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
Christ the King (#76)
On the last Sunday before the season of Advent begins, the Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King. Greg and Cory talk about where this celebration came…
- Considering Catholicism
Cracking The Protestant Worldview (#67)
Greg and Cory discuss the "Five Solas," the framework that supports the Protestant worldview and keeps Catholicism at a distance…and how cracks can form in…
- Considering Catholicism
Book Club: ”Voyage to Alpha Centauri” (#70)
In this installment of Book Club, Greg and Cory discuss a novel by Michael O'Brien which, while in the science fiction genre, is a profoundly Catholic story…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Do Catholics Keep Relics of the Saints? (#43)
For Protestants and other non-Catholics, relics are one of, if not the, weirdest things about Catholicism. Why do Catholics have and treasure relics -- bits of…
- Considering Catholicism
Holy Water? Statues? Candles? Weird? Nope! Sacramentals. (#48)
Greg and Cory discuss "sacramentals" (not sacraments), objects and devotional practice which have been blessed by the Church.
- Considering Catholicism
What Happens When We Die? (#69)
Ed asks Greg what Catholicism believes happens to us when we die. Greg explains the "Four Last Things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell." And that we must…
- Considering Catholicism
Diary of a Young Priest (#73)
Father Noah Thelan is a new, young Catholic priest. Greg asks him about why and how he became a priest, what it means to him, and what he hopes to accomplish…
- Considering Catholicism
Book Club: The Rise of the Antichrist and the World’s Last Day (#65)
In this Book Club episode, Greg and Cory discuss Robert Hugh Benson's 1907 novel Lord of the World, which has been strongly recommended by the last two popes…
- Considering Catholicism
The Communion of the Saints (#66)
On the fall equinox, Greg and Ed venture into deep, piney woods and discuss the present and future hope represented by "the Communion of the Saints."
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How Are Catholic Priests Trained? (#72)
Greg asks Father John Kartje, the Rector/President of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake and Mundelein Seminary, about what a Catholic priest is, how…
- Considering Catholicism
Families, Children, and the Law (#68)
Paul Kraus, a prosecutor who has spent his career working with family and child abuse cases and is now running to become a family court judge, talks about what…
- Considering Catholicism
Teaching a Protestant to Pray the Rosary (#60)
Ed the Protestant has never held or owned a rosary, much less prayed it. So Greg teaches him how.
- Considering Catholicism
Explaining the Rosary to a Protestant (#59)
Ed is curious about the Rosary, and Greg explains where it came from, its purpose, and why Catholics pray it.
- Considering Catholicism
The Hail Mary Prayer (#34)
I had to overcome my Protestant fear of the Hail Mary, but once I did, I realized that it isn't really about Mary at all.
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To Jesus Through Mary (#58)
Ed was deeply moved by Greg's explanation of the significance of the Blessed Virgin Mary back in Episode #29, and wrote an article about how it impacted him…
- Considering Catholicism
The One Great Thing to Love on Earth: The Blessed Sacrament (#64)
J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, in a letter to his son, said, "Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one…
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Why Do Protestants Reject the Catholic Eucharist? (#63)
Protestant theology flat-out rejects Catholic Eucharist doctrines. Why? And how should Catholics respond to the objections of their Protestant friends and…
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The Eucharist and the Miracle of Holy Communion (#57)
In our ongoing series on the Eucharist, Greg and Cory explore why the Eucharist is also called "Holy Communion," and why that communion is a miracle, not just…
- Considering Catholicism
”Fight Like Heaven!” (#62)
In November, Michigan voters will face a decision. "Proposal 3" would permanently amend the state constitution by enshrining the most extreme pro-abortion laws…
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The Real Presence in the Eucharist: Transubstantiation (#56)
In a series of ongoing conversations about the miracles of the mass and the Eucharist, Greg and Cory try to explain exactly what the Church teaches about the…
- Considering Catholicism
The Miracle of Consecration (#55)
In this ongoing series on the Eucharist, Greg and Cory talk about miracles, how the priest acts in the person of Christ, and the invocation of the Holy Spirit…
- Considering Catholicism
The Eucharist and the Metaphysics of the Mass (#54)
Every Catholic mass is nothing short of a miracle. As part of our series on the Eucharist, Greg and Cory discuss how the field of "metaphysics" helps us to…
- Considering Catholicism
The Eucharist, Scripture, and Suppers (#53)
The whole Old Testament points towards the Gospel, and so it is full of hints, clues, and foreshadows of the Eucharist. Part of the series of episodes on the…
- Considering Catholicism
Practical Benefits of the Catholic Life (#51)
Ed asks Greg, "If I become Catholic, how will it make my life better in the here and now?" (Part 3 of 3 about Salvation).
