Considering Catholicism

Pope Francis has been in the hospital for a couple of weeks. We are praying for his recovery, but it raises the question: what happens when a pope passes? Greg and Ed talk about the process of papal transitions. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

In practice, most Protestants believe that after justification we are called to grow in sanctification through good works, which is the Catholic position. So, what's this whole faith vs. works controversy really about? Greg wraps this series by suggesting that it's about whether you believe the Church is a real thing, with real sacraments, that really dispenses grace. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

This is one of those age-old debates—“Once saved, always saved?” or can you lose your salvation? And who’s really fretting at night—Catholics, or our Protestant and Evangelical brothers and sisters? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg tackles one of the trickiest, most misunderstood words in Catholic theology: “merit.” The very mention of merit sets off alarm bells for many non-Catholics (and even some Catholics!), who suspect that we’re advocating a system where we earn salvation through human effort. But does the Catholic Church really teach that? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

The whole Faith vs. Works debate really kicked off in 1517, when Martin Luther complained about the Catholic Church charging German peasants money for something called "indulgences." Since then, Protestants will pull this out as a kind of trump card: "The Catholic Church sells salvation through indulgences! That proves it believes in salvation by works!" Greg takes this topic on, explains the myth from the reality, and brings the receipts. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

We've been talking about how salvation is a multi-phase process, not a single event. It involves justification, which is entirely by grace through faith and repentance. It also involves sanctification, the journey towards holiness, maturity in Christ. But what happens if we don't complete that journey by the time we die? Can unholy people stand before a holy God? The Catholic doctrine of purgation (the process) and Purgatory (the state) is a kind of spiritual chemotherapy that burns all the metastic and residual sin out of us so that we can enter heaven having been made clean. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg and Ed discuss their friend Danny, who is going through an extremely difficult experience. Ed realizes that before he began considering Catholicism, he didn't really have a way to make sense of this kind of suffering, but he's begun to see the value in it. Greg explains that Catholicism teaches us that Danny might be closer to the Kingdom of God than either of them. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Catholicism identifies three categories of sin: original, mortal, and venial. What are the differences? How are they addressed or overcome in salvation? And to which types are our good works applied? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Protestants teach that we have "imputed righteousness" because Christ, in a one-time legal transaction, swaps our guilt and debt for his innocence and perfect credit score. Based on the totality of scripture, Catholicism (and all its ancient branches) teaches *infused* righteousness. We are gifted new life planted in us like a see, but we must cooperate with God's grace to cultivate that new life through good works until it bears fruit. Salvation is the totality of that process. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg explains that the "Romans Road," a handful of cherry-picked verses from the first half of Paul's Letter to the Romans, is the interpretive lens for man Protestants. They read the words of Jesus through this limited view of Paul. But when he began reading Paul through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and parables, Catholicism lept of the pages. And the Protestant Romans Road became his Road to Catholic Rome. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg takes the tired old cliche that Catholicism is a works-based religion in which we earn our way to heaven on our own steam by looking at some Bible stories that illustrate the Catholic position. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

This next installment of the Arguing with Protestants series, takes on the tired old cliche that Catholicism is a works-based religion in which we earn our way to heaven on our own steam. In this first installment of a series-within-a-series, he "brings the receipts" on what Scripture and the Catholic Church actually teaches on the issue. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

This is the 300th episode of the podcast, released almost to the day on the third anniversary of the show. Greg explains that so many arguments with Protestants are endless and result in frustration because Protestants play "Proof Text Poker." Catholics make the mistake of trying to play it with them rather than seeing that it's often a trap, a dishonest Protestant tactic. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Protestant apologists claim that the Bible is the foundation, the beginning of the Church. Catholicism has always said the Church came first and the Bible arose from and derives its authority from the Church. So, which is it? Greg points out that Protestants make logical errors of conflation and equivocation when they confuse passages about the "Word of God" with the written Bible. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Protestant apologists like Wesley Huff claim that the Roman Catholic Church didn't exist in ancient times, that the early church was a sort of nondenominational, generic Christianity, a sort of proto-Protestantism. Greg responds by pointing out this involves both category (verbal sleight of hand) and factual errors, and that Catholicism is the ancient and original Christian faith. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." In 1 Corinthians 9:27, St. Paul said that he did works of faith lest "after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." But in 2 Timothy 4:7, written from prison before his martyrdom, he declares, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." What does Catholicism teach about disqualifying ourselves, losing our salvation, and failing to finish the race? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

