#11632 Why Theology Matters - Mark Brumley

Questions Covered: 06:09 – Why should we care about the Filioque?      15:38 – What is the Kingdom of God mentioned in the bible?      20:43 – How do we make sense of freewill when we die?  29:24 – Where does Limbo and purgatory fall especially when looking at the time before Jesus?   43:05 – How authentic is the Letter of Pilate to Tiberius?   51:06 – . Julie… Rochester, MN… I’m a cradle Catholic and I have a two-part question about baptism:  I’ve had relatives who wished to have their children baptized by a priest, but the priest denied them because of their living situations and lack of practicing their faith themselves. I understand that any Christian baptism is valid as long as proper form is used, so these relatives likely could have gone to another Christian church and had their children baptized and it would have been seen as valid by the Catholic Church. So what is the reasoning for just not baptizing the children in the Catholic Church as requested, when other baptisms would be considered equally valid? It seems that the other Christian churches are more willing to offer the grace to the innocent child. Also, in the Catholic Church, holy water is used for baptism. This is not available in other Christian churches, and often not available in emergency situations either, so I’m having difficulty seeing those baptisms as equally valid.  …

Questions Covered: 07:13 – Which pope introduced the Assumption of Mary? 13:12 – How should we read Genesis? Should we take it literally? 24:40 – Does a confessor have to confess the number and kind of sin? 34:41 – Does calling the Holy Spirit a demon make one commit the sin against the Holy Spirit? 43:12 – Do children lost due to miscarriage, end up in Limbo? …

Questions Covered: 01:38 – If we receive the Holy Spirit and He’s supposed to guide us, then why don’t all Christians arrive at the same conclusions? 16:40 – Question from a Muslim friend, If God is unchanging in his nature how can Christians claim that their God is unchanging when the second person became man? 22:05 – How did infants have original sin forgiven before the covenant with Jesus? 30:13 – Can you help me understand purgatory and where we see it in the bible? 47:55 – What does the Catholic Church do to a bishop after they are let go from they’re duty? Do the Just gland pick up any job? 50:55 – Is the baptism of John different from Catholic baptism? …

Questions Covered: 16:55 – How come it seems like any sin is forgivable but no accountability for repeat offenders? 40:30 – The few infallible teachings were about Mary. Why did the Church decide to declare those teachings at that time? 52:45 – I’m on fire for learning more about Catholicism and I need some guidance. I can’t get enough …

Questions Covered: 03:32 – I’m protestant looking into the Church. Does a protestant have to redo salvation? 13:22 – Some people use scripture to denigrate Jews. What does the Church say about this? 24:48 – Rev 19:16 says Jesus will return on a horse with a name inscribed on him. Does this mean that animals are in heaven and that tattoos are acceptable? 31:45 – What does the Church teach about illegitimate children? 34:38 – Does it make the pope a heretic for praising Martin Luther? 37:31 – Do we believe in the antichrist as a person? 41:43 – Why don’t you talk about the Palestinian people? 49:55 – I always thought that animals were in heaven. Can you clarify? …

Questions Covered: 03:09 – What is the best evidence for the existence of demons? 08:43 – How can we defend an immaterial soul or a dualist perspective in light of modern neuroscience? 20:05 – My wife and I are looking to getting our wedding blessed in the Church. What’s the distinction between marriage within the Church and marriage outside the Church? 28:28 – Should we make Catholicism the state religion of Canada? 31:32 – I read a story of a person who had 8-9 exorcisms done. Why would God allow someone to go through it that many times? 40:35 – If a priest skips the words of consecration, is it still a valid mass? 43:30 – What is purgatory and how does that affect our eternity? 47:07 – Regarding sola scriptura debate: the best case against ss is that it doesn’t pass its own test. Can you expound on that argument? 52:42 – Did the Church change the eucharistic formula by only using bread and not wine in the 12th century? How do I respond to this? …

Questions Covered: 11:55 – Should I be reading the bible from cover to cover? 16:59 – I’m protestant looking into Catholicism. What is 1 Tim 3? How come priests can’t be married? 21:01 – Why does Elijah and Moses appear in the Transfiguration? 29:31 – A Protestant told me that Catholics worship the same God as Islam. How do I respond? 34:36 – Is there anything that supports the idea of cultural Catholicism? Saying if the culture doesn’t accept it, then the Church shouldn’t enforce it. Does the bible accept or reject it? 41:28 – The Gospel of Matthew says that Jesus condemns divorce except for the case of unchastity. What is that? 44:06 – I’ve been grappling with the issue of women’s silence in the church, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Could you help me understand why it states that women should remain silent in the church and ask their questions to their husbands? I have read so many articles and watched videos but didn’t satisfy. 47:19 – You said a person cannot divorce, remarry and receive communion. Is this true? Did I hear you correctly? 49:39 – Was St. Dismas the first saint in heaven? Where were the other souls of the Old Testament? …

Questions Covered: 18:54 – Why didn’t Jesus keep the wounds from his scourging? 23:05 – Since Jesus has a body in heaven and so does Mary, are we going to have the same bodies purified and cleansed in heaven? 43:12 – It makes sense to me that Jesus changed his physical appearance, and they didn’t recognize him. I’m a recovering alcoholic and people didn’t recognize when I became sober. 50:50 – 1. Cor 15:28 What does this mean? And how do I respond to people who claim this disproved Jesus divinity? …

09:04 – How can I reconcile Adam, Eve and Evolution? 17:05 – What are your thoughts on magnetism, gravity and light? It almost seems like there’s a spiritual element to them that we can’t explain. Good 22:27 – Is it plausible to conclude that there must be a God, seeing how inanimate matter cannot create on its own? Good 33:36 – Is there an agreed upon definition of science? 37:27 – When Jesus said, you will have life more abundantly, do you think he was referring to the future and scientific discovery in the temporal world? 44:27 – The Church teaches all humans are persons but there seems to be circumstances where persons don’t exist in humans like, braindead people and zygotes. What are your thoughts on this? 52:35 – I’m a homeschooling mom and feel unprepared for the scientific subjects. How can I prepare? …

Questions Covered: 02:55 – I disagree with your statement that the apostles did not gain from spreading the gospel. 08:22 – How can I defend my new Catholic faith to my Jewish family? 16:39 – How do I defend the position that abortion should be illegal? 23:56 – Why does our modern biblical text use the Masoretic text instead of the Septuagint which is more apologetic friendly? 31:17 – I’m a revert living in the bible belt. How do I share my faith with my non-denominational Christians? 37:42 – Why is baptism a prerequisite to confession? 48:04 – How would you respond to the claim that euthanasia decreases suffering so it should be allowed …