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Then how the heck are people going to get converted?

No ducks on the duck pond either...

Indeed: Luther's comments, though unacceptable, were very much the product of his life and times, just as Calvin's judicial murder of Servetus in 1555 was of his; they do not detract from the achievements of either in the Reformation.

Or (in the interests of balance) eco-terrorists. Seriously, thanks be to God for deliverance from what was clearly meant to be another atrocity.

These are scary times for Christians in the UK. We have a general election in two days' time: please pray that we get a more Godly government...

Rumour has it that he misheard Mrs Duffy's "where are all these Eastern Europeans flocking from*" as something else beginning with 'f', which perhaps makes his 'bigotted' comment seem more reasonable. *Er...presumably Eastern Europe, Mrs Duffy?

Hopefully we'll boot him out next Thursday. You guys do know we're having a general election then?

Re #1, #2 and #3, we are talking about successors to the Apostles, not the Apostles themselves. And the RCs, Orthodox and Anglicans certainly do claim that their Bishops are the successors of the Apostles. Re #4, I don't see what that has to do with the debate.

To take your last point first, Apostolic Succession isn't just (or even primarily) about Popes - I think you'll find Agnus Dei would have something to say if it was! It's about bishops. The members of the two, later three, lists of Popes during the Rome-Avignon schism were all validly...

You're missing the point, Bob, that all of these individuals (Silas, Timothy, the Ephesian presbyters etc) were appointed by our acting with the authorisation of the Apostles.

Heading that way, Roger, in some cases - many charismatic House Churches here (we use the ecclesiological term 'Restorationist', which has a different meaning here than in the US, to describe them) are self-consciously importing the sort of Willow Creek and Saddleback 'mega-church' phenomenon...

Not quite. Depends what you mean by 'Europe'; on the continent, the concept of property ownership generally is not so highly-rated as it is in the US or UK - most people rent their homes, and most evangelical (as opposed to Evangelical ie: Lutheran and Catholic) churches are no different. In the...

We've got schools closed here because teachers and pupils can't get home after their Easter vacations. Personally I have a couple of clients stuck in Spain who can't get back to finish their business with me. Lots of profiteering going on by ferry companies, hotels and rail companies IMO. On a...

Which proof text are you talking about?

In practice, yes, but for different theological reasons: Baptists say it was unnecessary for the thief to have been baptised in order to be saved; Catholics say that the thief needed to be baptised to be saved but was effectively baptised through his desire to be so even though he wasn't given...

I think the point of difference is that, for Catholics, baptism is usually soteriologically necessary whereas for Baptists it isn't.

The Catholic position as I understand it is that he wasn't baptised in water and didn't need to be; there is this term used called 'baptism of desire' whereby a convert desires all things which go with baptism but is physically prevented from being baptised in water before death, as was the case...

Agree with you there.

Ah yes: at what point do extrapolation, explanation and expansion become deviation?

That's my understanding, yes; therefore Marian teaching put forth in Tradition may only be an explanation or expansion of what has gone before eg: the passages of Scripture concerning her from which you have already quoted. My problem with the Rosary is that, whilst it may be plausibly argued...