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Can We Lose Our Salvation? (#50)
Ed asks Greg if Catholics can lose their salvation once they join the Church (Part 2 of 3 about Salvation).
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Protestant Anxiety vs. Catholic Comfort (#49)
Greg and Ed compare Protestant anxiety about being saved to the comfort of Catholicism (Part 1 of 3 about Salvation).
- Considering Catholicism
Why Is the Eucharist So Important to Catholics? (#44)
In the first of a series of lessons on the Eucharist, Greg explains why it's such big deal to Catholics when it's only a medium-sized deal to Protestant…
- Considering Catholicism
Making the Eucharist Matter Again (#40)
The bishops of America are deeply concerned that too few Catholics understand, believe in, or take the Eucharist in a "coherent" way. And so, they have…
- Considering Catholicism
Book Club: A Tale of Two Priests (#41)
Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory and Shusaku Endo's Silence both tell the story of a persecuted Catholic priest forced to choose between martyrdom and…
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What Does it Mean to ”Be Catholic?” (#42)
Who is, or isn't, "Catholic?" What do you have to believe or do to "be Catholic?" What about people who don't or won't do those things? Are they still Catholic?
- Considering Catholicism
More Protestant Questions About the Pope: Can He Just Make Stuff Up? (#39)
In Episode 32, I answered Ed's question, "Why do Catholics have a pope?" But we kept going, and covered the everything from whether the pope can make up new…
- Considering Catholicism
A Protestant Asks, ”Why Do Catholics Have a Pope?” (#38)
Ed asked why Catholics have a pope, which seems crazy to them. I gave him an answer that most "cradle Catholics" wouldn't typically give.
- Considering Catholicism
Book Club: Is ’The Lord of the Rings’ the Greatest Catholic Story of the 20th Century? (#37)
Some argue that the novels of JRR Tolkien, particularly his 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, are the greatest Catholic novels of the 20th Century. Generations of…
- Considering Catholicism
Welcome to ”Book Club!” What Makes a Story ”Catholic?” (#36)
We're launching a new recurring feature on the podcast: "Book Club." In this first installment, Cory and I talk about what, exactly, makes a story "Catholic."
- Considering Catholicism
A Protestant Asks About the Virgin Mary (#35)
My Protestant friend Ed finally got around to asking me about the biggest problem that Protestants have with Catholicism: the Virgin Mary.
- Considering Catholicism
A Culture of Life? Or a Culture of Death? (#33)
I was asked to speak at a conference just a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the Dobbs decision. Here's what I said.
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What Happened to Catholicism in America Over the Last 50 Years? Part 2 (#32)
Part 2 of a two-part episode exploring how and why the Catholic Church in America has shrunk and Catholicism has lost influence over the last half century…
- Considering Catholicism
July 2022 Update (#31)
It's been exactly 30 days since the last episode released. An update on what's been going on, what's happening, and what's ahead for Considering Catholicism.
- Considering Catholicism
What Happened to Catholicism in America Over the Last 50 Years? Part 1 (#30)
Over the last half century, the Catholic Church in America has shrunk and Catholicism has lost influence. Why? Part 1 of a two-part episode.
- Considering Catholicism
Are Catholics Really Christians? (#29)
Greg's Protestant friend Ed brings up all the arguments that he's heard that Catholicism isn't real Christianity.
