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My own position on universalism echoes this brilliant succinct remark by famed evangelical apologist C. S. Lewis: "The gates of Hell are locked from the inside." In other words, God is Love and therefore does not stop loving the sinner even in Hell. If souls are trapped in Hell, that is due to...

Most evangelicals are blissfully ignorant of how informed Catholics find biblical support for Catholic distinctives in Scripture: e. g. praying to saints. Purgatory, baptism, the presence of Christ in the Eucharistic elements, the use of holy water, the biblical authority of priests to forgive...

Critics of tongues on this site have no answer when confronted with these 5 unchallenged points: (1) Paul's command to "pray in the Spirit" is fulfilled by striving to speak in tongues. 2 points establish this teaching...

This thread is needed because eternal security advocates tend to ignore relevant biblical contexts and verse clusters. The thread will initially focus on the 2nd half of the first century (Revelation and then Hebrews) and then shift to Paul and finally to Jesus. In the process, it will be...

Here are just 8 biblical commandments that most Evangelicals treat as optional: (1) Changing dress codes prompted modern Christian women to discontinue the practice of wearing a hat in church. They justify this change on the grounds that the NT commandment on this issue is merely a reflection...

I'm in a rather impious and squirmy mood, and so, I thought I'd change pace and share some of the funniest things that happened in my churches. I often read critics` movie reviews and one of these critics was reviewing crude old sci-fi movies from the 1950s and early 1960s. Pointing to their...

Let me begin with this disclaimer: I am an evangelical Christian for whom Christ's atoning death and resurrection are the anchor of my faith. But at their best, the verifications inherent in ADCs (=After-Death Contacts) and NDEs (near-death experiences) seem more evidentially probative even than...

(1) THE APPARITIONS AT MEDJUGORJE IN BOSNIA As I've said, I am a Pentecostal Methodist, not a Catholic. But I feel led of God to defend or at least present biblical perspectives on Catholic distinctives in the hope that they can receive a fair hearing. What interests me far more are the major...

When I was a boy in the late 60s, I just loved Gospel quartet music. I still prefer it to most contemporary praise music. For my taste, the best ever southern Gospel quartet was the early version of the Statesmen in the 1950s and 1960s. Their 2nd tenor Jake Hess was Elvis's idol. Elvis...

This thread will focus on the biblical grounds for the later Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. Famed evangelical apologist C. S. Lewis embraced this doctrine and famously said, "The gates of Hell are locked from the inside." The doctrine of Purgatory is tied with the Catholic obligation to pray...

Do you know how to "pray without ceasing," "pray in the Spirit" (as opposed to ego-driven prayer), "walk in the Spirit," and "be led by the Spirit" (all Pauline expressions)? The best way to master all these advanced forms of prayerful living is through the mastery of contemplative prayer. For...

This thread focuses on the question of where the line can be drawn between true 'miracles," acts of divine providence," and mere "coincidence." To discern your own attitude to this important line, watch this mesmerizing video of 5 alleged "miracles" unfolding as they happened and share your...

Have you ever heard a sermon on Proverbs 27:5 or Matthew 7:6? If not, why do you think this is so? What do you think the practical implications of these 2 verses are for this site and for life in general? (1) "Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine; or...

Kathryn Kuhlman's death reminds me of the darkness and earthquake as Jesus died on the cross. I was fascinated by this nurse's eyewitness account of the manner of KK's death that apparently played a role in the nurse's conversion: kathryn kuhldman'd death nur se youtube - Bing video In my next...

Christian apologetics is self-defeating when it uses strawmen and simple-minded stereotypes to critique conflicting perspectives. For this reason, I have defended Catholic interpretations of Scripture and Tradition against simple-minded Evangelical mischaracterizations. Effective apologetics...

As a retired pastor and lifelong Christian, I have come to the conclusion that the least effective sermon topic is generally love. I say this for 2 reasons: (i) Most believers think of themselves as loving Christians and misapply insightful sermons on love to justify their often deluded...

The saints in Hebrews 12:11 cheer us on! – Catholic Strength The Apostle's Creed contains this faith affirmation: "I believe in the communion of saints." The doctrine of the Communion of Saints refers to the interconnected community, living and dead, of all saints on Earth, in Heaven, and yes...

Please initially respond to these 13 question on the basis of your best instincts rather than from what you perceive the Bible to teach. Subsequently, I will address all 13 questions from a biblical perspective and then you will be encouraged to respond to the cited biblical texts. The...

Over the years, I have heard some of the most spiritually effective ministers being dismissed by Evangelicals as New Agers (e. g. Rick Warren and Richard Foster). Yet Rick Warren is a self-professed Southern Baptist and Foster is a devout Evangelical Quaker. What makes this slander...

In Acts Paul tells the Ephesians that they will never see him again and that the Spirit has warned him that "imprisonment and persecutions" await him in Jerusalem (20:22-25). When the prophet Agabus warns Paul that imprisonment awaits him in Jerusalem, Paul declares that, if necessary, he is...