34
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If both the Orthodox and Catholic Church affirm salvation by grace through faith, why did the Protestant Reformation happen?
Because the Catholic Church doesn't teach that we attain salvation only through the reception of God's grace by faith. That's why the Protestant teaching is called sola fide!
The Catholic Catechism ...
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17
votes
Which theory of the atonement did C. S. Lewis hold?
C. S. Lewis is well-known for not calling himself a theologian. Rather than seeking a systematic theological perspective, he understood the story of Christ as a "true myth." As he explains:...
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16
votes
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Did the disagreement between the Catholic Church and Protestant Church on the issue of salvation by grace alone end in 1999?
The Joint Declaration on Justification
The document that bishop Palmer is likely referring to is the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, created in 1999 by the Lutheran World ...
- 2,300
15
votes
How do believers in eternal conscious separation/torment reconcile their belief with Jesus' words at Matthew 10:39?
Your argument that writhing in the lake of fire constitutes life is your flawed premise.
That's the second death.
That may not comport with your preconception of 'life'; that is, any conscious state, ...
14
votes
Looking for an apologetic to the "Cosmic Child Abuse" objection
According to the doctrine of the Trinity, Jesus being the Son of God means that He is fully God made manifest in human form (John 1:14). Jesus is simultaneously both fully God and fully man. As such, ...
14
votes
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Was universalism the majority belief of the early church?
Background
Obviously, this topic suffers from dogmatists on both sides. Universalists are desperate to overstate their case, and traditionalists are desperate to prove the early church didn't have ...
- 1,249
13
votes
Do Catholics subscribe to the "once saved, always saved" doctrine that many evangelical Christians believe in?
A baptized Catholic would understand "accepting Jesus" as meaning professing the (Catholic) Faith; he would interpret "repenting of one's sins" as receiving absolution from a priest in the sacrament ...
- 38.6k
13
votes
Would salvation have been possible if Jesus had died without shedding His blood?
This is an impossible question to answer and not profitable to consider, IMHO. If Jesus could have died without bleeding and still saved us there are so many other aspects of the entire Scripture ...
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13
votes
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How do non-universalists account for these passages talking about the salvation of all?
Once one logically considers the relevant extant documents (by the genuine methodology of truly scientific textual criticism) ; once one has accurately translated these same documents ; once one has ...
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12
votes
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Is Pope Francis holding and professing different views (even personally) from any of the traditional Catholic Church doctrine?
In September 2016, four cardinals, with the support of many other clerics, questioned the orthodoxy of Francis's document on marriage and the family, Amoris Lætitia, in the form of five dubia ("...
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12
votes
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Can someone be saved if they willingly live in sin?
If a person should be aware that God forgives sins and should yet purpose to live a sinful life, then (whatever they theorise about an unknowable future) they are already in danger of perdition, of ...
- 23.7k
11
votes
Do Catholics subscribe to the "once saved, always saved" doctrine that many evangelical Christians believe in?
Actually Catholics would have to assent to the statement that "once saved, [one is] always saved" (I'll refer to this belief as "OSAS" for short). The difference is in when Catholics believe one is ...
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11
votes
According to the Catholic Church, are Jews saved without faith in Jesus?
Paragraphs 35 and 36 of the document discussed by the news article you've linked to state (emphasis mine):
Since God has never revoked his covenant with his people Israel, there cannot be different ...
- 8,051
11
votes
Accepted
How do proponents of Apokatastasis deal with the "Everlasting punishment" texts in scripture?
Those who believe in Apokatastasis believe Revelation 20:10 is grossly misunderstood. The Greek says:
καὶ ὁ διάβολος ὁ πλανῶν αὐτοὺς ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν λίμνην τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ θείου, ὅπου καὶ τὸ θηρίον καὶ ...
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11
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What are the predominant Christian views on whether Jesus had to specifically die by crucifixion? Could he have chosen another kind of death?
