Ep. #122 – Is Purgatory a True Christian Doctrine?

Summary

Is Purgatory a true Christian doctrine? What is the Scriptural evidence for Purgatory? Is there support for aspects of Purgatory in other religious traditions? What did the early Church teach about Purgatory? Doesn’t a typical Catholic argument for Purgatory commit a logical fallacy? Karlo Broussard joins us to answer these questions and more.

Guest Bio

Karlo Broussard is a staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers. He travels the country giving talks on apologetics, the Bible, theology, and philosophy. Karlo holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology, and a masters in philosophy from Holy Apostles College. He’s the author of several books including Prepare the Way, Meeting the Protestant Challenge, and a new book on Purgatory which is the subject of today’s interview.

Topics

• The basics of Catholic teaching on Purgatory
• What’s an overview of your new book on Purgatory?
• What evidence do we see for Purgatory in the Old and New Testaments?
• What do you think about a popular Catholic argument for Purgatory? Where might it fall short?
• Doesn’t a key Catholic argument commit the fallacy of affirming the consequent?
• Why is Purgatory good news?
• Doesn’t it make the Gospel about our own efforts and us trying to make up for what’s missing in the afflications of Christ and achieve salvific effects by our own work?

Resources

Purgatory is for Real by Karlo Broussard

Prepare the Way by Karlo Broussard

Meeting the Protestant Challenge by Karlo Broussard

Why John Calvin did not Recognize the Distinction between Mortal and Venial Sin by Dr. Bryan Cross (blog article, 2011, calledtocommunion.com)

Indulgences, the Treasury of Merit, and the Communion of Saints by Dr. Bryan Cross (blog article, 2011, calledtocommunion.com)

Purgatory: The Logic of Total Transformation by Jerry Walls

Related Episodes

Ep. #105 – Pope Peter w/ Joe Heschmeyer

Ep. #106 – Tradition, Lexicons, and Paradigms w/ Dr. Bryan Cross

Ep. #95 – Two Papal Difficulties (Nicaea & John XXII) w/ Matt Sewell