Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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4 thoughts on “VIDEO: Did the Church Fathers Aways Agree w/Each Other?”
Great video, Jimmy!
Your last example makes me wonder, are the saints canonized by the Church infallibly known to be in heaven? Or is it possible that the Church has canonized saints who aren’t in Heaven (due to a fallible human process)?
Thank you. These videos are really useful.
As a child I was given some saint stories to read and I hated the lot of them. In fact the sugar filled gooeyness was so bad I couldn’t face the saints for many years – and the unrealistic nature of the stories made me think there was little point in the faith because real people couldn’t get anywhere.
Fortunately I found other ways of learning my faith and Louis de Wohl opened my eyes to saints as real people.
The fact that the Church Fathers were truly holy, and sometimes a bit cross, is lovely to know 🙂
The example of St. Cyprian is valuable because it is an illustration of how we as a Church grow in understanding of doctrine over time. Had not the Baptism issue been raised, who knows when the Church would have defined the sacraments as valid “ex opere operato”? It also brings out the enormous generosity of God toward man. A pagan can baptize according to the Trinitarian formula with water and original sin vanishes from the soul. Sure makes it a lot easier for a person to get to heaven. God is not stingy.
The example is also good from the standpoint that once the Church’s magisterium rules on a doctrine – and we have no new doctrines since revelation stopped with the death of St. John the Evangelist – the case is closed and the doctrine must be accepted. It also becomes a point of departure for deeper consideration and application, which is how we have arrived in our age with the practice of Eucharistic Adoration, something unknown in the early Church.
I wish we would have more civility in discussing theological issues and not have people “gunning” for the Holy Father every time he opens his mouth. When that happens it looks to me like a lot of people have already decided that the Pope is a heretic and is trying to destroy the Church.
In response to the question, “…is it possible that the Church has canonized saints who aren’t in Heaven (due to a fallible human process)?” the answer must be no, since the final step of the canonization process is in the hands of the Holy Father and, as most Church theologians agree,canonization is an exercise of papal infalliblity.
It is my understanding that the earlier steps in the canonization process – from declaring one to be a Servant of God through veneration and beatification –
are not infallible. However, when the Holy Father finally declares, “we decree and define” that so-and-so is a saint, he has done so with the charism of infalliblity.
If I am wrong, I will stand corrected.
Great video, Jimmy!
Your last example makes me wonder, are the saints canonized by the Church infallibly known to be in heaven? Or is it possible that the Church has canonized saints who aren’t in Heaven (due to a fallible human process)?
Thank you. These videos are really useful.
As a child I was given some saint stories to read and I hated the lot of them. In fact the sugar filled gooeyness was so bad I couldn’t face the saints for many years – and the unrealistic nature of the stories made me think there was little point in the faith because real people couldn’t get anywhere.
Fortunately I found other ways of learning my faith and Louis de Wohl opened my eyes to saints as real people.
The fact that the Church Fathers were truly holy, and sometimes a bit cross, is lovely to know 🙂
The example of St. Cyprian is valuable because it is an illustration of how we as a Church grow in understanding of doctrine over time. Had not the Baptism issue been raised, who knows when the Church would have defined the sacraments as valid “ex opere operato”? It also brings out the enormous generosity of God toward man. A pagan can baptize according to the Trinitarian formula with water and original sin vanishes from the soul. Sure makes it a lot easier for a person to get to heaven. God is not stingy.
The example is also good from the standpoint that once the Church’s magisterium rules on a doctrine – and we have no new doctrines since revelation stopped with the death of St. John the Evangelist – the case is closed and the doctrine must be accepted. It also becomes a point of departure for deeper consideration and application, which is how we have arrived in our age with the practice of Eucharistic Adoration, something unknown in the early Church.
I wish we would have more civility in discussing theological issues and not have people “gunning” for the Holy Father every time he opens his mouth. When that happens it looks to me like a lot of people have already decided that the Pope is a heretic and is trying to destroy the Church.
In response to the question, “…is it possible that the Church has canonized saints who aren’t in Heaven (due to a fallible human process)?” the answer must be no, since the final step of the canonization process is in the hands of the Holy Father and, as most Church theologians agree,canonization is an exercise of papal infalliblity.
It is my understanding that the earlier steps in the canonization process – from declaring one to be a Servant of God through veneration and beatification –
are not infallible. However, when the Holy Father finally declares, “we decree and define” that so-and-so is a saint, he has done so with the charism of infalliblity.
If I am wrong, I will stand corrected.