The Cordial Catholic
K. Albert Little
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A podcast for non-Catholics, new Catholics, or anyone interested in digging deeper into the Catholic faith. Hosted by K. Albert Little, a non-denominational Evangelical convert to Catholicism.
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219: The Eucharist Really is Jesus (w/ Joe Heschmeyer)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist extraordinaire Joe Heschmeyer to talk about Jesus and the Eucharist.
Together we unpack the history of the Eucharist from the Early Church to today, what we mean by "real presence" and how the very first Christians understood this, the Eucharist in light of the Old and New Covenants and much, much more. It's a banger of an episode, filled with all of the best Eucharistic apologetics like you'd expect from a guest as high calibre as my friend Joe Heschmeyer.
I hope you enjoy!
For more from Joe check out latest book The Eucharist Really Is Jesus from Catholic Answers Press and visit his website Shameless Popery where you can find links to all the amazing things Joe is doing – including his podcast Shameless Popery, available everywhere podcasts can be found.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Sep 20, 2023
218: How to have Meaningful Catholic Relationships (w/ Andrew and Sarah Swafford)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Andrew and Sarah Swafford to talk about the idea of virtue and how to have meaningful Catholic relationships at all stages of life.
Dr. Andrew Swafford and his wife Sarah are the authors of Gift and Grit: How Herotic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships our from Ascension Press. Sarah, the founder of Emotional Virtue Ministries is a sought after speaker on these kinds of topics and is joined by her husband Dr. Andrew Swafford, theology professor at Benedictine College, to discuss their perspectives, as a couple, on these topics.
We tackle chastity, emotional virtue, dating, friendships, and much, much more from a Catholic perspective and through the lens of the work of St. John Paul II.
An amazing conversation for listeners at any stage of life!
For everything that Andrew and Sarah are up to follow them on their website.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Sep 13, 2023
217: The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Catholicism (w/ Robert LeBlanc)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend Robert LeBlanc, co-host of the Pints and Pews Podcast, author, speaker, Catholic educator, and lay leader in his parish community to chat through some of the most frequently asked questions that we hear about Catholicism.
I asked listeners, viewers, and some discerning non-Catholic friends to send in their burning questions about Catholicism and, combined with questions that Robert and I get all the time as two guys practising the faith, we endeavour to answer some frequently asked questions about the Catholic faith.
I hope you enjoy this episode!
For more from Robert check out the Pints and Pews podcast everywhere podcasts are found and check out his books from Justin Press.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Sep 6, 2023
216: The Ancient, Biblical Roots of Catholicism (w/ Dr. John Bergsma)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend theologian, biblical scholar, and former Protestant pastor Dr. John Bergsma to talk about the roots of Catholicism which stretch back not only into the Old Testament with the Levitical Priesthood but the very beginning of the Old Testament itself in Genesis and the Garden of Eden.
Dr. Bergsma unpacks his own conversion to Catholicism which involved not only looking at how the Early Church understood Christ, his mission, and the nature of the Church, but digging right back into the Old Covenant priesthood to understand the template that God was establishing with the Jewish people – a template He would use to fulfill that covenant in Christ with the establishment of the Catholic Church.
This is an episode for the history books. If you want to understand the paradigm through which so many Catholic converts come to understand Christianity, this is a conversation you aren't going to want to miss.
For more from Dr. Bergsma visit his website.
To purchase any of John's fine books visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Sep 1, 2023
SPECIAL: When Catholic Keiths Take Over! (w/ Keith, Keith, and Keith)
In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm happy to share a livestream I recorded with Keith from Grassroot Catholic and Keith Nester from Down to Earth Ministries. It was a chaotic mess but lots of fun and, I hope, worth listening to!
For more from Keith check out Grassroot Catholic on Instagram and YouTube. You can find out more about Keith Nester from his website or on YouTube.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter for my reflections on each episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests!
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Aug 23, 2023
215: Why the Eucharist is God's Greatest Gift to the Church (w/ Dr. Lawrence Feingold)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by one of the Catholic Church's leading theologians (and one of my favourite guests) Dr. Lawrence Feingold to talk about the Eucharist.
In this conversation, Dr. Feingold explains why, according to St. John Paul II, the Eucharist is the greatest gift God gave the Church; an enduring presence, closer even than what was experienced by the Apostles – and why this is so important!
If you're an Evangelical wondering what Catholics are talking about with the Eucharist or a Catholic looking to grow in your love for the Sacrament, this episode is sure to fire you up!
For more from Dr. Feingold check out his book The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice and Communion and visit the St. Paul Center's Emmaus Academy where you can see Dr. Feingold's newest course (amongst others) on the Eucharist.
You can find more of his work including hours and hours of lectures at The Association of Hebrew Catholics.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter for my reflections on each episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests!
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Aug 9, 2023
214: How the Catholic Church Proves the Bible (w/ Gary Michuta)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend historian, researcher, apologist, and author Gary Michuta to talk about his latest masterpiece The Gospel Truth and how the Catholic Church helps to prove the veracity of our accounts of Jesus in the Gospels.
Gary, in typical fashion, approaches the question of the veracity of the Gospels like a dog with a bone. His research is deep, his conclusions are astounding, and his thesis -- that the Catholic Church provides necessary and important credibility to the Gospel accounts of Jesus -- is pretty incredible. You've never heard anything like this!
How does the Catholic Church prove the veracity of the Bible? Listen and you'll find out.
For more from Gary visit his website and pick up a copy of The Gospel Truth: How We Know What Christ Taught from Emmaus Road Publishing today.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests!
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Aug 2, 2023
SPECIAL: St. Jerome and the Monepiscopate in the Early Church (w/ Suan Sonna)
In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I join my good friend Suan Sonna on his YouTube channel Intellectual Catholicism to share some of my research on St. Jerome and the monepiscopate.
The monepiscopate, or the monarchical episcopate, is the idea from the Early Church that one bishop was put in charge of a church, a city, or a diocese and that this is how Christian churches were governed. This is in opposition, to what some, especially Protestants, would argue which is that these churches were ruled by a plurality or collective of priests of bishops -- a more organic, haphazard arrangement.
In this conversation, I share work that I've done tracing out the views of St. Jerome, an Early Church Father, and how he understood the origin, existence, and mandate of the monepiscopate.
For more from Suan, check out Intellectual Catholicism on YouTube, Facebook, and as a podcast on Apple Podcasts.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter for my reflections on each episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests!
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Jul 26, 2023
213: An Evangelical's Best Arguments for Catholicism (w/ Austin Suggs)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my very good friend Austin Suggs, to share his perspectives on some of the best arguments for Catholicism.
Austin is an Evangelical and the host of the extremely popular Gospel Simplicity YouTube channel where he's spoken with and learned from some of the best and brightest minds in Evangelical Christianity, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Austin shares what he's learned (so far) and which arguments for Catholicism he finds most compelling.
Austin is a wonderful friend and I hope this is a truly enjoyable episode to listen to!
For more from Austin check out his YouTube channel Gospel Simplicity and search our archives on your favourite podcast app to find his previous appearances, including "Why I'm Not Catholic," which was Episode 136.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests!
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Jul 12, 2023
212: Evangelicals, Here's How to Look for a New Church! (w/ Rod Bennett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend, Catholic convert, historian, and author Rod Bennett to talk about how someone looking for a new church – especially our Evangelical friends – should go about it.
Rod, a fellow convert, has some incredible perspectives on this question and talks about church unity (and shares some incredible statistics), what the ancient church looked like (and agreed upon), and the perils of finding a "biblical" church when you're the one interpreting your own Bible. Plus, much, much more.
As always, Rod shares some brilliant takeaways that will make your head spin.
For more from Rod Bennett, check out his numerous previous appearances in the archives of the show including conversations about Catholic Witnesses to the Early Church (Episode 141) and Were the Early Christians Catholic? (Episode 089).
And check out These Twelve, Rod's latest book from Catholic Answers Press and his author page on Amazon for all of his amazing publications.
Also check out the Popcorn Cathedral on YouTube for some incredible content.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests!
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Jun 28, 2023
211: This "On Fire" Baptist Couple Found Catholicism (w/ Casey and Erin Phillips)
In this episode, I'm joined by Casey and Erin Phillips from the Bapticatholic Podcast to talk about their journeys out of their fervent Baptist roots into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Strongly evangelical from the beginning of their journeys, Casey and Erin explain exactly what drew them to Catholicism – and it's an amazing story!
From miraculous experiences of beauty to asking the tough questions to converting in spite of being in the incredible minority of Catholics in their area, this is a story of grace, of Christ calling His own back to Himself, and of exactly why a Baptist couple, on fire for their faith, would ever consider becoming something as crazy as Catholic.
For more from Casey and Erin check out their podcast The BaptiCatholic Show everywhere podcasts are found. You can also visit their website and find them on YouTube where you should subscribe to their channel immediately.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic
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Jun 21, 2023
210: I Was Going to be an Anglican Priest, then I Became Catholic (w/ Leeanne Thomas)
In this episode, I'm joined by Leeanne Thomas to talk about her amazing and seemingly unlikely journey into the Catholic Church. Raised in a small Mennonite town in Northern Canada Leeanne journeyed through Charismatic Christianity, into a deep love for theology and the liturgy, and finally onto a pathway to ordination into the Anglican priesthood before deciding that she ultimately had to become Catholic.
Leeanne's journey is fascinating as she discovers her love for liturgical living while working on a degree at a charismatic Bible college, her calling to the priesthood, and her ultimate struggle with teaching authoritatively from a theological landscape, in Anglicanism, that seemed to accept all points of view.
Plus, her discovery of the Early Church, her realization of the importance of the Pope, and her conversations with her husband, Dr. Matthew Thomas, a guest of this show, all figure into her amazing story.
Be sure to check out the earlier appearances by her husband, and fel…
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Jun 14, 2023
209: The Mind-Blowing Catholic Vision for Marriage, Family, and Sexuality (w/ Renzo and Monica Ortega)
In this episode, I'm joined by Renzo and Monica Ortega, podcasters, ministry leaders, authors and the couple behind the apostolate Two Become Family. We're breaking down exactly what the Catholic Church believes and teaches about marriage, family, and sexuality – and it's an amazing conversation.
We tackle Natural Family Planning, contraception, the Catholic vision of marriage (and the sanctification of spouses), and much, much more. And I couldn't ask for a better couple to have this conversation with than Renzo and Monica; they're honest, earnest, and humble and have some fantastic insights on these topics.
If you're newly married, newly Catholic, or discerning a conversion, listen and learn exactly what Catholics believe about marriage, family, and sexuality.
For more from Renzo and Monica visit their website. You can find Pre-Cana with the Pope everywhere podcasts are found, and follow them on Instagram too.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our ne…
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Jun 7, 2023
208: New Catholics Raising Authentic Catholic Kids (w/ Olivia Spears)
In this episode, I'm joined by Olivia Spears, mother, educator, and curriculum creator behind the incredible Into the Deep catechetical series to talk about raising authentic Catholic kids.
This conversation, especially for new Catholic families just starting out, new converts, and those looking at the Catholic Church wondering where their family fits in, is filled with incredible insights, ideas, and advice from a seasoned Catholic parent. Olivia is a blast, so wise, and shares some incredible knowledge about how those just starting out in the Catholic faith can pass on the faith, their experience, and their joy.
This was a wonderful conversation that many of you have requested, and I hope it's widely enjoyed!
For more from Olivia check out Into the Deep.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) ou…
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May 31, 2023
207: I Never Thought We'd Ever Become Catholic (w/ Karen Edmisten)
In this episode, I'm joined by the wonderful Karen Edmisten, author, Mom, and surprised Catholic convert, Karen joins me this week to tell her amazing story from atheism into the Catholic Church.
Raised without any religion at all Karen was surprised when she began to ask questions about the meaning of life – to encounter people who caused her to ask these kinds of questions by the way they lived – and ended up becoming Christian. To her surprise, she wasn't done yet, and Karen eventually made her way into the Catholic Church.
Her husband, a practical atheist, was as surprised as anyone but he came along for the journey and, eventually, converted to Catholicism as well.
Through struggles, challenges, incredible miracles, and wonderful stories along the way, Karen tells the tale of her amazing journey from atheism into Catholicism and how it's fundamentally changed her life, her husband's life, and the live of their family.
You're going to love this episode!
For more from Karen…
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May 24, 2023
206: If Catholicism Isn't True then Nothing Is - A Convert's Journey (w/ Lorelei Savaryn)
In this episode, I'm joined by author, educator, and Catholic convert Lorelei Savaryn to talk about her incredible journey out of Evangelical Christianity into the Catholic Church.
A passionate Evangelical, Lorelei and her husband began questioning the foundations of their faith when they encountered questions of "Once Saved, Always Saved," the example of the Early Church, and the beauty of the liturgy. These questions, and more, tugged at Lorelei's conscience and eventually moved her to declare that either Christ founded a Church which exists somewhere, or he didn't found a Church at all.
The rest is a great story, which Lorelei tells so well in this episode. I think you'll love it!
For more from Lorelei visit her author website. She also writes at ThisCatholicFamily.com and is a contributor at Catholic Mom.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this…
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May 17, 2023
205: Why You Should Love Mary More, and How to do it! (w/ Fr. Daniel-Maria Klimek)
In this episode, I'm joined by Father Daniel-Maria Klimek, T.O.R. to talk about Mary. Father Klimek has a fantastic new book all about this subject and we dig in deeply. From topics like Mary's role as the New Ark of the Covenant, her power of the demonic realm, her prayers on our behalf, and exactly how and why we can – and should – grow more deeply in love with the Mother of Jesus, all in this fantastic episode.
If you're on the fence about Catholicism because of an "allergy" to idolatry, if Mary is the last objection standing in the way, or maybe even the first, this episode will help you answer some of the most challenging questions.
For more from Father Klimek find his book For the Love of Mary at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and visit his YouTube channel.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.
To watch this and other episodes please visit (…
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May 10, 2023
204: The Great Big Protestant Problem with Scripture (w/ Casey Chalk)
In this episode, I'm joined by Casey Chalk, a Catholic convert/revert and author of The Obscurity of Scripture, to talk about one of the great big problems with the bedrock of Protestantism and the interpretation of Scripture.
We're talking about the Protestant doctrine of the clarity of Scripture – the perspicuity of Scripture – or the idea that the Bible is so clear that any Christian can understand it for themselves. This idea, which Chalk argues is foundational to Protestant Christianity, is faulty at its core.
This is a fun episode; about as edgy and controversial as we get on this show but digging deeply into something that both Chalk, as a convert, and myself ran into in our search for how to understand the Bible. Chalk presents some compelling evidence that, we hope, will help Protestant's to evaluate their worldview, and take a second look at Catholicism.
For more from Chalk visit his website, and find his fantastic book The Obscurity of Scripture: Disputing Sola Script…
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May 3, 2023
203: A Protestant Pastor, his Wife, and Their Catholic Journey (w/ Keith and Estelle Nester)
In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester and his wife Estelle to talk about their Catholic journey.
Keith and Estelle met as Keith was beginning his work as a Protestant pastor; work that would take up 22 years of life his. Estelle, raised Catholic but not practising, was happy to follow Keith into Evangelical Christianity, to get married, raise kids, and live and serve as a pastor's wife.
So, what was it like when Keith began feeling the tug towards Catholicism?
Their journey is an amazing one and their honesty and love for one another and our Lord just shines through this conversation.
For all spouses going through a conversion journey, or thinking about one, this is absolutely the best thing to listen to and I hope it encourages you greatly!
For more from Keith please check out our extensive back catalogue – he's appeared may times – and find him online on his website and YouTube channel. Also, check out the Rosary Crew where Keith and his community pray t…
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Apr 26, 2023
202: Crappy Ways to Share the Faith (w/ Katie Prejean McGrady)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, radio host, podcaster, and mother extraordinaire, the wonderful Katie Prejean McGrady, to talk about the ridiculous, terrible, and downright crappy ways Catholics can (and do) share the faith.
Katie is an incredible human being and puts herself out there, on the radio and social media, every single day. She's an evangelizer, authentic to the core, and not afraid to share what she's thinking; and this is a topic she's thought lots about. She shares some of her experiences, great stories, and awesome life lessons.
We talk about some of the awful interactions we've had online (and in person) and how to do BETTER when it comes to sharing our faith and being a Catholic, seeking after the Kingdom, on social media and in the pew.
For more from Katie check out her website – everything you need to know is there!
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Apr 19, 2023
201: Eucharistic Miracles, Marian Apparitions, and More... (w/ Michael O'Neill)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by The Miracle Hunter, Michael O'Neill, to share some of his fantastic insights and stories from years of gathering, cataloging, and investigating miracles around the world.
Miracles, for me as an Evangelical Christian, were one of those things that challenged my paradigm – especially when it came to miracles involving the Eucharist, apparitions of Mary, and the prayers of the saints, things we didn't believe in as non-Catholic Christians.
This week, we dig deeply into some of these incredibly fascinating stories and Michael explains how the Catholic Church investigates miracles, how it declares some authentic, and what that means for believers everywhere.
For more from Michael check out his website.
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Apr 12, 2023
200: Reasons to Doubt Sola Scriptura (w/ Jimmy Akin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, for our 200th episode, I'm joined by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to share some of the reasons why the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura is problematic – and what a reasonable alternative, in the Catholic Church, may be!
For me, as an Evangelical struggling with divisions over the interpretation of Scripture within my own faith communities, the very bedrock of my faith – the Bible as the sole, infallible rule of faith – became a real point of concern. Could this really be what Christ envisioned for his Church? Jimmy shares some of his concerns, answers some of mine, and explains why even the most innovative and modern formulations of Sola Scriptura, from the top Evangelical apologists, fail some pretty basic tests.
For more about Jimmy visit his website. Also see Catholic Answers. And, check Jimmy Akin's book The Bible is a Catholic Book.
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Apr 5, 2023
199: Seeking After the Kingdom of God (w/ Matt Pana)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend – the guy who got me into podcasting in the first place! – Matt Pana to talk about the Kingdom of God.
Matt was raised Catholic in a Filipino-American household but drifted into Evangelical Christianity as a young adult. He came enthusiastically back into the practice of Catholicism after being exposed to Catholic apologists like Patrick Madrid and Scott Hahn and, today, joins me to share a bit about that journey and how the Catholic Church understands, and embodies, what Jesus describes as the "Kingdom of God."
For more from Matt, check out on social media @mattpana and check out Deep Cuts on the Array of Hope Network, a wonderful show he hosts on pop culture and Catholicism.
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Mar 29, 2023
198: Why We Left Catholicism – and Why We Came Back (w/ The Catholic Brothers)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, in one of the most enjoyable episodes to date, I'm joined by Daniel and Steven from The Catholic Brothers to talk about their journey out of and back into the Catholic faith.
Raised in a devout Catholic home, Daniel and Steven unpack exactly what drew them out of the Catholic faith and into Evangelical Christianity, then Anglicanism, and finally back into full communion with the Catholic Church.
It's an amazing story that touches on some of the beautiful experiences of Evangelical Christianity, the need for an authority structure in Anglicanism, and, eventually, the authentic witness of the Early Church Fathers for the truth of Catholic Christianity.
This episode is just jam-packed and Daniel and Steven are fantastic storytellers with an excellent story to tell.
For more from The Catholic Brothers check out their podcast (available everywhere) and their YouTube channel. The work is top-notch.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.…
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Mar 22, 2023
197: Searching for Christ's Church; Finding Catholicism (w/ Mike Sharp)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert Mike Sharp to tell the incredible conversion journey him and his wife experienced – culminating in their decision to join the Catholic Church!
Mike's journey touches on so many interesting points like the insufficiency of Sola Scriptura, the Early Church and apostolic succession, the liturgy, the Eucharist, confession, authority, and so much more. You name it, Mike wrestled with it, and his thoughtful, deeply spiritual engagement with all of these topics makes this one of the best conversion stories out there. Mike absolutely nails it and by the grace of God has come through this amazing experience with a great story to tell.
I think you're going to love it.
For more from Mike visit his website and check out his podcast, Sharpened Iron, everywhere you find podcasts.
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Mar 15, 2023
196: The African Roots of Catholicism (w/ Mike Aquilina)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by the incredible Mike Aquilina, church historian extraordinaire, to talk about the African roots of the Catholic Church.
Mike unpacks some of the interesting – and surprising – roots of things we take for granted in Catholic Christianity: the liturgy, the Latin language, some of our most important developments of doctrine and dogma and, of course, some of the most important thinkers in Early Christianity.
Mike has a great take on Church history, great insights, and great stories to well. I hope you enjoy it!
