Quick Answer: Was Jesus Really Born in the Spring?

Christians, like everyone else, can be tempted to be the smarted person in the room.  Many times this involves knowing little quirks about the Bible which supposedly debunk commonly held perceptions.  

Sometimes these quirks can be helpful.  Such as knowing alternate translations of texts, or the proper ways to fit together timelines.  Other times... they broach into the territory of "too clever by half".  

Such is the case of people insisting Jesus couldn't have been born on Dec 25 - and HAD to be born in the spring.  The evidence typically used to support this claim is from Luke's infancy account:

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night." - Luke 2:8

Folks will latch onto the detail and say:

It couldn't have been winter because there are sheep present!

A Walk Through Advent - Part IV

Today we finish up with Luke's account of Jesus birth.  Merry Christmas!!

A Walk Through Advent - Part III

Previously we read through the annunciation of Jesus to Mary.  Today we pick up where we left off with the annunciation to Joseph:

A Walk Through Advent - Part II

Previously we read through the annunciation of John the Baptist to Zechariah.  Today we pick up where we left off with the annunciation of Jesus to Mary:

A Walk Through Advent - Part I

So I was wondering what I might do for Christmas this year.  Then I thought, "Hey, why not go through the Biblical accounts of the nativity doing commentary along the way?"

In this first part we'll be reading through the annunciation of John the Baptist to Zechariah.  I hope you enjoy it!

Reflection: My Three "Anchor" Experiences

Today I wanted to discuss something a bit more personal.  As frustrating as it can be sometimes, none of us consider life-changing choices in a purely logical laboratory environment.  The arguments for the Catholic faith are always situated within the contexts of individual lives.  Our experiences frame everything. 

When I reflect on my own life, I see three experiences where God set down anchors which would eventually keep me Catholic.  Today I wanted to share those.

Catholics and "Providentialism"

A friend of mine recently encountered a Catholic who is critical of Natural Family Planning.  His complaint was:

“Why bother trying to take control of family planning?    No child comes into existence without God's agency.  Why don’t you just trust in the will of God?”

The man was espousing a philosophy known as “Providentialism”.  And today I want to discuss why it ought to be avoided.

My "Ideas of the Reformation" Presentation

Over the weekend I gave another presentation at a parish in Peru, IN – a sort of follow up to one in Wabash.  This one focuses on the ideas under discussion between the Protestant leaders and the Catholic bishops. 

• Sola Scriptura
• Grace and Free Will
• Sola Fide

Two Passages Which Everyone Gets Wrong...

Odd things happen when the Bible enters into pop culture.  Sometimes you hear a verse used again and again in a certain way... only to look it up and see that's not what it means.

Today I want to look at two examples of that.

My 95 Theses

It was five hundred years ago that Martin Luther purportedly posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg cathedral.  You can imagine each "thesis" as a debate point which Luther was willing to defend in public.

Well, today I wanted to commemorate this event by posting a 95 Theses of my own.  Following the style of the original, it can be read like a lecture broken into various points.

Whereas the original 95 Theses was directed mostly at the indulgence abuses of the 16th century, mine addresses many points of controversy which now exist between different Christian bodies after half a millennium.

Here we go!

My "Reformation" History Presentation

Last weekend I finally gave that presentation in Wabash IN.  Here is the video:

Do Christians and Mormons Worship the Same God?

In the past we asked whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God.  The answer was:  YES.  They may have some very mistaken ideas about God, but insofar as we are both referring to the one infinite, eternal, uncreated, source of all reality... we are indeed worshiping the same God.

By way of analogy, imagine asking a person if he knows your father.  He first demonstrates enough knowledge that he's clearly thinking of the right person.  However, as you begin to ask more questions, it becomes clear that he's been given some bad info about your dad.

Lately a few of the kids I work with have asked me if the same is true of Mormonism.  So today we'll be taking a look at that.

Five Useful Pro-Life Analogies

The Pro-Life position is characterized by two foundational principles:

1. The child-in-utero is a real living human with moral value.
2. Parents have duties to their children, even when they are in the womb.

Thus, the responses by Supporters of Abortion Legality (SALs) will tend toward the opposite of those principles.  They will either deny the humanity of the child-in-utero or insist the parents don't have moral obligations to them.

Moral values and obligations are not things which can be proven like the facts of biology.    Thus, the argument often hinges on showing the existence of certain ethical truths by isolating them in situations with key similarities.

Today I want to look at five situation which I think are useful.

What Does Martyrdom Prove?

