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 l…

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 his…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Gerard Figurelli, a former pastor, radio host, apologist, and a student under some of the very best Evangelical minds in North America, to tell his incredible story of his return – his reconciliation – with Rome. Raised Catholic, Gerard received all of the sacraments but never really felt conne…

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 tw…

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 episo…

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 so…

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'…

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 be…

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…

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 …

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by former White House speaker writer, New York Times #1 best-selling author, Bible scholar, historian, and Catholic convert Joshua Charles to talk about his simply incredible conversion story. A lifelong Protestant, Joshua was steeped in Scripture from an early age, collecting study Bibles as soon…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist extraordinaire Joe Heschmeyer to talk about a topic that we get lots of questions about on this show: Calvinism. What does the Catholic Church have to say about this Reformation-era idea? What's the Catholic view of it? What's the Catholic response to it? And how can …

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the very cordial John Martignoni, an author, speaker, long-time radio host, and the founder and president of the Bible Christian Society to mine some of the questions that Protestantism – that I, as a Protestant Evangelical Christian – had the hardest time answering. These are questions like th…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert and author Shaun McAfee to talk about the wonderful, wild, and sometimes downright weird world of Catholic sacramentals. What is a sacramental? Why does the Church think they may be helpful in our faith journeys? What do they do? What don't they do? What are some common misconc…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Talia Kruze, a wife, mother, mental health coach, and a convert to the Catholic faith to talk about her absolutely incredible journey of conversion to the Catholic faith. The theme throughout Talia's journey is the effect of good Catholic witnesses. Beginning when her own sister converted to Ca…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my new friend Phillip Campbell, a Catholic convert from charismatic, evangelical Christianity, to talk about his truly remarkable faith journey. Raised nominally Catholic Phillip never went to Mass or received any of the sacraments but found Jesus through the evangelization of some close friend…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by podcaster, writer, and speaker John Edwards to share what I think is the most incredible conversion story ever. John breaks the record previously held by the wonderful Tsh Oxenreider as he speaks for a full hour unpacking his whirlwind conversion story: through a crippling drug addiction, succe…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Bishop Athanasius Schneider to talk about what new Catholics, non-Catholic Christians, and even Catholics who have been around the faith for a long time can, and should, make of the current state of affairs in the Catholic Church. How to thrive and live faithfully, following Christ, when it see…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Joe Goodwin. Joe was an evangelical seminarian, worship leader, and a Catholic convert. Since his conversion, Joe's gone on to work in campus ministry for a number of years and is currently the Executive Director of Canadian Priests for the Third Millennium, a group working to meet th…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Matthew J. Thomas to talk about justification, salvation, and whether or not Evangelicals and Catholics can agree on how we're saved. This is a wonderful topic and one of the bread-and-butter type conversations on this podcast: unpacking what both Catholics and Evangelicals believe about ho…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert, author, speaker, and, of course, Catholic priest Father Ken Geraci, CPM to talk about the realm of spiritual warfare and the uniquely Catholic tools we have to combat sin, Satan, and the demonic. Father Ken is a truly wonderful priest – with a great conversion story! – and is …

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Samuel Klumpenhouwer, an expert in Medieval Catholicism, to talk about the day-to-day realities of what it was like for Catholics in the Middle Ages? Did the Catholic Church really keep the Bible out of the hands of average Catholics? Was doctrine, dogma, and theology out of touch with Scri…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, podcaster, and Catholic convert Tsh Oxenreider to talk, first of all, about how the liturgies like those surrounding Advent drew her and her family deeper into the traditions and practices of Catholicism. And then about how each of us can deepen our own walk towards Christmas through em…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Taylor Schroll from Forte Catholic, among other things, to talk about what's wrong (and what's right?) about the official process for converting to Catholicism. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.) is a long-standing, historical process of initiating non-Catholics in…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend and fellow Catholic convert Brantley Rutz to share the story of his conversion. Brantley is a wonderful guy. A "dyed-in-the-wool" Protestant who even named one of his children after a famous Baptist preacher – yes, he was that serious of a Protestant. It wasn't until Brantley and his …

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Adam Blai, an expert on exorcism out of the Diocese of Pittsburg. Adam has witnessed hundreds of solemn exorcisms, written several fine books on the topic, and helps to train exorcists in his official capacity in his diocese and also all over the world. In this episode we talk about the nuts an…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Gilbert Lavoie, MD to talk about the incredible Shroud of Turin. Dr. Lavoie, a medical doctor who has undertaken a more than 40 year forensic study of the Shroud, shares his incredible insights on what is supposedly the burial cloth of Jesus, venerated by Christians for 2,000 years. Dr. Lav…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the remarkable Sister Mary Ann Fatula, O.P. to talk about non-Catholic Christians who were converted, and then became saints, through the witness of the Eucharist and the Real Presence of Christ at Mass. These are some incredible stories of how real people encountered the theology of the Cathol…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, speaker, and star of the Word on Fire show, Rachel Bulman. Rachel joins me to talk about Catholic relationships, marriage, and how to understand and approach these from the perspective of the rich teachings of the Catholic Church, as understood through the lens of a convert to Catholici…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist extraordinaire Joe Heschmeyer to talk about Jesus and the Eucharist. Together we unpack the history of the Eucharist from the Early Church to today, what we mean by "real presence" and how the very first Christians understood this, the Eucharist in light of the Old an…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Andrew and Sarah Swafford to talk about the idea of virtue and how to have meaningful Catholic relationships at all stages of life. Dr. Andrew Swafford and his wife Sarah are the authors of Gift and Grit: How Herotic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships our from Ascension Press. Sarah,…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend Robert LeBlanc, co-host of the Pints and Pews Podcast, author, speaker, Catholic educator, and lay leader in his parish community to chat through some of the most frequently asked questions that we hear about Catholicism. I asked listeners, viewers, and some discerning non-Cathol…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend theologian, biblical scholar, and former Protestant pastor Dr. John Bergsma to talk about the roots of Catholicism which stretch back not only into the Old Testament with the Levitical Priesthood but the very beginning of the Old Testament itself in Genesis and the Garden of Eden. Dr.…

