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
What Do Protestants Believe? (#249)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
Book Club: "Les Miserables," Part 2 (#248)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
Book Club: "Les Miserables," Part 1 (#247)
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…
Considering CatholicismCatholicism and the Bible, Part 9: Hearing and Knowing (#246)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
"The Sex Talk" (#245)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
The Unseen World (#244)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 8: Vernacular Translations (#243)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
Questions: Mary the Mother of God? Praying to Saints? Sacramental Records? (#242)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
“But the Catholic Church is Corrupt!” Part 2 (#241)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 7: The "Rules" for Bible Interpretation (#240)
In this "Deep Dives" episode, Greg explains Catholic "hermeneutics," the rules and guidelines for properly interpreting the Bible. Support this ministry so…
- Considering Catholicism
"But the Catholic Church is Corrupt!" Part 1 (#239)
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…
- Considering Catholicism
When Friends and Family Don't Understand (#238)
Greg often hears from listeners whose friends and family cannot understand their interest in Catholicism, or who react negatively to their desire to become…
- Considering Catholicism
How is Mary the "Queen of Heaven?" (#237)
Few things drive Protestants more crazy than the Catholic Church calling Mary the "Queen of Heaven" and our "advocate." Greg and Ed explore why and how she has…
- Considering Catholicism
Listener Questions: Mary's Free Will, More About Birth Control, and Baptists vs. the Nicene Creed (#236)
Greg answers your questions. Did Mary have free will when she agreed to bear Jesus? Did the Church just make up its objections to artificial birth control? And…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 6: How to Read the Bible (#235)
What "lens" should we the Bible through? History? Moral lessons? Spiritual insights? The Catholic Church teaches that scripture speaks to us in four "senses"…
- Considering Catholicism
Contraception vs. Catholicism (#234)
The Roman Catholic Church is the only Christian denomination that has held the line, maintaining a total ban on artificial contraception, even within marriage…
- Considering Catholicism
How Was Tradition Transmitted in the Early Church? (#233)
We talk a lot about the oral tradition of the apostles and how it formed (and still forms) the foundations of Catholic doctrine. But several listeners have…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 5: The Old Testament in Catholic and Protestant Bibles (#232)
In this "Deep Dives" episode, Greg asks why Catholics and Protestants have different Old Testaments. Support this ministry so more people can consider…
- Considering Catholicism
The Miracle of Transubstantiation (#231)
The most fundamental difference between Catholicism and Protestantism is Protestant rejection of the "real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. Jesus said…
- Considering Catholicism
What is the Eucharist and Why is It So Important to Catholics? (#230)
Yesterday was the Feast of "Corpus Christi," which is Latin for "Body of Christ." Catholics celebrated with processions, carrying the consecrated Eucharist…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 4: The New Testament and Protestants’ "Sola Scriptura" (#229)
In this "Deep Dives" episode, we explore the formation of the New Testament and refute the Protestant doctrine of "sola scriptura." Support this ministry so…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 3: The Deposit of Faith (#226)
In this "Deep Dives" series, we explore what the Catholic Church teaches about the Bible and the role the Bible plays in the Catholic faith. In this…
- Considering Catholicism
Inviting Non-Catholics to Mass (#225)
A listener wrote in about the challenges of inviting non-catholic friends to mass for the first time. Greg and Ed talk about the process of evangelization and…
- Considering Catholicism
Ed Visits His Old "Girlfriend" (#224)
Ed the Protestant recently led worship at a contemporary evangelical church, and describes it like visiting an old girlfriend. It was comfortable, but not…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 2: Before the Bible? (#223)
In this "Deep Dives" series, we explore what the Catholic Church teaches about the Bible and the role the Bible plays in the Catholic faith. In this…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Does the Pope Have His Own Country? Part 2 (#222)
The Vatican, headquarters and home to the papacy, is its own sovereign nation. It's small (108 acres), but it has its own army (the Swiss Guard), embassies in…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Does the Pope Have His Own Country? Part 1 (#221)
The Vatican, headquarters and home to the papacy, is its own sovereign nation. It's small (108 acres), but it has its own army (the Swiss Guard), embassies in…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism and the Bible, Part 1: What is "God's Word?" (#220)
In this new "Friday Deep Dives" series, we explore what the Catholic Church teaches about the Bible and the role the Bible plays in the Catholic faith. In this…
- Considering Catholicism
Listener Questions: Traditional Latin Mass? Priests in Cassocks? (#219)
Greg answers questions listeners have sent in about the Traditional Latin Mass and why some younger priests are starting to wear cassocks again. Support this…
- Considering Catholicism
Listener Questions: Becoming Catholic, Baptizing Grandchildren, Parish Shopping (#218)
Greg answers questions listeners have sent in about joining the Catholic Church, what relatives can (and can't) do if the parents aren't baptizing their kids…
- Considering Catholicism
Podcast News: Friday Deep Dives! (#217)
Last week, two things happened on this podcast: we passed 100,000 total downloads and we wrapped up a 10-week Bible study of Genesis on Fridays. So, to start…
- Considering Catholicism
