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DEVELOPING A SUMMARY OF THE ATONEMENT In some parallel universe I might have chosen theology as my career field. Alas, not in this universe. It's simply a hobby of study. I came across an old post of mine summarizing the atonement. I couldn't find it in any of my digital archives. Luckily my post had a screenshot and I was able to find it in an email chain between me and Catholic apologist and author Robert Sungenis. This exchange is what led to my brief summary of the atonement which earned his seeming approval. Here's the exchange. Some edits had to be made due to some personal commentary. My summary of the atonement is at the bottom. Enjoy. Or not. 😞 - Laurence Gonzaga, MA,  Child Development Psychology  Gonzaga:  I just watched this from NT Wright. It was pretty compelling. It sounds like Christus Victor. Eastern Catholics/Orthodox seem to favor Christus Victor.  Can Vicarious Satisfaction be coupled with Christus Victor? https://youtube.com/watch?v=...

LITURGY WARS: THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY I read the first part here from Andrew Likoudis. I appreciate the balanced view he offers. Here's a few thoughts. https://wherepeteris.com/the-liturgical-path-of-the-church-after-vatican-ii/  "The council’s reforms made the liturgy more accessible and engaging for the laity in many cases." I'm not sure I agree with this piece here. At the very least, I don't think it's a universal thing. I can see how the Novus Ordo can be seen as more accessible to the vast majority of folks now, perhaps as a reinterpretation of the post concilar reactions of the common folks, by way of our own current present day biases. After all, why wouldn't we assume that having a liturgy in our vernacular language is naturally more engaging and accessible than a mysterious foreign language I don't understand. But I would argue psychologically, and perhaps this has to do with certain personality styles or types, but there'...

  *Click on the links of the times below to skip to that topic 0:00 Introduction: Why I'm making this video 2:30 Why this video? Responding to a local anti-Catholic Protestant friend 5:20 Detachment in apologetics 5:50 Predestination 7:10 Start of the topic: Catholic Tradition 10:00 Why practice apologetics and evangelization? 12:30 Teach and think with the Church; Vincentian Canon 14:30 Church vs sola scriptura and the Reformation 18:15 What do I need to KNOW, what do I need to DO, as a Christian? 19:45 How can I understand what I'm reading in the Scriptures, unless someone who KNOWS, teaches me? 21:00 Standing on the shoulders of giants 22:10 Interpreting the Bible in the context of 2000 years of ancient Christian belief and practice 23:25 When you listen to the interpretation of your pastor you aren't accepting the "Bible Alone", you are subscribing to some form of "tradition" 25:25 Catholic Tradition or Protestant Tradition, take your...

Purgatory and the Judgment of our Works Laurence Gonzaga A coworker came to my desk. She asked where purgatory is taught in the Bible. I showed her 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. She read it. "Oh, there it is..." Exactly. That simple when you don't assume it's not there. It's pretty clear, once you have been taught by 2000 years of history and tradition. Not by some 2022 sola scripturist that hasn't been taught or sent by the Church to teach. Here are some ideas and passages to note... We are salted by fire: "49 For everyone will be salted with fire.[a] 50 (A)Salt is good, (B)but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? (C)Have salt in yourselves, and (D)be at peace with one another.” (Mark 9:49, ESV) We are tested by fire: "12 Beloved, do not be surprised at (A)the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." (1Peter 4:12, ESV) Our works will be judged: "God “wi...

Prima Ecclesia By Laurence Gonzaga For many years now I've been sharing a concept which I don't think has been coined or written on. I'm thinking of finally writing something about it in a brief booklet. It's probably not worth the effort to get it printed. It's a simple enough concept. The Protestant Reformation had it's doctrine of sola scriptura, that the Bible is the sole/only rule of faith for the Christian. Protestant Calvinist Dr. James White claimed that Catholics practiced what he coined to be sola ecclesia, that the Church alone has the authority. In a Catholic debate in the 90s, Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid explained the concept he called prima scriptura, that the primary authority is the Sacred Scriptures. His Catholic teammates didn't agree to endorse such a concept. In a recent debate between Trent Horn and Gavin Ortlund, Trent Horn used the phrase "prior, not higher" of Scripture. I disagree. If anything is prior, Sa...

For all of us who think we are good without God... For all of us who think we are good on our own, so that God will hopefully approve of us... WRONG IF...we are good at all, it's only because of God, nothing of our own, other than a response of "Fiat". Luke 15:7 English Standard Version 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Romans 3:10 English Standard Version 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; Romans 3:23 English Standard Version 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

It always irks me. They genuflect facing the center of the church, towards the Novus Ordo altar. Then they walk by the Tabernacle (not in the center) without even a blink of an eye. Clearly, the English liturgy didn't help them understand what the faith of 20 generations is. They need to be taught. Who will teach them?