David Balch

O.C.D.S., homeless advocate, Catholic, husband, dad, lawyer, suffering NY Jets fan. Not always in that order.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

Christians should be the most gentle of all people. Deepening gentleness is almost ALWAYS seen in any person who has made significant progress on the WAY.

If you don’t see gentleness, be wary.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@yipopov @CristvoAnd111 @joaosilveiraaa Last time I checked, I wasn’t given a vote.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@stephenofnum I’ve got medical issues that make me go to the bathroom every half hour. Do you really want me climbing over the Virgin Mary every 30 minutes? No middle seats for me!

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@joshwhitlatch I must be missing something. You can’t understand why people would say that Christ sacrifice was enough?

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@rickbrennanjr I think most Christians will be surprised to learn that there were no dogmatic pronouncements on justification until the 16th century. It really just wasn’t an issue until about the 13th century.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

Pastor Rick: I agree 100% with what you’re saying. I think the ninth century debates are interesting and begin to raise the issues, but are by no means fully illustrative of the issues that came up in the 16th century.

My goal was not too, convince you with France, substantiation, but to be precise as to the areas that we disagree. I think we’ve largely achieved that. Now, the back-and-forth can be more productive.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

I know I come across as persnickety. I’m a big fan of absolute precision in language, semantics, and logic.

So what you are telling me is that when the Bible was being written, sola Scriptura was not the rule. The oral apostolic teaching was also authoritative.

You believe that at some point later, the written teaching alone became authoritative. In other words, at some point in time, the locus of authority shifted from the fullness of apostolic teaching to only the written apostolic teaching.

Can you show me where in the Bible that shift in authority was documented and was self apostolic teaching.

If not, then sola Scriptura can be a form of hermeneutic, but not doctrine in the strict sense.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@rickbrennanjr Pastor Rick: check your notifications. I sent you some lengthy responses on the sola scriptura and Eucharist questions.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

Transubstantiation is an effort to understand what Jesus meant by “This is my body.” so it’s an issue of interpretation and understanding.

Also, given your comment about Blood, it was seen that you do not understand what the Catholic Church means by transubstantiation.

you said “it’s not even hinted at.” You greatly overplayed your hand.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

I also grew up Protestant, and when I read the Bible, I became a Catholic. You are definitely on the right track. Ignore the noise from most of the comments.

American evangelicalism creates a systematic theology out of six Bible verses. Unfortunately, a Protestant Bible “66 books” has 31,102 Bible verses.

I think the prophets Simon & Garfunkel put it well:

“All lies and jest; still, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

Not even hinted at?

“This is my body.”

“Upon this rock, I will build my church.”

“If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.”

“whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

You might disagree with the interpretation, but to say they are completely untethered from the Bible is just wrong.

Please don’t let Twittter take away your integrity.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@3AngelsWatchman Did you know?

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@GunzaGoGo45 @1True_American_ Appreciate you too, brother!

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@GunzaGoGo45 @1True_American_ To be fair, we wouldn’t be having this debate either if there weren’t so many people who act as though they need to earn God‘s love.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@JPuncut @Rach4Patriarchy You have an infallible Bible?

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@Koormax @JodiAK13 @X_Stress_test @end3of6days9 @CreasonJana Still one hell of an album!

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

The real answer is that so many people have fallen for cheap grace, which imposes nothing on the life of a born again believer.

So they see somebody trying to grow in holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit working within them, and they are so confused by somebody taking their sanctification journey seriously that they don’t really know what to say.

Put it another way: their relationship with Christ begins and ends at the same moment.

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@BRappy55

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@NoFriendOfWorld @Hoot4USA @MrCasey62 What was the truth orally taught by Paul, as to which he told Timothy to appoint reliable men to keep it going?

[David Balch @davidwbalch]

@JodiAK13 @X_Stress_test @end3of6days9 @CreasonJana No, it doesn’t, it’s from pyromania