For more from Mike check out his latest book Africa and the Early Church: The Almost-Forgotten Roots of Catholic Christianity.
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Mar 8, 2023
195: My Husband Was an Anglican Priest – Then We Became Catholic! (w/ Lauren Bacon)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Lauren Bacon. Lauren is an "expected Catholic convert" and the wife of John Bacon, a former Anglican priest, and a previous guest on this show. John's own story featuring exorcisms, a friendship with Dr. David Anders, miracles, and the Early Church – and, this week, we hear it from his spouse's perspective!
Lauren joins us to tell her own unique conversion story and walks us through what it was like to meet someone destined for ministry, ordained an Anglican priest, only to have God take their relationship with Himself and with one another in a completely different direction. It's a story about faithfulness, trusting God, and thirsting after the Truth!
With lots of twists, turns, and miracles along the way. It's a great conversation.
To listen to her husband John Bacon's episode look for Episode 167: An Anglican Priest Encounters Catholicism (w/ John Bacon) on your favourite podcasting app.
For more from Lauren check out her…
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Mar 1, 2023
194: A Crash Course on Catholic Parishes (w/ Shannon Wimp Schmidt)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Shannon Wimp Schmidt, Parish Vitality Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Chicago, to talk about the Catholic parish. What exactly should we expect from a Catholic parish? How does it compare to an Evangelical church? How can we get more involved? What if nothing is happening in our parish – is it OK to go somewhere else?
These questions, and many more, are answered this week as Shannon joins me for an honest, sometimes spicy, chat about what's going on at the grassroots level in the Catholic Church.
You don't want to miss this!
For more from Shannon, check out her podcast Plaid Skirts & Basic Black everywhere podcasts are found and. her fantastic book Fat Luther, Slim Pickin's: A Black Catholic Celebration of Faith, Tradition, and Diversity.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Feb 22, 2023
193: Saying Yes to Catholicism (w/ David Patterson)
In this episode, I'm joined by David Patterson from Yes Catholic to talk about his own incredible journey out of, and then back into, the Catholic faith – thanks to some amazing miracles, plenty of grace, and some incredible moments of divine providence!
Then we dig into what it means to say "Yes" to Christ and His Church, the beauty of being Catholic, the Eucharist, confession, and so many incredible stories of grace that David has encountered in his life and the stories he's heard.
It's an awesome episode!
For more from David visit his website and follow Yes Catholic on Instagram.
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Feb 15, 2023
192: Making the Mass Meaningful for Our Kids (w/ Heidi Witte)
In this episode, I'm joined Heidi Witte, aka Miss Heidi, from Children's Liturgy of the Word, to talk about just about everything to do with raising our kids Catholic.
For this listener-requested topic, we tackle bringing kids to Mass, passing on the faith, creating a domestic church within our homes, celebrating the liturgical calendar and feast days, praying as a family, and a whole bunch of other incredible insights, ideas, and tools for not only making the Mass meaningful but for helping us to raise our kids Catholic.
Heidi is an educator, a mom, a speaker, and an bonafide expert on making the Catholic faith intelligible and meaningful for children. She has a lot to share.
For more from Heidi check out her Linktree. And, for a huge list of resources Heidi has generously compiled for our listeners click here.
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Feb 8, 2023
191: The Mind Blowing Miracles of Lourdes (w/ Marlene Watkins)
In this episode, I'm joined by the Marlene Watkins, founder of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, to talk about Lourdes: the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to a poor French peasant girl, the miracles that followed, and, incredibly, the mind-blowing miracles that science and medicine cannot prove which are still happening today!
This episode is truly one of my favourites. Marlene shares her experience with leading over 200 pilgrimages, bringing thousands of pilgrims to this incredible holy site, and some of the amazing miracles experienced there.
On my own personal journey into Catholicism, miracles surrounding the Virgin Mary left me confused. After all, if Mary was just a simple girl, just a means for Jesus to be born on Earth, then how could she possibly "perform miracles"? It never made sense to me as an Evangelical. Stories like these, of incredible miracles as a result of the prayers of Mary, shook my faith!
If that's you, on the journey, maybe they'll s…
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Feb 1, 2023
190: Finding Freedom and Healing in Catholicism (w/ Dr. Matthew Breuninger)
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Matthew Breuninger, clinical psychologist and associate professor of Psychology at Franciscan University of Steubenville to talk about finding freedom from our wounds in Christ and the Catholic Church. We talk about the healing power of the sacraments, how to begin letting go of what we put in the way of true healing and freedom and, practically, how we can get out of the way and let God do His thing.
This was such a fun and joyful conversation and I really hope you enjoy it!
For more from Dr. Breuninger check out Finding Freedom in Christ: Healing Life's Hurts from the St. Paul Center and Emmaus Road Publishing.
Also, check out Dr. Breuninger on Twitter, his YouTube channel, and if you're interested you can join him on pilgrimage too.
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Jan 25, 2023
189: A Methodist Theologian's Remarkable Catholic Conversion (w/ Dr. Justus Hunter)
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Justus Hunter, a Methodist seminary professor, church historian, and theologian to unpack his family's remarkable story of Catholic conversion. From an "all in for Jesus" faith background, Justus and his wife, both devout and deeply connected Christians, began to find themselves attracted to the Catholic faith and, following an incredible journey eventually became Catholic.
Justus spins a fantastic tale this week full of ups and downs, miracles, incredible insights, and a healthy dose of Holy Spirit connections to explain what drew his wife, himself, and their family out of a faith tradition they loved into Catholicism – a decision which could've easily cost Justus his job, their livelihood, and their faith support network.
It's a great conversation!
To find and follow Justus Hunter check out his faculty page at United Theological Seminary and his Twitter account.
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Jan 18, 2023
188: Pitfalls for New Catholic Converts (w/ Keith Nester)
In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester to talk about some of the pitfalls new Catholic converts may experience on their journey. Keith is a former Protestant pastor (with 20+ years in ministry), a Catholic convert himself, the author of some fantastic books, and the host of a popular YouTube channel – and he knows a thing or two about this topic!
We talk about bad liturgy, bringing kids to Mass, a loss of programs, events, and a sense of community we once had in our Evangelicals churches, sermons and homilies, music in the Mass – and much, much more. This episode is all about being guide for those looking into the Church – a kind of peek into what you may encounter – what we encountered – that wasn't always exactly what we expected.
It's an honest, earnest conversation about how, sometimes, our expectations weren't exactly met – and how maybe those expectations weren't the best anyway. Plus much more.
For more from Keith please check out our extensive…
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Jan 11, 2023
187: The History of the Papacy (w/ Erick Ybarra)
In this episode, I'm joined by one of my favourite people to talk to Erick Ybarra. Erick is a former Reformed Baptist who became Anglican in his search for an authoritative, apostolic Church but didn't stop there. After carefully examining Catholic vs. Orthodox claims Erick eventually became Catholic – although continued his long and exhaustive search of Scriptures and Church History to be able to fully defend his decision. Erick's search, and his extensive research into the papacy, is recorded in his new book The Papacy: Revisiting the Debate Between Catholics and Orthodox.
Erick joins us this week to unpack the history of the papacy from Scripture and throughout Church history; tackling subjects like development of the papacy, papal infallibility, objections to Catholic claims, and more.
To read more from Erick check out his popular blog and check out some of his other amazing books, too.
Erick shared his conversion story on this podcast on Episode 144: Where is the True Church?…
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Jan 4, 2023
186: So You Want to Be a Reverent Catholic? (w/ Keith from Grassroot Catholic)
In this episode, I'm joined by the show's most requested guest Keith from Grassroot Catholic. Keith has a popular Instagram and YouTube channel where he unpacks beautiful, sometimes forgotten practices from the Catholic faith, encourages reverence, and shares awesome insights as someone trying to earnestly live the Catholic life and pursuit Christ.
Keith is an awesome guy – of course he is, he's a Keith – and this is a wonderful conversation about how we can be more reverent as Catholic even when those around us don't seem to get it. We tackle the Mass, the Eucharist, Adoration, Confession, guitars, bad worship songs from the 90's, and that time I heard about a water gun fight during a Baptism.
It's all in here, and it's all awesome.
For more from Keith check him out on YouTube and Instagram.
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Dec 28, 2022
185: Remaining Catholic in College and Digging Deeper (w/ Patrick Callahan)
In this episode, I'm joined by Patrick Callahan, Director of the Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We talk about the Catholic experience on college campuses and dig into some of this wisdom Patrick's gleaned over years of working with Catholics on campus.
We chat about how Catholics often come to college (inoculated against learning more about the Catholic faith), how to meet them and engage them, how relationships trump programs, and how introducing Catholics to a mindset of wonder, curiosity, and the great books can help to draw them into a deeper, more meaningful Catholic faith in those crucial college years.
It's an incredible conversation.
For more from Patrick and the Newman Institute check out their website.
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Dec 21, 2022
184: The Weird and Wonderful Roots of Christmas Traditions (w/ Dr. Michael Foley)
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Michael Foley, renown author, professor of theology, and one of the best storytellers out there to explain some of the incredibly weird and terribly wonderful Christian roots of our favourite Christmas traditions.
Dr. Foley unpacks the dating of Christmas, the roots of Santa Claus, the incredibly weird world of "Mutant Christmas Saints," and much, much more as we sit down for a glass of egg nog and stir up some Christmas cheer.
Listen, enjoy, and impress your family around the Christmas table with the most incredibly strange facts about the origin of the Christmas traditions we know and love. I guarantee you you'll learn something new – and have a ton of fun listening!
To find more from Dr. Foley check out his website. And find his latest book "Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe" from Regency Press and everywhere books are found.
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Dec 14, 2022
183: Making the Most out of Advent (w/ Mike Pacer)
In this episode, I'm joined by author, speaker, and all-around awesome guy Mike Pacer to talk about Advent. What is Advent? How can we best approach Advent? What are some Advent traditions, liturgies, and activities to try for single people and for families?
Mike draws on the beautiful history of his Catholic upbringing to share some incredible insights into Advent specifically for new Catholics and non-Catholics looking to understand this ancient Christian tradition.
For more from Mike check out Cedar House, an online Catholic marketplace where you can find his book and much, much more.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Dec 7, 2022
182: The Catholic Guide to Death, Dying, and the Afterlife (w/ Dr. Randall B. Smith)
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Randall B. Smith, theologian, professor, and a Catholic convert himself, to talk about the wonderfully uplifting subject of death, dying, and the afterlife.
Actually, we have a great time.
Randall has some incredible insights in these areas and draws on history, experience, and the wisdom of the Church to help shape our understanding of how to think about, talk about, and evangelize around these difficult and strange subjects. It's a great conversation about an uncomfortable topic!
For more from Randall check out his website. You can also find Randall's writing over at The Catholic Thing.
Look for his book, From Here to Eternity, from Emmaus Road Publishing and available everywhere.
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Nov 30, 2022
181: A Revert's Incredible Journey Back to the Church (w/ Eddie Trask)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Eddie Trask, host of the Catholic Re.Con. YouTube channel, to discuss his incredibly intense and interesting journey back to the Catholic Church as a "revert" to the faith.
Eddie's story is a wild one with many ups and downs and a journey which led him, a baptized Catholic, into non-denominational Protestant Christianity where he and his wife – a former Seventh Day Adventist – found a spiritual home. But mixed messages from the pulpit, confusion around biblical interpretation, and Eddie's research into Early Christianity slowly began to poke holes in Eddie's Christian worldview.
When he began exploring the Catholicism of his childhood in earnest he discovered much that he never even knew. It's a fascinating story. Not to mention Eddie's incredible experience of confession after leading a double-life – it's intense!
For more from Eddie, visit his website. Also check out his YouTube channel Catholic Re.Con. for some seriousl…
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Nov 23, 2022
180: An Evangelical Exodus? (w/ Dr. Douglas Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by one of our favourite guests of all time, Dr. Douglas Beaumont, to talk about Evangelical Christian conversions to Catholicism. Doug is a convert himself and a former student, then instructor, at Southern Evangelical Seminary where he worked, as a graduate student, under the late Evangelical theologian Dr. Norman Geisler.
Dr. Beaumont tells the story of his own conversion – borne out of looking into the Bible's origins and authority – and the how, why's, and when's of other Evangelical Christians and their conversions to Catholicism.
Doug was the very first guest on the podcast nearly four years ago and he's always a welcome visitor – his insights in this episode, as always, are incredible.
To find more from Dr. Beaumount visit his website and check out his fantastic YouTube channel as well.
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Nov 9, 2022
179: Unexpectedly Catholic (w/ Morgan Blair)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Morgan K. Blair, an evangelical, episcopal convert to the Catholic faith. Morgan tells her story of what happened when an author she respected and followed and then a good friend of hers became Catholic and how it catapulted her into her own journey.
Morgan explains how she met Catholics online who walked with her, how she left behind progressive Christians views for the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, and the incredible graces, blessings, and life-changing events which have followed.
To follow Morgan, find her on Twitter.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Nov 2, 2022
178: Responding to the Toughest Protestant Objections (w/ Karlo Broussard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by speaker, author, and accomplished Catholic Answers apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about anticipating and responding to Protestant objections to Catholic ideas. It's all about knowing the Catholic faith and how to respond under pressure – and it's a great conversation.
Karlo is a great guy and a perfect fit for the goal of this show which is to cordially explain the Catholic faith. Karlo has made a career out of building up the best arguments against the Catholic faith and, in charity, showing why they're completely wrong!
For more from Karlo check out Catholic Answers and his website. His book, Meeting the Protestant Response is available everywhere.
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Oct 26, 2022
177: Why "Bible Alone" Christianity is Totally Broken (w/ Don Johnson)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, filmmaker, and Catholic convert Don Johnson to talk about his experience with Sola Scriptura – "Bible alone" Christianity – and how, he finds, it's not only utterly broken but utterly breaking the larger Christian church, the witness of Christianity, and the ability of Christians to stand up for Christian beliefs with a united front.
Drawing on examples from slavery, the sexual revolution, and more, Don lays out a concrete case for the destructive nature of the principle of Sola Scriptura – and a pathway forward.
For more from Don check out his website where you can stream his films and buy his books.
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Oct 19, 2022
176: The Evangelical that Made Me a (Better) Catholic (w/ Mike Wilson)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by YouTube sensation Mike Wilson from The Popish Plot to tell the incredible story of how an encounter with a well-meaning Evangelical Christian – and his pastor – led Mike to look deeper into his own Catholic faith, to double down on the ancient creeds, and to become serious about following the practice of his Catholic faith.
It's an amazing story which begins with a question about salvation and baptism but doesn't end there. You're going to love our conversation!
For more from Mike you can follow him on Twitter and find The Popish Plot on podcast and on their YouTube channel which you absolutely must check out.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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For more information…
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Oct 12, 2022
175: The No-Crap Catholic Guide to Gender (w/ Dr. Abigail Favale)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Abigail Favale, one of the foremost Catholic thinkers on the topics of gender and sexuality, to give us the straight goods on what the Catholic Church believes about gender.
We've tried our best to strip away ideology, prejudice, and commentary and dig into what we mean by gender, how it's understood by others, and what the Catholic Church presents for us to believe, and follow, as practising Catholic Christians. It's one heck of a conversation and I'm grateful to Abigail for coming (back!) on the show to have it.
For more from Dr. Favale check out her fantastic book The Genesis of Gender and her conversion story Into the Deep.
You can also find her writing for Notre Dame's Church Life Journal.
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Oct 5, 2022
174: A Convert on Fire for the Catholic Faith (w/ Jack Morgan)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Jack Morgan from the What Is Truth podcast, a non-denominational, evangelical convert to the Catholic faith who shares his journey – and his absolutely contagious excitement about being Catholic!
We talk about the Old Testament studies, the Early Church, questioning authority, Mary, the Magisterium, and how an incredibly devout, reasonable, Bible-loving, Christ-centred Christian would ever think about becoming Catholic. Jack's story is a great one – and one for the record books.
I think you'll love it!
For more from Jack, check out the What is Truth podcast, available everywhere and take a lot at the incredible apostolate Jack works with Seton Teaching Fellows.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Sep 28, 2022
173: A Former Protestant Pastor Unpacks the Rosary (w/ Keith Nester)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester, a former Protestant pastor, to unpack the rosary. What exactly do we do when we're praying the rosary? How do we pray it more fruitfully and more authentically? How can we avoid the trap of "vain repetition" that Protestants often accuse Catholics of. And more.
Keith explains how the rosary is a Bible study, a sermon series, and a recounting of the life of Christ that we can enter into again and again, each time discovering new fruits from God.
Keith Nester is a former Protestant pastor – he spent over 20 years in ministry before converting to Catholicism. Keith is the host of the Catholic Feedback podcast and has an incredibly popular YouTube channel (that I'm sure you've already heard of).
You can find the Rosary Crew on YouTube, too.
To check out Keith's book, Unpacking the Mysteries of the Rosary visit his website.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Sep 21, 2022
172: An Indie Rock Musician's Catholic Intuitions (w/ Levi Sikes)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Levi Sikes, the musical genius behind Former Ruins, to talk about his journey into Catholicism. What drew Levi out of his Evangelical Christian tradition, what drew him into Catholicism, and what continues to draw him in, evermore. And, as a musician, how Levi strives to bridge this gap, to explain and wrestle with his own paradigm shift, and to speak into a place of the deep faith and longing felt by others on journeys similar to his.
It's an amazing interview!
For more from Levi check out the Formers Ruins website, on Bandcamp, and everywhere streaming music is found! You won't be disappointed.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Sep 14, 2022
171: How I Became a Media Nun (w/ Sr. Orianne Pietra René)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Sister Orianne Pietra René from the Daughters of St. Paul to talk about the story of her deep conversion to Catholicism – out of a very interesting mixed-religious household – and the call to her vocation as a religious sister, living out her life in the service of Christ and the Church.
It's a fascinating look at how God calls someone to deeper and deeper conversion – like St. Paul, of course – and how to listen for and answer that call. And some really fascinating stories along the way.
So grateful to be able to talk with Sr. Orianne and I hope you enjoy this episode!
For more from the Daughters of St. Paul check out their website and find one of their bookstores around the world.
You an also follow Sr. Orianne on Instagram where she's always sharing incredible content.
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Sep 7, 2022
170: Growing Up Catholic and Evangelical in the Same Small-ish Town (w/ Robert LeBlanc)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend Robert LeBlanc, co-host of the Pints and Pews Podcast, author, and speaker – and a guy who was born in the same hometown as me! Our conversation this week revolves around that idea: what it's like to be grow up Catholic (for Robert) and Evangelical (for me) in the same small-ish town.
Robert shares some incredible stories of his own upbringing from how he inherited and experience the faith of his parents, his peers, and the Catholic Church of his time. I share some of my own thoughts and impressions of the Catholics I knew and experienced and my perspective on Catholicism as an Evangelical – a convert to the faith at age 15.
I had this idea for a conversation like this ever since Robert invited me on his podcast and we realized that we both grew up in the same small-ish town. I had no idea how the conversation would go but, as it turns out, it was amazing. I hope you enjoy it.
For more from Robert check out th…
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Aug 31, 2022
169: A Jewish Girl's Journey into Catholicism (w/ Melissa Presser)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the one and only Melissa Presser to talk about her amazing journey into Catholicism.
Raised culturally Jewish, Melissa had an incredible encounter with God which led her to become a devout practitioner of her Jewish faith. Through trauma and abuse Melissa continued to practice and deepen her faith eventually being led by the Holy Spirit into Protestant Christianity and, through some incredible encounters (including St. Edith Stein!), finally home into the Catholic Church.
Melissa's journey is great and she's a wonderful storyteller.
To find out more about Melissa and her work check out her website and make sure to read her work over on Missio Dei as well.
Melissa also asked to include these additional thoughts in our show notes.
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Aug 24, 2022
REPLAY: Why Do Catholics Make Such a Big Deal About Mary? (w/ Fr. Mauro Gagliardi)
In this REPLAY episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the incredible Father Mauro Gagliardi, STD, Catholic theologian, to talk about Mary.
Fr. Gagliardi is the author of an enormous 1,000 page book on Catholic Dogmatic Theology and, within the context of this massive work, we're talking about his chapter on Mary. It's an absolutely fascinating discussion.
We talk about Mary's role in salvation history, the importance of her "yes" to God, her role as Mother of God, and the various Marian dogmas like the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.
It's a great talk to help underscore exactly why Catholics make such a big deal about Mary – and her role in the Catholic Church today, which is always pointing back to Christ.
For more from Fr. Gagliardi, check out his incredible book Truth is a Synthesis: Catholic Dogmatic Theology from Emmaus Academic.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Aug 17, 2022
SPECIAL: The One Question that Made Me Catholic
In this special episode of the show, I tell the story of the one question – asked by a pastor I was working for – that began my journey into Catholicism.