The other day I was talking to my Atheist friend at work about the foundations of the Christian faith.  I mentioned the evidentiary importance of the martyrdom of the Apostles.

He replied with indignation:

You can't use their martyrdom as evidence.  It proves nothing.  There are plenty of people who die for all kinds of things.  So are you willing to say every other faith with martyrs is true as well?

Is that the case?  The Apostolic martyrdoms has long been used as evidence for the truth of the Christian claim.  But does that work?  Does their willingness to die prove anything?

Religious Liberty at Vatican II and Before

These are groups who believe the Second Vatican Council was a massive repudiation of previous Church teaching on various topics.  Most of these claims boil down to complaints about abuses which occurred after the council, or bad interpretations of the documents – but not anything to do with the council itself.

The best argument for a contradiction is found in the Vatican II document on religious liberty, Dignitatis Humanae.  That's what I want to take a closer look at today.

Misreading James 2:24

A few days ago, the YouTube channel Lutheran Satire (makers of the wonderful "Saint Patrick's Bad Analogies" and "Horus Reads the Internet") released a video in which Martin Luther schools Pope Francis on the proper reading of James 2:24.

James 2:24 has always been a sticky wicket for those who ascribe to the doctrine of justification by faith alone.  It's the one place in the Bible where we find the words "faith alone"... but they are preceded by the words "not by".

Luther's first instinct was to cast doubt the inspiration of the book - calling it "an epistle of straw" and not of true apostolic origin (he was later talked out of it).  But since then, more inventive ways have been found to defuse the troublesome passage.

That's what I want to look at today:

My Upcoming "Reformation" Lecture

I've been asked to give a lecture in Wabash, Indiana regarding the Catholic view of the event known as the Protestant Reformation.

The subjects I will be discussing are:

• The name, "Protestant Reformation"
• Sola Scriptura
• Free Will and Grace
• Sola Fide

Click [HERE] to see the PDF.

My Final Exam for the Class of 2017

This year I decided to subject my Class of 2017 students to the terrors of a final exam.  My aim was to make the questions fair.  Not easy.  Not hard.  But fair.

How many can you answer?

Defusing Pro-Choice Bible Proof-Texts

The other day a friend sent me a clip from the TV show “The Young Pope”.  In it, the Pope discusses the morality of abortion with one of his cardinals.  I could critique the clip all day long, but I want to focus on the Scriptural discussion they have.

Sometimes you’ll run across a person who claims the Bible supports a “Pro-Choice” worldview.  Today I want to run through the three passages which are used to support that claim.

A Roman Take on the Romans Road

The letter to the Romans is commonly viewed as friendly to non-Catholic views on salvation and hostile territory for us Papists.  For instance, the epic story of Martin Luther’s crusade to reform the Church supposedly began with him finding a dusty, long-lost copy of Romans and subsequently rediscovering the true Gospel (tm).

In more recent history, there is a tract which used to be common in Evangelical circles called “The Romans Road”.  It uses selected verses from Paul’s letter to the Romans to spell out their doctrine of salvation and guide a person into become Christian.  But it does this while skipping over large swaths of perfectly good Scripture.

Today I wanted to offer a Catholic take on “The Romans Road”.  One which I believe reflects more accurately the intention of Paul’s letter.

My Bible Quick-Index

Have you ever walked into a exam thinking you were well-prepared... only to quickly realize you weren't ready at all?  That's how one of my high-schoolers felt when she recently went to a non-Catholic Bible Study.

They were challenging some of her on various topics using Bible citations they'd committed to memory.  She found herself only able to give the classic Catholic quotation:

 "But doesn't it say somewhere..."

So today I wanted to share my own crib sheet.  It covers essentially every topic I've ever written about.  The passages which feature an (*) before them denote those which are used against Catholic positions.

Enjoy.

Spreadsheet Form

Printable PDF

Why I Don't Say, "Protestant Reformation"

A while ago I did a post called "Why I Don't Say Non-Denominational".  Well, today I want to continue with that theme and also tie it into the 500th anniversary of the "Protestant Reformation."

I want to discuss three reasons why I - as a Catholic and a person who cares about accuracy - don't say the term "Protestant Reformation".

Ten Things Catholics Should Learn from non-Catholic Christians

As I've mentioned earlier, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's famous 95 theses is coming up this October.  This is commonly reckoned as the beginning of the Protestant movements.  In recognition of this anniversary, I'm examining the history, philosophy, and impact of this massive cultural event.

