Catholic Apologetics 101
1. T/F: Jesus hated organized religion.
2. The ______ is the visible and spiritual Body of Christ which believers are called to join.
1. False
2. Church
1. T/F: The holiness of the Church is rooted in the many great saints of the Church, not God.
2. T/F: Catholicism denies the basic doctrines of Christianity such as the real humanity and divinity of Christ, the Trinity, and the divine inspiration of Scripture.
1. F
2. F
The primary reason one should believe in Sacred Scripture is b/c:
A. It is ancient
B. It is taught as inspired by Christ's Church
C. It is the most widely published book
D. It is well-written and inspiring
E. The bible says that it is true
B (this is known as the spiral argument)
1. T/F: Sinful popes disprove papal primacy.
2. T/F: Rather than interpreting the truth, the Magisterium creates it on its own authority.
Topic
The Church & the Deposit of Faith
Recall the three main data sources of Catholic Apologetics.
1. Scritpure
2. Tradition/History
3. Reason
What is a way the Catholic Church can be said to be most “catholic?”
Most widespread and numerous branch of Christainity
1. T/F: Sacred Scripture is inspired
2. T/F: Sacred Scripture is not inerrant
T, F
1. T/F: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are equal in the eyes of the Church
2. T/F: The books of the bible were officially codified by the Church before Sacred Tradition existed.
1. T
2. F. The canon of Scripture is part of Sacred Tradition
1. Give two points of evidence supporting papal primacy from Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and or reason. Note: Scripture must be at least one of your reasons.
2. Recall the three additional attributes for the Church using the acronym (VIP).
3. Recall the three parts of the Catholic Deposit of Faith
Papal Authority:
A. Scripture: Mt. 16: Peter = rock who alone receives the keys
B. Tradition/history: Council of Chalcedon highlighted papal primacy (5th century). Popes have consistently taught orthodoxy, not heresy
C. Reason: gives sure unity to the Church which Christ desired
2. Visible, Infallible, Perpetual
3. Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium
Recall the primary audience and central question/topic of Catholic Apologetics.
Non-Catholic Christians
Which church is founded by Christ?
How can the Catholic Church uniquely claim to have the mark of “one”?
Unified under the papacy
____ is the primary author of Scripture while _____ are the secondary authors of Scripture.
God, the human authors whom God inspired
While these less authoritative _______ traditions of the Church can change, _______ Tradition is unchanging and inerrant.
Human, Sacred
1. While (Catholics or Protestants) believe the Church fell away from its genuine mission (i.e. Great Apostasy), (Catholics or Protestants) cite a genuine development of doctrine through history.
2. Which came first: Protestant Reformation/Revolution or Great Schism?
1. Protestants, Catholics
2. Great Schism
Name two ways the Church is “Apostolic”?
Apostolic foundation, succession, and or maintenance of apostolic tradition,
Recall the “Canon Problem” that faces Protestants who operate by Sola Scriptura?
It is hard to not rely on the Church when determining the books of the bible since it was the Church that codified the books of the bible as the bible never came with a table of contents.
1. T/F: Apostolic Succession means that the authority of the apostles did not end at death but was rather transferred to their successors down to the present day.
2. T/F: The Catholic Church teaches that it alone has Apostolic Succession.
1. T
2. F. The Eastern Orthodox also have apostolic succession.
1. What is the central issue that divides Catholicism against Eastern Orthodoxy?
2. What is the central issue that divides Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy against Protestantism?
1. Papal primacy/infallibility
2. Scripture + Tradition vs. Sola Scriptura
1. Name the four marks of the Church.
2. T/F: The marks of the Church are not biblical.
3. T/F: The marks of the Church were identified at early Church ecumenical councils.
1. One, holy, catholic, apostolic
2. False
3. True
Recall three reasons why the Church rejects the doctrine of Sola Scriptura.
The doctrine is: 1) unbiblical, 2) unhistorical, 3) unworkable to unity, and 4) canon problem
The writings and testimony of the Church Fathers are an important part of Catholic tradition. Recall three criterion of a Church Father.
1. Antiquity: lived before 800 AD
2. Orthodoxy: held to basic Christian belief
3. Holiness of life: they attempted to practice what they preached