I am mostly familiar with the evangelical perspective, which I think is shared with mainstream Protestant denominations, since they all rely on Bible evidence alone (instead of relying on the writings ...
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11
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How do non-universalists account for these passages talking about the salvation of all?
I read through a Universalist's web-page and I think you meant to refer to Colossians 1:19-20 (and not 3. Corinthians 1:19-20). Assuming that to be the case, I will just deal with that one proof-text ...
- 27k
10
votes
Accepted
What do Protestant churches teach about the fate of deceased infants?
The salvation of infants within Protestant denominations cover a wide range of alternate views. The subject is closely related to different view of infant baptism but not identical. To avoid the ...
- 31.7k
10
votes
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How do Calvinists explain God's wanting no one to perish and electing some to judgement?
The typical Calvinist response to this question is captured well by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology:
[1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9] speak of God's revealed will (telling us what we should do)...
- 42.3k
10
votes
Accepted
How can there be Five Sola's (Solae) in Reformed theology?
I can see how this would look confusing and logically incoherent, but the reason that 5 statements, each about "something alone" can co-exist is that each of them achieves something different "alone". ...
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10
votes
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Is the choice, or decision, to accept Salvation through Jesus Christ a Work?
You've fallen into a common trap of examining a single piece of a theological system by importing that piece into your own construct rather than seeing how it fits into its own context. A Reformed ...
- 37.3k
10
votes
How is God's judgement of man fair when he judges them without considering their deeds?
Comparing the representative democracy of America with the kingdom of God is an unparalleled category error. The entire reason American jurisprudence holds a person innocent until proven guilty is ...
- 14.8k
10
votes
Accepted
According to believers in the inexorable damnation of the unreached, how is God not unfair for letting someone be born in unreachable conditions?
There are three common landing points that most believers fall into: (personally I progressed in my own thoughts along all three and don’t think its of absolute importance as to which place a person ...
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10
votes
According to Protestants who hold that belief in Trinitarianism is necessary for salvation, what happens to those who assent but don't understand?
It is generally acknowledged that the precise nature of God is beyond human comprehension. God is infinite, and all humans are limited, fallible beings. He is much more than our limited understanding ...
- 31.5k
10
votes
Is there a name for the belief that some individuals would always freely reject salvation no matter the world in which they are created?
Thanks to Isaac Middlemiss and Luke Hill's inputs, I can answer my own question. There are at least two relevant terms:
Transworld damnation:
The proposal of transworld damnation is not the doctrine ...
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9
votes
According to the Catholic Church, are Jews saved without faith in Jesus?
If that document indeed says Jews can be saved without the Catholic Faith, it is contrary to dogmatic teaching expressed, e.g., in the Council of Florence's decree Cantate Domino (Denz. 714), ratified ...
- 38.6k
9
votes
Accepted
Where can I find the text of the documents produced at the Council of Quiercy (853)?
I've found two sources online for the Latin text, but unfortunately nothing in English. The Latin is available in Gousset's Les actes de la province ecclésiastique de Reims, page 233, as well as ...
- 42.3k
9
votes
Accepted
Do Lutherans define Justification and Atonement as different things?
Articles 3 and 4 of the Augsburg Confession (part of the Lutheran Confessions) talk about this: The Augsburg Confession (Chief Articles of Faith: Article III: Of the Son of God and Article IV: Of ...
- 1,061
8
votes
Accepted
Which theory of the atonement did C. S. Lewis hold?
This brief addendum is intended only to corroborate OP's considered conclusion that Lewis
does not see any need to settle on a particular theory of the atonement, considering it to be something ...
- 1,267
8
votes
Accepted
What do Evangelical Protestants mean by "receive Jesus"?
For Evangelicals, "receiving Jesus" can be considered to be functionally equivalent to one or more of the following:
Regeneration
Being born again
Receiving the (indwelling) Holy Spirit
Being ...
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