FACTS

Many evangelicals celebrate Martin Luther on Reformation Day while rejecting beliefs he considered essential. Luther taught baptismal regeneration, infant baptism, Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist, and private confession and absolution. How much of his theology would the churches celebrating him actually accept?In this episode, Dr. Stephen Boyce compares Luther’s beliefs with modern evangelical teaching and examines where Baptist and nondenominational churches resemble the Anabaptist wing of the Radical Reformation. We’ll distinguish shared beliefs from direct historical ancestry and explain why disagreeing with Luther doesn’t automatically make someone a radical reformer.Which Reformation shaped your church—and would Luther recognize what you’re celebrating?

Do Catholics know the Gospel? Pat May and Stephen Boyce respond to Jeff Durbin’s “The Gospel for Roman Catholics” and discuss what the Catholic Church actually teaches about salvation, grace, faith, and works. We’ll examine his arguments, address common misunderstandings, and explain why becoming Catholic didn’t mean abandoning the Gospel.Join us as we open Scripture and make the Catholic case.

Are recent popes contradicting their predecessors on the death penalty? What does “inadmissible” mean, and how does it fit with earlier Catholic teaching?Dr. Stephen Boyce is joined by Suan Sonna from‪@intellectualcatholicism‬ and Daniel Vecchio to examine the debate, including comparisons with the statements of Pope Pius XII and Pope Innocent III. We’ll consider their words in context, the scope of papal authority, and the distinction between doctrinal development, prudential judgment, and contradiction.Do the apparent tensions hold up under closer examination? Let’s look at the sources.

In this episode, Dr. Stephen Boyce walks through St. Jerome’s Letter 15 to Pope Damasus, written while Jerome was living in the Syrian desert amid the divisions of the Antiochene schism. Eastern Christians were divided among rival bishops, while theological controversy surrounded the expression “three hypostases.” Jerome understood the orthodox meaning intended by some who used the phrase, but he feared that its ambiguity could also suggest three divine substances.Rather than deciding the controversy by himself, Jerome appealed to Pope Damasus and the Roman See. He describes Rome as the “chair of Peter,” the rock upon which the Church is built, the house in which the Paschal Lamb is rightly eaten, and the Ark of Noah. Although he follows no leader except Christ, Jerome declares that he communicates with the chair of Peter and asks Damasus to determine which terminology he should use and with whom he should remain in communion at Antioch.This letter provides an important window into Jerome’s understanding of ecclesial unity and the resolution of schism. For Jerome, agreement with the Roman See was not merely an expression of admiration for Rome. He looked to the successor of Peter for an authoritative judgment capable of identifying orthodox communion and bringing clarity to a divided Church.

Join me for a special Daddy-Daughter Date Podcast as my daughter and I explore the life of her patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi.
Most people know Francis as the saint who loved animals, but his story is much bigger than that. We talk about his wealthy upbringing, his dreams of becoming a knight, his conversion, his encounter with lepers, the call to “rebuild my Church,” his friendship with St. Clare, his radical poverty, the Christmas scene at Greccio, his meeting with the Sultan during the Crusades, the stigmata, and his final years.
Along the way, we talk about what Francis can teach us about following Christ, caring for others, making peace, loving creation, and becoming holy in everyday life.
This episode is meant to be fun, thoughtful, and simple enough for kids while still taking the history and faith of St. Francis seriously.
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.

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