In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm happy to share a livestream I recorded with Keith from Grassroot Catholic and Keith Nester from Down to Earth Ministries. It was a chaotic mess but lots of fun and, I hope, worth listening to! For more from Keith check out Grassroot Catholic on Instagram and YouTube. You can find out more about K…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined once again by one of the Catholic Church's leading theologians (and one of my favourite guests) Dr. Lawrence Feingold to talk about the Eucharist. In this conversation, Dr. Feingold explains why, according to St. John Paul II, the Eucharist is the greatest gift God gave the Church; an enduring pre…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend historian, researcher, apologist, and author Gary Michuta to talk about his latest masterpiece The Gospel Truth and how the Catholic Church helps to prove the veracity of our accounts of Jesus in the Gospels. Gary, in typical fashion, approaches the question of the veracity of the Gos…

In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I join my good friend Suan Sonna on his YouTube channel Intellectual Catholicism to share some of my research on St. Jerome and the monepiscopate. The monepiscopate, or the monarchical episcopate, is the idea from the Early Church that one bishop was put in charge of a church, a city, or a diocese an…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my very good friend Austin Suggs, to share his perspectives on some of the best arguments for Catholicism. Austin is an Evangelical and the host of the extremely popular Gospel Simplicity YouTube channel where he's spoken with and learned from some of the best and brightest minds in Evangelical…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend, Catholic convert, historian, and author Rod Bennett to talk about how someone looking for a new church – especially our Evangelical friends – should go about it. Rod, a fellow convert, has some incredible perspectives on this question and talks about church unity (and shares som…

In this episode, I'm joined by Casey and Erin Phillips from the Bapticatholic Podcast to talk about their journeys out of their fervent Baptist roots into full communion with the Catholic Church. Strongly evangelical from the beginning of their journeys, Casey and Erin explain exactly what drew them to Catholicism – and it's an amazing story! From …

In this episode, I'm joined by Leeanne Thomas to talk about her amazing and seemingly unlikely journey into the Catholic Church. Raised in a small Mennonite town in Northern Canada Leeanne journeyed through Charismatic Christianity, into a deep love for theology and the liturgy, and finally onto a pathway to ordination into the Anglican priesthood …

In this episode, I'm joined by Renzo and Monica Ortega, podcasters, ministry leaders, authors and the couple behind the apostolate Two Become Family. We're breaking down exactly what the Catholic Church believes and teaches about marriage, family, and sexuality – and it's an amazing conversation. We tackle Natural Family Planning, contraception, th…

In this episode, I'm joined by Olivia Spears, mother, educator, and curriculum creator behind the incredible Into the Deep catechetical series to talk about raising authentic Catholic kids. This conversation, especially for new Catholic families just starting out, new converts, and those looking at the Catholic Church wondering where their family f…

In this episode, I'm joined by the wonderful Karen Edmisten, author, Mom, and surprised Catholic convert, Karen joins me this week to tell her amazing story from atheism into the Catholic Church. Raised without any religion at all Karen was surprised when she began to ask questions about the meaning of life – to encounter people who caused her to a…

In this episode, I'm joined by author, educator, and Catholic convert Lorelei Savaryn to talk about her incredible journey out of Evangelical Christianity into the Catholic Church. A passionate Evangelical, Lorelei and her husband began questioning the foundations of their faith when they encountered questions of "Once Saved, Always Saved," the exa…

In this episode, I'm joined by Father Daniel-Maria Klimek, T.O.R. to talk about Mary. Father Klimek has a fantastic new book all about this subject and we dig in deeply. From topics like Mary's role as the New Ark of the Covenant, her power of the demonic realm, her prayers on our behalf, and exactly how and why we can – and should – grow more deep…

In this episode, I'm joined by Casey Chalk, a Catholic convert/revert and author of The Obscurity of Scripture, to talk about one of the great big problems with the bedrock of Protestantism and the interpretation of Scripture. We're talking about the Protestant doctrine of the clarity of Scripture – the perspicuity of Scripture – or the idea that t…

In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester and his wife Estelle to talk about their Catholic journey. Keith and Estelle met as Keith was beginning his work as a Protestant pastor; work that would take up 22 years of life his. Estelle, raised Catholic but not practising, was happy to follow Keith into Evangelical Christianity, to get…

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, radio host, podcaster, and mother extraordinaire, the wonderful Katie Prejean McGrady, to talk about the ridiculous, terrible, and downright crappy ways Catholics can (and do) share the faith. Katie is an incredible human being and puts herself out there, on the radio and social media, …

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by The Miracle Hunter, Michael O'Neill, to share some of his fantastic insights and stories from years of gathering, cataloging, and investigating miracles around the world. Miracles, for me as an Evangelical Christian, were one of those things that challenged my paradigm – especially when it came…