The Cordial Catholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Catholic convert Keith Nester, author of The Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church to talk about what it's like to be Catholic in your very first year in the Church. Keith is a popular YouTuber and a former Protestant pastor, working in ministry for over 22 years before finally deciding to become C...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, a Catholic convert with an incredible story to tell! Fr. Lawrence grew up in a Bible-based church with nothing but a Scripture verse on the wall but a deep understanding and appreciation for the Bible. When he encountered his first Catholic Mass he immediately recognized the biblical roots – the Book of Revelation,...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Dr. John Bergsma to talk about the Old Testament Roots of the Catholic priesthood. Dr. Bergsma is a Professor of Theology at The Franciscan University of Steubenville, a renown Biblical scholar, a former Protestant pastor, and a convert to the Catholic faith. In this episode,  Dr. Bergsma takes us all the way back to Adam in the Garden o...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Catholic convert and Benedictine monk Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB, to unpack St. Joseph. Who exactly is St. Joseph? What can his life and his silent testament to his son, Christ, teach just today. We dig deeply into the incredible example of St. Joseph and how, in spite of not speaking a recorded word in the Gospels, can teach us how to live...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by the incredible Suan Sonna to make the biblical case for the papacy. In other words, where's the pope in the Bible? Over our hour-long conversation, Suan shares some incredible biblical insights into exactly what Jesus was doing when He made Peter the "rock," what he intended, and how we know. It's an incredibly in-dep...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by one of our most popular guests Dr. Douglas Beaumont. Doug is a convert to the Catholic faith. As a fervent Evangelical, Doug chose one of the top apologetics schools, Southern Evangelical Seminary, in order to deepen his faith and learn how to evangelize and share the Evangelical Christian faith. Doug did his Master's degree there a...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Michael Lofton from the popular YouTube channel and podcast Reason and Theology to discuss his fascinating conversion story. Raised nominally Christian, and then Jewish, and then as a devout Evangelical, Michael looked into Anglicanism, Orthodoxy, and Catholicism and had experiences in all of these Christian traditions. Ultimately, it wa...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Catholic Answers Live host and author Cy Kellett... and what a great time we had! Cy's the author of a brand new book from Catholic Answers Press called A Teacher of Strange Things . This "foot in the door" introduction to Jesus in fantastic, profound, and uniquely Catholic. And in this episode we unpack all of that. Think...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to unpack his own incredible story as a convert to the Catholic faith. Marked by tragedy and the amazing and miraculous work of the Holy Spirit Jimmy's story is truly unique – and not to be missed. In this conversation we dive deep into some of the issues  the prompted Jimmy to look deepe...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby to talk about Catholicism as a relationship between us and Jesus or as a religion. In his new book, Fr. Kirby clearly comes down on the side of religion and explains what *real* religion demands of us, and what rewards we're bound to receive as a result! It's a great conversation to help understand what drives...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Catholic convert Kenny Burchard. Kenny spent 33 years as an Charismatic, Evangelical Christian, more than twenty of those in full-time ministry, including planting and pastoring churches, before becoming Catholic in dramatic fashion! In this fantastic discussion we unpack the call Kenny heard to become Catholic, what drew him in, and wha...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Catholic convert and author Father Sebastian Walshe. Fr. Walshe has degrees in theology, philosophy, and is currently the Norbertine Canon of the Abbey of St. Michael in the Diocese of Orange, California where he also teaches philosophy. In this episode, Fr. Walshe draws on his experiences in pastoral care, his experience as a convert, a...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Dr. Kenneth Howell to talk about the Eucharist in the Early Church. Dr. Howell has doctorates in Linguistics and Church History, was a Protestant pastor and seminary professor, and is a convert to the Catholic faith. In this episode he tells his fascinating conversion story and how the Eucharist played a key role. Then, we dig deep into...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by Dr. Richard DeClue, Cardinal Henri de Lubac Fellow of Theology at the Word on Fire Institute to talk about the Second Vatican Council. What did Vatican II really say? What did it set out to accomplish? Did it ruin the Liturgy? The life of the Church? And how can we, as faithful Catholics, learn to evangelize in the true spirit of Vatican...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by philosopher and Catholic convert Dr. Robert Koons to talk about his incredible conversion from Lutheranism into the Catholic Church. When faced with the question of which Church was founded by Christ – and where he belonged – Dr. Koons, who traces his Lutheran history right back to the Reformation, applied philosophical principles to try...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by William Albrecht and Father Christiaan Kappes to discuss the history of transubstantiation in the Bible. As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist – the elements of the Lord's Supper – actually becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ during the Mass but is there evidence that this is true from the Bible and the Early Ch...

In this episode, I'm joined by Catholic historian Steve Weidenkopf to talk about the Middle Ages. What was it really like to be a Christian in medieval times? What about the Crusades? The Inquisition? The political scandals wracking the Church? We dig deep into a largely misunderstood period of time to mine for the truth of Christian history and to correctly interpret the events in light of p...

In this episode I'm joined by Dr. Michael Pakaluk to talk about his fantastic new commentary on the Gospel of John and how we can, and should, hear Mary's voice in the writings and recollections of John. It's a really interesting story which highlights the importance of Mary. As a Catholic convert, Dr. Pakaluk discusses John 6, the Eucharistic Discourse, the Wedding Supper at Cana,...

In this episode, I'm joined by fellow Catholic convert, author, and biblical theologian Dr. Scott Hahn from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology to talk about the Eucharist. In this discussion, we climb the summit from an Evangelical understanding of Communion as merely symbol up to the Catholic view of the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ. We discuss the transformative power and...

In this episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about what Catholics really believe about purgatory – one of the most misunderstood Catholic beliefs. We dig into purgatory in the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Early Church, and the logical case of why purgatory must exist in the plan of salvation.  For more from Karlo visit his website ....

In this 100th episode of the podcast, we've opened up the lines for past guests, patrons, and friends of the show to tell us why they love being Catholic. It's a special celebration of our Catholic faith – and one you don't want to miss! Listen to guests like Dr. John Bergsma, Steve Ray, Sonja Corbitt, Joe Heschmeyer, Bishop Thomas Dowd, Jimmy Akin, and many more talk about what the...

In this episode, I'm joined by Reformation scholar and historian Dr. Brad Gregory to talk about the Reformation and its unintended consequences – a fantastic discussion! We discuss what Christianity was like during the Middle Ages, leading up to the Reformation, what the Reformers intended with their actions and, maybe most importantly, what the lasting consequences have been of the Protestan...

In our second  crossover episode, I'm joined by Austin Suggs from Gospel Simplicity as we host an incredible conversation with Joe Heschmeyer and Dr. Gavin Ortlund on the papacy: The Pope. Did Christ intend to establish a Church with the Pope at its head? What do we find in the Early Church Fathers? Did the first Christians believe in a Pope? Is  it clear from the Bible? Tradition? These ques...

In this episode of the podcast I'm joined by Early Church expert, author, and popular speaker Mike Aquilina to talk about Mary's role in the Early Church and in the history of Christianity. From what the Old Testament says about Mary, to her role in the New Testament, to how she was understood by the very Early Christians and how her role helped to shape our Christology – and more! For m...

In this episode I'm joined by Michael Lofton from Reason and Theology to talk about the Magisterium, the teaching office of the Catholic Church. We talk about where the Catholic Church's authority comes from, how it traces and understands it, and the incredible, fundamental differences between how Catholic's understand their faith and how it's understood by Protestant Christian...