The author J.R.R. Tolkien was not only one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century, he was also a devout Catholic. In a letter to his son, he described, "the one great thing to love on this earth." Greg explain what it is, and why. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

In the song, on the twelfth days of Christmas, his true love gave to him "12 drummers drumming." But in Catholicism, the twelfth day of Christmas is Epiphany. Among other things, it commemorates the visit of the "magi from the East" to the Christ child and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Greg and Cory discuss the nature, history, and significance of this important feast day. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

From the podcast vault, this is Greg's annual response to something that blows Protestant minds: Catholicism kicks off the new calendar year with the Solemnity Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Why? To the Protestant mind, this is just paganism and idolatry. They ask, "How did the Catholic Church come up with something so outrageously unbiblical?"

A reflection on Mary and the Messiah she gave birth to on this happy morn. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Every Christmas, we revisit this classic episode from the Considering Catholicism Podcast. Greg, Ed, and Cory discuss the disappearance of genuine Christmas carols. Why haven't any new ones been written in more than 100 years? How does it reflect changes in Christianity and the broader culture in the West? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

For thousands of years, Catholics used to celebrate Christmas communally with processions, public gatherings, pilgrimages, etc. But in America, especially over the last 50-100 years, Christmas traditions have become private, family affairs. Why? Greg and Cory talk about what was and what has changed. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg shares an update on what's been going on behind the scenes and where the podcast is going next. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: consideringcatholicism@gmai

Lords a leaping? Maids a milking? Partridges in pear trees? What's the "12 Days of Christmas" and what does it have to do with Catholicism? Greg and Ed explain why Catholic Christmas lasts 12 days and what happens during them. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

The Catholic Church, through Pope Francis, has declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Year, a Year of Mercy. The faithful are invited to travel to Rome, or to their local cathedral, and walk through a special door to receive an indulgence from sin. Protestants and Evangelical think this is more Catholic salvation by works mumbo-jumbo. But is it? Greg and Cory discuss the biblical roots and parallels with altar calls and revivals in Protestantism and Evangelicalism. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Every year on December 12, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the patron saint of Mexico and dear to the Mexican people, but also the patron of the Americas. Her story, miracle, and relic is astounding and hard to believe for Protestants. Greg and Ed explain. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ed asks what this doctrine means and why it matters so very much. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Every year at this time, the Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. What is this celebration, and why did the Church adopt it only 100 years ago? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Catholics talk about the "Sacred Heart of Jesus." There are images, paintings, and devotional prayers dedicated to it, and Pope Francis just released a 30,000 word encyclical about it. To Protestants or American Evangelicals, the language and images feel kind of weird. But what is it? Greg and Cory unpack the concept, imagery, history, and practices. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

The most sobering and somber subject in Christianity is Hell. Greg and Ed discuss what it is and why some souls end up there. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

The Catholic Church teaches that in addition to Heaven and Hell, there is a third possible destination for a soul upon death: Purgatory. Protestants reject this, but most don't really understand what Purgatory is and why it is vital to God's justice and the soul's journey toward full communion with Him. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

In this first of three episodes on the "Last Things," Greg and Ed explore what heaven is, and is probably not, like. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Ed asks Greg how the Catholic liturgy evolved. Was the worship of the early Church more informal and unstructured? When did all the complex parts and pieces of the mass get added? Greg explains that the premise of the question is problematic, and that the worship of the early Church probably resembled a Catholic mass more than it did a non-denominational "worship gathering." Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Recently, Ed went to a Protestant Evangelical funeral, which was more of a "celebration of life." He asks Greg if Catholic funerals are different. Why and how? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