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Thank you to those already supporting the show!
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, Jame…
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Aug 10, 2022
REPLAY: A Charismatic Pastor Hears God's Call to Catholicism (w/ Kenny Burchard)
In this REPLAY episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert Kenny Burchard. Kenny spent 33 years as an Charismatic, Evangelical Christian, more than twenty of those in full-time ministry, including planting and pastoring churches, before becoming Catholic in dramatic fashion!
In this fantastic discussion we unpack the call Kenny heard to become Catholic, what drew him in, and what questions he had about the Bible, authority, and the nature of the Church even before he decided to attend his first Catholic Mass.
This is a great conversation not only for those considering Catholicism but for those, like Kenny and his family, who honestly and earnestly are seeking after the leading of God's spirit – and are willing to follow no matter what it means, or where He leads.
For more from Kenny Burchard visit his website. Also be sure to check him out at ThinkTheology.org and you can watch a short video of his conversion story on YouTube.
For more, visit The Cordial Catho…
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Aug 3, 2022
SPECIAL: We Bought a House
In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I share a bit about our journey relying on God, trusting Him to go before us, and the miracles that followed as we bought a house.
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If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in the Muslim...
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Jul 27, 2022
168: When a Family Band Becomes Catholic (w/ Benjamin Wolaver)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by creative artist, musician, television host Benjamin Wolaver to talk about his journey into the Catholic faith – and the journey of his entire family band!
Wolaver, who plays Benjamin Cello on the incredible television program The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello, converted to the Catholic faith alongside his parents and siblings – all members of the incredible Annie Moses Band!
What happens when an entire family band converts to Catholicism? It's an incredible story told by a wonderful story teller.
To see Benjamin's television work visit The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello.
Check out the Annie Moses Band for music, touring schedule, and more at their website.
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Jul 20, 2022
167: An Anglican Priest Encounters Catholicism (w/ John Bacon)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by former Anglican priest and Catholic convert John Bacon to talk about his conversion story – and it's an incredible one!
Ordained a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, John tells his story of encountering Catholicism through the Liturgy, the Early Church Fathers, Mary's role in exorcisms (which he encountered as a police chaplain!), and even a relationship which he struck up with another famous convert Dr. David Anders at a Jewish gym where John worked during seminary.
John's story is all about what it means to give up so much to follow Christ where he leads, bumps and all along the way, but living for the journey. I'm telling you... this journey is amazing!
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Jul 13, 2022
166: How the Early Church Read the Bible (w/ Mike Aquilina)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by world renown Early Church expert and author (and one of my favourite guests) Mike Aquilina. On this episode, Mike joins us to talk about how the Early Church read, understood, and used the Scriptures.
What does it mean that the primary place of Scripture was in the Liturgy? What's more important Scripture or Tradition? Could all Christians afford Bibles? Could all Christians read? What do we know about which books were accepted and which weren't and the formation of the Canon of Scripture.
These questions, and many more, as Mike takes us way back into the early days of Christianity to help us understand how they did (and we should!) read our Bibles and understand it's place in the context of our faith.
For more from Mike check out his book How the Fathers Read the Bible: Scripture, Liturgy, and the Early Church.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jul 6, 2022
165: The Most Incredible Catholic Case for Atonement (w/ Dr. Margaret Turek)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the incredible, world-renown theologian Dr. Margaret Turek to provide the Catholic case for the atonement.
And, boy, is it ever incredible!
Dr. Turek lays out in beautiful depth and poetry, the whole of salvation history. Why Jesus had to come, die, and rise from the dead. Why Jesus had to die the way He did. What was the Father's role in "abandoning" Christ on the cross? And what do Catholics believe about it all.
This episode is, simply put, the very best case for how the Catholic Church understands atonement as you'll ever find – I'm sure of it! If you have questions about what Catholics believe about the crucifixion, Easter, the Passion of Christ, Good Friday, satisfaction, justification, sanctification, or grace ... this is the episode for you!
For more from Dr. Margaret Turek check out her book from Ignatius Press, Atonement: Soundings in Biblical, Trinitarian, and Spiritual Theology.
Send your feedback to cordialcatho…
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Jun 29, 2022
164: Bishops, Priests, and Deacons in the Early Church (w/ Joe Heschmeyer)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist extraordinaire Joe Heschmeyer to discuss the structure of the Early Church.
Was the Early Church made up of loosely affiliated groups of believers, or did the Early Church inherit a clear hierarchical structure from the apostles? The question is one of the most important ones to answer, considering it'll help to determine WHICH church Christ founded – out of many different denominations.
In this episode, Joe takes us into the earliest evidence to show exactly how we know what kind of Church Christ founded, where it is today, and why it's important to find. Plus, we talk about common objections to some of Joe's findings and where they go wrong.
For more from Joe check out his book The Early Church Was Catholic from Catholic Answers Press and visit his website Shameless Popery where he promises to, someday, be launching a podcast.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jun 22, 2022
163: How to Talk to Anyone About Abortion (w/ Dr. Steven Christie, MD)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Steven Christine, a medical doctor, lawyer, a lecturer and speaker on Catholic social issues, and the author of Speaking for the Unborn: 30-Second Pro-Life Rebuttals to Pro-Choice Rebuttals.
Here, Steve walks us through how to talk to just about anyone about abortion: those that have had abortions, those that advocate for abortions, the passionately pro-choice, and those that haven't really thought it through. With a vast collection of pro-life evidence and arguments, Steve explains exactly how we can cordially, kindly, and in a Christ-like manner, work through some of these very important issues, on the ground, in every day life.
Abortion, says Steve, is not only a hot issue in the news and in conversations these days, but a place to really change opinions, minds, and hearts through appealing to medical science and evidence that many people who are pro-abortion simply haven't heard before.
And while this is a tough topic to…
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Jun 15, 2022
162: Problems with Protestant Christianity (w/ Keith Nester)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester to unpack some of the problems with Protestant Christianity that drove us to convert to Catholicism.
Keith Nester is a former Protestant pastor – he spent over 20 years in ministry before converting to Catholicism. Keith is the host of the Catholic Feedback podcast, the author of a fantastic book for new converts, and has an incredibly popular YouTube channel (that I'm sure you've already heard of).
To check out Keith's book, A Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church visit his website.
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For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content…
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Jun 8, 2022
161: How to Die to Yourself (w/ Father Jeffrey Kirby)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD to talk about ascetical theology: the ancient and holy Catholic practice of dying to yourself. We dig deeply, with Fr. Kirby as our guide, into how understanding the purpose of our lives, through a knowledge of Scripture and God's plan, we can more fully and truly live out our Catholic lives and vocations.
It's a really fascinating, fun, and in-depth conversation – as it always is when Father Kirby stops by!
For more from Father Kirby visit his website and be sure to check out Glory Unto Glory: A Primer on Ascetical Theology from Angelico Press.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons recei…
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Jun 1, 2022
160: Thoughts on the Black Catholic Experience (w/ Shannon Wimp Schmidt)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Shannon Wimp Schmidt, one of the co-authors of Fat Luther, Slim Pickin’s: A Black Catholic Celebration of Faith, Tradition, and Diversity, to talk about some of her thoughts on the black Catholic experience.
This is a topic I've had a lot of requests to tackle on the show and I'm so pleased, and grateful, to have Shannon as a guide this week. Her insights are phenomenal and, I hope, helpful for those within the Church who want to learn more about this perspective and those who are considering converting to Catholicism and wondering – as a black person – how their identity, culture, and experience, can fit into the Catholic Church.
It's a fantastic conversation.
For more from Shannon, check out her podcast Plaid Skirts & Basic Black everywhere podcasts are found and. her fantastic book Fat Luther, Slim Pickin's: A Black Catholic Celebration of Faith, Tradition, and Diversity.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your…
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May 25, 2022
159: The Apostles, Apostolic Succession, and the Early Church (w/ Rod Bennett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by my good friend Catholic convert, author, and historian Rod Bennett to talk about the apostles, apostolic succession, and how the Early Church understood the role of these very first Christian leaders.
Rod always brings incredible insights into Early Christianity and this episode is no different. We dig deep into the historical understanding of the roles of the apostles, how this role was passed on, and how the Early Church grappled with filling the sandals of the leaders appointed by Christ when they died.
It's a compelling conversation!
For more from Rod Bennett, check out his numerous previous appearances in the archives of the show including conversations about Catholic Witnesses to the Early Church (Episode 141) and Were the Early Christians Catholic? (Episode 089).
And check out These Twelve, Rod's latest book from Catholic Answers Press.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcathol…
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May 18, 2022
REPLAY: A Convert's Guide to the Eucharist (w/ Dr. Scott Hahn)
While the show is on hiatus until May 25, allow me to share one of my favourite conversations from last year: my chat with Evangelical convert to Catholicism, a biblical powerhouse, Dr. Scott Hahn.
In this episode, I'm joined by fellow Catholic convert, author, and biblical theologian Dr. Scott Hahn from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology to talk about the Eucharist.
In this discussion, we climb the summit from an Evangelical understanding of Communion as merely symbol up to the Catholic view of the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ. We discuss the transformative power and incredible reality of the sacraments and how better understanding the Old and New Covenants and typology deepens our love for the faith and our ability to evangelize!
A great conversation on the Eucharist – the centre of the life of the Church – that's made to share with your non-Catholic friends!
For more from Dr. Hahn visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology where you can find his fanta…
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May 11, 2022
Announcement: On A Short Hiatus Until May 25
A short announcement to let you know that this show will be on a short hiatus until May 25, 2022 as our family gets our house ready to sell!
We'll be back with an all-new episode on May 25 and, in the meantime, we'd appreciate all of your prayers for the smooth sale of our house and for the sanity of our family as we try to navigate it all with young kids, a dog, and a cat! Oh my!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation…
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May 4, 2022
158: Purgatory for Evangelicals (w/ Dr. Brett Salkeld)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by Dr. Brett Salkeld, theologian for the Catholic Archdiocese of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada and host of the Thinking Faith podcast to talk about purgatory.
What exactly is purgatory? Why does it make sense? Where can we find it in the Bible? In Church history? Isn't it just a medieval invention? Didn't it go completely sideways and caused the Protestant Reformation?
All of these burning questions, and more, this week as Dr. Salkeld takes us on a deep dive into the roots and reasons for purgatory, specifically through an Evangelical Christian lens.
For more from Dr. Salkeld, check out our previous episode, Episode 143, on Transubstantiation and the Eucharist and follow him on Twitter.
You can also check out his fantastic books Transubstantiation and Can Catholics and Evangelicals Agree About Purgatory and the Last Judgment at fine bookstores or on Amazon.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to c…
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Apr 27, 2022
157: Tackling Objections to the Papacy (w/ Suan Sonna)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by returning guest Suan Sonna from Intellectual Conservatism to talk to us about the papacy, and the pope.
Suan is making major waves these days strongly defending the papacy and he's here today to tackle some of the most popular (and difficult) objections that you've probably heard to the idea of the pope.
Where is the papacy in Scripture? Shouldn't it be obviously found? Isn't attempts to find the papacy foreshadowed in the Old Testament just "typology gone wild"? And what about the outrageous claims the Catholic Church made at Vatican I?
Is the papacy really Biblical?!
These questions and more tackled, this week, by one of the foremost scholars working on the papacy today.
If you like what you hear, make sure you check out Suan's positive case for the papacy in Episode 116 where he also discusses his conversion story – it's a great one!
For even more from Suan check out his YouTube channel Intellectual Conservatism and his…
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Apr 20, 2022
156: Marriage, Family, Discipleship, and the Diaconate (w/ Jason Bulman)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Jason Bulman, a father, candidate for the diaconate, and one of the "stars" of the Word on Fire show Meet the Bulman's where Jason and his wife Rachel, a previous guest on our show, open their home and their lives up for viewers to see a picture of a Catholic family, living and loving their faith.
In this episode Jason and I talk about his vocation of marriage, family, how to evangelize and create disciples for Christ, and what his calling to the permanent diaconate means. This is such a wonderful conversation!
Also, be sure to check out Episode 145 where Jason's wife, Rachel Bulman, shares her incredible conversion story and how her and Jason met.
And to see more from Jason check out Meet the Bulman's from Word on Fire.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Apr 13, 2022
155: The Jewish Catholic's Journey into the Church (w/ Daniel Suazo)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by The Jewish Catholic, Daniel Suazo, to unpack the absolutely incredible story that's led to his decision to become Catholic, this Easter 2022.
Daniel was raised Protestant, from a Jewish background, and began exploring his heritage after asking some difficult questions about his Protestant beliefs. After discovering the Messianic Judaism movement Daniel thought he'd finally found a faith home only to begin asking even more challenging questions and, eventually, deciding to delve into Orthodox Judaism. From there, the quest for answers didn't stop until he began to see the logic, the beautiful typological and the fulfillment of the Old Testament covenant so perfectly in the Catholic Church.
It's an incredible story. And, sure, maybe you've heard before that the Old Covenant is fulfilled in the New – you certainly haven't heard it lived out, in Daniel's experience, like this. What an incredible witness to the Catholic faith!
For…
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Apr 6, 2022
154: Following the Evidence into the Catholic Church (w/ Christian B. Wagner)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert Christian B. Wagner, the Militant Thomist, to share the story of his incredible journey into Catholicism. From an upbringing as a Baptist, Christian was exposed to the Early Church Fathers through some of the Reformed theologians he began reading in college. His exploration of Early Christianity led him to ask questions about ecclesiology which led him to explore the Anglican Church and, eventually, through exposure to St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Henry Newman, Christian is making his way into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter 2022.
It's an incredible story!
For more from Christian, follow him on Twitter at The Militant Thomist and check out all of his links, media, and appearances here.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Mar 30, 2022
153: Grace, Prudence, and Living the Virtues (w/ Fr. Gregory Pine, OP)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the inestimable Father Gregory Pine, OP to talk about grace, prudence, and how to live out the virtues in our Catholic faith lives. We talk about exactly how grace infuses our lives and helps us to live more virtuously, the role of prudence in the life of a Catholic, how to make decisions in God's will (and how to understand God's will to begin with!) and the role of the virtues in a Christ-centred life.
Plus, lots of Fr. Gregory's incredibly dry wit – I love it, and I think you will too.
Check out Our Sunday Visitor for more information about Fr. Gregory's aptly titled book, Prudence.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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For more…
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Mar 23, 2022
152: The Most Incredible Conversion Story Ever (w/ John Edwards)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by podcaster, writer, and speaker John Edwards to share what I think is the most incredible conversion story ever.
John breaks the record previously held by the wonderful Tsh Oxenreider as he speaks for a full hour unpacking his whirlwind conversion story: through a crippling drug addiction, successes and failures, ups and downs, and an incredible return to the Catholic Church through the grace of vulnerability and the sacraments John's story is absolutely breath-taking. I can promise you'll be on the edge of your seat throughout; and once you start, you won't be able to hit pause!
For more from John check out the Just A Guy in the Pew Podcast and his website for links to book him to speak and for more information about the resources he's creating through his ministry.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Mar 16, 2022
151: The Mind-Blowing Sacramental Worldview (w/ Fr. Harrison Ayre)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Father Harrison Ayre to talk about the Sacramental Worldview at the centre of Catholicism.
To the Catholic, our view of the world, our faith, and everything God created is through the lens of the Sacraments – through Christ himself – and, this week, Fr. Harrison is here to talk all about it: the mind-blowing reality of what it means to live "in Christ" through a sacramental worldview.
This is an episode I've wanted to produce for a long time on a topic that I know will be of interest to lots of people looking to learn more about Catholicism and I'm so thrilled to be able to bring Fr. Harrison on to help walk us through this particular topic.
To check out Fr. Harrison's fantastic book visit the Pauline Books and Media Store and support the Pauline Sisters. You won't regret purchasing this book – even just to look at it!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Mar 9, 2022
150: Irenaeus - Catholic or Evangelical? (w/ Dr. Matthew J. Thomas)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Matthew J. Thomas to talk about this vitally important Early Church Father and the newest Doctor of the Church: St. Irenaeus and unpack his theology, his writings, and what he can teach us about the faith? And, we tackle the question, what does Irenaeus sound more like: Catholic or Evangelical?
We discuss some of the issues in the Early Church: unity, baptism, the Eucharist, and apostolic succession.
It's a wonderful deep-diving conversation with a great friend. I hope you love it!
For more from Dr. Matthew J. Thomas, visit the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology and the author of the incredible Paul's "Works of the Law" in the Perspective of Second Century Reception.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Mar 2, 2022
149: A Protestant Bible Scholar Meets a Catholic One (w/ Dr. John Bergsma and Dr. Michael Dauphinais)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. John Bergsma from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and Dr. Michael Dauphinais from Ave Maria University to talk about their experiences crossing paths as John, a former Protestant pastor and Bible scholar, was on his way into the Catholic Church.
What a fun discussion!
John and Michael will share about their encounter, their conversations, their wrestling together with theology of Mary, Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide, the Eucharist, apostolic succession, and more!
It's the start of a bad joke, what happens when a Protestant Bible scholar and a Catholic Bible scholar walk into a cafeteria – but it's a wonderful story, too!
To listen to Dr. Bergsma's full conversion story listen to Episode 67. Dr. Dauphinais has previously appeared on the show in Episode 124.
For more from Dr. Michael Dauphinais check out his book The Wisdom of the Word.
For more from Dr. John Bergsma visit his website.
Send your feedback to cordi…
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Feb 23, 2022
148: Did Constantine Corrupt the Church? (w/ Joe Heschmeyer)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist Joe Heschmeyer to talk about the Early Church – was the original, pristine Christian Church corrupted by Constantine? Did the Roman Emperor "romanize" the Christians?
Joe and I dig into this premise and look at the earliest evidence of how Christians lived, worshipped, and what they believed to see what the Early Church looked like and if it really did, indeed, change when Constantine became Christian. We look at the first 200 years of Christianity and compare it to modern day Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism to see which looks most like the evidence. It's a fantastic conversation.
For more from Joe, check out his previous appearances on this show. In Episode 83, Joe joins me to talk about the papacy.
Joe also joined me, Austin Suggs from Gospel Simplicity, and baptist pastor Dr. Gavin Ortlund from Truth Unites for a discussion about the Early Church (Episode 92) and the Papacy (Episode 98).…
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Feb 16, 2022
147: Falling in Love with Christ in Catholicism (w/ Kathryn Whitaker)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert, speaker, author, and evangelist Kathryn Whitaker to talk about falling deeper in love with Christ in the Catholic Church.
From her early days, roaming throughout different non-Catholic Christian churches to her decision to become Catholic – her radical attraction to a deepening relationship with Christ – her journey is a fantastic one, and she tells a great story!
We talk about the sacraments, how to evangelize as a Catholic, how to handle scandal in the Church and keep your faith, and the role of learning and leaning into your faith as you go.
Kathryn is a wonderfully open, honest, and engaging guest!
To learn more about Kathryn visit her website where you can find links to her book, talks, and her social media accounts. Be sure to follow her on Instagram for some seriously great content.
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Feb 9, 2022
146: Why Do Catholics Pray to Saints? (w/ Kenny Burchard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Kenny Burchard, Director of Development at The Coming Home Network, to talk about the Catholic practice of praying to saints.
Kenny spent 33 years as a Charismatic, Evangelical Christian, more than twenty of those in full-time ministry, including planting and pastoring churches, before becoming Catholic in dramatic fashion and joins us here to unpack one of those big questions he had about the Catholic faith – and how he began to understand the ancient practice of asking those Christians, those saints before us, to pray for us.
This is a fantastic conversation to begin to unwind some of those misconceptions and misunderstandings you, or those you know, may have about Catholicism. Kenny systematically unpacks the practice of intercessory prayer using the Bible and the Early Church. I hope you love it!
Listen to Kenny's complete conversion story in Episode 110 of our show. You can also hear Kenny's wife's fantastic story when sh…
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Feb 2, 2022
145: Coming Home to the Catholic Church (w/ Rachel Bulman)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, speaker, and star of the new show from Word on Fire, Rachel Bulman. Rachel joins me to unpack her incredible conversion story from the streets of the Philippines to Florida; from a place of deep love of Christ and an encounter at Mass that forever changed the course of her life – it's an incredible conversion!
Listen, a hear about how Rachel's seeking after Jesus and being faithful to the voice of God led her to begin seriously investigating Catholicism while dating her now husband Jason. We talk about what drew her in, what she struggled with in her conversion – namely, confession and the Virgin Mary – and how she learned to love even those difficult bits of Catholicism.
Such a wonderful conversation.