- Considering Catholicism
Worldviews: Plastic Modernity (#28)
This installment of the Worldviews series asks whether we can make our lives, and our world, anything we want it to be through the power of technology.
- Considering Catholicism
Why Do Catholics Have Cathedrals? (#27)
What makes cathedrals special? And how do they fit into the life of the Catholic Church?
- Considering Catholicism
Explaining the Saints to a Protestant (#26)
Is Catholic devotion to the saints pagan idolatry? Greg and his Protestant friend Ed talk about the saints.
- Considering Catholicism
Explaining Confession to a Protestant (#25)
Greg and his Protestant friend Ed talk about the sacrament of confession and reconciliation.
- Considering Catholicism
From Belize to Michigan to New York City (#24)
A conversation with the new president of the Paulist Fathers, Father René Constanza, about his journey of faith and the Paulist mission of evangelization and…
- Considering Catholicism
Worldviews: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (#23)
This second installment in the Worldviews series examines a "nice" God whose primary purpose is to make you happy, on your terms.
- Considering Catholicism
Church Music: Catholic vs. Protestant, Part 2 (#22)
What are some of the practical challenges that church musicians face when planning and leading worship in their congregations? In this second part of the…
- Considering Catholicism
Church Music: Catholic vs. Protestant, Part 1 (#21)
How and why is the music different in Catholic and Protestant churches? Part 1 of a conversation with two experienced professionals, one from each tradition…
- Considering Catholicism
Worldviews: Marxism (#18)
A new feature on the podcast, "Worldviews" will explore the major competitors to the Catholic Christian worldview. This first installment explains why Marxism…
- Considering Catholicism
Why Would a Teenager Convert to Catholicism? (#20)
Meet Devin Jenkins, an 18 year-old high school senior who discovered, considered, and converted to Catholicism. He shares why, and what the Church should do to…
- Considering Catholicism
”Dear Disinformation Governance Board...” (#19)
My open letter to Nina Jankowicz, director of the new Disinformation Governance Board in the Department of Homeland Security.
- Considering Catholicism
A Protestant Reacts to His First Mass (#17)
I finally took my Protestant friend Ed to his first Catholic mass. Afterward, over tacos, he shared his impressions.
- Considering Catholicism
Explaining the Catholic Mass to a Protestant, Part 2 (#15)
Part 2 of explaining the mass to my Protestant friend Ed before he experiences it for the first time at the cathedral.
- Considering Catholicism
Movie Review of ”Father Stu” (#16)
There's a new movie out for Easter 2022: "Father Stu." It's the true story of a very unusual Catholic priest. I took my Protestant friend Ed to see it. Here's…
- Considering Catholicism
Explaining the Catholic Mass to a Protestant, Part 1 (#14)
Another Church Chat with my Protestant friend, Ed. He's agreed to come to a mass with me at the cathedral. But we got together first so I could prepare him by…
- Considering Catholicism
Easter in a World Gone Trans? (#13)
Easter is heart of the Christian message. Transgender ideology is in the news every single day. Can these two concepts be reconciled?
- Considering Catholicism
A Protestant Asks, ”Are Catholics Trying to Earn Their Way Into Heaven?” (#12)
My Protestant friend Ed and I talk about the difference between salvation and sanctification, and how our Catholic good works aren't intended to save us, but…
- Considering Catholicism
The Courageous Calling of Catholic Parents (#11)
I sat down with a member of the millennial generation, Cory Lakatos, to talk about the vocation of Catholic parenthood in 21st century America, and the…
- Considering Catholicism
Field Trip to Detroit (#10)
In March 2022, podcast host Greg will be leading a field trip to Catholic holy sites in Detroit (through the Lakeshore Academy for the New Evangelization)…
- Considering Catholicism
Answering Protestant Questions (#9)
The second "Church Chat with Greg and Ed" explores Protestant vs. Catholic prayer, the sacraments as means of grace, confession, Purgatory, and whether "Love…