Josh: Dear John, sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I found what you said to be quite interesting (which is quoted below in case you've forgotten since it's been weeks since we last corresponded). I do, however, have some questions and comments that might be of interest. I have a difficult … [Read more...]
Q&A – The necessity of the Church
Hey John, I've been wondering, why exactly is the Church necessary? You don't need the Church in order to practice virtue; there are men who practice it outside the Church and who did so before it existed. Someone may say we need it because it preserves the true faith. But is stuff like whether the … [Read more...]
Q&A – The visibility of the Church
Gene: Longtime no see John, 'know, I was just thinking -- this might be a lot easier than it looks. People are always debating whether the Church is visible or invisible -- but that is completely irrelevant. The real question is, "is the Church that Christ built united or divided?" What kind of … [Read more...]
Q&A – Peter’s authority based on Matthew 16:18-19
Anthony: Dear John, my name is Anthony XXXX and I live in Dublin, Ireland. I have just read a portion of your website and I would like to ask you a few questions. On one of your website pages, sourcing Catholicism in Scripture, you say that the Scriptures actually tell us that Peter was to be the … [Read more...]
Q&A – Is Peter the rock?
John: John, You know something you dogans always get your axles hung up on Peter's Rock. When Jesus came to the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples a momentous question: "Whom do men say that I am?" (Matt. 16: 13). The disciples reported what others said as to Jesus' identity (vs. … [Read more...]
Q&A – The (KJV) Bible and the Church
Justin: You wrote to my friend, this... The Catholic Church wrote, translated, copied, and preserved God's written word throughout the ages. That is the only reason you even have a Bible. Quit trying to interpret the Scriptures without the Church, because it is the Bible AND the Church, both or … [Read more...]
Q&A – The Baptist “church”
Dennis: On your church history page you state that Baptists were started by John Smyth in 1609. Not so! Baptist had no one human founder. John Smyth only started one congregation in the Netherlands as Roger Williams started the first Baptist Church in America in 1639. There is evidence that Baptist … [Read more...]
Q&A – Peter versus James at the Council of Jerusalem
Scott: came across this website today and had a couple questions. A Protestant friend of mine, despite all the Scriptural evidence, is having a difficult time with two items regarding the primacy of Peter. First, he says it is James, not Peter, who opens the council at Jerusalem in Acts. Second, … [Read more...]
Q&A – Infallibility and Paul’s Rebuke of Peter
Patron: Mr. Salza, you responded to an email a while back concerning questions raised by my Protestant friend regarding Peter's role at the Council at Jerusalem in Acts. I just wanted to thank you and raise a few more questions posed by the same individual. To me, it seems the heart of my … [Read more...]