To find out more about Rachel you can visit her website. And check out Meet the Bulman's from Word on Fire.
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Jan 26, 2022
144: Where is the True Church? (w/ Erick Ybarra)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Erick Ybarra, Catholic re-vert from Protestantism, author, and blogger to unpack his conversion story. Erick was raised Catholic, left for a Reformed Baptist church after an encounter with a university roommate, but came back to the Catholic Church, by way of Anglicanism, after he began an earnest search for the "true church" founded by Christ.
Erick is an incredible guy and his faith journey is amazing. Erick's search for truth led him to some incredibly in-depth research in the areas of church history, ecclesiology, sola Scriptura, apostolic succession, and the Orthodox-Catholic schism. Erick's forthcoming book on the Orthodox-Catholic schism, from Emmaus Academic, is the result of his 10 years of research.
This is a truly great conversation. Erick is compassion, kind, and cordial and his journey is one of honesty and faith seeking understanding.
For more from Erick visit his website.
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Jan 19, 2022
143: The Eucharist for Evangelicals (w/ Dr. Brett Salkeld)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Brett Salkeld, Archdiocesan Theologian for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina, author, and the co-host of the Thinking Faith podcast to discuss the Eucharist, the Real Presence, and Transubstantiation – with a special emphasis on how Evangelicals can understand this incredible belief, and how Catholics can explain it better.
We discuss the Early Church's belief in the Real Presence, what happened to change (and not change!) beliefs during the Reformation, and how we can understand and explain the Eucharist in light of how most Evangelicals understand the teaching.
A fantastic conversation! You can hear more from Dr. Salkeld by following him on Twitter and checking out the Thinking Faith podcast on all platforms.
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Jan 12, 2022
142: On the Catholic Imagination (w/ Randy Boyagoda)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by celebrated Catholic author, academic, and columnist Randy Boyagoda to talk about the Catholic imagination. How should Catholics uniquely see and interact with the world around them? How do Catholics truly live out their faith in the Public Square? What do authentic Catholics have to contribute to discussions within and outside of the Church?
For more from Randy Boyagoda check out any of his fantastic books on Amazon or your local bookseller. His work includes the Scotiabank Giller Prize nominated Governor of the Northern Province; Beggar's Feast, named a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice and nominated for the International Dublin Literacy Award; Original Prin and its sequel Dante's Indiana.
Dr. Boyagoda is Vice-Dean, Undergraduate, of the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto and a professor in the Department of English. He is past principal and vice-president of St. Michael's College in Toronto and wr…
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Jan 5, 2022
141: The Catholic Witnesses of the Early Church (w/ Rod Bennett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the one-and-only Rod Bennett, author and Early Church historian extraordinaire, to talk about the earliest witnesses to the Christian Church – the Early Church Fathers – and how they describe the worship, faith, and beliefs of the very first Christians ... and who look very Catholic indeed!
We'll dig into evidence for belief in baptismal regeneration, the Eucharist and Real Presence of Christ, bishops and apostolic succession, and the primacy of Rome. We tackle the common idea that Constantine corrupted Christianity and "Romanized" the simple faith and we discuss why it matters that an Early Church Father wouldn't be accepted in most Protestant Churches.
It's a great discussion!
For more from Rod check out his books from Ignatius Press: Four Witnesses and Four More Witness as well as his publications from Catholic Answers: The Apostasy that Wasn't and Scripture Wars.
Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Dec 29, 2021
REPLAY: Christianity Today Editor Becomes Catholic (w/ Mark Galli)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the former editor of the evangelical flagship Christianity Today, Mark Galli, to talk about his conversion to the Catholic Church.
Mark spent 10 years as a Protestant pastor, 20 years editing the world's largest evangelical publication, and has recently come into full communion with the Catholic Church. We unpack his journey, the reasons behind his decision, and some of the questions, challenges, and problems he faced in his Protestant faith which ultimately led him into Catholicism.
It was an absolute privilege to talk to Mark and I hope you enjoy our conversation!
For more from Mark visit his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic.
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Dec 15, 2021
140: The Catholic Guide to Suffering (w/ Father Jeffrey Kirby)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD to unpack the Catholic view of evil and suffering. We dig deeply into a topic that is maybe the biggest struggle for believers – and a barriers for those who don't believe: suffering.
With Father Kirby's help and expertise, we discuss where suffering comes from, why we suffer, why God allows certain sufferings to take place, and how we should respond as Catholics, in a long tradition of suffering – and growing spiritually!
It's an incredible conversation.
For more from Father Kirby visit his website and be sure to check out Manual for Suffering from Tan Books.
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Dec 8, 2021
139: How to Read the Bible Like a Catholic (w/ Dr. John Bergsma)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. John Bergsma, biblical theologian, professor, author, and Catholic convert, to talk about how to read the Bible like a Catholic, from the heart of the Church.
We begin by digging into Dr. Bergma's wonderful conversion journey – as a Protestant pastor and biblical theologian, he decided to become Catholic – and, from there, discuss how the Catholic Church understands, interprets, and makes use of the Bible. And how it was originally meant to be used. We contrast this with how Dr. Bergsma understood and taught from the Bible as a Protestant pastor – and we dig into how we, as Catholic, can understand it's place in the Liturgy and the Church today!
For more from Dr. Bergsma visit his website.
To purchase any of John's fine books visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
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Dec 1, 2021
138: The Grace of Catholic Conversion (w/ Haley Stewart)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, podcaster, and Catholic convert Haley Stewart to talk about her experience converting to Catholicism.
On a search for a liturgically minded church, and through reading the Early Church Fathers, Haley and her husband Daniel, became interested and then deeply immersed in the Catholic Church. Their story is one of starting a family, finding a new faith, and the challenges and graces that come as a result of trusting in Christ, and the journey!
For more from Haley check out her website and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Nov 24, 2021
137: From the Canadian Wilderness to the Catholic Priesthood (w/ Fr. Nathan Caswell)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Father Nathan Caswell, an Evangelical convert to Catholicism with an incredible conversion story to share.
Father Nathan was raised Charismatic Evangelical, converted to Catholicism with his family on an Indigenous Reservation in Northern Canada, and spent the next several years wandering and soul-searching in the Canadian wilderness while he shrugged off religion – before ultimately becoming the Prodigal Son and returning home to his family, his faith, and eventually a vocation in the Catholic priesthood.
It's an incredible story featuring mushroom hunting, treehouse living, and the discovery of God in the power of the ocean.
To learn more about the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius visit their website.
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Nov 17, 2021
136: Why I'm Not Catholic (w/ Austin Suggs from Gospel Simplicity)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend, YouTuber Austin Suggs from the wildly popular Gospel Simplicity channel to talk about why he isn't Catholic – after a year of asking questions about the Catholic faith.
Austin stumbled into a world of digging deeply into questions of the ancient Christian faiths. From his experience of going to a Catholic Bible study, and then a Catholic Mass, he began to ask questions about Catholicism (and later, Orthodoxy). When I first had him on my show over a year ago, we talked about some of his misconceptions and misunderstandings – and questions he still had.
Now, a year later, he's back, as a good friend, to unpack his journey so far. It's a fantastic conversation as we unpack liturgy, the papacy, apostolic succession, the Eucharist, and what exactly Austin is thinking after spending the last year asking some of the most brilliant minds in religion, some really great questions!
For more from Austin visit his YouTube…
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Nov 10, 2021
135: Times the Church Almost Failed – But Came Back Stronger! (w/ Steve Weidenkopf)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, and professor of Catholic history, and popular guest on this program Steve Weidenkopf. We talk about Steve's latest book Light from Darkness and discuss times when the Catholic Church was in complete turmoil, morally bankrupt, failing, and near collapse – and how each and every time it came back from the brink, stronger than before!
We talk about this and what lessons we, Catholics living today, can take from the pages of history to carry out reform, renewal, and spur a move towards holiness in our own lives and communities.
It's a great discussion; Steve is a wonderful storyteller!
For more from Steve visit his website, and check out the Catholic Answers shop.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Nov 3, 2021
134: How the Early Church Evangelized (w/ Mike Aquilina)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by renown patristics scholar Mike Aquilina to talk about how the Early Church – the very first Christians following the apostles – evangelized, how they spread the Christian faith.
Through this conversation we dig into the early Christian sources like no one else can, expertly guided by Mike Aquilina, an author, podcaster, and popular guest on this show, we look into some incredible sources to undercover exactly how and why the faith spread – and, most importantly – what lessons we can learn for today.
It's a fantastic conversation. Be sure to check out Mike's fantastic new book Friendship and the Fathers: How the Early Church Evangelized from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and Emmaus Road Press.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Oct 27, 2021
133: What Vatican II Really Said (w/ Father Blake Britton)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm re-joined by Father Blake Britton, the author of the fantastic new book Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church.
Fr. Blake was a guest on this show exactly 100 episodes ago when we discussed Vatican II and what would, eventually, become this fantastic book. A book which has been sent, we learn, to every single bishop in the USA – it's really a mis-read book.
Fr. Blake unpacks exactly what happened at the Second Vatican Council, how the agenda of the Council has been misunderstood and misapplied in the subsequent decades, and what we can do to truly live out the intentions of Vatican II as a movement of the Holy Spirit for the whole Church.
It's an incredible conversation!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Oct 20, 2021
132: Truth, Beauty, and Catholic Conversion (w/ Tsh Oxenreider)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, podcaster, and Catholic convert Tsh Oxenreider to unpack her incredible journey into the Catholic Church.
Tsh and her husband Kyle met as missionary church planters, served and travelled with their family around the world, and eventually landed in the Anglican Church where they found the beauty and truth they were looking for in their Protestant Christianity. But, it wasn't enough. Questions of, "Says who?" and "By whose authority?" kept coming up and, after digging into the roots of their faith during the pandemic, they decided to come into full communion with the Catholic Church.
It's a fantastic story!
For more from Tsh visit her website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Oct 13, 2021
131: Works of the Law: Early Church vs. The Reformation (w/ Dr. Matthew J. Thomas)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Matthew J. Thomas, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology and the author of the incredible Paul's "Works of the Law" in the Perspective of Second Century Reception.
Dr. Thomas joins us to look at the two perspectives on "Works of the Law" and what Paul may have meant – was he condemning all works meant to earn God's favour, or was there something else he was getting at?
In his book, and this discussion, Dr. Thomas contrasts the perspective on "Works of the Law" from the Early Church Fathers (those closest to the apostles) to the theology of Luther and Calvin and the Reformation. And how the Catholic Church fits into it all.
His conclusions, both personal and academic, are pretty incredible – and when we begin to explore how the Catholic Church shakes out in this debate, things get very interesting!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcath…
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Oct 6, 2021
130: How to Make the Mass Great (w/ Dr. Denis McNamara)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Denis McNamara, associate professor and Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College to talk about Pope Francis's Motu Proprio on the celebration of the Mass, Traditionis Custodes and how we can make the Mass great again.
We dig into how to. understand the parallel forms of the Mass: the Extraordinary (Latin Mass) and Ordinary Forms, what the Popes intended when allowing (and then restricting) the celebration of both, and how each of these forms can inform and improve the other.
This is a fantastic conversation all about how we can celebrate the Mass better – and exactly what that means – with one of my favourite liturgists and human beings of all time, Dr. Denis McNamara.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Sep 29, 2021
129: A Missionary Studies Church Leadership and Becomes Catholic (w/ Dr. MaryJo Burchard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by missionary, church planter, and organizational leadership expert Dr. MaryJo Burchard to talk about her incredible journey into Catholicism. It's a wild one and really the title of this episode – and these show notes – just can't do justice to what brought her into the Catholic Church and her insights, but we'll try anyway!
MaryJo was a pastor's kid, a fervent missionary, and the wife of a church-planting charismatic pastor who she served alongside of for many, many years before converting to Catholicism – a journey which paralleled her husband's. It began, in large part, through her study of Church Leadership while at an Evangelical Bible College – it was then that she found the writings of the earliest Christians and began to understand how they organized the churches, something that was critically missing from the churches that her and her husband had been a part of.
It's a fantastic story, and don't miss her husband Ke…
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Sep 22, 2021
128: Gay and Catholic (w/ Eve Tushnet)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic author and columnist Eve Tushnet to talk about her writing, her journey into Catholicism, and navigating her the faith as a gay Catholic.
Eve's insights – living and writing from the heart of the Catholic Church about some deeply personal, and challenging, issues – are flecked with her trademark humour and self-deprecation and provide some incredible places to begin to understand the Church's teaching, the role and place of gay Catholics within the Church, and how to discern an appropriate, kind, and deeply Catholic way forward for other gay Catholics.
If you want to know what the Church teaches and what it actually takes to live out the faith as a gay Catholic, you'll find this episode deeply enriching. I'm so grateful to Eve for her time and so blessed to bring you this incredible conversation.
Let's begin to understand one another better – in harmony with the magisterial teaching of the Church – and begin to…
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Sep 15, 2021
127: The Prayers, Actions, and Meaning of the Mass - Part 2 (w/ Jeffrey Pinyan)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again, by popular demand, by author and catechist Jeffrey Pinyan. This time, we continue to dig into the prayers, actions, and meaning of the Mass beginning with the second-half of Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
As in Episode 125, Jeffrey shares his immense knowledge of the "behind-the-scenes" workings of the Mass to help deepen our understanding and appreciation, and to help us participate more fully in what's happening each and every time we go to Mass. You will undoubtedly find some incredible gems in here to help you deepen your love for Mass – there's just so much to unpack!
If you like this episode, make sure to listen to Episode 125, too!
Check out Jeffrey's profile on Twitter to get a free copy of his book, Praying the Mass. An amazing offer for listeners and viewers of this show!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Sep 8, 2021
126: The Incredible Women Doctors of the Church (w/ Terry Polakovic)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author and co-founder of ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) Terry Polakovic to tell the stories of some of the incredible women Doctors of the Church.
This is a really incredible episode. Terry is a fantastic storyteller and in this conversation she sets up these incredible women Doctors of the Church as the perfect antidote to some of the painful scandals, confusion of doctrine, and in-fighting taking place in the Church today – look to these, says Terry, these amazing "women of hope."
In this episode we dig into the lives of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Hildegard of Bingen as Terry explains how the incredible lives of these saints can provide us with a blueprint and a cause for hope when things both in the Church and the world seem to be a bit hopeless; these stories are a huge source of encouragement!
For more from Terry check out her book, Women of Hope from…
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Sep 1, 2021
125: The Prayers, Actions, and Meaning of the Mass (w/ Jeffrey Pinyan)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author and catechist Jeffrey Pinyan to talk about what's going on in the Catholic Mass. In this conversation, we dig into the first part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word. Jeffrey draws on Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the rich traditions of the faith to explain what each and every aspect of the Mass means – from actions like the sign of the cross to the importance of the Penitential Rite and everything in between.
Jeffrey is incredibly knowledgeable about exactly what's happening at Mass and his explanations will greatly enhance your understanding and appreciation for what's going on at Mass. A perfect guide for the non-Catholic Christian, new Catholic, or a Catholic who really wants to deepen their love for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Check out Jeffrey's profile on Twitter to get a free copy of his book, Praying the Mass. An amazing offer for listeners and viewers of this show!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholi…
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Aug 25, 2021
124: Biblical Answers to Questions About Catholicism (w/ Dr. Michael Dauphinais)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by biblical scholar, theologian, and author Dr. Michael Dauphinais to talk through some biblical answers to question about Catholicism. We tackle topics of why people should listen to the Catholic Church, how the Holy Spirit can work through a hierarchical structure, what the Mass is and does, and how to share the incredible gift of Catholicism with our non-Catholic Christian friends and family.
It's a great conversation!
For more from Dr. Dauphinais check out his book The Wisdom of the Word at a special limited-time offer of 20% off! Also, be sure to check out his Amazon page.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Aug 18, 2021
123: Why Do Catholics Make Such a Big Deal About Mary? (w/ Fr. Mauro Gagliardi)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the incredible Father Mauro Gagliardi, STD, Catholic theologian, to talk about Mary.
Fr. Gagliardi is the author of an enormous 1,000 page book on Catholic Dogmatic Theology and, within the context of this massive work, we're talking about his chapter on Mary. It's an absolutely fascinating discussion.
We talk about Mary's role in salvation history, the importance of her "yes" to God, her role as Mother of God, and the various Marian dogmas like the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption.
It's a great talk to help underscore exactly why Catholics make such a big deal about Mary – and her role in the Catholic Church today, which is always pointing back to Christ.
For more from Fr. Gagliardi, check out his incredible book Truth is a Synthesis: Catholic Dogmatic Theology from Emmaus Academic.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Aug 11, 2021
122: How and Why the Sacraments Make Sense (w/ Dr. Lawrence Feingold)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by one of the Catholic Church's leading theologians (and one of my favourite guests) Dr. Lawrence Feingold. In this episode, we're talking about the Sacraments.
We go in depth on how and why the sacraments make sense including: how we know that Christ founded the sacraments, why Christ gave us the sacraments, what Protestant Christians are *missing* without the sacraments, and how exactly Christ meets us through the sacramental system He established.
Plus, we talk about the idea of "works" – are sacraments a "work" that Catholics have to do to be saved or to receive God's grace?
It's a fantastic conversation!
For a limited time, listeners to this podcast can get 30% off *ALL* of Dr. Feingold's fantastic books from Emmaus Academic. Visit St. Paul Center and use coupon code: *CordialCatholic30* at checkout. His latest book is Touched by Christ: The Sacramental Economy.
You can find more of his work including hours and…
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Aug 4, 2021
121: A Kurdish Christian's Incredible Journey into Catholicism (w/ Timothy Ezat)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Timothy Ezat. Timothy grew up as a nominal Muslim and then a nominal atheist in Kurdistan, Iraq. Under threat of violence and persecution, he converted to Evangelical Christianity at the age of 15 in an underground church.
From there, Timothy moved to London, became involved in missionary work, and eventually became ordained as an Anglican priest. But his early reading of the Church Fathers and his deep love of the Bible led him to continue to ask questions about his faith and, eventually, led him to make the decision to become Catholic.
This is a truly remarkable conversation!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jul 28, 2021
120: Your First Year as a Catholic Convert (w/ Keith Nester)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert Keith Nester, author of The Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church to talk about what it's like to be Catholic in your very first year in the Church.
Keith is a popular YouTuber and a former Protestant pastor, working in ministry for over 22 years before finally deciding to become Catholic.
He shares his wisdom in what to expect after becoming Catholic and how we can navigate that first year in Catholicism. And, of course, because Keith is a good friend, we have a lot of fun in this episode too!
For more from Keith visit his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jul 21, 2021
119: How a Biblical Christian Became a Dominican Friar (w/ Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, a Catholic convert with an incredible story to tell!
Fr. Lawrence grew up in a Bible-based church with nothing but a Scripture verse on the wall but a deep understanding and appreciation for the Bible. When he encountered his first Catholic Mass he immediately recognized the biblical roots – the Book of Revelation, taking place before his eyes!
From there, Fr. Lawrence set out to intellectually disprove Catholicism only to wind up convincing himself of the truths of the faith and becoming Catholic himself.
It's a great story told by a wonderful storyteller and you're going to love it!
For more, check out Fr. Lawrence Lew's photography on Flickr and follow him on Twitter.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jul 14, 2021
118: The Old Testament Roots of the Catholic Priesthood (w/ Dr. John Bergsma)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. John Bergsma to talk about the Old Testament Roots of the Catholic priesthood.
Dr. Bergsma is a Professor of Theology at The Franciscan University of Steubenville, a renown Biblical scholar, a former Protestant pastor, and a convert to the Catholic faith. In this episode, Dr. Bergsma takes us all the way back to Adam in the Garden of Eden to show how the priesthood is, in fact, how God has always interacted with man and exactly how, and why, a priesthood which began with Adam, continued through the patriarchs and prophets, continues today in the Catholic Church.
It's an incredible episode.
To hear more from Dr. Bergsma check out his website, and make sure to listen to our previous discussions on whatever podcast platform you use! Dr. Bergma's book Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood is available from Emmaus Road Publishing.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com…
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Jul 7, 2021
117: The Convert's Guide to St. Joseph (w/ Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert and Benedictine monk Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, to unpack St. Joseph.
Who exactly is St. Joseph? What can his life and his silent testament to his son, Christ, teach just today.
We dig deeply into the incredible example of St. Joseph and how, in spite of not speaking a recorded word in the Gospels, can teach us how to live the very best Christian life we can.
It's an incredible conversation about how we can interact with and learn from the saints especially St. Joseph.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jun 30, 2021
116: Where's the Pope in the Bible? (w/ Suan Sonna)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the incredible Suan Sonna to make the biblical case for the papacy. In other words, where's the pope in the Bible?
