Considering Catholicism

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

Greg describes one of the most troublesome afflictions that a Christian can face, what it can do to you, and how to overcome it. 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

What keeps some people away from Christ and the Church? In Part 5 of this series, Greg and Ed talk about how some people need an invitation, how hard it can be to do that, and what are expectations should be when we invite them. 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

Catholics are talking about In Vitro Fertilization after the major political candidates in the US elections have indicated support for IVF. Why does the Church oppose it? And if it isn't going to be made illegal in the foreseeable future, what should Catholics do? 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

Greg shares some news and updates about the podcast and this ministry. 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

What keeps some people away from Christ and the Church? Greg and Ed revisit why we must offer a Christianity that wrestles with the ultimate questions. 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

Greg and Dominican friar Father Nick Monco discuss why young Catholic women are drawn to traditional expressions of faith, the cultural and theological significance of chapel veils, and the generational divide in the church regarding tradition vs. modernity. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected] Greg on X/Twitter: https://x.com/ConsideringCath

What keeps some people away from Christ and the Church? In Part 4 of this series, Greg and Ed talk about how to talk to those around you about what the Catholic Church believes, and why those conversations matter. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

What keeps some people away from Christ and the Church? In Part 3 of this series, Greg and Ed talk about "vaccinating people against the Gospel" by offering a Christianity that isn't about the ultimate questions. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

What are “tabernacles” and where should they be placed in a Catholic Church? How are Episcopal or Anglican churches similar to or different from the Catholic Church? Greg and Cory answer listener questions. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

What does the Catholic Church teach about the meaning and interpretation of dreams? And how has the Catholic Church both changed and yet remained the same over two millennia? Greg and Cory answer listener questions. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

What keeps some people away from Christ and the Church? In Part 2 of this series, Greg and Ed discuss the most basic reason: "attachments," things that we love more than we love God. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

What keeps some people away from Christ and the Church? How do we understand their lack of interest or their motivations? And more importantly, how do we respond? In this first episode of an occasional series, Greg and Ed explore how there is no single reason explanation, and so there is no single solution for evangelization. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg and Cory continue their discussion of Catholic eschatology and how it differs with much of American evangelicalism. Will there be a "rapture" of Christians, with everyone who didn't accept Christ "left behind?" Will there be a thousand-year reign of Christ in the city of Jerusalem? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

When will Jesus return? How will the world end? These are the sort of questions addressed by the branch of theology known as "eschatology." But Catholic eschatology differs in focus and emphasis from that of many American evangelicals. Greg and Cory discuss how the Catholic Church approaches the "end times." Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

The Lord can comfort and bless us in times of pain and suffering. But can our suffering be redemptive for others? Greg shares the Catholic practice of "offering up" our pain as a participation in the Cross of Christ, asking him to use it for the salvation and sanctification of people we care about. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg responds to listener questions and comments. Does this podcast set up Protestant "straw men" to knock down? What do Protestants believe? And what is "Oneness Pentecostalism?" Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg and Cory continue their discussion of the legendary musical stage play "Les Mis," an adaptation of the classic novel by Victor Hugo. In Part 2, they share the Catholicism that shines through their favorite scenes. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg and Cory are bringing back the popular feature "Book Club." But this time with a twist, as they reflect on the Catholicism that shines through the legendary musical stage play "Les Mis," an adaptation of the classic novel by Victor Hugo. Part 1 shares the themes that make it an explicitly Catholic story. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

In the final episode of this Deep Dive series, Greg reflects honestly on how well many Catholics hear and know the scriptures. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg takes Ed into the woods to have "the sex talk." Why does the Catholic Church care so much about sex and sexuality? In our secular postmodern culture, and increasingly in the Protestant evangelical world, who, what, when, where, you have sex with is irrelevant. Most people today can't understand why Catholicism makes a big deal out of it. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Ed the Protestant shares how exploring Catholicism has opened his eyes to the bigger, unseen world around us. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

In this "Deep Dives" episode, Greg responds to the Protestant charge that the Catholic Church kept the Bible in Latin so the ordinary people couldn't read it for themselves (and discover that Catholicism is unbiblical). Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

Greg answers your questions. How is Mary the Mother of God? Is it pagan to pray to dead people? And why are sacramental records so important to the Catholic Church? Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

If you're considering Catholicism, at some point someone is going to say to you, "But the Catholic Church is corrupt! How could you think of joining it?!" In the second of two conversations responding to this criticism, Greg and Cory discuss the more exotic charges of corruption in the Church: sedition, magic, and weird conspiracies. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]

In this "Deep Dives" episode, Greg explains Catholic "hermeneutics," the rules and guidelines for properly interpreting the Bible. Support this ministry so more people can consider Catholicism! Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/ Email: [email protected]