Shows / Considering Catholicism
Considering Catholicism
Catholic Church, faith, culture, and history are explained clearly and simply for anyone curious about historic Catholicism. Faithful to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Episodes
- Considering Catholicism
Old Progressives vs. Young Trads: Generational Battles in the Pews (#367)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Cory dive into the often-confusing generational conflicts simmering in many Catholic parishes, where aging baby boomers shaped by…
- Considering Catholicism
Kids in Church, Part 2: Discipline? Boredom? Learning? (#366)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Cory revisit the challenges parents of small children face in bringing their children to Mass. In Episode #360, Greg had…
- Considering Catholicism
Hollywood's Catholic Caricatures: Fat Bishops, Mean Nuns, and the Big Con (#365)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In this lively conclusion to a three-part series looking at myths about Catholicism, Greg and Ed the Protestant unpack how…
- Considering Catholicism
Hollywood's Hidden Script: How Media Warps Our View of the World (#364)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In this engaging opener to a two-part series, Greg and Ed the Protestant dive into how "Hollywood"—a catch-all for mass media from…
- Considering Catholicism
Noble Savages and Black Legends: How Stories Stack the Deck Against Catholicism (#363)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg lays the intellectual foundation for how the "noble savage" trope, rooted in Enlightenment thinkers like Rousseau, converges with the…
- Considering Catholicism
Escaping the Argument Clinic: When Faith Debates Go Nowhere (#362)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg shares a listener's email from Dylan, whose honest conversation with his former Calvinist pastor turned into a one-sided barrage of…
- Considering Catholicism
Judaism, Israel, and Catholicism: Addressing a Convert's Concern (#361)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg Smith responds to a listener's email expressing shock at perceived anti-Semitism in Catholic online spaces. He clarifies the Catholic…
- Considering Catholicism
Kids in Church: Why Catholic Mass Beats Evangelical Entertainment (#360)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg responds to a listener's heartfelt email about her journey toward Catholicism and a major hesitation: how the Church approaches…
- Considering Catholicism
The Church's Messy Past: How a Thought Experiment Helped Me Convert (#359)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg responds to listener Shandra's heartfelt question about the Catholic Church's historical involvement in injustices like the…
- Considering Catholicism
Translation Traps? Manuscript Mysteries, Word Wars, and the Sola Scriptura Sinkhole (#358)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Building on Part 1's takedown of KJV-onlyism, Greg delves into the heart of Bible translation debates in this thought-provoking…
- Considering Catholicism
KJV Only? Debunking a Fundamentalist Myth and Discovering Catholic Bibles (#357)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In this first installment of a two-part series, Greg responds to a fundamentalist chain letter claiming the King James Version (KJV) is…
- Considering Catholicism
The Cost of Discipleship, Part 2 (#356)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Continuing their conversation Secret Compound, Greg and Ed tackle the deeply personal challenges of considering Catholicism when…
- Considering Catholicism
The Cost of Discipleship, Part 1 (#355)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Ed the Protestant return to the Secret Compound and dive into the real challenges faced by those considering Catholicism…
- Considering Catholicism
Protestant Games, Part 2: The Berean Gambit (#354)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In Part 2 of a two-part series, "Protestant Games," Greg dismantles the Protestant “Berean Gambit”—their claim that Acts 17:11 proves sola…
- Considering Catholicism
Protestant Games, Part 1: Why Play By Protestant Rules? (#353)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In Part 1 of a two-part series, Greg tackles Protestant apologist Gavin Ortlund’s 5 Reasons I Am Not Catholic, which shakes cradle…
- Considering Catholicism
Evangelicals and Israel, the Alamo and End Times (#352)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Why do American evangelicals passionately support modern Israel, especially in conflicts like Israel-Iran? In the final part of our…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Do Protestants Choose the Bible of the Rabbis Over the Bible of the Apostles? (#351)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Why do evangelicals trust a Jewish canon finalized centuries after Christ over the Bible of the apostles? In part two of our Seeking…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Evangelicals Choose Galilee Over St. Peter’s (#350)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Why do American evangelicals love Holy Land trips, seder dinners, and supporting the modern state of Israel? In this first of a three-part…
