Dave Armstrong Collection (9 vols.)

Bible Conversations includes 15 dialogues loosely based on the encounters of the author, a Catholic apologist, with Protestants over the course of nearly five years of private correspondence and internet discussion on lists and bulletin boards. Armstrong deals with the most important and fundamental issues that divide Protestants and Catholics:

• The relationship of the Bible and tradition
• The authority of the Church
• The possibility of Bible-like infallibility for the Church and for tradition
• The process of salvation
• The relationship of faith and works
• The doctrine of “salvation by works”—do Catholics believe in it?
• The beauty of “grace alone”
• And more!

In many ways, John Calvin has shaped the history of Protestantism even more than Martin Luther himself. Book four of John Calvin’s monumentally influential work of systematic theology, Institutes of the Christian Religion, gets to the heart of the disagreement between Catholics and Protestants. Armstrong's work is an in-depth critique of the major themes of this portion, from a biblical and Catholic perspective. The back-and-forth, Socratic nature of this volume allows the reader to consider Calvin’s arguments and ponder orthodox Catholic replies to them, deciding which are more plausible or have more of a “ring of truth” to them.

Calvin himself claimed that his work was supposed to be primarily for students and laypeople (the masses), not scholars and theologians. He wrote: “My intention was only to furnish a kind of rudiments, by which those who feel some interest in religion might be trained to true godliness. . . . in a simple and elementary form adapted for instruction.” His goals were to “assist the simple in this matter, and, as it were, lend them their hand to guide and assist them in finding the sum of what God has been pleased to teach us in His Word” and provide “a summary of Christian doctrine.”

Therefore, a popular-level critique from a Catholic perspective (the same that Calvin opposes throughout his work) is altogether appropriate—and long overdue. Armstrong has deliberately kept the polemics to a bare minimum, even though Calvin is often highly provocative and polemical (and insulting toward Catholicism and Catholics). The goal of this volume is to concentrate on rational arguments from Scripture and history. Also included are 66 “ecumenical” pages detailing where Catholics and Calvin (and Calvinists) can agree—on a surprisingly great many things.

Catholic apologist and prolific author Dave Armstrong has compiled his writing on the Eucharist and the Sacrifice of the Mass, 15 years of internet dialogues summarized in a Scripture-packed 23 chapters. Armstrong covers an ample range of topics:

• The special presence of God in physical objects prior to the incarnation
• Comparison of the indwelling and the Real Presence
• Doubting disciples in the Eucharistic discourse of John 6
• Exclusion of non-Catholics from Catholic communion
• St. Augustine’s and John Calvin’s views
• The Church Fathers on the Sacrifice of the Mass
• St. Paul’s “priestly” references
• Biblical, analogical arguments for the Sacrifice of the Mass
• The Protestant “idolatry” accusation
• Biblical evidence for wholehearted formal, liturgical worship

The volume also examines the facts of Church history in depth, with much corroboration from Protestant scholarly sources. Armstrong’s explanations help make Catholic teachings on the Holy Eucharist and the Mass understandable, plausible, and easy to harmonize with the teaching of the Bible.

Catholic apologist and author Dave Armstrong leads the reader on a fascinating theological journey through many different ideas related to salvation and justification theology (soteriology). Armstrong devotes special emphasis to demonstrating that Catholics do not believe in “works-salvation.” It may surprise some to learn that Catholics, like Protestants, embrace Grace Alone and reject both Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism.

The overwhelming theme is the biblical evidence for Catholic soteriological positions. To that end, these chapters are devoted specifically to a critique of Calvinism—or self-described “Reformed” theology—and its beliefs with regard to the five points of what is known as “TULIP”: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. This volume includes hundreds of biblical passages fully written out (RSV) for the convenience of the reader.