Today I'm going to look at some of a brighter area.  Here are 10 areas where we Catholics can learn from our non-Catholic Christian brethren.

Unmaking Man and Woman

Dear Apologist, someone told me Catholics ignore the distinction between “gender” and “sex” – and “gender” determines whether someone is a man or woman.  How do I respond?

A Closer Look at the Creed

Recently a student of mine asked me to write a deep-dive on the Nicene Creed.  So.... here we go!

The 2 Questions I Ask Confirmation Candidates

Now is the time of year when many Catholic teenagers in the Latin Rite find themselves in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This can be a difficult season for highschool youth ministers.

We have precious little time to work with the kids, so I’ve had to think hard about what I want to spend time on.  Today I want to look at the two questions I always ask our highschool confirmandees.

Undermining Theism - A Look at Two Common Attempts

In the movie Inception, the character Cobb accidentally gives his wife an obsession about the world really being a dream.  This doubt eventually undermines her belief in reality and drives her to suicide.

The secular undercurrents in our culture can do something similar to belief in God.  Rather than presenting real arguments for Atheism (of which there are precisely two), they simply introduce a doubt which prevents people from taking the possibility seriously.

I call these "Underminers" .... and today I want to look at two of them.

What was in the 95 Theses, Anyway?

This year is 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral - an act which many credit as the beginning of the Protestant movement.

But what were the 95 Theses?  What was Martin Luther protesting at point in his career?  Today I wanted to take a look at this most important document from the great man of history.

Stephen Colbert and Christian Citizenship

Comedian Stephen Colbert is arguably one of the most recognizable Catholics in the world.  One of the few times he is willing to leave character is when he talks about his faith.  And when he does, it is reliably profound and worth listening to.

However, sometimes people goof up. And if you are a late-night comedian, these mistakes are public by default.  So while I don't want to dwell too long on the sins of another, I do want to point out what he did ... because it's something we can all do.

Why I Don't Say "Non-Denominational"

It was freshmen year of college.  I was in a study area when my friend Whitney asked another fella if he was a Christian.  He said yes – and that he was “non-denominational”.

“Oh!” she replied excitedly.  “I’m so glad you are.  Some people make too big a deal of their denomination.” 

The latter part of that remark was a barb intended for me.  I remember being dumbstruck.  Did she know she was engaging in the very tribalism she was condemning?  Who knows.

Either way, for me it highlighted a core problem with the word “non-denominational”.  It is a term which Christians increasingly want to ascribe to themselves.  It's supposed to mean one doesn't want to take part in the divisions which characterize modern Christianity.

One isn’t a Methodist, a Baptist, a Lutheran, a Pentecostal, an Anglican, or a Catholic.  Just a Christian, thank you.  A follower of Christ.

Except… it really doesn’t work that way in practice.  Today I want to explore why.

Was Jesus Crucified on a Wednesday?

Dear Apologist, my friend claims Jesus was really crucified on a Wednesday and the commemoration of Good Friday is an evil Catholic conspiracy .  Where is that coming from?

The Old Testament Background to the Lord's Supper

Anyone who is familiar with the goings on at the Last Supper could probably recite the following lines from heart:

"The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'” – 1Corinthians 11:23-25

What most folks don’t realize is just how pregnant with meaning those few sentences are. So today I wanted to look at some of the streams of Old Testament themes which converge together in Jesus’ words at the Last Supper.

Reading the Crucifixion Accounts Together

Every year I like to lead my students in a Bible study about the crucifixion.  The question is… which account do I use?  Each one has its own nuances and details to expand upon.

So what I came up with was a compilation which attempt to include it all.  Along the way, we’ll stop and focus in on various subjects.

Let’s get started.  We begin just after Pontius Pilate acquiesces to the crowd and gives Him up for crucifixion.  For a clean version, click [here].

The TL;DR Bible: Ephesians

Today we continue our adventure through the summarized New Testament with Paul's letter to the Ephesians.  

Paul wrote this letter to a successful community of Gentile converts.  He invites them to contemplate what God has done for them individual and how it fits into the overall narrative of God's providential pan for mankind.

Here we go!

The TL;DR Bible: Galatians

Today we continue our adventure through the summarized New Testament with Galatians.

This letter addresses a community which had fallen victim to an early heresy.  Namely, people were thinking you had to be circumcised and obey certain parts of the Mosaic Law to be saved.

Paul wrote against this heresy in no uncertain terms;  contending both for the divine origin or his message and his apostleship.

Here we go!

