Considering Catholicism

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 Eucharistic Revival.

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).

Ed asks Greg if Catholics can lose their salvation once they join the Church (Part 2 of 3 about Salvation).

Greg and Ed compare Protestant anxiety about being saved to the comfort of Catholicism (Part 1 of 3 about Salvation).

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 Evangelicals.

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 launched a three-year "Eucharistic Revival." In this first episode in a regular feature on the Eucharist, Cory and I discuss the why, what, and how of this revival.

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 apostasy. In this installment of Book Club, Cory and I explore how the two novels are mirror images that explore the same theme with inverted characters and plots.

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?

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 doctrines, to megachurch pastors, to why Pope Francis seems to meddle in politics, and whether papal infallibility means he can tell me who will win the Super Bowl.

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.

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 converts to Catholicism have cited it as an important step on their Road to Rome--including Cory and I. In this installment of Book Club, we share why.

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."

My Protestant friend Ed finally got around to asking me about the biggest problem that Protestants have with Catholicism: the Virgin Mary.

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.

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. (Episodes 26-27.)

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.

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.

Greg's Protestant friend Ed brings up all the arguments that he's heard that Catholicism isn't real Christianity.

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.

What makes cathedrals special? And how do they fit into the life of the Catholic Church?

Is Catholic devotion to the saints pagan idolatry? Greg and his Protestant friend Ed talk about the saints.

Greg and his Protestant friend Ed talk about the sacrament of confession and reconciliation.

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 culture to the people of North America.

This second installment in the Worldviews series examines a "nice" God whose primary purpose is to make you happy, on your terms.

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 conversation between Ed and Audrey, they talk about volunteers, expectations, and generations. For the first part of the conversation, see Episode 17 in the podcast library.