Over our hour-long conversation, Suan shares some incredible biblical insights into exactly what Jesus was doing when He made Peter the "rock," what he intended, and how we know.
It's an incredibly in-depth conversation on the pope in the Bible and if you don't think the papacy exists in the pages of Scripture – this interview may just change your mind! Suan is awesome.
For more from Suan, check out Intellectual Conservatism on YouTube, Facebook, and as a podcast on Apple Podcasts.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jun 23, 2021
115: How the Bible Made an Evangelical Seminary Professor a Catholic (w/ Dr. Douglas Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by one of our most popular guests Dr. Douglas Beaumont. Doug is a convert to the Catholic faith. As a fervent Evangelical, Doug chose one of the top apologetics schools, Southern Evangelical Seminary, in order to deepen his faith and learn how to evangelize and share the Evangelical Christian faith. Doug did his Master's degree there and worked and taught under the esteemed Evangelical theologian Norman Geisler.
However, after digging deeply into the Church Fathers and the history of the Bible Doug eventually ended up leaving his teaching career at Southern Evangelical Seminary to become Catholic.
It's an incredible story, and Doug is a razor sharp guest – we always love having him! You're going to love hearing his faith journey.
For more from Doug, visit his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jun 16, 2021
114: Why Not Anglican, Why Not Orthodox, Why Catholic? (w/ Michael Lofton)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Michael Lofton from the popular YouTube channel and podcast Reason and Theology to discuss his fascinating conversion story.
Raised nominally Christian, and then Jewish, and then as a devout Evangelical, Michael looked into Anglicanism, Orthodoxy, and Catholicism and had experiences in all of these Christian traditions. Ultimately, it was Catholicism that Michael came back to and he joins us in this episode to explain his reasons why.
We touch on the ancient Church, the papacy, tradition, and the magisterium plus so much more as we mine Michael's experiences and deep knowledge of Christianity, Christian history, and theology.
For more from Michael visit his website Reason and Theology where you can find links to his podcast and YouTube channel as well.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Jun 9, 2021
113: The Catholic Guide to Jesus (w/ Cy Kellett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers Live host and author Cy Kellett... and what a great time we had!
Cy's the author of a brand new book from Catholic Answers Press called A Teacher of Strange Things. This "foot in the door" introduction to Jesus in fantastic, profound, and uniquely Catholic. And in this episode we unpack all of that.
Think you know about Jesus? Cy's perspective is a uniquely Catholic one and, in fact, ramps up the "strangeness" of who Jesus said that He was and how Catholics and non-Catholic Christians have some very different ideas about who He was.
Check out A Teacher of Strange Things and listen to Cy daily on Catholic Answers Live.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.…
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Jun 2, 2021
112: An Apologist's Journey into Catholicism (w/ Jimmy Akin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to unpack his own incredible story as a convert to the Catholic faith. Marked by tragedy and the amazing and miraculous work of the Holy Spirit Jimmy's story is truly unique – and not to be missed.
In this conversation we dive deep into some of the issues the prompted Jimmy to look deeper into his Christian faith and, eventually, consider Catholicism including: authority, the papacy, the Bible, and the nature of the Church as Jimmy tells the story of his conversion from New Age to Protestant Christianity and through a rigorous study, into the Catholic faith.
You really don't want to miss this episode.
For more from Jimmy visit his website. And make sure to check out Why Be Catholic: An Exercise for Evangelicals as well as Jimmy's previous appearances on this program.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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May 26, 2021
111: Catholicism – Relationship or Religion? (w/ Father Jeffrey Kirby)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby to talk about Catholicism as a relationship between us and Jesus or as a religion. In his new book, Fr. Kirby clearly comes down on the side of religion and explains what *real* religion demands of us, and what rewards we're bound to receive as a result!
It's a great conversation to help understand what drives Catholicism at its very deepest core: God's desire for us to become more like Him and live, ultimately, in relationship with us!
To check out Fr. Kirby's book please visit Catholic Answers.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.
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For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access…
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May 19, 2021
110: A Charismatic Pastor Hears God's Call to Catholicism (w/ Kenny Burchard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert Kenny Burchard. Kenny spent 33 years as an Charismatic, Evangelical Christian, more than twenty of those in full-time ministry, including planting and pastoring churches, before becoming Catholic in dramatic fashion!
In this fantastic discussion we unpack the call Kenny heard to become Catholic, what drew him in, and what questions he had about the Bible, authority, and the nature of the Church even before he decided to attend his first Catholic Mass.
This is a great conversation not only for those considering Catholicism but for those, like Kenny and his family, who honestly and earnestly are seeking after the leading of God's spirit – and are willing to follow no matter what it means, or where He leads.
For more from Kenny Burchard visit his website. Also be sure to check him out at ThinkTheology.org and you can watch a short video of his conversion story on YouTube.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Se…
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May 12, 2021
109: A Convert's Guide to Raising (and Keeping!) Your Kids Catholic (w/ Father Sebastian Walshe)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert and author Father Sebastian Walshe. Fr. Walshe has degrees in theology, philosophy, and is currently the Norbertine Canon of the Abbey of St. Michael in the Diocese of Orange, California where he also teaches philosophy.
In this episode, Fr. Walshe draws on his experiences in pastoral care, his experience as a convert, and his deep love for the family to give us special insight in how to raise and keep kids Catholic – especially for us young, Catholic convert families.
This is a truly great episode with some stellar advice so please listen and share with any friends or family members who may be struggling to raise their kids in the Catholic faith.
To check out Fr. Walshe's book please visit Catholic Answers.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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May 5, 2021
108: The Eucharist in the Early Church (w/ Dr. Kenneth Howell)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Kenneth Howell to talk about the Eucharist in the Early Church. Dr. Howell has doctorates in Linguistics and Church History, was a Protestant pastor and seminary professor, and is a convert to the Catholic faith. In this episode he tells his fascinating conversion story and how the Eucharist played a key role.
Then, we dig deep into the Early Church Fathers and the oldest documents next to the Bible to understand exactly how the very first Christians celebrated the "breaking of the bread" and worshiped together – and exactly what they believed about what we call the Eucharist.
For more from Dr. Howell visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and check out the incredible book we talk about in this episode, The Mystery of the Altar, an amazing collection of daily Eucharistic meditations.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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Apr 28, 2021
107: What's the Deal with Vatican II? (w/ Dr. Richard DeClue)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Richard DeClue, Cardinal Henri de Lubac Fellow of Theology at the Word on Fire Institute to talk about the Second Vatican Council.
What did Vatican II really say? What did it set out to accomplish? Did it ruin the Liturgy? The life of the Church? And how can we, as faithful Catholics, learn to evangelize in the true spirit of Vatican II.
This is a great conversation which, we hope, really cuts through some of the confusion surrounding Vatican II and its fallout and brings some light and clarity to what the Catholic Church really teaches.
For more from Dr. DeClue, check out the Word on Fire Institute.
Word on Fire's beautifully-collected set of Vatican II documents are available here. This is not an affiliate link.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
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Apr 21, 2021
106: A Lutheran's Case for Roman Catholicism (w/ Dr. Robert Koons)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by philosopher and Catholic convert Dr. Robert Koons to talk about his incredible conversion from Lutheranism into the Catholic Church.
When faced with the question of which Church was founded by Christ – and where he belonged – Dr. Koons, who traces his Lutheran history right back to the Reformation, applied philosophical principles to try and determine which Church he should belong to. After logically working out the arguments for both Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism, Dr. Koons made the dramatic decision to become a Catholic.
Dr. Koons includes his arguments for the Lutheran and Catholic case in his fantastic book A Lutheran's Case for Roman Catholicism and shares them with us in this wonderful episode.
For more from Dr. Koons please visit his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
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For more information visit the Pat…
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Apr 14, 2021
105: The Secret History of Transubstantiation (w/ William Albrecht and Father Christiaan Kappes)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by William Albrecht and Father Christiaan Kappes to discuss the history of transubstantiation in the Bible.
As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist – the elements of the Lord's Supper – actually becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ during the Mass but is there evidence that this is true from the Bible and the Early Church?
William and Fr. Kappes rejoin me to discuss their incredible new book and unpack a wealth of historical and biblical evidence which shows that transubstantiation makes complete sense in the way that God does, and always has, interacted with His creation.
We had such a great time with this conversation – you're going to learn a ton!
Pick up a copy of William and Father Kappes' new book The Secret History of Transubstantiation: Pulling Back the Veil on the Eucharist today.
William Albrecht is a Catholic convert, a seasoned apologist, debater, and one of the hosts of the Reason and Theology…
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Apr 7, 2021
104: Debunking Myths of the Middle Ages (w/ Steve Weidenkopf)
In this episode, I'm joined by Catholic historian Steve Weidenkopf to talk about the Middle Ages. What was it really like to be a Christian in medieval times? What about the Crusades? The Inquisition? The political scandals wracking the Church?
We dig deep into a largely misunderstood period of time to mine for the truth of Christian history and to correctly interpret the events in light of primary source material.
It's a great conversation!
For more from Steve visit his website where you can find all of his books, his lectures, and his video series.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal…
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Mar 31, 2021
103: Mary's Voice in the Gospel of John (w/ Dr. Michael Pakaluk)
In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Michael Pakaluk to talk about his fantastic new commentary on the Gospel of John and how we can, and should, hear Mary's voice in the writings and recollections of John.
It's a really interesting story which highlights the importance of Mary. As a Catholic convert, Dr. Pakaluk discusses John 6, the Eucharistic Discourse, the Wedding Supper at Cana, and many other interesting accounts – and how Mary, as John's companion, may have offered perspective on these incidents!
A fun, frank, and really intriguing conversation!
For more from Dr. Pakaluk, check out his book Mary's Voice in the Gospel According to John.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me…
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Mar 24, 2021
102: A Convert's Guide to the Eucharist (w/ Dr. Scott Hahn)
In this episode, I'm joined by fellow Catholic convert, author, and biblical theologian Dr. Scott Hahn from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology to talk about the Eucharist.
In this discussion, we climb the summit from an Evangelical understanding of Communion as merely symbol up to the Catholic view of the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ. We discuss the transformative power and incredible reality of the sacraments and how better understanding the Old and New Covenants and typology deepens our love for the faith and our ability to evangelize!
A great conversation on the Eucharist – the centre of the life of the Church – that's made to share with your non-Catholic friends!
For more from Dr. Hahn visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology where you can find his fantastic books including The Lamb's Supper, Consuming the Word, and The Fourth Cup.
Be sure to check out Parousia: The Bible and the Mass, streaming for free at the St. Paul Center's website.
For more,…
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Mar 17, 2021
101: The Protestant Guide to Purgatory (w/ Karlo Broussard)
In this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about what Catholics really believe about purgatory – one of the most misunderstood Catholic beliefs.
We dig into purgatory in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Early Church, and the logical case of why purgatory must exist in the plan of salvation.
For more from Karlo visit his website. Also see Catholic Answers. Check out Karlo's new book Purgatory is for Real.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about supporting the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuring behind-the-scenes content and early access to upcoming material.
If you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into m…
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Mar 10, 2021
100: Why We Love Being Catholic (w/ Many Special Guests)
In this 100th episode of the podcast, we've opened up the lines for past guests, patrons, and friends of the show to tell us why they love being Catholic.
It's a special celebration of our Catholic faith – and one you don't want to miss!
Listen to guests like Dr. John Bergsma, Steve Ray, Sonja Corbitt, Joe Heschmeyer, Bishop Thomas Dowd, Jimmy Akin, and many more talk about what they love about the faith.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already supporting the show!Cast Yourself In
Cast Yourself In tells the amazing stories of Jesus' extraordinary work in…
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Mar 3, 2021
099: The Unintended Consequences of the Reformation (w/ Dr. Brad Gregory)
In this episode, I'm joined by Reformation scholar and historian Dr. Brad Gregory to talk about the Reformation and its unintended consequences – a fantastic discussion!
We discuss what Christianity was like during the Middle Ages, leading up to the Reformation, what the Reformers intended with their actions and, maybe most importantly, what the lasting consequences have been of the Protestant Reformation for the unity of Christianity and the secularization of Western society.
For more from Dr. Gregory check out his fantastic works The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society and Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts that Continue to Shape Our World Today.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more yo…
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Feb 24, 2021
098: Is the Papacy True? (w/ Joe Heschmeyer, Dr. Gavin Ortlund, and Austin Suggs)
In our second crossover episode, I'm joined by Austin Suggs from Gospel Simplicity as we host an incredible conversation with Joe Heschmeyer and Dr. Gavin Ortlund on the papacy: The Pope.
Did Christ intend to establish a Church with the Pope at its head? What do we find in the Early Church Fathers? Did the first Christians believe in a Pope? Is it clear from the Bible? Tradition?
These questions, and many more, are tackled in this sprawling and deeply engaging conversation between two incredibly cordial, articulate, and intelligent Christian thinkers. Austin and I were absolutely blessed to be able to host this conversation.
You can watch this interview on Austin's wildly popular YouTube channel Gospel Simplicity.
For more from Joe visit his website Shameless Popery and check out The Catholic Podcast.
For more from Gavin visit his website and his YouTube channel Truth Unites.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider f…
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Feb 17, 2021
097: What Did the Early Church Believe About Mary? (w/ Mike Aquilina)
In this episode of the podcast I'm joined by Early Church expert, author, and popular speaker Mike Aquilina to talk about Mary's role in the Early Church and in the history of Christianity.
From what the Old Testament says about Mary, to her role in the New Testament, to how she was understood by the very Early Christians and how her role helped to shape our Christology – and more!
For more from Mike visit his website Fathers of the Church and find his books wherever fine books are sold including History's Queen.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
To watch this interview, check out our YouTube channel.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you…
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Feb 10, 2021
096: An Evangelical Guide to the Magisterium (w/ Michael Lofton)
In this episode I'm joined by Michael Lofton from Reason and Theology to talk about the Magisterium, the teaching office of the Catholic Church.
We talk about where the Catholic Church's authority comes from, how it traces and understands it, and the incredible, fundamental differences between how Catholic's understand their faith and how it's understood by Protestant Christians.
It's an important and fascinating conversation. I hope you enjoy!
For more from Michael visit his website Reason and Theology where you can find links to his podcast and YouTube channel as well.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you…
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Feb 3, 2021
095: An Anglican Priest Looking for the Catholic Church (w/ Father Scott Wooten)
In this episode I'm joined by Father Scott Wooten. Father Wooten is a former Anglican and Episcopalian priest, now an ordained Catholic priest, and his journey into full communion is a great one!
Father Scott's journey into the Catholic Church is a search, ultimately, for the united, one Church that Christ founded and i's fullness. It's a great story, a winding road, of a passionate pastor in search of the fullness of Christ and His Church and a great witness to those looking into Catholicism!
For more from Father Scott Wooten visit his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.…
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Jan 27, 2021
094: Did Christ Found a Visible Church? (w/ Eric Robinson)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Catholic convert, author, apologist, and podcaster Eric Robinson to talk about whether or not Christ founded a visible Church – or are Christians just an invisible collection of believers?
As converts, this is something both Eric and I wrestled with.
We dig deep in the Bible in this episode, into the Early Church, and into our own experiences coming to understand the historicity and the claims of Catholicism. It's a great conversation!
Check out Eric's website and his podcast Polycarp's Paradigm, available everywhere.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Ca…
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Jan 20, 2021
093: Why Remain Catholic in the Face of Abuse? (w/ Faith Hakesley)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by speaker, blogger, author, and survivor of clerical sexual abuse, Faith Hakesley to share her story and how and why we can (and should!) hang on to our Catholic faith even in the face of horrific abuses.
It's a great conversation and Faith was a great person to have it with. She is incredibly compassionate, straight-forward, and has some incredible insights for all Catholics–everywhere!
For more from Faith visit her website. Her fantastic book Glimmers of Grace: Peace and Healing Following Sexual Abuse is out now from Our Sunday Visitor.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The…
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Jan 13, 2021
092: Does Studying Church History Make You Catholic? (w/ Joe Heschmeyer, Dr. Gavin Ortlund, and Austin Suggs)
In this very special crossover episode, I'm joined by Austin Suggs from Gospel Simplicity as we host an incredible conversation with Joe Heschmeyer and Dr. Gavin Ortlund on the question of, "Being Deep in History...".
Can a Protestant study the Church Fathers and remain Protestant? What does the Catholic do when they encounter Early Christians who don't sound very Catholic – or Catholic doctrine and dogma that doesn't seem to be found in Early Christianity.
These questions, and many more, are tackled in this sprawling and deeply engaging conversation between two incredibly cordial, articulate, and intelligent Christian thinkers. Austin and I were absolutely blessed to be able to host this conversation.
You can watch this interview on Austin's wildly popular YouTube channel Gospel Simplicity.
For more from Joe visit his website Shameless Popery and check out The Catholic Podcast.
For more from Gavin visit his website and his YouTube channel Truth Unites.
For more, visit The Cord…
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Jan 6, 2021
091: Do Catholics Even Read The Bible? (w/ Dr. Mark Giszczak)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Mark Giszczak from the Augustine Institute to talk about Catholics' relationship to Scripture: Do Catholics read the Bible? Mark says, "Yes!" and increasingly so!
We tackle how to read the Bible in a Catholic context, difficult and dark passages of Scripture, problems with Bible translations and Catholic theology and much more!
For more from Mark visit the Augustine Institute and have a look at their brand new ESV Catholic Edition of the Bible, too!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already su…
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Dec 30, 2020
SPECIAL: 2020 Year-in-Review Retrospective
In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic we look back at the episodes that really shaped 2020 for the podcast. I'll share some of my favourite interviews and some of the most incredible insights I've gained in speaking with over 50 incredible guests in the last year.
2020 was a crazy and tough year for many of us – yours truly included – and it's nice to be able to sit down and reflect on some of the successes, and blessings, from the year that was.
Leave your message for our 100th episode special here.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.
If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.
Thank you to those already sup…
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Dec 23, 2020
REPLAY: How to (Not) Become Catholic (w/ Dr. James Tonkowich)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. James Tonkowich, popular commentator on religion in the public square and a convert to Catholicism to share his essay, "How to Not Become Catholic in 9 Easy Steps."
In aplum and charity, Dr. Tonkowich unpacks his own journey as a Presbyterian pastor into the Catholic Church and shares 9 "rules" to follow if you want to avoid his fate:
* Assume that all Catholics are idiots
* Get all your information about the Catholic faith second hand
* Avoid being "Deep in History"
* Do not read the Church Fathers
* Affirm the "Great Tradition" but don't ask what's included
* If you're Evangelical–ignore the sin of schism
* If you're a Mainline Protestant–assume the schism is someone else's fault
* Believe the Catholic Church and the Bible don't mix
* Keep insisting that Catholicism is a grace-free, works-based religion
Listen to Dr. Tonkowich share his rules on the podcast.
Dr. Tonkowich's ebook is available…
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Dec 16, 2020
090: From Pentecostal Missionary to Catholic Priest (w/ Father Joshua Caswell, SJC)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Father Joshua Caswell, SJC the Superior General of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius to talk about his conversion – out of the charismatic Pentecostal tradition, in the far reaches of Northern Canada – into the Catholic faith.
Fr. Joshua's journey is simply incredible. This is one of my favourite episodes ever and I think you'll see why when you begin to listen to him unfold the story of his faith experience which includes a politician mother nicknamed the "Saskatoon Sledgehammer," being evangelized by Indigenous Catholic Canadians in the country's North, and eventually becoming elected as the Superior General of his order!
It's a fantastic tale!
To learn more about the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius visit their website.
To see Father Joshua give my friend, Austin, a tour of his beautiful church check out the video on Austin's YouTube Channel, Gospel Simplicity.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send y…
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Dec 9, 2020
089: Were the Early Christians Catholic? (w/ Rod Bennett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with author and Early Church expert Rod Bennett, one of my favourite guests of all time.
We dig deeply into Rod's famous book Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words, now almost 20 years old, and mine what Rod, an evangelical, discovered when he began to read from the Early Church Fathers, the very first Christians after the apostles.
What Rod discovered, of course, led him to convert to Catholicism and he's been writing ever since, including a book forthcoming in 2021, Four More Witnesses.
In this episode we dive into how the Early Church worshipped, what they believed about authority and the succession of apostles, and Rod's incredible challenge to non-Catholic Christians – wait for it at the end, it's worth it!
For more from Rod Bennett please visit his Amazon author page and purchase his fine books.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financial…
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Dec 2, 2020
088: The Biblical and Historical Mary (w/ William Albrecht and Father Christiaan Kappes)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by William Albrecht and Father Christiaan Kappes to discuss Mary in the Scriptures and through the eyes of the Early Christians.
