In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the legendary Brandon Eaves to talk about his journey from Evangelical Christianity through to the Catholic Church. Brandon, who you've heard about on this show before, has an incredible story to tell. After the Catholic conversion of a close friend, Brandon began to ask questions about the Catholic Church – what would compel such an intelligent, Spirit-filled person to become Catholic, of all things. And was in Brandon's pursuit of those answers that he began to unwind his own misconceptions about Catholicism, ask pointed questions about ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by two of the most fantastic guests of all time Caleb and Natali Perkins from Shema Culture to talk about their conversion journey, their incredible ministry, and how they see the Holy Spirit dismantling the barriers between Catholics and Protestants right before their eyes. In this epic, 2-hour long conversation, Caleb and Natali unpack what it was that first drew them into Catholicism, what it was like quitting their jobs to pursue the calling of God to begin their ministry, and all of the incredible miracles (and there are an absolute ton ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. James Prothro to talk about the historical and biblical roots of the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation. Where does the idea of the Sacraments come from? Where do we see the roots of repentance, reconciliation, and forgiveness in the Old Testament? What about penance? And how do these historical roots connect to how Catholics practice the Sacrament of Reconciliation – commonly called Confession – today. Dr. Prothro gives a through treatment of this incredibly important sacrament linking it all the way back to the Garden of Eden and ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by one of my heroes, Early Church scholar Dr. Thomas Scheck to unpack his amazing story of growing up Catholic, leaving the faith for Evangelical Christian, and then coming storming back to the Church after 17 years away. It's a great journey! Listen as Dr. Scheck explains why an encounter with two Baptist roommates in college fired him up for a relationship with Christ, his time as an Evangelical missionary with his wife in Germany, and his struggles and successes as an Evangelical pastor for almost ten years. And, of course, what ultimate ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by one of the most remarkable guests I've ever had on the show, Daniel Dinneen, an Instagram evangelist, to talk about his amazing journey through addiction, loss, and a sinful lifestyle into his total dedication to Christ, His Church, and the work of his online ministry. Once you begin this episode you aren't going to want to stop. Daniel's story is amazing and his honesty in telling it – his not holding anything back – will leave you speechless. To hear how God has worked and what Daniel has come through, what lessons he has learned, and w ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Chris Kellam, a former pastor, an Evangelical seminarian, and a Catholic convert to share his absolutely amazing journey of conversion. Chris' story is one of a serious Evangelical Christian – a pastor, working on his Master's degree at seminary – realizing that not every Christian agreed on some of the theology and belief he took for granted. It began, for Chris, when he started working as a youth pastor at a church that practised infant baptism – something he'd never considered before – and began a deep biblical search into baptism, a ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the wonderful Dr. Mark Giszczak from the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology to talk about suffering. It's a perennial topic and, as I suggest in this episode, one of the top reasons that I hear about for people leaving the Catholic faith. Why does God allow so much suffering? What's the difference between human-caused suffering and natural disasters and sicknesses? How is suffering just? And, incredibly, how does the Catholic faith actually propose the best framework for understanding evil and suffering – something that athei ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Izabela Ciesinska to talk about her incredible faith journey and her wonderful new book. Raised nominally Catholic, Izabela wandered into the New Age movement as a young adult and eventually into atheism, deciding that there can't possibly be a God until she was struck by incredible, natural beauty on a road trip with some friends. Suddenly confronted by inexplicable beauty Izabela began a winding journey to discover its source, journeying back through the New Age movement, through Prosperity Gospel preaching as a Protestant, and finally ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the incredible Louis Damani Jones. A revert to the Catholic faith with an incredible story to tell, an African American Catholic with a rich experience of Catholicism to talk about, and a social justice leader in the community, deeply rooted in Catholic social values and the work of some of the best and bright Catholic theologians. You don't want to miss this episode. Raised in an activist household Louis had to learn quickly what it meant to take action against oppressive structures from a Catholic point of view. After drifting away fro ..read more

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by my good friend Catholic convert, author, and historian Rod Bennett to propose a really interesting thesis he's been chewing on these days: that the "unwritten tradition" often criticized by non-Catholic Christians was actually written down. Maybe you've heard this claim before? That as Christians should rely on the Bible alone and that Catholics have heaped up all kinds of unwritten traditions – barnacles on the once-pure Ark of Christ – that just get in the way of good old fashion Bible Only Christianity. This is certainly the ..read more