For secular folks this is Halloween, for Catholics it's the eve of All Saints Day, but for Protestants it's Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed his complaints against the Catholic Church to a cathedral door in Germany. Today, Protestants celebrate what they imagine is a heroic and prophetic scene. But as Greg explains in this snapshot, it's nothing to celebrate. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Last year, Greg and Ed talked about Halloween. Since it's coming up, we thought it's worth revisiting the conversation. Can Christians participate? Are its origins really in the Catholic Church incorporating pagan Celtic rituals? And has the Church adopted pagan rituals throughout history, including Easter celebrations? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

If, as we say in the Nicene Creed, the Catholic Church is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church," what about those outside of it? Can they be saved and go to heaven? Greg and Cory explain what the Church teaches. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Recently, Pope Francis made some headlines by saying that religions are like languages, each trying to express something about God in its own way. A lot of people, including many of our listeners, were confused and asked what he meant. Greg and Cory try to explain. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

One of the Catholic Church's seven sacraments is Anointing of the Sick. It used to be called "last rites" or "extreme unction," but the new name more accurately describes the sacrament. What is it? What's does it accomplish? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

When it comes to theological errors, there's nothing new under the sun. There are only so many ways to fall off the tightrope of orthodox Catholic doctrines, and in every era the same mistakes get repeated under new names by new false teachers. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Protestantism is built upon "Five Solas." "Sola" is Latin for "alone," and so the battle cry of the Reformation became: Sola Scriptura ("Scripture Alone"), Sola Fide ("Faith Alone"), Sola Gratia ("Grace Alone"), Solus Christus ("Christ Alone"), Soli Deo Gloria ("Glory to God Alone"). The Reformers intended these to be a refutation of Catholicism, and Protestant apologists today think of them as Kryptonite to the Catholic Church. But in this conversation from a few years ago, Greg and Cory take them on one-by-one. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Several years ago, one of the first conversations between Greg and Ed the Protestant was about the Catholic sacrament of Confession (or Reconciliation as the Church calls it). We've had a lot of listeners asking about confession lately, so it seems a good time to pull this one out of the vault. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg and Ed continue their conversation about those who say they are spiritual but not religious. What exactly does that mean? And why does Greg say that he's religious because he's spiritual? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

It's popular to say, "I'm spiritual, not religious" as a reason for not attending church or participating in organized religion. Where did this idea come from, and what does it mean? Part 1 of Greg and Ed's discussion. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected] Follow Greg on X/Twitter: https://x.com/ConsideringCath

We should read the Bible (of course), and devotional literature, and catechetical and apologetics. But what about stories, literature, novels? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected] Follow Greg on X/Twitter: https://x.com/ConsideringCath

For the last 43 years, Catholics have been going on pilgrimages to a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina called Medjugorje, where a group of "visionaries" or "seers" claim that the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing to them everyday. Under three successive popes, the Vatican has investigated these claims. Last week, it released a report on its findings. Greg and Cory discuss what the Vatican found and its recommendations to the faithful who visit there. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected] Follow Greg on X/Twitter: https://x.com/ConsideringCath

A common objection to religious faith or belief in anything supernatural is that "Science" has disproved that there is anything outside of the material universe. This objection is often delivered with mockery and condescension for those ignorant fools clinging to religion. In this episode, Greg says, "Wait a minute? Is that actually true? How could the natural sciences disprove, or even tell us anything about, the supernatural?" Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected] Follow Greg on X/Twitter: https://x.com/ConsideringCath

Cory recently went on a spiritual retreat to a monastery. He shares why, what, and how of retreats. Have you ever considered going on one? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected] Follow Greg on X/Twitter: https://x.com/ConsideringCath