, though not to be condemned in itself, nevertheless presents grave difficulties to the soul that seeks perfection.

The Ass of Burden & the Lion of Conquest

A HIDDEN PROPHECY

Edmund B. Miller

The presence of the lion implies victory. The ass's presence, however, means that the victory will not be easy, but will result from the bearing of heavy burdens.

In the Beginning Was "Power"?

Anne Barbeau Gardiner

Anne Barbeau Gardiner takes on an author who has "made a career of treating the Bible sacrilegiously" and sees power, not Logos, as the ultimate reality.

When Prophets Don't Pass the Test

THERE ARE SOME MYSTERIES MATHEMATICS WON'T SOLVE

William F.E. Mahoney

That there will be an end of this world is unquestionably sound Christian doctrine, but when that end will come is another question altogether.

An Army of Locusts Arises From the Smoke

GUEST COLUMN

Anne Barbeau Gardiner

Abraham Woodhead interpreted Apocalypse 9 as predicting a sudden invasion of Christendom by a horde of violent and unnaturally lustful insects.

The Primeval Struggle

GUEST COLUMN

Terence J. Hughes

The forces that promote the Culture of Death have chosen their reward: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven!"

At the Close of the Year of St. Paul

MISSION & MYSTICISM

Peter A. Huff

Paul seems to suggest that the apostolic ministry is an invitation to live an unsolvable riddle: "treated as impostors, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known" (2 Cor. 6:8-9).

Pope & Rabbi Square Off Over the Teachings of Jesus

CAN THE TORAH BE AMENDED?

Hurd Baruch

The Torah expressly indicates that God's saving revelation was not complete in what had already been announced.

Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body

A PRIMER

Brian Thomas Becket Mullady

The grace of marriage allows the parties to become one flesh and calls forth from them the same love Christ has for His Church.

What Rapturists Miss About Rapture Theology

SALVATION FROM SUFFERING?

Paul Catalanotto

How can the Christian suffer as Christ suffered if he is airlifted off the face of the earth before he can undergo the most severe kind of suffering (the "tribulation")?

Whatever Became of Hell?

HAS THE UNQUENCHABLE FIRE BEEN QUENCHED?

Hurd Baruch

Jesus spoke of the evildoer as being in the netherworld, separated from the just by an impassable chasm, and tormented in flames.

The Heretics’ Gnostic Gospel of Choice

Arthur C. Sippo

Ever since The Da Vinci Code became a bestseller, the interest in "alternative gospels" and Gnostic writings has spiked among modern readers.

A Catholic Response to Sola Fide

JUSTIFICATION: BY FAITH ALONE?

Bryan J.P. Gesinger

Though "justification by faith alone" is widely popular, it is alien and contrary to the teaching of Holy Scripture viewed in its entirety.

Balthasar, Christ’s Descent & the Empty Hell

Anne Barbeau Gardiner

Review of Light in Darkness: Hans Urs von Balthasar and the Catholic Doctrine of Christ's Descent into Hell

Apocalypse Now (and Then)

Mary McWay Seaman

Kirsch's absorbing personality profile of the scrupulous, dogmatic, and uncompromising John portrays him as a man in great distress in a pagan culture.

Homosexuality Is Bad? But Where's That in the Lectionary?

WAS IT THE LAVENDER MAFIA?

F. Douglas Kneibert

The Liturgy of the Word, which is a part of every Mass, would be one logical place for Catholics to look for divine guidance.

Dives the Tax-Evader

GUEST COLUMN

Angus Sibley

Around the world, the struggle continues against economic theories that generate and tolerate excessive inequalities.

Jewish Light on the Risen Lord

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS, A FIRST-CENTURY JEW

Frederick W. Marks

The intellectual integrity of Flavius Josephus remains a model, not only for Jews, but for all who strive to enrich the world of scholarship.

The Parable of the Wheat & the Weeds: A Magna Carta for Dissent & Heresy?

Can some sense be made of the Pope's inaction?

A Clever Translation of the Bible

is a Bible with "extraordinary power" - extraordinary satanic power.

The Broad & Comfortable Road to Lukewarm Christianity & Destruction

THE DEADLY PERIL OF IGNORING "THE NARROW GATE"

Frederick W. Marks

If our Lord could use "narrow gate" imagery to spur His listeners to repentance, then so can we.

A Groundbreaking Book

Ronda Chervin

Jews of Old Testament times had to insulate themselves totally against the Gentiles because the pagan gods were demonic spirits.

"For Fear of the Jews" (If Only)

Bishop Patrick McGrath is not fit to be a bishop.

The Gender of the Holy Trinity

SHALL WE FEMINIZE THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Monica Migliorino Miller

The Church is the true spiritual mother -- women are her symbol. We must also appreciate the true Fatherhood of God -- earthly fatherhood is the symbol of Him.

When the "Shorter Form" Is The Politically Correct Form

Scripture is censored in the Parable of the Talents, where the "wicked, lazy servant" is sent "where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Debt Relief the Cyrenian Way

GUEST COLUMN

A. Cyrenian

The Cyrenian approach to debt relief is personal: he lends a debtor money out of his own pocket at an unbeatable interest rate — nothing.

Designer Bibles

Dale Vree

Zondervan, publisher of the NIV, planned a so-called inclusive-language version of the NIV that would eventually replace it, but was pressured to stop.

