The Roman Catholic Church claims that the pope has "full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church." Paul Pavao addresses this claim from both history and Scripture. He takes on popular Catholic apologists like Jimmy Akin, Dave Armstrong, Stephen Ray, Scott Hahn, and Patrick Madrid. He also shows that interaction with other large churches such as the Lutherans and Orthodox have caused the Vatican to compromise their claim, even though it was strongly asserted at both Vatican Councils.
This scholarly work is eminently readable. For those that are considering Roman Catholicism or trying to find unity with Roman Catholics, this is an important subject. For those interested in how the Roman Catholic Church arose, its relation to the biblical church in Rome, and the first man to claim supreme authority over the whole Church and all the faithful, Rome's Audacious Claim is thorough, well-documented, and easy to understand.
Well-known Welsh apologist John "J.T." Tancock writes of the author: "I have come to know Paul Pavao as a trustworthy and honest voice in a field where hype, imagination, wishful thinking and downright lies are commonplace. He is not in the 'classic' sense an academic. He is, though, an expert in his field of Church History. He has a grasp of the conflicting ancient voices and the ability to summarise and draw out the essentials."
Pavao, Paul: - Paul Pavao has two main interests: obedience-based Christianity and early Christianity. The emphasis on obedience in the New Testament is far too overlooked, and modern confidence in the traditions of men means modern Bible interpretation is suspect at best. This is proven by the myriad divisions in modern Christianity. Paul has been searching and studying the Christianity closest in time to the apostles for 35 years. If is from those writings that he came to realize just how obedience-based "the faith once for all delivered to the saints" is supposed to be. As Psalm 111 says, "A good understanding have all they who do his commands." Paul loves making scholarly subjects exciting and readable for the masses. He studies and references like a scholar, always ensuring his works are evidence-based, but writes like he's your best friend. _Decoding Nicea_ is his 460-page true account of the much-maligned Council of Nicea and has been consistently reviewed as "always interesting." Paul's favorite claim to fame is the support of effective missionaries and missionary leaders. "Men of God that are effectively expanding the Kingdom of God, planting churches, and making disciples, nonetheless take time to read almost everything I write. A couple have encouraged me to start a Bible school. No book review could match that commendation." J.T. Tancock, "The Welsh Apologist," church planter and defender of the faith, wrote of _Decoding Nicea_, "Man alive, what a book! ... His writing style isn't pretentious, stuffy or academic but he IS competent in his field and a great communicator." The reviews, of both _Decoding Nicea_ and Christian-history.org, his church history site, emphasize two things: 1. Paul's books give people access to information they never had before. 2. They had no idea history could be so interesting. His second book, _The Apostles' Gospel_, is short and simple. It compares the preaching done by the apostles in Acts with the preaching we do today. There is a lot to learn from this little gem. He has also written a booklet on grace, also available on Amazon. His second full-length book, _Rome's Audacious Claim_, which rebuts the pope's claim to full, supreme, and universal power over all churches, will be out December 1, 2019. Paul's book tells the story of the rise of the pope's claim to primacy in detail, which refutes the claim by itself. He does not stop there, but also exposes the misquotes, misrepresentations, and omissions of the top Roman Catholic apologists. Paul is most excited, though, about the 2020 release of _Rebuilding the Foundations_, which he regards as the central purpose of his life and ministry. His 37 years as a disciple, teacher, writer, and pastor are brought together in the book and the RebuildingTheFoundations.org website. Paul is writing, making disciples, and praying and fighting for holiness and unity among the churches as he rebuilds his strength after battling and overcoming leukemia and lymphoma. He and his wife, Lorie, live in Selmer, TN.