We dig into the idea of Mary as the New Ark, Mary's perpetual virginity, and how the Early Christians saw and understood the role of Mary – and how they read their Bibles accordingly.
This is a truly groundbreaking episode, and a great introduction to how Catholics understand (and have always understood!) Mary!
Be sure to check out Mary Among the Evangelists: The Definitive Guide for Solving Biblical Questions About Mary.
William Albrecht is a Catholic convert, a seasoned apologist, debater, and one of the hosts of the Reason and Theology show. For more from William visit his website.
Father Christiaan Kappes, PhD is the Academic Dean and Professor at Saints Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, PA.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialca…
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Nov 25, 2020
087: Confronting Confusion and Division in the Church (w/ Ralph Martin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Ralph Martin to talk about tackling division, confusion, and darkness in the Catholic Church.
We talk about some of the divisions in the Church between different Catholic factions – on the left and on the right – and how these Protestant-like groups at damaging the Church. We look at how to understand sometimes unclear and ambiguous teachings from the Pope and Bishops; and how we can remain in the "radical centre" of the Catholic Church.
It's a great and engaging conversation and I hope you enjoy it!
Ralph Martin's new book A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward is available now from Renewal Ministries.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider financially supporting this show!
For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantasti…
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Nov 18, 2020
086: The Problem with the Protestant Bible (w/ Gary Michuta)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by author, apologist, speaker, and radio host Gary Michuta to talk about the problem that Protestants have with their Bible.
Gary is the author, among other things, of Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger? and in this episode we tackle, in depth, the problem that exists from Protestants trying to live "Bible alone" faith with a Bible that, as we'll see, is missing some very important parts!
It's a great conversation about the deuterocanonical canonical books of the Bible and their importance – as God's Word – and what happens when they're not in the Protestant canon. What's missing? What's missed? And what important theological developments are completely unknown to Protestant Christians as a result?
For more from Gary visit his website and check out his books including, Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger, on Amazon.
To see my appearance on Gary's radio show, Hands On Apologetics, check it out on YouTube. And subscribe to his gr…
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Nov 14, 2020
BONUS: Behind-the-Scenes After Show (Patrons Exclusive)
*BONUS EPISODE*
Welcome to a special episode of The Cordial Catholic. Normally, I release these special After Show episodes of the podcast to patrons of the show. This week, I thought I'd give everyone access and, hey, maybe you'll consider becoming a patron, too!
In this episode, we talk about what's coming up on the show in the next couple of months including clips from my interviews with Gary Michuta on the Problem of the Protestant Bible, William Albrecht and Fr. Christiaan Kappes on the Historical and Biblical Mary, and Rod Bennett on the Early Church and the challenge it presents to Protestant Christians.
Plus, more behind-the-scenes information on what's coming up on the show!
If you're interested in becoming a patron and helping to fund the work of this show please visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to these *Cordial Catholic Aftershow* episodes as well as *early access* to upcoming content.
Patrons who can give $5/mo or more are entered into draws for free…
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Nov 11, 2020
085: A Crash Course on the Sacraments (w/ Eric Robinson)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Catholic convert, author, apologist, and podcaster Eric Robinson to talk about the sacraments. What are the sacraments? What do Catholics believe about them? And why, according to a Catholic convert, are they so incredible?
We dig deeply into some of the sacraments and touch on exactly why they're fundamental to the life of a Catholic, why they're exactly how God has always interacted with humankind, and why all non-Catholic Christians should carefully consider their relationship to these ancient, biblical sources of grace within the Church.
It's a great conversation! Expect more from Eric in the future!
Check out Eric's website and his podcast Polycarp's Paradigm, available everywhere.
And be sure to listen to Eric's episodes on Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony since we didn't get a chance to talk about these at length in this discussion!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cor…
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Nov 4, 2020
084: Understanding Scripture, Tradition, and Authority (w/ Dr. Doug Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by apologist, speaker, and author Dr. Douglas Beaumont to discuss Scripture, Tradition, and authority from his perspective as an Evangelical convert.
We dig deeply into how Protestants and Catholics understand Scripture differently, the interpretation of Scripture, what Catholics (and Protestants!) mean by "tradition", and the important role of authority in deciding how to understand or interpret the Bible.
Dr. Beaumont brings a unique and incredible perspective to a difficult and sometimes complicated conversation – and decodes it all for us with ease, grace, and clarity!
Doug's new book from Catholic Answers Press is With One Accord and is highly recommended!
For more on Doug visit his website where you can find more information on his speaking, by his fabulous books, and follow him on his upcoming pilgrimage.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
Please consider finan…
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Oct 28, 2020
083: What You Need to Know About the Pope (w/ Joe Heschmeyer)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the incredible Joe Heschmeyer to talk about the papacy. We dig into the reasons why we need a Pope, the deep biblical roots of the papacy – beginning with Peter – and some amazing evidence from the Early Church. Plus, much more. In fact, this episode is so packed with information you're going to want to listen to it again when you finish – I can almost guarantee!
For more from Joe visit his website Shameless Popery, check out his wonderful podcast The Catholic Podcast (available everywhere), and be sure to get his fantastic new book packed with even more information on the papacy, Pope Peter.
Pope Peter is also available from the Catholic Answers store.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a…
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Oct 21, 2020
082: A Conversation with an Exorcist (w/ Father Vincent Lampert)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Father Vincent Lampert, an experienced exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and the Pastor of of St. Michael and St. Peter Parishes in Brookville, Indiana.
Father Vincent is also the author of Exorcism: The Battle Against Satan and His Demons from Emmaus Road Publishing.
In our fantastic conversation we talk about the activities of Satan and demons, how they manifest and interact with humankind, who can be possessed, what different types of possessions may look like, and what the Catholic response should be to the very real work of Satan and demons.
For more from Father Vincent Lampert check out his book and visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or…
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Oct 14, 2020
081: An Anglican Academic and Priest Becomes Catholic (w/ Dr. James Merrick)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. James Merrick, an Anglican academic and former priest to talk about his journey into the Catholic Church.
We dig into topics of liturgy, authority, the Magisterium, and why Anglicans can find a home in the Catholic Church – in the fullness of faith.
It's a great conversation.
For more from Dr. Merrick visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and Emmaus Academic. He is also a regular contributor at Ascension Press, Angelus News, and the National Catholic Register. Please visit those sites to read his work.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuring behind-the…
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Oct 7, 2020
080: What You Should Know About the Rosary (w/ Greg and Jennifer Willits)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Greg and Jennifer Willits veteran podcasters and the founders of The Rosary Army, a ministry dedicated to making, praying, and giving away rosaries.
We talk about the rosary from every angle this week including the Scriptural basis, why we pray to Mary and the saints to begin with, what the rosary involves, the fruits of praying the rosary, and some of the incredible miracles linked to this ancient prayer!
It's a great episode, lots of fun, and packed with tons of information!
For more from Greg and Jennifer visit their personal website, where you can find their podcast as well. And check out The Rosary Army to order a free rosary and start to pray immediately!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2…
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Sep 30, 2020
079: Christianity Today Editor Becomes Catholic (w/ Mark Galli)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the former editor of the evangelical flagship Christianity Today, Mark Galli, to talk about his conversion to the Catholic Church.
Mark spent 10 years as a Protestant pastor, 20 years editing the world's largest evangelical publication, and has recently come into full communion with the Catholic Church. We unpack his journey, the reasons behind his decision, and some of the questions, challenges, and problems he faced in his Protestant faith which ultimately led him into Catholicism.
It was an absolute privilege to talk to Mark and I hope you enjoy our conversation!
For more from Mark visit his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sus…
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Sep 23, 2020
078: Answering Evangelical Questions about Catholicism (w/ Austin Suggs)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Austin Suggs from the incredible YouTube channel Gospel Simplicity.
Austin is an evangelical, he's a theology student at Moody Bible Institute and he first came onto my radar when he made a video about his experience at a Catholic Bible study. Austin is honest, humble, and willing to build bridges and have cordial conversations about Protestant and Catholicism differences and divisions.
We arranged this conversation to talk about some common Catholic misconceptions and to clear them up, as best as I could, in order to help us understand each other better. It was a fun conversation, a great dialogue, even though I did way too much of the talking!
I hope you enjoy it.
To see more from Austin, and to watch a video version of this conversation, head over to his YouTube channel Gospel Simplicity.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the…
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Sep 16, 2020
077: What's Wrong with Sola Fide (w/ Matt Swaim and Keith Nester)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, we've reassembled our popular panel of converts from our discussion on Sola Scriptura (in Episode 66) to talk about the other famous Protestant "sola," Sola Fide – the idea that Christians are saved "by faith alone."
Joined by Matt Swaim and Keith Nester, we discuss what Sola Fide means, how it's understood differently in different denominations, how we wrestled with it, and ultimately, how it isn't all that different from a Catholic understanding of salvation anyway.
It's a fantastic discussion, a real deep dive, into our experiences trying to understand the Christian faith through a "faith alone" lens, and why we all eventually became Catholic.
For more from Keith Nester visit his website and check out his fantastic new book, A Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church.
For more about Matt listen to his morning radio show, The Son Rise Morning Show, and check out The Coming Home Network International.
For more,…
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Sep 9, 2020
076: An Atheist's Journey into the Catholic Church (w/ Leah Libresco Sargeant)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Leah Libresco. A cerebral, deep thinker, Leah was a staunch atheist when she became to meet Catholics in her debate group and, herself, became interested in looking deeper into the faith. In this episode she takes us on her spiritual journey and explains what ultimately led us to find God in the Catholic Church.
It's a great conversation and Leah was very fun to talk to! You're going to really enjoy this episode.
For more from Leah visit her website and check out her fantastic books Arriving at Amen and Building the Benedict Option.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featur…
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Sep 2, 2020
075: What Do Catholics Believe About the Rapture? (w/ Carl E. Olson)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by author Carl E. Olson to talk about what Catholics believe about the end times, the rapture, and dispensationalism.
Carl grew up in the thick of fundamentalist, dispensationalist theology before becoming a Catholic along with his wife and has written a fantastic book on the subject. He joins me to unpack exactly what Catholics believe about the end of the world as well as where belief in the rapture comes from; the historical roots of the rapture, the development of the theology, and how a literal or plain sense meaning of the texts which underpin dispensationalist theology are simply untenable.
Plus, we talk about some of the dangerous anti-Catholic origins of the dispensationalist worldview.
For more from Carl visit his website and be sure to check out his book Will Catholics Be Left Behind as well as his many other fantastic books. He can also be found at Catholic World Report where he is the editor.
For more, visit T…
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Aug 26, 2020
074: The Biblical Blueprint for the Mass (w/ Dr. Andrew Swafford)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Scripture scholar Dr. Andrew Swafford to talk about the biblical blueprints for the Mass.
What insights do the Old and New Testaments give us into the Mass? What was God foreshadowing with the sacrificial system and the Temple in the Old Testament? How should this inform our understanding of the New Covenant, of the Last Supper, and of the crucifixion and the Mass?
With several Bibles at hand, Dr. Andrew Swafford takes us deep into the biblical blueprint for the Mass and the uniquely Catholic details found in how God wants us to worship.
For more from Andrew, visit his profile at Ascension Press. Check out The Great Adventure Catholic Bible and see all of his books and products at Emotional Virtue.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please…
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Aug 19, 2020
073: Deconstructing Evangelical Christianity (w/ Jon Steingard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Jon Steingard, frontman of the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, for a unique conversation about the deconstruction of his Evangelical Christian faith and some of the interesting places where our two "conversion" stories intersect.
This is not the kind of conversation I usually host on this podcast but seeing so many similarities between by my own conversion from Evangelical Christianity to Catholicism and Jon's own journey out of his Evangelical faith I reached out to Jon and he was gracious enough to come on the show to talk about it together.
We discuss the Bible, the Eucharist, views of God, the saints, and more. This is truly a unique conversation and I'm deeply grateful to Jon for making it happen. I hope, in some small way, this can bring a new, different, and, I think, deeply important voice to the table that's often missing from these conversations.
For more of Jon's story check out his YouTube channel and follow…
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Aug 12, 2020
072: An Atheist Academic Becomes Catholic (w/ Dr. Holly Ordway)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Holly Ordway to talk about imagination, evangelization, and her journey into the Catholic Church as an atheist academic.
It's a fantastic interview which touches on her conversion story, the use of imagination in apologetics, important points to consider while speaking about Christianity, and the why Dr. Ordway wasn't satisfied by becoming an Protestant Christian and found herself, to her surprise, going all the way to Rome.
For more from Dr. Holly Ordway visit her website and be sure to check out her books which are favourites of mine, Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms and Apologetics and the Christian Imagination.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long…
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Aug 5, 2020
071: What You Need to Know about the Eucharist (w/ Dr. Lawrence Feingold)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Lawrence Feingold, one of the Catholic Church's leading theologians, to unpack what everyone needs to know about the Eucharist.
We cover the Eucharist from the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Early Church Fathers, and discuss what happened to Eucharistic Theology when the Reformation happened.
This is an unbelievably good discussion, with incredible depth, about the most central aspect of Catholic worship: the Eucharist.
Why do Catholics believe what they believe about it? Why is it important? Why does it matter what we believe?
For more from Dr. Feingold check out his incredible book The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion.
Also, be sure to check out the papal documents he recommended:
Ecclesia de Eucharistia, Pope St. John Paul II
Sacramentum Caritatis, Pope Benedict XVI
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about…
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Jul 29, 2020
070: How to Talk about the Reformation (w/ Dr. Jonathan Reimer)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Jonathan Reimer, an Assistant Professor of History at Eastern University, to talk about how we can talk, intelligently, accurately, and cordially about the Reformation.
Dr. Reimer has some incredible insights about the roots of the Reformation, the Catholic response, and how we can best dialogue, across the Protestant/Catholic divide, about this unfortunate and divisive moment in Church history.
And, how we can begin to build bridges!
This is a fantastic episode for anyone who wants to know how to properly speak about the Reformation. You'll definitely learn something new!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you…
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Jul 22, 2020
069: An Episcopal Priest Becomes Catholic (w/ Andrew Petiprin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by former Episcopal priest Andrew Petiprin to discuss his journey into full communion with the Catholic Church.
We discuss issues of Anglo-Catholicism, authority, biblical interpretation, the value that non-Catholic Christians bring into the Catholic Church, and how the Catechism of the Catholic Church can be a powerful tool in helping non-Catholics understand the Church and its teachings.
Andrew is gracious, clear, and thoughtful as he articulates what drew him, and his family, into the Catholic faith.
For more from Andrew visit his website and check him out at the Word on Fire Institute where he is a Fellow of Pop Culture.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping ma…
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Jul 15, 2020
068: A Catholic Response to Evangelical De-Conversions (w/ Dr. Doug Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by apologist, speaker, and author Dr. Douglas Beaumont to discuss the phenomenon of Evangelical Christians "de-converting" and leaving the Christian faith. From his research-based perspective, and with the experience of a convert, Dr. Beaumont talks about some of the factors that go into what causes a person to "de-convert" from Christianity.
We also dig into some of the fascinating and helpful Catholic responses to these de-conversions including understanding the right place of science and faith, solving problems with biblical interpretation, and understanding how to respond to some of the philosophical objections to evil and suffering.
In this episode, Doug and I specifically respond to some of the challenges raised by recent Evangelicals who have left the faith like Jon Steingard from Hawk Nelson, Marty Sampson from Hillsong, YouTubers Rhett and Link, and Joshua Harris. However, this is also a perennial topic so we've tri…
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Jul 8, 2020
067: An Evangelical Bible Scholar Becomes Catholic (w/ Dr. John Bergsma)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by theologian and author Dr. John Bergsma to talk about his incredible conversion to the Catholic faith. Raised in the Reformed church, Dr. Bergsma was steeped both in biblical studies and in the doctrines and beliefs of his particular denomination.
In this discussion, Dr. Bergsma explains how he began to see the cracks form in his Reformed Protestant worldview once he began pastoring a church. When he tried to determine which church – of all the Protestant denominations – looked most like the Early Church he was surprised to discover it was actually Catholicism!
This is a great interview and a great example of an intelligent, empathetic, and spiritually energized disciple of Christ reading the Bible, studying the history of the Church, and, of all things, becoming Catholic as a result!
For more from Dr. John Bergsma visit his website. Check out his fantastic conversion story, in book form, in Stunned by Scripture: How…
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Jul 1, 2020
066: Why We Believe that Sola Scriptura is Broken (w/ Matt Swaim and Keith Nester)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by two returning guests, Matt Swaim and Keith Nester. Matt and Keith are both Catholic converts and we get together to discuss the problems we encountered with Sola Scriptura – the idea that the Bible is the sole rule of faith for Christians.
We talk about the problem of everyone interpreting things differently, of major issues like salvation and authority and the canon of the Bible, and how finding the Catholic Church was the solution for all the problems of disunity that existed in Protestant Christianity.
This is an absolute doozy of a discussion and I really, really think you'll enjoy it.
For more from Keith Nester visit his website and check out his fantastic new book, A Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church.
For more about Matt listen to his morning radio show, The Son Rise Morning Show, and check out The Coming Home Network International.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedb…
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Jun 24, 2020
065: How to Answer Popular Challenges to Our Faith (w/ John DeRosa)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by returning guest John DeRosa. John is the host of the Classical Theism Podcast and the author of a new book out from Catholic Answers Press called One Less God Than You: How to Answer the Slogans, Cliches, and Fallacies That Atheists Use to Challenge Our Faith.
We talk about some of the most popular challenges to belief in God, the Christian faith, and Catholicism in particular. John gives us some fantastic tools to use to defend our faith and some great resources for digging deeper. This is a great episode for anyone interested in learning how to speak intelligently, listen graciously, and defend their beliefs!
For more from John visit his website Classical Theism and check out his podcast, available everywhere!
His fantastic new book is available from Catholic Answers Press.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podca…
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Jun 17, 2020
064: What Catholics Really Believe About Purgatory (w/ Karlo Broussard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Catholic Answers Apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about one of the most widely misunderstood areas of Catholic belief: Purgatory.
What is Purgatory? What do Catholics really believe about it? Where can it be found in the Bible?
Karlo is just finishing up a new book on the topic and is an absolute expert on this area of Catholic belief. He joins us to unpack this topic in incredible depth!
For more from Karlo visit his website. Also see Catholic Answers. And, buy Karlo's fantastic new book Meeting the Protestant Challenge.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about supporting the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuring behind…
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Jun 10, 2020
063: The Anglican Road to the Catholic Church (w/ Father James Bradley)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Father James Bradley, a Catholic priest in the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham and an Anglican convert to the Catholicism.
Father Bradley, a former Anglican priest, joins us to explain how he and his Anglican congregation joined the Catholic Church, en masse, through the Anglican Ordinariate opened up by Pope Benedict XVI. We discuss the importance of full communion with the Catholic Church, the structure of authority and apostolic succession, and the struggle of trying to balance a Catholic identify while remaining outside of the Catholic Church.
Plus, Father Bradley explains the unique liturgy and patrimony of the Anglican Ordinariate within the Catholic Church and, of course, we touch on one of England's most famous converts, St. John Henry Newman.
For more from Father James Bradley follow him on Twitter.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more informati…
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Jun 3, 2020
062: Why Are Catholic Bibles Bigger? (w/ Gary Michuta)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic apologist and author Gary Michuta to talk about how the Bible was put together and why modern Catholic Bibles are bigger than their Protestant counterparts?
Did Catholics add books to the Bible? Did Protestants take books out? What exactly is the Apocrypha? How do we know which books belong in the first place and, really, what evidence is there that the books accepted by Catholics were the right ones?
Gary and I did very deep into the Bible and, thanks to Gary, come away with some incredible insights. Gary is simple the foremost expert on the Canon of the Bible and has an absolute ton of information and insights to share in this jam-packed interview.
For more from Gary visit his website and check out his books including, Why Catholic Bibles Are Bigger, on Amazon.
To see my appearance on Gary's radio show, Hands On Apologetics, check it out on YouTube. And subscribe to his great show on any podcast platform.
For more,…
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May 27, 2020
061: What is Apostolic Succession and Why Does it Matter? (w/ Bishop Thomas Dowd)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Bishop Thomas Dowd of the Archdiocese of Montreal to discuss incredibly important topic of apostolic succession.
Listen, and learn how the Catholic Church traces its authority, its succession of bishops, right back to the charge which Jesus gave his followers to "bind and loose." Plus, we talk about the Jewish roots of the priesthood and why it's important to have a body of bishops which can authoritatively explain the Bible and the Catholic Christian faith.