The TL;DR Bible: First Corinthians

Today we continue our journey through the "Too Long; Didn't Read" Bible with Paul's first letter to the troubled community in Corinth.

The TL;DR Bible: The Letter of Saint James

A while ago I had the idea to begin summarizing some of the epistles in the New Testament.  Today we're going to do the letter of Saint James.  

The letter is thought to be written by James of Jerusalem.  It is unclear who the target audience is.  He addresses it to the "12 tribes in the dispersion".  That could refer to Jews throughout the world, or to the Church as a whole.  There are good arguments for both.

In any event, this letter is meant to remind its readers about how our conduct in this life really does make a difference in the next.  It is the one place in the Bible where we find the phrase "justified by faith alone"... but the phrase is condemned.

Anyway, here we go:

The TL;DR Bible: First and Second Thessalonians

A while ago I had the idea to begin summarizing some of the epistles in the New Testament.  Today we're going to do 1st and 2nd Thessalonians.

The TL;DR Bible: The Letter to the Hebrews

The New Testament is not a long collection of books.  Most of the books can be read in just a couple hours.  Still, we have short attention spans.  A lot of folks look at the sacred texts and say:

"Too long; didn't read"

So I had the silly idea to start summarizing the New Testament letters.  What are the key points and assertions when you boil it down?   That's what I want to try today.

We'll start with one of my favorites...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Summary of Afterlives - Old Testament

What happens to us after we die?  

This question has occupied the minds of men for ages.  The texts in the Bible go a long way to illuminate the matter, but at no point do we get a systematic explanation. Therefor we have to piece things together.

There are three different periods we need to look at - each hinging on the actions of Jesus Christ.  Today I wanted to explore what happened prior to Christ's death.

Twelve Questions Students Get From Secular Friends

I was in high school in the early 2000's.  Back then it was still common for a Catholic to get questions about Catholic/Protestant issues.  What is Purgatory?  What's the deal with Mary?  So on, so forth.

Now all that stuff seems like a memory.  Today Christians are getting along much better and secularism is the new cultural norm.  Thus, our highschoolers are faced with an entirely different set of questions - ones which come from the standpoint of unbelief.

Here are the 12 most common questions which our highschoolers receive from their irreligious secular peers.

[Feel free to leave you own if you think I missed something.]

Can We Know When Life Begins?

Discussions about the ethics and legality of abortion tend to follow certain patterns.  One of these patterns works like this:

• The defender of abortion legality (called "Pro-Choice") will admit that the debate hinges upon when an individual human life begins.  

• However, he/she will assert that this knowledge is totally obscure, subjective, and unknowable. 

• Thus, he/she concludes abortion should remain legal.

In fact, that is the very logic used in Roe vs Wade when the court decided upon a constitution right to abortion.  Justice Blackmun wrote:

"When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer."

So that's what I want to look at today.  Is this really the case?  Or are folks just trying to deny an inconvenient truth?

No Divorce? What About Abusive Marriages?

Dear Apologist, can a Catholic get divorced if her husband is abusive?  And what would her status in the Church afterward?

Can a Christian Go it Alone?

Dear Apologist, my friend says she can be a good Christian without going to a church.  What should I say?

Three Principles for Opposing Euthanasia

Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS) are two issues which are quickly emerging in the Western world.   They present us with a very troubling moral dilemma.  It is typically given to us like this:

"Suppose you had a person who was slowly dying of some incurable illness.  But his death is slow and agonizing.  Would it be so wrong for that person to be given a pill so that he can die more quickly and painlessly?  Wouldn't the Golden Rule have us end that person's suffering, or at least allow him to end it himself?"

It sounds like the truly empathetic position - perhaps even the Christian position - would be to embrace euthanasia and PAS.  Any yet you have the Catechism of the Catholic Church insisting the following:

"Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible. Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable." - CCC 2276

Today I wanted to look at three principals which I use to explain why I am opposed to euthanasia and physician assisted suicide.

The Bible and "God's Word"

A student recently sent me a fascinating video of a debate between an Evangelical pastor and a Mormon.  One thing which struck me was the way the pastor referred to the Bible as "God's Word ".  

For Evangelicals, the term "God's Word " is synonymous with "the Bible ".  But that terminology can sound odd for someone who has always been immersed in Catholic culture.  We just don't talk like that.

It is a weird quirk of how Catholic and Evangelical language has evolved separately, but reflects deeply held assumptions.  So today I want to explore this phenomenon and ask:

"What does the Bible say "God's Word" is?"