- Considering Catholicism
Who's View of Sex is Stranger? Catholic or Protestant? (#349)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg tackles Catholic and Protestant views on sex, asking: whose take is stranger? From marriage as a sacrament to celibacy as a gift and…
- Considering Catholicism
Burritos, Bridges, and Truth: Why Catholicism Isn’t a House of Cards (#348)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Is Catholicism a house of cards, ready to collapse under one false teaching? In this episode, Greg responds to a listener—an evangelical…
- Considering Catholicism
Is The Mass Just "Going Through the Motions?" (#347)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Why does the Mass feel so formal, and how can you love it? In this episode, Greg responds to Darcy, a 25-year-old evangelical exploring…
- Considering Catholicism
What is Heaven? Part 6: New Heaven, New Earth, New Us (#346)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In the final episode of the series on heaven, Greg and Cory explore the eschaton—the ultimate end of God’s plan, where Christ returns to…
- Considering Catholicism
What is Heaven? Part 5: The Resurrection (#345)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Cory delve into the radical Christian teaching of the physical resurrection of the body, a cornerstone of Catholic eschatology…
- Considering Catholicism
Sublime or Subjective? A Tale of Two Services (#344)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Ed unpack a recent experience at a casual evangelical worship service, contrasting its informal, emotion-driven approach with the…
- Considering Catholicism
Raging Tacos: Are We Too Hard on Protestants? (#343)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In this lively episode, Greg and Ed the Protestant tackle a listener’s critique that the show is too harsh on Protestants, sparking a…
- Considering Catholicism
What is Heaven? Part 4: Three Destinations (#342)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Cory explore the three destinations awaiting every soul after the particular judgment: heaven, hell, and purgatory. They unpack…
- Considering Catholicism
What is Heaven? Part 3: We Will Be Judged (#341)
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In this continuation of the series about Heaven, Greg and Cory dive into the Catholic teaching on judgment, exploring the two moments…
- Considering Catholicism
Killer Rabbits and Gargoyles: What Medieval Art Teaches Catholics Today (#340)
Ever wonder why medieval manuscripts show knights fighting giant snails or rabbits wielding swords? Or why Gothic cathedrals are covered in grinning gargoyles…
- Considering Catholicism
What is Heaven? Part 2: The Moment of Death (#339)
Greg Smith and Cory Lakatos dive into the profound question of what happens when we die. In this second episode of the Heaven series, they explore the…
- Considering Catholicism
What is Heaven? Part 1: Checking Our Vocabulary (#338)
Join Greg Smith and Cory Lakatos as they kick off a deep dive into Catholic teaching on Heaven. In this first episode, they lay the foundation by defining key…
- Considering Catholicism
Peter’s Keys, Leo’s Tears: The Joy of a New Pope (#337)
Greg Smith reflects on the joyful inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, unpacking its rituals, from the emotional moment Leo received the…
- Considering Catholicism
Is "Reformed Theology" Just Tweed-Coated Evangelicalism? (#336)
What’s “Reformed” theology today? Greg Smith, a former Reformed pastor, unravels the tweed-coated posturing of a brand that claims intellectual edge but feels…
- Considering Catholicism
Is Pope Leo XIV Red or Blue? Why That’s the Wrong Question (#335)
Greg addresses conservative non-Catholic friends asking if Pope Leo XIV is “red” or “blue,” arguing that the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church transcends American…
- Considering Catholicism
Habemus Papam! Why I’m Loyal to the Church Under Leo XIV (#334)
Hours after white smoke announced Pope Leo XIV, Greg reflects on Cardinal Robert Prevost’s election as the first American pope. Exploring Leo XIV’s choice of…
- Considering Catholicism
Tartaria or Catholicism? Rediscovering a Lost Civilization (#333)
Dive into the wild Tartaria conspiracy and discover a deeper truth: modernity bulldozed a sacred way of life, but Catholicism holds the key to reclaiming it…
- Considering Catholicism
Cosplay or Catholicism? Are Sacred Things Really Sacred? (#332)
In this episode, Greg Smith dives into Flannery O’Connor’s bold claim: “If it’s only a symbol, to hell with it.” Reflecting on his own conversion and a pivotal…
- Considering Catholicism
What I Don't Want in a New Pope (#331)
What kind of pope does the Church need today? In this episode, Greg argues against the modern expectation of a charismatic, media-savvy “influencer” pope…
- Considering Catholicism
Inside the Conclave: The 60-Year Fight Over the Church’s Vision (#330)