This volume consists entirely of papers, essays, and dialogues originally posted on Dave Armstrong’s website and blog. Originally written between 1995 and 2011, they have been edited, revised, and combined in various ways, in order to clarify Armstrong’s thoughts and eliminate repetition. Most of the queries that Armstrong originally responded to came from the Protestant brethren in Christ. These dialogues afforded him the opportunity to defend and clarify what Catholics believe with regard to the communion of saints and to demonstrate that Catholic beliefs are in harmony with both the Holy Scriptures and the beliefs of the early Church.

This volume’s 21 chapters cover many topics, including the invocation, intercession, and veneration of saints and angels, as well as images, idolatry, relics, purgatory, prayer for the dead, and “controversial” devotional practices. It is Dave Armstrong's hope and prayer that his ruminations along these lines may be edifying.

C.S. Lewis, the famous Anglican writer, once wrote: “The very possibility of progress demands that there should be an unchanging element . . . the positive historical statements made by Christianity have the power . . . of receiving, without intrinsic change, the increasing complexity of meaning which increasing knowledge puts into them.”

Doctrine clearly develops within Scripture—that's the nature of “progressive revelation”. A few examples include the doctrines of the afterlife, the Trinity, the Messiah (eventually revealed as God the Son), the Holy Spirit (Divine Person in the New Testament), the equality of Jews and Gentiles, bodily resurrection, and sacrifice of lambs evolving into the sacrifice of Christ. This book serves as an introduction to the notion of doctrinal development, written from a popular lay apologetics standpoint.

The views set forth in this volume are certainly one-sided—and purposely so, in order to form a conscious counter-argument to the accepted Protestant “mythology,” of Martin Luther.

The objective Christian student of 16th-century Church history needs to consult works written from a critical Catholic (as well as Protestant) perspective, in order to foster a closer examination—and perhaps a partial reappraisal—of Luther. The full, multi-faceted truth concerning important historical figures is invariably more fascinating than the usual myths that circulate about. Dave Armstrong aims to present Luther as he was: no more, no less.

Armstrong does not regard Luther as an essentially “evil” or “bad” man, and does not deny at all his good intentions and sincerity—though he often questions Luther’s wisdom and foresight, as will be evident. He admires Martin Luther in many ways, especially for Luther’s passion and boldness and bravery in standing up for what he believed. This volume is not about “Luther-bashing” or attempted historical revisionism. It is simply a Catholic examination of Martin Luther: critical in the expected areas, but also happily “ecumenical” in those instances where Luther is an eloquent proponent of a position that Catholics also hold.

In More Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, Dave Armstrong’s purpose is to accumulate biblical arguments in support of distinctively Catholic doctrinal positions, with Protestant readers particularly in mind. He touches on the closely related subjects of sola Scriptura (the Protestant notion of Scripture Alone), the Catholic Church’s high regard for Holy Scripture, and criticm from the separated Christian brethren regarding matters of ecclesiology (church) and tradition. Additionally, Armstrong devotes a fair degree of emphasis to certain common and erroneous charges against the Catholic Church and to back-and-forth discussion so that readers can have a sense of interaction with opponents of various Catholic doctrines—as well as a sense of how such charges and opponents might be answered with Scripture, history, and reason.

Theology and beliefs concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus, have long been contentious issues between Catholics and Protestants. The latter often maintain that “the Catholic Mary” is a corruption of the true biblical Mary: the humble and lowly handmaiden.

Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong, a former evangelical Protestant, shows how the “Catholic” and the “biblical” Mary are indeed one and the same—there's no conflict. Armstrong tackles controversial topics such as Mary's Immaculate Conception, Assumption, perpetual virginity, the term of “spouse of the Holy Spirit,” the request for Mary to intercede, the Rosary, and the flowery and seemingly excessive devotional language of the saints. And he considers the idea of Mary as distributor of God’s grace and salvation—what St. Paul and indeed all of us are meant to be. Armstrong provides biblical and rational support for all Catholic Marian beliefs and practices, making them accessible, understandable, and articulable by all who accept the inspiration of the Bible.