Jesus Found Guilty of Hate Speech

America magazine bellyaches about how Catholicism has historically expelled "heretical Christians" from its midst.

If Everyone Is Saved...

WHY BOTHER?

Dale Vree

If no one goes to Hell, then all the talk about Hell in the Bible — and from the Church — is utterly cruel, needlessly cruel, maybe sadistic.

Sola Scriptura, an Impossible Theory

THE ISSUE OF AUTHORITY

Thomas Storck

A syllogism: (1) Whatever is not contained in Scripture is not to be believed; (2) Sola Scriptura is not contained in Scripture; (3) Sola Scriptura is not to be believed.

From Sola Scriptura to Social Chaos

BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON

Gregory J. Roden

The many rents in Christianity brought about by the heresy of sola Scriptura have as their cause that same sin of Adam and Eve.

The Jesus Seminar: Making Uncomplicated Things Complicated

ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL

William T. Galey

Those who spin theories opposing John’s authorship are doing a great injustice to truth and the cause of Christ.

The Failures of the New Lectionary

WHERE SOME SINS ARE NOT IMMORAL, ETC.

Chene Richard Heady

It entirely translates and edits out the Bible’s teaching on fornication, and renders the doctrine of Hell if not invisible, then opaque.

How to Find a "Total Bible Church"

HELPFUL HINTS FROM A SUCCESSFUL SHOPPER

Thomas Basil

Look for one that explicitly reminds you of what St. Paul said was first in importance, Christ’s death, and for one that celebrates Communion frequently.

Zorro & Bathsheba

My, the difficulties of inclusivity are well-nigh preternatural

The Dumbbell Feminese Dialect

"Maximum possible fidelity to the sacred Scriptures"?

Was Our Lord a Fundamentalist?

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD: SCRIPTURALLY UNENLIGHTENED?

David Watt

Jesus confidently cites the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and refers to Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of the whale.

Is Hell Closed Up & Boarded Over?

ON BEING MORE TENDERHEARTED THAN GOD HIMSELF

David Watt

Where eternal rewards and punishments are concerned, are we more tenderhearted and clear-eyed than our forebears in faith -- than God Himself?

Bejesus Seminar Discovers New Gospel in Desert, Common Sand & Call to Faction Supporters Jubilant

A SENSITIVE JESUS WHO SAYS HE'S SORRY & GOES FREE

Andrea Burman

Lessons to Be Learned From the Ecclesiastical Battle Over "Inclusive Language"

THE CAMEL'S NOSE

Peter M.J. Stravinskas

When the Gospel Seems Like Bad News

BETTER A HARD TRUTH THAN AN EASY LIE

Preston Jones

The Shaky Foundations of the Jesus Seminar

ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL

William T. Galey

Homosexuality & the Maccabean Revolt

SEXUAL POLITICS & THE BIRTH OF THE WEST

Patrick G.D. Riley

A Case Against "Inclusive Language"

THEOLOGY MATTERS

Kristen West McGuire

Mary's absence in theological discussions limits our understanding of the faith to a male paradigm. It results in over-reliance on the clergy for a sense of piety.

When Evangelicals Treat Tradition Like Revelation

ABORTION, POLYGAMY, & THE TRINITY

Mark P. Shea

The Ineffectual Jesus of the Jesus Seminar

GUEST COLUMN

Adam Brooke Davis

Why the Physical Resurrection of Christ Is So Believable

HISTORY, LITERATURE & LOGIC

Lauren A. King

Jesus' empty tomb and repeated appearances eventually convinced the at first incredulous disciples and sent them forth to boldly proclaim the Gospel.

How Can I Recommend the Catholic Faith When My Fellow Catholics Censor Scripture?

APOLOGETICS OR APOLOGIES?

Mark P. Shea

We must have the courage of our own radical teachings and the moxie to explain what they mean (love) and why (for Christ!) rather than simply following fashions.

The Gnostic Temptation in the Catholic Church

THE OLD MYTHOLOGIES ARE BACK

Bernard D. Green

On the Reliability of the Four Gospels

LETTER FROM ENGLAND

John Warwick Montgomery

Did Jesus Exist?

LETTER FROM ENGLAND

John Warwick Montgomery

A New Testament for New Agers

David Hartman

Review of The Complete Gospels

On the Authoritativeness of Scripture

A CONTRIBUTION TO CATHOLIC-EVANGELICAL DIALOGUE

Richard Becker

The Words of God

GUEST COLUMN

Michael Nelson

American hymnals and Bible translations must retain the authority that only memory, accuracy, and tradition bring, yet also be modern enough.

The Danger of Riches

ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN TRUSTING IN RICHES & HAVING THEM

John Henry Newman

That our Lord meant to speak of riches as being in some sense a calamity to the Christian is plain from His praises and recommendation of poverty.

The Limits of a Secular Exodus

Robert N. Bellah

A political understanding of the power of the Exodus story is eviscerated if its religious meaning is obscured.

Inter-testamental Judaism

Edith Black

Scores of extra-canonical Jewish and Jewish-Christian writings were composed during the period between 300 B.C. and A.D. 200.

The Complete Samaritan

CHRIST & NEIGHBOR

John C. Cort

Justice is an essential ingredient of love; love is not complete unless — to switch the metaphor — it is built on a foundation for social justice.

Overkill

Edith Black

Biblical scholars may follow the first two steps of scientific procedure (formulation of hypothesis and accumulation of evidence) but cannot proceed to the third (verification).