Rethinking the Nativity Scene [updated]

Nativity Scenes are a staple of this time of the year.  Churches all around the world erect statues of the three wise men, shepherds, and animals surrounding the holy family in a starlit barn.

But sometimes these scenes can lead to needless confusion.  So today I want to ask a few questions, take a fresh look at the text, and re-think what we think we know about the Nativity.

Holy Week Reflection: It is Finished, Therefore...

A while ago I wrote about something I call a “Swiss Army verse”.  These are verses of Scripture which seem significant, but whose implications are not fully spelled out in the sacred text.  For that reason, it is not uncommon for folks to use those passages to support whatever personal theological fixation they desire.

Today we are going to take a look at another one; John 19:128-30.  It reads:

“After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (to fulfill the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’  

A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.  When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

What does that phrase mean?  What does it NOT mean?

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.

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:

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.

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?

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: 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...

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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.

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?"   

How Does a Catholic Read: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

If you listen to Catholic Q&A shows for any length of time, you will hear the topic of Purgatory brought up repeatedly.  The questions usually fall into one of three categories:

1. What is it?
2. Where is it taught in Scripture?
3. How is it reconciled with this Bible passage which I think contradicts it?

Today I wanted to look more closely at the passage most often cited by Catholics to answer the second question.  Namely, I want to examine 1Corinthians 3:10-15 and see if it is reasonable to draw the doctrine of Purgatory from the text.

[I previously made a post explaining the very concept of Purgatory.  You can find that here.]

Looking at 3 Types of Bible Contradictions...

One thing believed by all Christian traditions is the divine inspiration of the Bible.  That is to say, we believe the words of the Bible are the words of God Himself.

So it can be alarming when we read the four Gospel accounts and find apparent contradictions between them.  It would mean at least one of the texts must be in error.

Many people attempt harmonization of the Gospel accounts - and rightfully so.  But other times we have to go back and reflect on what exactly we mean by "inspiration".  What exactly does that doctrine imply?

Today I wanted to look at three types of apparent contradictions in the Bible and discuss what it means for our understanding of inspiration.

Did Jesus Claim to be God in the Synoptics?

Probably the most famous argument in Christian apologetics is the so-called “Trilemma Argument”.  It notes how Jesus’ claim to divinity in the New Testament forces a limited number of choices upon us.

One common way around this argument is to assert that Jesus is not really presented as divine in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  It sounds something like this:

“All that stuff about Jesus claiming to be God comes from the Gospel of John, which was written long after the original Jesus story had become the subject of myth.  The other, earlier Gospels contain none of these portrayals of a divine messiah.  In those he is just a miracle-working prophet.”

So today I wanted to respond to this by going through five ways Jesus claimed to be God – or was presented as God - in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

My Favorite NT References to the Deuterocanon / Apocrypha

If you were to lay a Catholic Bible next to a Protestant Bible*, you’d notice there is a slight difference in thickness between these two.

That’s because the Protestant Old Testament excludes 7 books which are included in the Catholic Bible.   Catholics refer to these books as the “Deuterocanon”.  Protestants refer to them as “the Apocrypha”.  They include:

One of the most common arguments one encounters when discussing the Deuterocanon is whether there are any direct quotes of those seven books in the New Testament.  The assertion works like this:

• If there are direct references, you can justify its inclusion in the Old Testament.
• If not, the book should (supposedly) be held in suspicion.  

Now, there are no direct, attributed references to the Deuterocanonical books in the New Testament.  But it doesn't really matter.  There are roughly a dozen Old Testament books which are not directly quoted in the New Testament...

.... and no one is suggesting we remove those.

Still, that’s not the end of the story.  From here one could ask:

“Are there any places where the books of the Deuterocanon are referenced indirectly or alluded to?”

Here the answer is “Yes”.  And today we’re going to look at four of them.

How Does a Catholic Read: 1Corinthians 4:6

A while ago I had the idea to canvas some of my non-Catholic friends and ask, "What verses of the New Testament do you think Catholics simply don't get? You look at it and think, 'Are Catholics unaware of this verse? What do they do with this?'"

Today I wanted to cover one last verse which relates to Sola Scriptura.  That passage is 1Corinthians 4:6.  Just as before, we're going to examine the passage, apply it to the Sola Scriptura controversy... and answer the question:

"What the heck does a Catholic do with 1Corinthians 4:6?"

Wait....Are We Judged Twice?

One of the basic truths we learn as Christians is that when we die, we personally go before God for judgment.  But then you read the New Testament and notice something odd… the Bible presents the judgment as a massive public event at the end of time.

So which is it?

Well, your eyes do not deceive you – there are two judgment events.  The first occurs upon your death.  The second comes at the end of time.  But why?

That’s what I wanted to go over today.

The Swiss Army Verses: The Rending of the Temple Veil

Today I wanted to begin a two-part series on a couple of New Testament passages which frequently appear in discussions between Catholics and non-Catholics.

These are verses which appear significant, but their implications are not explained in Scripture.  They are seized upon by preachers who say they know the real meaning of the text.  And frequently those interpretations are given in the context of protests against distinctive Catholic beliefs.

I call them .... the "Swiss Army Verses".

The Analogy of John 6

One of the doctrines which separates Christians from one another is the nature of the Lord's Supper.  What exactly did Jesus mean when He said:

"This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." - Luke 22: 19-20

Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and some others take Jesus quite literally.  We confess that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ's body.  That is to say, Jesus Christ literally makes Himself available as food during the celebration of the Mass (aka the Lord's Supper).

In contrast, Evangelicals, Baptists, and most independent congregations hold that Jesus was speaking figuratively at the Last Supper.  They believe the Eucharist is only a token, a symbol, an emblem of Christ's body.

For simplicity I will call these two camps Group L and Group F.  (Literal and Figurative)

Today I want to discuss why this disagreement between Groups L and F is important.  Then I want to share an insight I had which I think definitively rebuts an argument against the literal bodily reality of the Eucharist.

How Does a Catholic Read: Revelation 22:18-19

Recently I had the idea to canvas some of my non-Catholic Christian friends and ask, "What verses of the New Testament do you think Catholics simply don't get?"  One suggestion was Revelation 22:18-19 - a text which is often used to support the doctrine of "Sola Scriptura".

[For background on Sola Scriptura and why it matters, you'll find that discussion -here-]

So today we're going to examine the passage, apply it to the Sola Scriptura controversy... and answer the question:

"What the heck does a Catholic do with Revelation 22:18-19?"