To find out more about Bishop Dowd you can visit his website or follow him on Twitter where he is active daily.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a specia…
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May 20, 2020
060: Why Would A Bible Loving Southern Baptist Become Catholic? (w/ Sonja Corbitt)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the incredibly personable Sonja Corbitt, the Bible Study Evangelista, to talk about her journey out of her strong Southern Baptist roots and into the Catholic Church.
It's an incredible story that touches on what happens when her deep, deep love of Scripture slams head on into issues of authority, interpretation, and church splits. Plus, we talk about Mary, the Early Church, and Martin Luther's use of curse words.
For more from Sonja, visit her fantastic website where you can listen to her audio, watch her TV show, and pick up any of her wonderful books.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patr…
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May 13, 2020
059: From Practical Atheism to the Catholic Priesthood (w/ Father Gregory Merkley)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Father Gregory Merkley, a diocesan priest of the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. We talk about Father Greg's spiritual journey, the blessing of the priesthood, and the incredible impact that the sacraments have had on his life.
Father Gregory was baptized Catholic, fell into practical atheism, and was eventually led back into the Catholic Church where his faith was absolutely set on fire–and eventually called him into the priesthood.
It's a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it thoroughly!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuring behind-the-scenes content…
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May 6, 2020
058: What You Should Know About Padre Pio (w/ Nick Gibboni and Vera Marie Calandra)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by two guests from the National Center for Padre Pio in Barto, PA, USA. Nick Gibboni is the Executive Director of the Center and Vera Marie Calandra, Vice President, and daughter of the founders of the National Center.
We discuss all things Padre Pio–my favourite saint–including his miraculous life, his incredible charisms and abilities, and the example that this holy saint has left behind for us Catholic Christians to emulate and follow. Plus, Vera Marie discusses the miracles which she herself was a recipient of–and it's an incredible one!
For more from the Center please visit their website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable…
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Apr 29, 2020
057: Unpacking the Biblical Roots of the Papacy (w/ Steve Ray)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by author, evangelist, and pilgrimage guru Steve Ray to talk about the biblical roots of the papacy. Steve should know, as a convert to Catholicism himself he's written two fantastic books on the subject.
We discuss the Old Testament precedent for the pope, evidence from Scripture and history, and why we need a pope at all. It's a great conversation to share with your friends!
For more from Steve, check out his fantastic website for all of his resources including his two books Upon This Rock and The Papacy: What the Pope Does and Why It Matters.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podc…
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Apr 22, 2020
056: How to Pray for Those Who Have Left the Church (w/ John LaBriola)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by evangelist, speaker, and author John LaBriola to talk about how to pray for our friends and family who have left the Catholic Church.
We discuss John's brand new book No Soul Left Behind: How to Pray for Your Loved Ones Who Have Left the Church which is an absolutely fantastic resource for praying for our non-Catholic Christian friends and family or those that were raised Catholic and left the Church. John walks us through the right kind of mindset we need to have, how to get our ego out of the way, how to let go of responsibility for our friends and family and allow God to work, and the incredible role that the souls in purgatory can play in the conversion–or re-version–of our loved ones.
It's a fantastic interview. You're not going to want to miss it.
For more from John LaBriola and to purchase his fantastic book visit his website at Onward Catholic Soldier.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback…
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Apr 15, 2020
055: What is Redemptive Suffering? (w/ Dawn Eden Goldstein)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the incredible Dawn Eden Goldstein. Dawn, a former agnostic rock journalist, is a convert to Catholicism and a brilliant theologian. She has a doctorate in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake and is the author of a number of fine books on the topic of mercy and redemptive suffering.
She joins me, in this episode, for a fantastic conversation about redemptive suffering. We discuss what it means, how it works, how the Catholic Church has understood our suffering throughout time, and how we can "offer up" our suffering for others while mining the incredible, beautiful traditions of the Church. It's a truly incredible conversation and, ironically, full of lots of laughs and humour.
For more from Dawn visit her website The Dawn Patrol.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and h…
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Apr 8, 2020
054: What We Know about the Relics of the Passion of Christ (w/ Dr. Cheryl White)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined again by Dr. Cheryl White, professor of history at Louisiana State University at Shreveport and an expert on the history of relics, especially the Shroud of Turin.
We discuss the relics of Jesus' passion: the true cross, the crown of thorns, the Shroud of Turin, and more. It's a fascinating discussion about the importance of these physical reminders of our Catholic faith and the uniquely Catholic history of relics.
For more from Dr. White visit her website, check out the fantastic podcast Who is the Man of the Shroud, and visit The Man of the Shroud website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Pat…
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Apr 1, 2020
053: Making Sense of Evil and Suffering (w/ Jimmy Akin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined once again by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to help us unpack the problem of evil and suffering.
Why would a good, all-knowing, all-powerful God allow evil and suffering to exist? Why do innocent people suffer? Does the existence of evil make God less powerful, less good, or something other than what Christians say that He is?
Listen to Jimmy Akin, a veteran apologist, explain what the Catholic Church says about suffering, why it exists, and how to understand it.
For more from Jimmy visit his website. Be sure to check out his fantastic podcast Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World, available everywhere.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast…
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Mar 25, 2020
052: What Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Teach us about Catholicism (w/ Dr. John Bergsma)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by theologian and author Dr. John Bergsma to talk about the incredible and ancient Dead Sea Scrolls and what amazing insights these documents provide us into our Catholic Christian faith.
In these episode we dig deep into what the Dead Sea Scrolls are, what the community of Jewish believers that collected them were like, and how the way they lived and celebrated their faith has incredible implications for the beginning of the Catholic Church and the Catholic faith today. It's an amazing interview with a truly brilliant scholar – you aren't going to want to miss this one!
For more from Dr. John Bergsma visit his website. His fantastic book, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity is available on Amazon in print, digital format, and audiobook as well.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keep…
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Mar 18, 2020
051: Why We're No Longer Protestant (w/ Devin Rose and Dr. Doug Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by two fantastic Catholic apologists to discuss their joint journey into the Catholic Church. Devin Rose is a Catholic convert, writer, speaker, and app developer. Dr. Douglas Beaumont is an apologist, speaker, and writer as well. Together, these two have written some of the best books in Catholic apologetics and, it turns out, they connected, became friends, and had some great discussions around Doug's journey into the Catholic Church.
In these episode they unpack how asking questions about the Bible, the biblical canon, authority, and the nature of the Christian Church led them to eventually leave Protestant Christianity to become Catholic.
For more from Devin visit Lionheart Catholic where he even offers his book for free.
For more on Doug visit his website where you can find more information on his speaking, by his fabulous books, and follow him on his upcoming pilgrimage.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send you…
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Mar 11, 2020
050: Lectio Divina – How to Read Your Bible like the Saints (w/ Derek Rotty)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by writer, speaker, and convert Derek Rotty to take about Lectio Divina – the ancient way of reading the Bible.
We also discuss Derek's own conversion and the necessary process of daily conversion to Christ, his Church, and the Christian way of life. It's a great conversation!
For more from Derek visit his website. His book, A Life of Conversion: Meeting Christ in the Gospels is available from Amazon.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuring behind-the-scenes content and early access to upcoming material.
If you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws f…
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Mar 4, 2020
049: Two Sides of a Catholic Conversion Story (w/ Keith Nester and Devin Schadt)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by former Protestant pastor Keith Nester and author and speaker Devin Schadt to discuss the process of Catholic conversion from two sides of the same story.
In a first for this podcast we unfold the narrative of a Catholic conversion–Keith’s conversion, in this case–from two different perspectives; from the perspective of the Catholic loving and practising and sharing their faith, and from the side of the skeptical Protestant doing the exact same thing on the other end. You'll hear how these two friends journeyed together, how they used apologetics, how they argued and debated and nearly got arrested one time, but how the Holy Spirit ultimately used Devin's witness, and their friendship, to convince Keith of the truth of the ancient Catholic faith.
It is an incredible story and a real privilege to share it with you.
For more from Keith Nester visit his website and check out his fantastic new book, A Convert's Guide to Roman C…
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Feb 26, 2020
048: The Catholic Convert's Keys to Sainthood (w/ Devin Rose)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert, writer, speaker, and app developer Devin Rose to talk about his book, and online community, Lionheart Catholic: How to Become a Saint in These Dark Times.
In our fantastic conversation, Devin explains how using some of the same techniques, practices, and devotions that were used by the great saints of the Church we too can follow in their footsteps. Devin has a fantastic way of synthesizing the best of what the Church has to offer and this episode is a great example of that. We discuss how saints used the Catechism, Eucharistic Adoration, and apologetics to become more like Christ and share their faith.
For more from Devin visit Lionheart Catholic where he even offers his book for free.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This show is sponsored by Select International Tours. To learn more about their pilgrimages and tours, especially during the Oberammergau Pa…
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Feb 19, 2020
047: Understanding and Defending Differences in the Gospels (w/ Dr. Mike Licona)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Mike Licona to discuss so-called irreconcilable differences in the Gospels. Are there mistakes in the New Testament accounts of Jesus? What should Christians make of these problems?
Dr. Licona, Associate Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University, sits down with me to talk about some of the most pressing and current criticisms of the New Testament and the so-called problems with the Gospel writers narratives. It's a fantastic and fascinating conversation and based on decades of writing, research, and rigorous debate, Mike presents a great case for the reliability and reality of the historical Gospel accounts.
To learn more about Dr. Mike Licona check out Risen Jesus as well as Houston Baptist University.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality conte…
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Feb 12, 2020
046: How the Saints Evangelized a Protestant Pastor and Missionary (w/ Tom and Elli Zurowski)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic reverts Tom and Elli Zurowski. Tom has worked for decades in the international missionary field serving in some of the most dangerous places in the world and is a former church-planting pastor as well.
Together, Elli and Tom share with me their incredible journey as cradle Catholics who left the Church, journeyed for decades in Protestant Christianity, before an incredible rediscovery of the ancient Catholic faith–in the midst of some of the most unbelievable experiences working with persecuted Christians around the world.
Ultimately, it was working with these living saints, and the witness of the saints of the ancient Church, that led Tom and Elli back to the faith they were raised in with a new understanding, new appreciation, and a new spirituality!
It's an incredible story, as I'm sure you'll agree!
To learn more about Tom and Elli's work please visit the Global Response Network and support the fantastic work the…
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Feb 5, 2020
045: Confronting the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Church (w/ Bishop Thomas Dowd)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Bishop Thomas Dowd of the Archdiocese of Montreal to discuss the sexual abuse crisis in the Church.
Bishop Dowd made headlines when he helped to bring one particular priest offender to justice even accompanying one of the victims to the police station to submit his report. Bishop Dowd is a fantastic, graceful, and hopeful voice of leadership in the Church and our conversation is an incredible one. What a blessing to sit down and chat with such a wonderful example of Christ-like leadership within the Catholic clergy. This conversation will be an absolute blessing to listeners.
To find out more about Bishop Dowd you can visit his website or follow him on Twitter where he is active daily.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page…
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Jan 29, 2020
044: The Catholic Case for Infant Baptism (w/ Dr. Doug Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by apologist, speaker, and author Dr. Douglas Beaumont to discuss the topic of infant baptism.
Why do Catholics baptize infants? Why do some Protestant denominations object to this practice? What is the biblical basis and what about tradition?
In his trademark straight forward approach Dr. Beaumont walks us through what Catholics believe baptism does, how this is often misunderstood by non-Catholic Christians, and how the Bible doesn't give us clear answers–and where we need to turn next to inform our theology.
It's a fantastic interview full of the kind of insights we've come to expect from Dr. Beaumont! You will definitely learn something new.
For more on Doug visit his website where you can find more information on his speaking, by his fabulous books, and follow him on his upcoming pilgrimage.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring…
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Jan 22, 2020
043: An Evangelical Author's Journey into the Catholic Church - Part 2 (w/ Paul McCusker)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Paul McCusker, Catholic convert and the creative genius behind the popular Adventures in Odyssey and many of the other popular radio dramas in the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre series.
In this second part of our two-part interview, Paul and I chat about his experiences since becoming Catholic. We talk about the conversion process, parish life, the differences between Catholicism and our Protestant upbringings, and the challenge of authority facing the evangelical church today.
Paul is a storyteller by trade and his own story is a fantastic one. I'm blessed beyond words to have been able to hear it and to share it with all of you.
For more from Paul or to purchase any of his radio drama series or books, visit the Augustine Institute as well as his website.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going,…
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Jan 15, 2020
042: An Evangelical Author's Journey into the Catholic Church - Part 1 (w/ Paul McCusker)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Paul McCusker, Catholic convert and the creative genius behind the popular Adventures in Odyssey and many of the other popular radio dramas in the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre series.
In this first part of our two-part interview, Paul sits down to talk to me about his faith upbringing, his experiences with creativity in the evangelical church, and questions (and answers!) ultimately led him into the Catholic Church.
Paul is a storyteller by trade and his own story is a fantastic one. I'm blessed beyond words to have been able to hear it and to share it with all of you.
If you'd like instant access to the second part of this episode, consider becoming a sponsor of this show at our Patreon page. Even $1/mo will get you early access to the second part of this interview.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will also give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuri…
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Jan 8, 2020
041: What Every Catholic Should Know About God (w/ Dr. Elizabeth Klein)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Dr. Elizabeth Klein, assistant professor of theology at the Augustine Institute to talk about the Catholic understanding of God.
In this highly informative episode we dig into how to "prove" God's existence, how best to understand who God is based on the Old Testament, the two natures of Christ, and much more. It's a fantastic episode and I absolutely guarantee you'll learn something new about how we can better understand and relate to God, our Creator.
For more check out the Augustine Institute and Dr. Klein's fantastic new book God: What Every Catholic Should Know.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a…
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Jan 1, 2020
040: A Convert's Guide to Mary (w/ Keith Nester and Derya Little)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Keith Nester, a former Evangelical pastor and Catholic convert, and Dr. Derya Little, a former Muslim and atheist convert to Catholicism to discuss Mary.
On this special panel show, we discuss what each of us thought about Mary before becoming Catholic, what changed our minds, and how our relationship with the person Catholics call, "Our Blessed Mother," has changed our relationship with Jesus, her son, and the faith lives that we live.
For more from Keith visit his website as well as his very popular YouTube channel. His fantastic new book, The Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: You First Year in the Church, is available now.
For more from Derya, visit her website, and check our her books From Islam to Christ and A Beginner's Guide to the Traditional Latin Mass.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select Interna…
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Dec 23, 2019
039: Tough Questions to Ask "Bible-Only" Christians
In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm not joined by anyone at all. Instead, I sit down behind the microphone to discuss some of the tough questions which led me, as an Evangelical Christian, to my ultimate conversion to Catholicism.
This episode is a bit of an experiment. I never intended this show to be me, sitting behind a microphone, talking to myself which is why I've always packed things full with fantastic guests. But some of the earliest episodes of this podcast, when it was just me behind the microphone, remain the most popular. So, I thought I'd try it again.
Please do let me know what you think about this format because if it is of interest to listeners I will try to do more of these kinds of shows as well, in addition to some of the fantastic guests I have had on – and more coming up, too!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast goin…
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Dec 18, 2019
038: Answering Biblical Objections to Catholic Beliefs - Part 2 (w/ Karlo Broussard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Catholic Answers Apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about some of the most difficult biblical objections to Catholic beliefs.
In this episode, we discuss biblical objections such as:
* How can the Catholic Church baptize babies when the Bible says we need to declare belief in Christ before being baptized?
* Jesus says "do this in remembrance of me" so how can the Catholic Church teach the Eucharist is anything but symbolic?
* Doesn't the Bible say that Jesus is our only mediator between God so how can Catholics pray to the saints?
* How can the Catholic Church teach that Mary was conceived without sin when the Bible says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"?
For more from Karlo visit his website. Also see Catholic Answers. And, buy Karlo's fantastic new book Meeting the Protestant Challenge.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of th…
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Dec 11, 2019
037: Answering Biblical Objections to Catholic Beliefs - Part 1 (w/ Karlo Broussard)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Catholic Answers Apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about some of the most difficult biblical objections to Catholic beliefs.
In this episode, we discuss biblical objections such as:
* Paul rebuked Peter so how can Peter be the first Pope?
* Jesus said "where two or three are gathered there I am" so how can the church be hierarchical?
* Jesus said that tradition nullifies the Word of God so isn't tradition bad?
* How can a priest forgive sins when only God can do that?
For more from Karlo visit his website. Also see Catholic Answers. And, buy Karlo's fantastic new book Meeting the Protestant Challenge.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page.
Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcas…
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Dec 4, 2019
036: Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God? (w/ Dr. Francis Beckwith)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Dr. Francis Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies at Baylor University to tackle a very exciting topic: Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?
Dr. Beckwith's new book, Never Doubt Thomas, tackles this topic from the perspective of Catholicism, Thomas Aquinas, and engages with Evangelical Christian thought in order to show exactly what it is that Muslims and Christians have in common in their understanding of who God is–and what might be different.
It's a great discussion!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises. If you have a group of 10 or more that you would like to take on pilgrimage to the Holy land, the shrines of France, Guadalupe, Italy, Ireland, or Eastern Europe or even follow in the footprints of St. Paul in Greece please do check out their…
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Nov 27, 2019
035: Everything You Wanted to Know About Women and the Church (w/ Jaymie Stuart Wolfe)
In this episode, I'm joined by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Senior Editor for Ave Maria Press, to talk about women and the Catholic Church.
Jaymie helps us to dig deep into the rich theological, biblical, and sociological underpinnings of how the roles of men and women are understood by the Church throughout time.
We discuss the role of the priest and servant of the people not as a political or powerful role, women saints, the qualities of both men and women, and what we can do to help the Catholic Church move forward on important issues, including everyone and all of their gifts.
It's a great conversation!
For more from Jaymie visit her website at Loaves and Fishes Ministry.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast…
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Nov 20, 2019
034: What Every Catholic Should Know About the Cardinal Virtues (w/ JonMarc Grodi)
In this episode, I'm joined by JonMarc Grodi from the Coming Home Network International to give us an introduction to the Cardinal Virtues.
What are the Cardinal Virtues and how can they help us to live a more Christ-like life on a day to day basis? How should they inform our decision making, how we see the world, and how we act out our faith.
It's a fantastic discussion about how to live not simply reacting to everything but to stop, reflect on our actions, and act according to God's Will. Plus, we dig into what kind of knowledge we need to have in order to properly and morally make choices and decisions.
It's a fantastic conversation!
For more from JonMarc visit the Coming Home Network International.
Also, check out the The Four Cardinal Virtues by Josef Pieper.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content p…
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Nov 13, 2019
033: How to Understand What Vatican II Really Says (w/ Fr. Blake Britton)
In this episode, I'm joined by Fr. Blake Britton, a priest of the Diocese of Orlando, Florida and contributor to the Word On Fire Blog to talk about how we can really understand the what happened at Vatican II and what the various reforms were intended to accomplish.
Vatican II is perhaps the most misunderstood event in modern church history but properly understanding its intention and what its documents say can help us to be better Catholics, to evangelize better, and to properly carry out the mission of the Second Vatican Council.
This is a fantastic episode to help Catholics, especially, who may have experienced some of the "fallout" of Vatican II and struggled to come to terms with the repercussions. A must-listen!
For the article which inspired this discussion click here, and there's more from Fr. Blake as well.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and…
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Nov 6, 2019
032: Everything You Need to Know About the Mass (w/ Dr. Denis McNamara)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Dr. Denis McNamara, director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College and one of the hosts of the popular Liturgy Guys podcast to talk about the Catholic Mass.
What is the point of the Mass? What's with all the standing, sitting, and kneeling? What's the purpose behind all of the liturgical rites and rituals?
Dr. McNamara, an expert in this field, will absolutely blow your mind, I guarantee, with the sheer wealth of information he shares with me throughout the course of this interview. Everyone, non-Catholic, new Catholic, or even the seasoned believer will absolutely learn something new which will, I'm sure, help to deepen your faith!
For more of what Dr. McNamara is up to make sure to check out The Liturgy Guys podcast.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises.…
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Oct 30, 2019
031: Was the Early Church the Catholic Church? (w/ Mike Aquilina)
In this episode, I'm joined by Mike Aquilina, best-selling author of over fifty books on Catholic history, doctrine, and devotion to talk about the Early Church.
We talk about the visible structure of the Early Church, how the very first Christians valued Catholic practices like veneration of relics and what the very early worship services looked like. With such a preponderance of evidence, Mike walks us through how the Early Church was, in fact, the Catholic Church.
For more from Mike please visit his website. Mike also recommends two of his books to get started, they're available on his website or through Amazon.
