Choose a topic from Vol 2:

God

Proof of God's existence
God's nature
Supreme control over all things and the problem of suffering and evil

Man

Destiny of man
Death
Immortality of man's soul
Pre-existence denied
The human free will
Determinism absurd

Religion

Necessity of religion
Salvation of the soul
Voice of science
Religious racketeers
Divine revelation
Revealed mysteries
Existence of miracles

The Religion of the Bible

Gospels historical
Missing Books of the Bible
The Bible inspired
Biblical account of creation
New Testament problems
Supposed contradictions in Sacred Scripture

The Christian Faith

Source of Christian teaching
Jewish rejection of Christ
Christianity a new religion
Rational foundation for belief
Causes of unbelief

A Definite Christian Faith

Divisions amongst Christians
Schisms unjustified
Facing the problem
The wrong approach
Is one religion as good as another?
Obligation of inquiry
Charity and tolerance

The Protestant Reformation

Meaning of "Protestant"
Causes of the Reformation
Catholic reaction
Reformers mistaken
The idealization of Protestantism
The Catholic estimate

The Truth of Catholicism

Meaning of the word "Church"
Origin of the Church
The Catholic claim
The Roman hierarchy
The Pope
The Petrine text
St. Peter's supremacy
St. Peter in Rome
Temporal power
Infallibility
Unity of the Church
Holiness of the Church
Catholicity of the Church
Apostolicity of the Church
Indefectibility of the Church
Obligation to be a Catholic

The Church and the Bible

Catholic attitude towards the Bible
Is Bible reading forbidden to Catholics?
Protestant Bibles
The Catholic Douay Version
Principle of private interpretation
Need of Tradition
The teaching authority of the Catholic Church

The Dogmas of the Church

Revolt against dogma
Value of a Creed
The divine gift of Faith
Faith and reason
The "Dark Ages"
The claims of science
The Holy Trinity
Creation and evolution
Angels
Devils
Man
Reincarnation
Sin
Christ
Mary
Grace and salvation
The Sacraments
Baptism
Confession
Holy Eucharist
The Sacrifice of the Mass
Holy Communion
The Catholic Priesthood
Marriage and divorce
Extreme Unction
Judgment
Hell
Purgatory
Indulgences
Heaven
The resurrection of the body
The end of the world

The Church and Her Moral Teachings

Conscience
Truth
Charity
Scandal
Tolerance
Censorship
The Inquisition
Astrology
Other superstitions
Attendance at Mass
Sex education
Attitude to "Free Love"
Abortion
Suicide

The Church in Her Worship

Magnificent edifices
Lavish ritual
Women in Church
Catholics and "Mother's Day"
Liturgical Days
Burial rites
Candles and votive lamps
The rosary
Lourdes water
The Scapular

The Church and Social Welfare

Social influence of the Church
The education question
The Church and world distress
Catholic attitude towards Capitalism
The remedy for social ills
Communism condemned
The Fascist State
Morality of war
May individuals become soldiers?
The Church and peace
Capital punishment
Catholic Action

Comparative Study of Non-Catholic Denominations

Defections from the Catholic Church
Gnosticism
Manichaeism
Arianism
Nestorianism
Eutychianism
Coptic Church
Greek Orthodox Church
Anglican Episcopal Church
The "Free" or "Nonconformist" Churches
Presbyterianism
Methodism
Church of Christ
Baptists
Seventh Day Adventists
Plymouth Brethren
Catholic Apostolic Church or Irvingites
Salvation Army
Spiritualism
Christian Science
Christadelphians
British Israelism
Liberal Catholics
Witnesses of Jehovah
Buchmanism or the "Oxford Group Movement"
From Protestantism to Catholicism

To and From Rome

Conversion of Cardinal Newman
Why Gladstone refrained
The peculiar case of Lord Halifax
Gibbon the historian
Secession of Father Chiniquy
Father Tyrrell, the modernist
Bishop Garrett's departure
Judgment on lapsed Catholics
Protestant apathy towards conversion of Catholics
Principles for converts to Catholicism
God's will that all should become Catholics

Catholic Apostolic Church or Irvingites

1308. Do you recognise the "Catholic ApostolicChurch" of the Irvingites?

We recognize it merely as a comparatively new Protestant sectwhich really commenced its existence in 1835.

1309. How did this Church originate?

Its history must begin with the Rev. Edward Irving who was bornin 1792. Irving became a Presbyterian minister who preached withgreat success in Glasgow and London. He was of a mystical turn of mind, and got deeplyinterested in Biblical prophecies. As a result he began to preachthe imminent coming of Christ, enkindling considerable excitement.In 1833 he was deposed and expelled from the Presbyterian Churchfor heretical teachings about Christ, but the majority of hiscongregation adhered to him, and a new form of Protestantism wasdeveloped. Irving thought that the special gifts of the Holy Ghostto the early Christians, and even the Apostolate itself, wererestored to him and to his followers as a preparation for theSecond Coming of Christ. He died in 1834. In the following year hisfollowers organized what they called the "Catholic andApostolic Church," under the fond delusion that the meretaking of these names would indeed render them Catholic andApostolic. In reality, as I have said, they but formed a newProtestant sect.

1310. What are their main doctrines?

The Irvingites accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God, andthe Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. They believe alsoin the gift of tongues and the spirit of prophecy in their midst,and live in expectation of the early coming of Christ. Tithing ispart of their religion, or the giving to the Church by every memberof one-tenth of his earthly goods. Their worship is based on theEucharist, but they deny the Catholic doctrine ofTransubstantiation. In 1842 they drew up a liturgy based on Greek,Roman, and Anglican rites, making use of Catholic Massvestments.

1311. If it is an Episcopal Church, are its Ordersvalid?

The Irvingites are vaguely episcopal, though they have noBishops in the ordinary sense of the word. They believe in afourfold ministry of prophets, apostles, evangelists, and pastors.According to them, their apostles alone can minister the Holy Ghostby the laying on of hands, and alone have final doctrinalauthority. Their apostles, therefore, would be equivalent in theirview to Bishops. They claim that this ministry is valid if only byvirtue of the direct communication of the Holy Spirit,independently of any need of uninterrupted transmission from theApostles. But the whole thing is a structure of religiousimagination opposed to the teachings of the New Testament. And theCatholic Church certainly rejects their Orders as invalid, and thesect as but another peculiar form of Protestantism.

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