Catholicism Meets Modernity (#216)
For 1600+ years, the Catholic Church took the gospel to the ends of the earth. But eventually, revolutionary changes in Europe and the Americas (the Protestant…
- Considering Catholicism
How Catholicism Overcame Paganism (#215)
Christianity was born in a pagan world. At first, it was an oppressed sect but it came to overcome the religions of Greece and Rome, the Celtic and Germanic…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 10: Into Egypt (#214)
The sons of Israel lie to their father and sell their brother Joseph into slavery in Egypt. But the Lord takes what they intend for evil and lays the…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Is It So Hard to Join the Catholic Church? (#213)
A listener asked why entering the Catholic Church is so much more complex than joining a nondenominational church. Greg and Ed discuss what entering the Church…
- Considering Catholicism
Do "Good Works" Get Us to Heaven? (#212)
Protestants like to say that Catholicism is a religion of merit that teaches we are saved by our own good works. Is that true? Greg and Ed discuss how…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 9: Wrestling with God (#211)
What's the origin of the word "Israel?" In Hebrew, it means "wrestles with God." Why was this the name of Jewish nation, both ancient and modern? Because the…
- Considering Catholicism
The "Vision Thing" (#210)
Greg knows a Catholic priest who was criticized for not having a "vision." Greg and Ed discuss how destructive the "vision thing" has been in the evangelical…
- Considering Catholicism
Are Catholics "Born Again?" (#209)
Evangelical and Pentecostal Protestants say that salvation begins with being "born again" or "born again in the Spirit." They also say that the Catholic Church…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis Part 8,: A Father's Faith (#208)
Abraham chose to believe God's promise for innumerable number of descendants, despite the circumstances of his life. And then God tested his faith through the…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Didn't I Choose Eastern Orthodoxy? (#207)
Many listeners that are considering Catholicism ask Greg about whether they should consider Eastern Orthodoxy. In this second of two episodes, Greg and Cory…
- Considering Catholicism
What is "Eastern Orthodoxy?" (#206)
The Orthodox churches of the East are the "other half" of the ancient Church founded by Jesus' apostles. They have been separated from the Roman Catholic…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 7: The Patriarch (#205)
The Lord called a man to leave his country and travel to a distant land. He gave that land to this man and his descendants, and promised that one day they…
- Considering Catholicism
From the Vault: Easter and "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" (#204)
As we reflect on the joy of Easter, Greg and Cory recall one of the most profound and revolutionary works of Catholic literature, St. Francis of Assisi's…
- Considering Catholicism
From the Vault: Easter in a World Gone Trans? (#203)
This was the 13th episode of Considering Catholicism, back in 2022. Since then, the challenges to a biblical and Catholic understanding of the human person and…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 6: The Nations (#202)
In Genesis chapter 11, the story widens to encompass the peoples, tribes, nations, and languages that make up human history. And we begin to understand that…
- Considering Catholicism
Resistance and Rejection on the Road to Rome (#201)
A 19-year old listener named "Kate" has been investigating and considering Catholicism. But she is facing harsh resistance and rejection from her Protestant…
- Considering Catholicism
Did Jesus Establish the Catholic Church? (#200)
A 19-year old listener named "Kate" has been investigating and considering Catholicism. But as she discusses and debates with her Protestant friends and…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 5: Noah's Ark (#199)
Almost everyone has heard of Noah's Ark, usually in Sunday School or children's bibles. But it's a very adult story that looks back to the Fall, establishes…
- Considering Catholicism
Warrior Monks?! (#198)
A young listener named Caiden wrote in to ask about the medieval Catholic religious military orders (like the Knights Templar) that fought in the Crusades. In…
- Considering Catholicism
Those Who Work, Those Who Fight, and Those Who Pray (#197)
A listener asked about the medieval military religious orders; Catholic warrior monks like the Knights Templar that fought in the Crusades. To answer the…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 4: The Kids Are Not Alright (#196)
In Genesis 4, we see Adam and Eve, exiled from Eden. They begin their family, the human family, by having two boys, Cain and Abel. And the first death in human…
- Considering Catholicism
Why is Catholicism Hierarchical? (#195)
Our culture says that it values equality and democracy, but is really obsessed with functionality and power structures. Catholicism, on the other hand…
- Considering Catholicism
From Satanism to Catholicism (#194)
A listener wrote in to share her journey from Wicca to full-blown Satanism, under the patronage of demons, to Catholicism, to entering the Church through the…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 3: The Fall of Man (#193)
In Genesis 3, we learn how mankind fell from grace when Adam and Eve, tempted by the serpent, disobeyed God and ate fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of…
- Considering Catholicism
Mysteries of the Faith, Part 2 (#192)
Before 1517, Christians imagined the universe as "enchanted," full of mystery, wonder, and awe. But the Protestant Reformation reduced Christianity to Bible…
- Considering Catholicism
Mysteries of the Faith, Part 1 (#191)
Why is Catholicism more "mystical" in character and practice than Protestantism or Evangelicalism? And why does the Catholic Church refer to the sacraments as…
- Considering Catholicism
Bible Study of Genesis, Part 2: In God's Image (#190)
Genesis chapter 2 tells the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and Adam’s work. And we’ll see why mankind’s two genders, male and…