DAY 67

CHALLENGE

“The sacrament of confirmation is an invention of men with no biblical basis.

DEFENSE

The sacrament of confirmation is recorded in Scripture.

The laying on of hands is used in several Christian rites, including healing (Mark 6:5; Acts 28:8) and ordination for ministry (Acts 6:1–6, 13:2–3). It is also used in Christian initiation.

The book of Hebrews lists the laying on of hands among the “elementary doctrines of Christ”—basic things a convert would need instruction on—alongside repentance, faith, baptism, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment (Heb. 6:1–2…

DAY 66

CHALLENGE

“The Old Testament laws stating that people should be punished in an ‘eye for an eye’ fashion are cruel.”

DEFENSE

Properly understood, these passages expressed a principle of justice and sought to promote the common good.

Three passages mention the “eye for an eye” principle: Exodus 21:22– 25, Leviticus 24:17–21, and Deuteronomy 19:16–21. The first deals with the case of men who are fighting and accidentally injure a preg- nant woman, causing miscarriage. The second deals with a man who attacks and maims another. The third deals with a witness who lies in court to harm…

DAY 65

CHALLENGE

“If God is outside of time and knows everything that we’re going to do, then we don’t have free will.”

DEFENSE

Knowing about an event does not mean causing it. God can know about things people choose without depriving them of free will.

It’s true that God is outside of time and knows both our past and future choices, but this does not determine them.

Consider: You know about many events in the past—in your personal history, your family history, and world history. But your knowledge did not force any of them to happen. They occurred, for whatever reason, and you just …

DAY 64

CHALLENGE

“There is no biblical basis for regarding Mary as the Queen of Heaven. The term is not found in the Bible, and Catholics shouldn’t use it.”

DEFENSE

Many terms are not found in the Bible, yet they have a biblical basis. The Marian title “Queen of Heaven” is one such term.

Just because a term is not found in the Bible does not mean it is “un- biblical” (contrary to Scripture). It can have a solid scriptural basis. For example, the terms “Trinity,” “original sin,” and even “Bible” are not found in Scripture, but each describes a biblical reality.

Mary’s role as queen is b…

DAY 63

CHALLENGE

“Paul teaches we are saved by faith alone: ‘We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law’ (Rom. 3:28).”

DEFENSE

Paul says that we are justified by faith apart from “works of the law.” That’s not the same thing.

Works of the law refer to acts undertaken to obey the Law of Moses, the fundamental law of Judaism. Thus, after saying we are justified apart from works of the law, Paul asks, “Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also?” (Rom. 3:29). He then refers to circumcision—the most famous requirement of the Law of Moses—sayi…

DAY 62

CHALLENGE

“Catholics should not use crucifixes because Jesus is no longer on the cross.”

DEFENSE

The reason that the cross is important is because of the Crucifixion.

This objection has more to do with group identity markers than se- rious theological reflection. Every group has practices that mark its identity with respect to other groups (e.g., circumcision and keeping kosher among Jewish people).

In Western Europe at the time of the Reformation, Protestants be- gan to distinguish themselves from Catholics by certain practices. One was an avoidance of three-dimensional images …

DAY 61

CHALLENGE

“God doesn’t give private revelation or perform any miracles today. These stopped with the first century: ‘As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away’ (1 Cor. 13:8–10).“

DEFENSE

This argument mistakes the time frame Paul is discussing.

He says these will pass away “when the perfect comes.” To claim that happened in the first century, you have to identify what “the perfect” was. Sugges…

DAY 60

CHALLENGE

“How could Jesus be the Son of God if he prayed, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’? An all-good God couldn’t forsake Jesus, so either Jesus made a mistake by thinking his Father had forsaken him or his Father made a mistake by actually doing so.”

DEFENSE

Abandonment can be understood in different senses. Jesus knew he would be vindicated, and his words prove it.

First, abandonment can be understood in a relative sense—as allowing a person to experience a particular bad thing. The Father certainly al- lowed his Son to experience suffering on the cross, so he co…

DAY 59

CHALLENGE

“Catholics should not ask the saints for intercession. Why do that when you can pray directly to God?”

DEFENSE

If this proved anything, it would prove too much. It would wipe out much of Christian prayer.

We can and should pray directly to God—the source of all gifts (James 1:17). However, it does not follow that you should pray only to God. This is a “both/and” situation, not an “either/or” one.

We naturally sense that it is helpful to have others praying for us, and down through the ages Christians have asked one another for their prayers. But this would be impossi…

DAY 58

CHALLENGE

“The pagan roots of Christianity are shown by the popular Madonna-and-Child images depicting Mary and the baby Jesus. Similar images depicting a goddess and her child are found in pagan religions all over the world.”

DEFENSE

Images of the Madonna and Child neither date from the origin of Christianity nor prove it has a pagan origin.

Images of Mary and the baby Jesus did not become common in Christian art until the fifth century. There are a few possible examples of them from the second to the fourth centuries, but none from the first. These images do not go back to the…