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From the beginning of the Church, people have wondered what it is. A big part of St. Paul’s work, as reflected in his letters to the early churches, is clarifying what the Church is and is not. To the Galatians, Paul had to explain that belonging to the Church does not require first becoming Jewish. But he also needed to make it clear that there is nothing wrong with coming into Christianity from Judaism! To the Philippians, he explained that the Church is not a place of self-fulfil …

Another question that arises when we’re talking about our relationship with the saints, and the honor that is due to them, is, “Must I have a devotion to the saints?”Well, it depends on what we mean by devotion. If we intend to include within our definition of “devotion” the recognition of certain facts about them, then yes. For example, we must honor them by acknowledging their saintly status and our communion with them in the body of Christ. And, as mentioned in …

When I was deciding whether or not I should be a Christian, I made sure to read about as many other religions as I could. At first it was overwhelming to compare the teachings of faiths like Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism to Christianity, but then I noticed they all had one thing I could compare: a teaching about Jesus Christ.Almost every major world religion has a teaching about the identity of Jesus. Jews say Jesus was a human teacher, Muslims say he was a prophet, and Hindus and Buddhists …

Navigating Disagreements Among Catholics “Trent, can you respond to what this Catholic said online? It’s just really confusing.” Normally, I don’t like to nitpick other Catholics, even if I don’t agree with their approach toward sharing our faith. I don’t want to spend time arguing about matters Catholics are free to disagree about, especially since Scripture condemns this kind of quarreling and infighting. St. Paul said,“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise y …

Asking questions is an important part of the apologetic process, and it is important for every apologist to devote conscious thought to the art of asking questions—what they are used for, how they should be phrased, etc. The Socratic Method: Often apologists think of questions in connection with the Socratic method. In Plato’s dialogues, the figure of Socrates uses questions to challenge the beliefs of those around him. He asks questions designed to strip away false elements of these beliefs. Th …