The Catholic Blog of Shane Schaetzel
I have spent my entire adult life looking for the truth about God, the Bible, Jesus Christ and Christianity. The first decade was spent wandering through a sea of chaotic spirituality, rummaging through various Evangelical churches and mainline Protestant denominations. I even briefly delved into the foreign religions of Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses for a […]
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Arianism is a word we don’t hear much in the modern world, but it’s ideology permeates the entire planet both inside and outside of Christendom. Many Christians mistakenly believe Arianism was defeated centuries ago, but in truth, it never left us. It just morphed, changing forms, and remains with us today in many different manifestations. […]
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As a trained catechist, and Catholic apologist, I’m frequently asked by Catholic parents how to keep their kids Catholic. Let me begin by saying you have to do it yourself! You can’t trust Catholic schools or parish catechism programs to do it for you. We have 50 years of failed history as an example. If […]
Read MoreI’ve grown rather weary of the “what would Jesus do?” cliche because everyone is using it now. I would rather ask “what did Jesus do?” I think that’s a better question, because it helps to prevent us from injecting our own personal feelings and prejudices into the speculation. To be sure, the Jesus most people […]
Read MoreAre Catholics considered Christian by Evangelical standards? You’ve probably heard different things from different people. The best way to determine this is to take a good look at the most commonly-agreed Evangelical Statement of Faith and see where Catholics stand in relation to that. The following is from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). This […]
Read MoreLiving in the Bible Belt of the United States can be a bit amusing at times, especially when some Evangelicals refer to Catholic statues and icons as “idols.” At the same time, however, I have sympathy for these folks, because I too was once as confused as they are. I have to admire their zeal. […]
Read MoreA candle in darkness outshines a bonfire in daylight. Not in living memory has there been a better time to be a priest. Not within a hundred years has there been a better time to be a priest. Not within a millennium has there been a better time to be a priest. And I say […]
Read MoreIn a previous blog, I wrote how Catholics and Evangelicals will be working together in the coming years. In another blog, I wrote that it’s easier to evangelize Evangelicals than it is Liberal Catholics. Finally, in a third blog, I explained exactly how to evangelize the Evangelicals. In this blog, I want to write about […]
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Catholic Bibles are known to have more books than Protestant Bibles, and there is a very good reason for this. I’ll explain below. First, it’s important to note that the New Testament of the Bible is exactly the same between Catholics and Protestants. There is no difference at all. They both consist of exactly twenty-seven […]
Read MoreIn sharing the Gospel with the world, the Catholic Church has adopted a process called inculturation. This can basically be summed up as follows. The traditions of the Gospel have a central doctrinal core, which are based in Mosaic Judaism, but redefined according to Christ and his Apostles. Some traditions are essential and cannot be […]
Read MoreAll Christians revere the Bible as the written word of God. Few, however, know why that is. In fact, most Christians just assume that to be the case without ever questioning it. They hear it from their pastors and their churches. Everybody says it. But how do we know the Bible really is the authentic […]
Read MoreThe doctrine (or discipline) of Sola Scriptura is Latin for “Scripture Only” or what many people refer to as the “Bible Alone” doctrine. What it typically means today is a little different than what it was intended to mean 500 years ago when the German Protestant Revolutionary Martin Luther first uttered the phrase. Nevertheless, it […]
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