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So, we are to assume that of all the bishops that Peter may have appointed in his travels (e.g., Antioch), the one man that he assigned his “keys” to was a bishop he appointed in Rome, generally assumed to be Linus, per John Chrysostum’s Homily 10 on Second Timothy (“This Linus, some say, was...

I'm on board for interpreting Matthew 16 as indicating that Christ invested Peter with special authority. But there is no Scriptural basis for anyone after Peter succeeding to his authority, whether by assignment from Peter directly or by vote of other bishops/clerics. The passing on of the...

I don't think I have ever "won" an argument (had someone acknowledge changing his/her mind) on a forum like this. And I argue for a living.

Agreed. And both the Greek-speaking eastern sees and Latin-speaking western sees share that universality and continuity. Stated another way, the Eastern Orthodox Church of 1054 was not a splinter group breaking off from a Roman Church that encompassed the whole of Catholic Church up until that...

I agree with you 100%. And I haven't suggested otherwise. My point was simply that the Catholic Church in the first several centuries ought not be equated with what we now call the Roman Catholic Church, because there was nothing essentially "Roman" about it.

Notably, there is no way to draw an inference regarding whether this "fraud" favored Trump or favored Biden (or neither), since the poll reports canvassing Republicans 33% Democrats 36% Other 31%

Augustin, you are right to use "Catholic" in its original sense here. There were dozens of heresies and mini-schisms in the first three centuries of Christianity but there was indeed a main stream orthodox Christianity that rose to predominate, and calling it "Catholic" is perfectly fine and...

Robert, let me suggest a distinction to keep in mind: between the Law’s innate inability to save, and mankind’s innate inability to keep the Law sufficiently to be saved (a la Rom. 2:1 - 3:20). I read Gal. 3:12 and Rom. 10:5 to mean that salvation is available under the Law, provided one keeps...

My bad. 15:29 is the verse.

“Yet Paul stresses faith, and not works, as the exclusive means to justification before God.” “And so he should, Mark; but take care that you do not confuse justification with sanctification. Justification—which is to say, forgiveness of our sins and consequent righteousness before God—is...

Here are the tenets I think your "Once Saved Always Saved" pastor is telling you, and what the problem is with them. Tell me if it sounds familiar: #1: By the grace of God, sinners are saved through faith (or trust) in Jesus Christ. Sinners not thusly saved are all going to hell. All of them...

Salvation is a process, not a one-shot-deal accomplished by a simple prayer-- so once the process is successfully completed, then yes, BY DEFINITION once you are saved (i.e., have completed the process of salvation) you cannot be unsaved. But while your salvation is still being worked out, the...

I wonder if Paul was thinking about what Christ did or did not teach when he had Timothy get circumcised, Acts 16:3.

1 Cor. 7:14 references the children even of a “mixed” marriage being holy. A discussion of original sin and grace both being genetically transmitted deserves its own OP, but I mention it in passing to show that Christian children are included in the people of God. Acts 2:38-39 has Peter telling...

1 Cor. 15:10 mentions baptism on behalf of the dead, who like infants cannot be converted, cannot repent. Do you have a problem with that too?

Right. Yet Gen. 17:12 prescribes the practice. Your objection is lack of personal choice/commitment despite this command to Abraham?

Do you have a problem with circumcision of infants?

2 Corinthians 5:8 ("Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.") suggests to me that we are conscious while "away from the body and at home with the Lord" -- for otherwise, how could we possibly "rather" that state of affairs in preference...

Sorry to interject the thought so late in the discussion, but WHAT'S AT STAKE HERE? Why do we care whether Mary remained a virgin after birthing Jesus? Would anything really be different in our faith depending on the answer to this apparently academic question? To me the debate seems about as...

Respectfully, we need to distinguish "the Catholic Church" and "the ROMAN Catholic Church" here. You are surely right insofar as you intend the former. But if you intend the latter, you are looking at this the wrong way. For the first three centuries after Pentecost there was a “main stream”...