Greg dives into the Vatican politics shaping the 2025 papal conclave, revealing a 60-year fight for the Church’s soul between the Concilium and Communio…
- Considering Catholicism
One Church, One Leader: Why the Pope’s Funeral Stopped the World (#329)
When Pope Francis’s funeral drew millions and the world’s eyes turned to Rome, it revealed something unique: only the Catholic Church has a global leader. In…
- Considering Catholicism
A Pope's Funeral and Rome's Hidden Gem (#328)
Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at St. Peter's Basilica. But he has chosen to be buried in another church, the Basilica of St…
- Considering Catholicism
Thoughts on the Death of Pope Francis (#327)
Pope Francis passed away this morning. He was 88 years old and had served as the Holy Father 12 years. We pray for the repose of his soul and for the…
- Considering Catholicism
Holy Land (and Holy Week) Diary, Part 2: Jerusalem (#326)
Two years ago, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Greg described what insights into the Holy Week can be gained from visiting Jerusalem. Perhaps he'll lead a…
- Considering Catholicism
Holy Land Diary, Part 1: The Galilee Region (#325)
Two years ago, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Greg described what insights into the Gospel can be gained from seeing the Sea of Galilee firsthand…
- Considering Catholicism
From the Vault: Easter in a World Gone Trans? (#324)
This was the 13th episode of Considering Catholicism, way back in 2022. Since then, the challenges to a biblical and Catholic understanding of the human person…
- Considering Catholicism
Confirmation: A Gift, Not a Checkbox (#323)
What does it mean to be confirmed in the Catholic faith? Greg unpacks the sacrament of Confirmation, exploring its roots, its role in strengthening believers…
- Considering Catholicism
The 2.3 Tipping Point: the Cost of Chasing Prosperity Over Purpose (#322)
Is the world overpopulated, or are we facing a demographic free fall? In this episode, Greg and Ed dive into the startling reality of population collapse…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholics, Contraception, and Happiness? (#321)
Does the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception doom families to misery?Greg and Ed unpack whether the ban on birth control truly burdens households or if…
- Considering Catholicism
Road to Rome? A New Twist on a Familiar Tale (#320)
The Good Samaritan: just a call to help the needy? Explore a 2,000-year-old Catholic twist—Christ as rescuer, the Church as refuge. The road from Jerusalem to…
- Considering Catholicism
Will We See Our Dogs in Heaven? (#319)
How can heaven be perfect if the things that bring us joy in this life are not there with us? For example, the one creature that God gave us capable of being…
- Considering Catholicism
"Election" in Catholicism vs. Calvinism (#318)
Last week, those who have prepared to enter the Catholic Church at Easter attended the "Rite of Election" at their local cathedral. The "catechumens," those…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholics and Politics (#317)
Catholic leaders—priests, bishops, even popes—sometimes share their opinions about various political issues. Some Catholics and those considering Catholicism…
- Considering Catholicism
Can You Be Patriotic and Catholic? (#316)
The Catholic Church is a universal community, transcending time, space, races, languages, nations. So can you be a faithful Catholic and still be patriotic…
- Considering Catholicism
Asceticism: When No Means Yes (#315)
Lent is a time of self-denial, which is a feature (not a bug) of ancient Christianity. It's a form of "asceticism," which Protestants and Evangelicals…
- Considering Catholicism
Myth-Busting Lent (#314)
As Lent begins, it's time for the annual Lent-bashing on social media (particularly on X) by some Protestants and fundamentalist Evangelicals. Greg takes on…
- Considering Catholicism
When a Pope Passes, Part 2 (#313)
Greg and Ed speculate about how the Catholic Church might (or might not) change whenever Pope Francis passes. Support this ministry so more people can consider…
- Considering Catholicism
When a Pope Passes, Part 1 (#312)
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…
Considering CatholicismFaith or Works? Part 10: Is the Church a Real Thing? (#311)
In practice, most Protestants believe that after justification we are called to grow in sanctification through good works, which is the Catholic position. So…
- Considering Catholicism
Faith or Works? Part 9: Locked In or Left Guessing? The Truth About Eternal Security (#310)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
Faith or Works? Part 8: The Mystery of Merit (#309)
Greg tackles one of the trickiest, most misunderstood words in Catholic theology: “merit.” The very mention of merit sets off alarm bells for many…
- Considering Catholicism
Faith or Works? Part 7: Indulgences (#308)
The whole Faith vs. Works debate really kicked off in 1517, when Martin Luther complained about the Catholic Church charging German peasants money for…