5 Reasons Christians Should Become Catholic or Return to the Catholic Church

May 30, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on why I joined the Catholic Church. This reflection was initially spurred by discussions with Matt Graham (of Rational Animal) regarding Church authority. Below, I list five reasons Christians should become or return to the Catholic Church. Now, non-Christians may read these reasons and find them wanting. The intent here is not to convince atheists and agnostics to join the Catholic Church, as they must first accept theism and then Christian theism. The intended audience for... Read more

Fidelity Month Starts June 1st: Who’s In?

May 28, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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Award winning Princeton professor Robert P. George recently announced on his Facebook page the first annual “Fidelity Month” starting June 1st. As a supporter of fidelity, I decided to add my voice to this initiative. Below, I share and reflect on Professor George’s statement on Fidelity Month. Also of important note, professor George will conduct an online webinar on Thursday, June 1st at 2:00 pm (EST) to officially launch Fidelity Month. Please check his Facebook page for more information. Click... Read more

Beware Unfettered Kindness

May 23, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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In a past article, I wrote on the dangers of unfettered empathy. As equally dangerous to human development and maturity is unfettered kindness. Now, please do not misunderstand this warning as a call for incivility or bullying. One must remain polite and civil in all human interactions. No, my warning concerns misplaced kindness that leads to the detriment of another. This type of kindness, instead of encouraging individual growth and maturity, stunts growth and enables immaturity. True kindness, kindness reflected... Read more

What Yields When Political and Religious Thought Converge and Conflict?

May 17, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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In a recent opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times, Mary Jo McConahay lamented the growing influence “far-right politics of US Catholic bishops.” As a “moderate Catholic,” she sees the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) focus on abortion, gender issues, and human sexuality as a veiled endorsement for “Christian Nationalism.” The piece, full of cultural buzz words, implores US Catholics to choose the “pastoral approach” of Pope Francis over that of the rigidly sexist, racist, and Christian nationalistic... Read more

5 Reasons Catholics “Leave” Jesus on the Cross

May 3, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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Recently, a very dear friend of mine (a Presbyterian pastor) asked me a question often asked Catholics: Why the crucifix in Catholic Churches? Good question. Why do Catholics “leave” Jesus on the cross in our churches? St. Paul answers this question in 1 Corinthians 2:2: For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. Now, to leave it at that would not appease my friend. So, below are the five reasons Catholic Churches leave Jesus... Read more

Who Chooses Hell?

April 28, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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In past articles, I wrote about hell and purgatory. In this article, I focus on one aspect of hell often overlooked—those who go to hell choose it freely. Furthermore, not only do they choose hell freely, if offered the opportunity to leave, they would choose to remain in hell. Now, some may recoil at this fact, but a fact it is. Appealing to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and other sources, I lay out my case why all... Read more

Beware a Therapeutic Christ

April 26, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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Beware a therapeutic Christ. This Christ’s mission centers solely on acceptance and affirmation, not repentance and transformation. The therapeutic Christ affirms sinful actions as good and supports the belief that some human behavior is immutable and irreformable. In short, the therapeutic Christ is a toothless and harmless Christ, a false Christ. In this article, I examine the attributes of the therapeutic Christ considering the Christ found in Scripture and Catholic Tradition. The Christ in Scripture and Tradition transforms and saves.... Read more

3 Things Catholic Authority Is NOT

April 20, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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The Catholic Church speaks for the Almighty and good God! All the Pope’s pronouncements reflect God’s will, and all Catholics must follow them or risk eternal damnation in Hell. If the Pope says it, Catholics must do it, no matter what, no exceptions. The same goes for cardinals, bishops, priests, and deacons. In short, to question the Church or her clergy is to question God. Conversely, since the Church holds such absolute authority over her members, any lapse in moral... Read more

Whom Do You Serve? Christ or…?

April 13, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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I write this a few days after Easter Sunday, 2023. Spring shows that new life blooms out of every window. For Catholics (and all Christians), Easter brings us back to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also reminds us of the new life purchased for us by Jesus. Jesus paid the price we owed for our sins. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.... Read more

Were You There When They Crucified the Lord?

April 7, 2023 By Dennis Knapp

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To all regular Mass attendees, the reading for Palm Sunday (the Passion narrative) represents the longest Gospel reading of the year (and the shortest homily). This year’s reading comes from Matthew 26:14—27:66. As my family sat and listened to this reading, the singer interspersed verses from the hymn Were You There. The Passion narrative combined with this hymn produced many thoughts on who I was in the Passion of the Lord. Was I the betrayer? Was I the denier? How... Read more