The Apostles and Their Times and The Fathers of the Church
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podc…
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Oct 23, 2019
030: Answering Atheist Objections to Catholicism (w/ John DeRosa)
In this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by apologist, author, speaker, and podcast host John DeRosa to tackle some of the major atheist, agnostic, and materialist-naturalist objections to God and the Catholic Church like the problem of suffering, belief in God as wishful thinking, and science vs. faith.
John is the host of the incredible Classical Theism Podcast where, every week, he and a guest dive deep into topics of philosophy, theology, and apologetics to help listeners to better defend the God of Classical Theism, Jesus Christ, and the Catholic Church.
Two resources mentioned on the show were,
* John's Interview with Dr. Robert Delfino on Aquinas's Third Way
* Edward Feser, Five Proofs of the Existence of God
For more on John check out his website. John's Talking Points page, which includes some fantastic (and free!) apologetics resources, is available here. It's definitely worth a look!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail…
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Oct 16, 2019
029: Abortion, Euthanasia, and What Catholics Believe About Life (w/ Dr. Moira McQueen)
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Moira McQueen the Executive Director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute to talk about a whole range of ethical issues confronting Catholics today.
We talk about the theology underpinning the comprehensive Catholic worldview about life, contraception, abortion, doctor-assisted suicide (euthanasia), and some of the bioethical concerns which Catholics will have to face in the future.
For more from Dr. McQueen visit the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises. For more information about the various pilgrimages, tours, and cruises they offer – including those to the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2020, please check out their website and help to support this show.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue…
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Oct 9, 2019
028: Was Jesus and the Early Church Based on Pagan Myth? (w/ Steve Weidenkopf)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined again by Steve Weidenkopf, author and lecturer in History at the Christendom College Graduate School of Theology, to talk about the origins of Christianity.
Was Christianity based on pagan myth? Was Jesus a real person? Were Easter and Christmas just repackaged pagan celebrations? What about the resurrection and the virgin birth – and where do all these notions come from anyway?
Professor Weidenkopf tackles these myths and more as we look at the origins of Catholicism and work to understand why so many people believe these misconceptions – these myths – about the Early Church.
For more from Steve, visit his website and check out his videos, books, and blog articles. Steve's books are highly accessible and packed full of information based on primary source material.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podca…
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Oct 2, 2019
027: How to Read and Understand the Bible like a Catholic (w/ Jimmy Akin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I'm joined by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to talk about the Bible.
Where did the Bible come from? How did it get put together? What is the role of oral tradition and why are Catholic Bibles bigger?
We also dig into problems with the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scripture and how Catholics read and understand the Bible in a different way.
For more about Jimmy visit his website. Also see Catholic Answers. And, buy Jimmy Akin's new book The Bible is a Catholic Book. Or keep reading the show notes for how you can get a free copy!
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises. For more information about the various pilgrimages, tours, and cruises they offer – including those to the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2020, please check out their website and help to support this show.
For more i…
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Sep 25, 2019
026: Why Would an Evangelical Pastor Become Catholic? (w/ Keith Nester)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk to Keith Nester about his journey into the Catholic Church.
Keith is a former Protestant pastor with 20 years of experience in a variety of different roles and he has an incredible story to tell about what led him into the Catholic Church, what objections he had, and what he's found now that he's "come home" to Catholicism.
It's an episode you DO NOT want to miss.
For more about Keith visit his website where you can find links to his YouTube talks and information about his upcoming book. You're going to want to keep your eye on Keith Nester – no doubt.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only…
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Sep 18, 2019
025: Evangelizing Non-Catholic Family and Friends (w/ Matt Swaim)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk to Matt Swaim about how to evangelize our non-Catholic family and friends.
Matt, like me, is a convert to the Catholic faith. He also works at The Coming Home Network's Outreach Manager and hosts the daily Catholic radio show, The Son Rise Morning Show, on EWTN.
Matt shares some really–truly–incredible insights into how we can witness with our Catholic faith to those that don't necessarily share it.
For more about Matt listen to his morning radio show, The Son Rise Morning Show, and check out The Coming Home Network International.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable and will give you access to a special Patron-Only podcast featuring be…
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Sep 11, 2019
024: Do Catholics have a Personal Relationship with Christ? (w/ Pat Flynn)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with Pat Flynn to talk about one of the most important and fundamental questions about Catholicism: Do Catholics have a personal relationship with Christ?
We also hear a bit of Pat Flynn's fantastic conversion story out of faith and into atheism, philosophy, evangelical Christianity and finally into the Catholic Church based, in part, on the very question we tackle today. It's a fantastic episode and I know you'll love it.
For more about Pat Flynn check out his website and subscribe to his podcast, The Pat Flynn Show, on all major podcasting platforms.
Resources Pat mentioned in this episode are:
* Brant Pitre, The Jewish Roots of the Eucharist
* Rod Bennett, Four Witnesses: The Early Church in Her Own Words
Be sure to check out Rod's appearances on this podcast by searching our archives.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show,…
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Sep 4, 2019
023: Debunking the Science vs. Catholicism Conflict (w/ Dr. Stacy Trasancos)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with Dr. Stacy Trasancos about the supposed conflict between faith and science.
Dr. Trasancos, a PhD chemist with a degree in dogmatic theology, is the author of Particles of Faith and a sought after speaker on the intersection of Catholicism and science.
We discuss how science points towards a creator, how and why we need to be careful with relying too much on science to back up our faith, and how to effectively evangelize through science.
For more on Dr. Stacy Trasancos visit her website where you can listen to a number of interviews she's done, read articles, and purchase her books.
Her fantastic book is Particles of Faith which comes out in a Student Edition later in September 2019.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises. Please visit their site and help support this show.
For more…
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Aug 28, 2019
022: Where Did We Get the Bible From? (w/ Rod Bennett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with author Rod Bennett about the origins of the Bible.
We dig deep – way deep – into the history of the Biblical canon. Why are some books in Catholic Bibles and not in those read by Protestants? How did those decisions get made? What role did the Early Church and the Pope play in these important decisions.
We also wrestle with the question of Tradition vs. Scripture and if Catholics believe things which aren't in the Bible.
For more from Rod Bennett please visit his Amazon author page and purchase his fine books.
Two articles which I've written on this topic are:
* How Can "Bible Only" Christians Trust Their Bibles?
* Is Fake News Preventing Good Christians from Becoming Catholic?
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patr…
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Aug 21, 2019
021: Apologetics 101 – How to Prove the Catholic Faith (w/ Dr. Doug Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by apologist, speaker, and author Dr. Douglas Beaumont to give us a crash course in apologetics.
With his trademark insight, Dr. Beaumont discusses how we can share proofs and evidence for God with everyone from Atheists to Anabaptists and everyone in between. He provides insights and some of his favourite theological, philosophical, and scientific arguments and evidence for God's existence and why, historically, the Catholic Church makes the most sense of it all.
For more on Doug visit his website where you can find more information on his speaking, by his fabulous books, and follow him on his upcoming pilgrimage.
To see the "apologetic prism" that Dr. Beaumount was referring to throughout this episode click here.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is generously sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises. Please visit their site and…
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Aug 14, 2019
020: Why Become Catholic? (w/ Marcus Grodi)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the incredible Marcus Grodi, host of The Journey Home on EWTN and the Founder/President of The Coming Home Network International, an apostolate which supports non-Catholics finding their way into the Catholic Church.
Marcus shares his own conversion story and the founding of The Journey Home and The Coming Home Network. Then, Marcus shares some of the wisdom he's gleaned from 20 years listening to the stories of Catholic converts: What are some of the major reasons people become Catholic? What are some of the greatest barriers? And, finally, what would Marcus say to someone considering the Catholic Church.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sus…
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Aug 7, 2019
019: Is Jesus Just a Myth? (w/ Trent Horn)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist extraordinaire and author Trent Horn to discuss finding the real Jesus amongst the imposters.
Was Jesus just a myth, a conglomeration of pagan myths and legends? Did he perform miracles? Are the gospel accounts reliable? Trent expertly tackles all of these questions and more. Plus, we dig into Trent's trademark and highly apologetic approach on how we can discuss, clarify and correct these false understandings of Christ with others.
For more from Trent check out Catholic Answers and his enormously popular podcast The Counsel of Trent.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Select International Tours and Cruises and by our incredible team of patrons. For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon p…
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Jul 31, 2019
018: Feminism, Gender, and the Catholic Church (w/ Dr. Abigail Favale)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the incredible Dr. Abigail Favale to talk about feminism, gender identity, and the Catholic Church.
Abigail has written a number of fantastic articles at the Church Life Journal on these very topics and unpacks them here, for us, brilliantly. We tackle the ideas of masculinity and femininity as expressed by Pope St. John Paul II, how a Catholic should understand feminism, and how becoming a mother (and a Catholic) changed Abigail's perspective on abortion.
It's an incredible, in-depth conversation. You're going to love it, and learn a lot too. After listening, you're have a good idea of how to understand and articulate Catholic views on these important, timely topics.
For more from Abigail check out her conversion story Into the Deep: An Unlikely Catholic Conversion.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about…
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Jul 24, 2019
017: Understanding the Authority of the Catholic Church (w/ Jimmy Akin)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to talk about how to understand authority and the Catholic Church.
We discuss the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Bible, papal infallibility, theology, doctrine, and dogma, and how best to understand what the Church teaches on any given topic. It's a fantastic episode; Jimmy provides an absolute ton of information – you're going to want to listen twice!
For more from Jimmy Akin visit his website and check out some of his fantastic books including:
* Teaching With Authority
* The Drama of Salvation
* A Daily Defense: 365 (plus one) Days to Becoming a Better Apologist
Check out Catholic Answers for more of Jimmy's great work including Catholic Answers Live where Jimmy regularly appears.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about sponsoring t…
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Jul 17, 2019
016: Who is St. Thomas Aquinas? (w/ Dr. Robert Delfino)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Robert Delfino, author of Does God Exist: A Socratic Dialogue about the Five Ways of Thomas Aquinas.
We dig deep into who St. Thomas Aquinas was, his importance to the Catholic Church, Christianity, and philosophy in general. We discuss the apparent rift between science and religion – what would Aquinas say? And we dive deeply into Aquinas's Fifth Way of proving God's existence.
One of the resources mentioned in the show was Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion edited by Ronald L. Numbers.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" b…
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Jul 10, 2019
015: Typology and the Catholic Church in the Old Testament (w/ Dr. Lawrence Feingold)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by the one and only Dr. Lawrence Feingold philosopher, theologian, and author to talk about typology and how the Catholic Church was prefigured in the Old Testament.
This is absolutely an episode for the record books as Dr. Feingold takes us deep into biblical typology which begins, we learn, through looking at how Jesus Himself used the Old Testament. Through unpacking the biblical texts and with a deep knowledge of Scripture, Dr. Feingold shows how Israel was, indeed, a clear prefiguring of the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church – and not merely an invisible collection of Christians.
For more on Dr. Feingold visit The Association of Hebrew Catholics where you can find a series of free lectures on this topic. And, make sure to add his books to your "to do" list; they're fantastic and highly recommended.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% lis…
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Jul 3, 2019
014: Protestant Reformation or Revolution? (w/ Steve Weidenkopf)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Steve Weidenkopf, author and lecturer in History at the Christendom College Graduate School of Theology, to talk about the Protestant Reformation. Was it truly a reformation of the Christian Church or a revolution? Was the Catholic Church in need of reform? And what did the Reformers actually intend?
For more from Steve, visit his website and check out his videos, books, and blog articles. Steve's books are highly accessible and packed full of information based on primary source material.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content please visit the Patreon page. Even $1 or $2 a month can go a long way to helping make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is br…
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Jun 26, 2019
013: Is the Eucharist Just a Symbol? (w/ Steve Ray)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I talk to Steve Ray, author, speaker, and Catholic evangelist about the Eucharist. Is it a sign and symbol like Protestants say that it is, or something more? What did the Early Church believe?
We unpack Steve's conversion story to find out how a Bible-believing Baptist of 30 years could ever become a Catholic–and the central role of the Eucharist and the Early Church in his conversion story.
For more from Steve, visit his website at catholicconvert.com where you can find his books, extensive articles and talks, and information about his video series and pilgrimages. Steve is very, very busy and never slows down. Check out everything he's up to and you won't be disappointed.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and helping me to continue to deliver quality content ple…
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Jun 19, 2019
012: What Catholics Believe About Salvation (w/ Dr. Michael Barber)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by theologian and scripture scholar Dr. Michael P. Barber to talk about the Catholic view of salvation.
Dr. Barber's new book Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know was an instant bestseller and it's no surprise. Dr. Barber talks passionately, enthusiastically, and with an intense clarity about how Catholics should understand their salvation – and how we often misunderstand it as well.
We tackle the idea that all of our works are underpinned by God's grace – they aren't "our works" at all – and Dr. Barber applies what I think is one of the best explanations of salvation using the illustration of infant baptism. You really need to listen to this podcast, right now!
For more from Dr. Barber follow him on Twitter and check out more of his fantastic writing at The Sacred Page.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more info…
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Jun 12, 2019
011: How (Not) to Become a Catholic (w/ Dr. James Tonkowich)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. James Tonkowich, popular commentator on religion in the public square and a convert to Catholicism to share his essay, "How to Not Become Catholic in 9 Easy Steps."
In aplum and charity, Dr. Tonkowich unpacks his own journey as a Presbyterian pastor into the Catholic Church and shares 9 "rules" to follow if you want to avoid his fate:
* Assume that all Catholics are idiots
* Get all your information about the Catholic faith second hand
* Avoid being "Deep in History"
* Do not read the Church Fathers
* Affirm the "Great Tradition" but don't ask what's included
* If you're Evangelical–ignore the sin of schism
* If you're a Mainline Protestant–assume the schism is someone else's fault
* Believe the Catholic Church and the Bible don't mix
* Keep insisting that Catholicism is a grace-free, works-based religion
Listen to Dr. Tonkowich share his rules on the podcast.
Dr. Tonkowich's ebook is available…
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Jun 5, 2019
010: The Shroud of Turin – Everything You Need to Know! (w/ Dr. Cheryl White)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I'm joined by Dr. Cheryl White, a historian with 30 years of experience studying the incredible Shroud of Turin – the supposed burial cloth of Jesus!
Dr. White unpacks the incredible history and origins of the Shroud, it's seemingly miraculous qualities, and the unbelievable amount of scientific research which has gone into making the Shroud the "most studied object in history." We also discuss the impact of the Shroud on our Christian faith.
This was such an intriguing interview and, as Dr. White says, the more you learn about the Shroud of Turin the deeper you'll be drawn into its mystery.
Some links mentioned in this episode,
* Shroud of Turin Website
* Diocese of Shreveport
* Who is the Man of the Shroud Podcast
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about sponsoring the show, keeping this podcast going, and hel…
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May 29, 2019
009: How the Saints Can Help Us Be Holy (w/ JonMarc Grodi)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I speak talk to JonMarc Grodi from the Coming Home Network International about the role that saints can play in the life of a Christian.
JonMarc unpacks the role of saints as examples of God's grace and holiness, how we can have real relationships with saints, and gives an incredible analogy of what worship is not. We tackle some common Protestant objections to saints to help explain the importance of their role in the Catholic faith. You don't want to skip this episode – it's fantastic!
For more information visit The Coming Home Network.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about sponsoring the show and keeping this podcast going please visit the Patreon page.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin an…
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May 22, 2019
008: Out of Islam and Into the Catholic Church (w/ Dr. Derya Little)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast, I speak with Derya Little. Derya grew up in as a Muslim in Turkey. After a life-shattering experience she became an avowed Atheist but through a series of personal encounters and a powerful mystical experience, she found her way into Christianity and ultimately into the Catholic Church.
She shares her incredible story with us, and provides some helpful context for how we can share our Catholic faith with Muslim family, friends, and colleagues.
Check out Derya's website – where you can purchase her book – and her fantastic podcast, Live a Little.
Some of the materials mentioned in this episode include:
* Thomas Aquinas. On the Reasons of the Faith against the Saracens, Greeks and Armenians, to the Cantor of Antioch.
* David Pinault. The Crucifix on Mecca's Front Porch.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
This podcast is 100% listener supported. For more information about spo…
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May 15, 2019
007: Debunking the Great Apostasy (w/ Rod Bennett)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with author Rod Bennett on the idea of the "great apostasy."
Did the Church that Jesus founded fall away from the true faith he taught and into a "great apostasy"? Did the ancient Church become corrupt when it mixed with politics? Did pagan rituals creep in and distort the simple faith that Jesus began?
Did the church lose its way, only to be "re-discovered" by the Protestant Reformers?
Bennett argues that everyone who isn't a Catholic must have a theory like this one – that the authority given to the Catholic Church, the historical Church that Jesus founded, somehow got lost along the way.
Our discussion is absolutely fascinating as Rod Bennett takes us deep into the Church Fathers to show us how there wasn't an apostasy at all. That the authority Christ invested in the Church He established continues, uncompromised, until today.
For more from Rod Bennett please visit his Amazon author page and purchase his fine books.
For…
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May 8, 2019
006: How to Dialogue With Non-Believers (w/ Dr. Randal Rauser)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with Dr. Randal Rauser, evangelical theologian and apologist about how to dialogue with non-believers.
Do we approach atheists differently than agnostics? What about the "nones" and the "dones" – those non-believers who either used to believe or have never been exposed to religion at all.
Dr. Rauser is easily one of the most poignant and thoughtful apologists working on this topic and his insights in this episode are invaluable.
For more from Randal Rauser visit his website or follow him on Twitter.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
And for more information about sponsoring the show please visit the Patreon page. It only takes 12 people donating $1/mo to make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon…
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May 1, 2019
005: The Problem With Sola Scriptura (w/ Ken Hensley)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk to Ken Hensley, a former Baptist pastor and an adjunct professor of Biblical studies, about the idea of Sola Scriptura – the "Bible alone" approach to Christianity.
Is the Bible what Jesus left us to help guide us in our Christian faith? Can we each read and interpret the Bible correctly for ourselves? Did the authors of the New Testament even intend their letters to be used this way? It's a fascinating discussion.
For more from Ken, visit his website and check out the Coming Home Network International to see the great work that he's a part of.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
And for more information about sponsoring the show please visit the Patreon page. It only takes 12 people donating $1/mo to make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli a…
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Apr 24, 2019
004: Why Do Evangelicals Become Catholic? (w/ Dr. Doug Beaumont)
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk to Dr. Douglas Beaumont, author of Evangelical Exodus, about how and why evangelicals become Catholic.
We touch on the idea of paradigm shifts, proof-texting from the Church Fathers, and Flat Earth Theory. It's a great episode.
For more from Dr. Beaumont visit his website, where you can also buy his book. I highly recommend it.
We also talk about Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn, a wonderful and highly influential account of their conversion to the Catholic Church.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
And for more information about sponsoring the show please visit the Patreon page. It only takes 12 people donating $1/mo to make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole,…
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Apr 17, 2019
003: 6 Myths About Easter
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast we tackle six of the myths that pop up every year about Easter.
Is the origin of Easter pagan? Does the name come from a Mesopotamian or Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility? Are Easter eggs a symbol of spring and fertility? And, more seriously, what about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? Can the history of this narrative be trusted?
For more, including the resources used in this episode, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
And for more information about sponsoring the show please visit the Patreon page. It only takes 12 people donating $1/mo to make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:
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Apr 10, 2019
002: What is the Church?
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast we talk about the nature of the Christian Church. Did Jesus intend it to be an invisible collection of believers? Is this how the Early Church understood itself? Is this how the whole of the Christian Church understood itself to be for the first 1,500 years of church history?
Spoiler alert: the answer is, no. Instead, I argue, the Church always thought of itself as visible, singular, and united in a hierarchical structure until the Protestant Reformation.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
And for more information about sponsoring the show please visit the Patreon page. It only takes 12 people donating $1/mo to make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support th…
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Apr 2, 2019
001: Scripture and Tradition
In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast we talk about how my journey from being a non-denominational Christian into the Catholic Church began when a pastor friend of mine asked me a probing question about Scripture and Tradition.
Which is more important, Scripture or Tradition?
The question led me to uncover the roots of the New Testament canon and the authority of the Early Church which put it all together – an Early Church which looked, and sounded, very Catholic.
For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.
And for more information about sponsoring the show please visit the Patreon page. It only takes 12 people donating $1/mo to make this podcast sustainable.
Theme music is "Sandbox Jingle" by Scott Holmes.
This podcast is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers Gina, Eyram, Elli and Tom, Kelvin and Susan, Stephen, James, Jon, Jordan, Michelle, Nicole, Phil, and Susanne.Support the show
Find and follow Th…
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