Robert Sungenis
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Robert A. Sungenis (born 1955), is a controversial American Catholic apologist and founder of Catholic Apologetics International. He is known for his apologetics books dealing with famous Protestant ideas (Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura), his sometimes critical views on the current state of the Church and its authority figures, and his views on geocentrism.
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[edit] Biography
Sungenis was raised in a Catholic family, but became a Protestant in 1974, aged nineteen. He held various posts in several Reformed churches, including a stint with radio preacher Harold Camping of Family Radio. He also gained an M.A. in theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1982 and received his doctorate at Calamus University[1].
Sungenis converted to Catholicism in 1992, aged thirty seven. He co-authored a book on eschatology in reply to Camping titled Shockwave 2000: The Harold Camping 1994 Debacle (New Leaf Press, 1994). His conversion story is chronicled in the first of the Surprised By Truth (Basilica Press, 1994) books edited by Catholic apologist and author Patrick Madrid. He has debated many evangelical and Reformed Protestant apologists, including James R. White and Michael Horton, on doctrinal, theological, and historical issues such as Sola Scriptura, the Papacy and papal infallibility, Salvation and Justification.
He founded the Catholic Apologetics International website to promote his views, and received his doctorate at Calamus University.[1]
[edit] Theological works and views
Three of Sungenis' best-known and most celebrated scholarly works are Not by Faith Alone (1997) on the subject of justification and salvation, Not by Scripture Alone (1997) rebutting the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura, and Not by Bread Alone (2000) on the Eucharist. In 2004 he published the first volume of his Catholic Apologetics Study Bible. The second volume, on the Book of Revelation, is forthcoming. In June 2006, Galileo Was Wrong was released, in which Sungenis makes what he describes as a supposed "scientific" case for modern geocentrism. A second volume outlining his biblical and theological hypotheses is forthcoming.
In addition to his own works, he has also contributed essays to various Catholic apologetics collections, participated in two EWTN series on television (on Justification, and another with Patrick Madrid on the authority of Scripture and Tradition), engaged many Protestants and other opponents of the Catholic faith in moderated debate, and is a prominent member of the Catholic Young Earth creationism group, the Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation.
Many of his views have brought him into conflict with other Catholic apologists, such as Karl Keating, the director of Catholic Answers. However, unlike some traditionalist Catholics, who regard the Second Vatican Council as a heresy or apostasy from the true faith, he maintains that the Second Vatican Council, when interpreted correctly, is fully orthodox. Likewise, he, along with almost all traditionalists (as opposed to sedevacantists), accepts the validity of the present pope, Benedict XVI, and accepts the Mass of Paul VI as valid, and on par with the Tridentine Mass.
[edit] Geocentrism controversy
In early 2002, Robert Sungenis came under much criticism for publicly reviving the Catholic geocentric worldview. This view is similar to the historic Tychonic worldview, which holds that the universe was created with earth at its center, a view that is in direct conflict with the opinion of modern physics and astronomy. Robert Sungenis bases much of his argument on the testimony of the early Church Fathers especially in relation to their interpretation of Scripture and the authoritative declarations of three popes of the Catholic Church, Paul V, Urban VIII, Alexander VII. Robert Sungenis does not claim these decrees met the level defined in Vatican I required for papal infallibility, nor does he consider Catholics who reject geocentrism as dissidents, but nevertheless he maintains that the theological case for geocentrism is very strong.
On his web site he announced a challenge to pay $1000 for proof that the Earth revolves around the sun, while restating his proof, via scripture, that the Earth is the center of the universe. However, this challenge has ended.
[edit] Jewish Controversy
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Some critics have accused Robert Sungenis of unfairly dealing with the Jews (see, for example, here, here, here, and here). Robert Sungenis denies this (see, for example, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
[edit] External links
- Catholic Apologetics International, Robert Sungenis' Catholic apologetics site.
- Galileo Was Wrong, Promoting Sungenis' new book on geocentrism.
- The Dirty Dozen, an article by Southern Poverty Law Center examining the existence of anti-Semitism in some Catholic circles (Sungenis is named specifically in this piece).
- [2], Catholic traditionalists fire back at Southern Poverty Law Center, Matthew C. Abbot, counters SPLC piece.
