The Cordial Catholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with Dr. Stacy Trasancos about the supposed conflict between faith and science. Dr. Trasancos, a PhD chemist with a degree in dogmatic theology, is the author of Particles of Faith and a sought after speaker on the intersection of Catholicism and science. We discuss how science points towards a creator, how and why we need to be careful with r...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with author Rod Bennett about the origins of the Bible. We dig deep – way deep – into the history of the Biblical canon. Why are some books in Catholic Bibles and not in those read by Protestants? How did those decisions get made? What role did the Early Church and the Pope play in these important decisions.  We also wrestle with the question...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by apologist, speaker, and author Dr. Douglas Beaumont to give us a crash course in apologetics. With his trademark insight, Dr. Beaumont discusses how we can share proofs and evidence for God with everyone from Atheists to Anabaptists and everyone in between. He provides insights and some of his favourite theological, philosophical...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by the incredible Marcus Grodi, host of The Journey Home on EWTN and the Founder/President of The Coming Home Network International , an apostolate which supports non-Catholics finding their way into the Catholic Church. Marcus shares his own conversion story and the founding of The Journey Home and The Coming Home Network. Then, Ma...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by Catholic Answers apologist extraordinaire and author Trent Horn to discuss finding the real Jesus amongst the imposters. Was Jesus just a myth, a conglomeration of pagan myths and legends? Did he perform miracles? Are the gospel accounts reliable? Trent expertly tackles all of these questions and more. Plus, we dig into Trent&apo...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by the incredible Dr. Abigail Favale to talk about feminism, gender identity, and the Catholic Church. Abigail has written a number of fantastic articles at the Church Life Journal on these very topics and unpacks them here, for us, brilliantly. We tackle the ideas of masculinity and femininity as expressed by Pope St. John Paul II,...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by Catholic Answers Senior Apologist Jimmy Akin to talk about how to understand authority and the Catholic Church. We discuss the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Bible, papal infallibility, theology, doctrine, and dogma, and how best to understand what the Church teaches on any given topic. It's a fantastic epi...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by Dr. Robert Delfino, author of Does God Exist: A Socratic Dialogue about the Five Ways of Thomas Aquinas . We dig deep into who St. Thomas Aquinas was, his importance to the Catholic Church, Christianity, and philosophy in general. We discuss the apparent rift between science and religion – what would Aquinas say? And we dive deep...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by the one and only Dr. Lawrence Feingold philosopher, theologian, and author to talk about typology and how the Catholic Church was prefigured in the Old Testament. This is absolutely an episode for the record books as Dr. Feingold takes us deep into biblical typology which begins, we learn, through looking at how Jesus Himself use...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by Steve Weidenkopf, author and lecturer in History at the Christendom College Graduate School of Theology, to talk about the Protestant Reformation. Was it truly a reformation of the Christian Church or a revolution? Was the Catholic Church in need of reform? And what did the Reformers actually intend? For more from Steve, visit hi...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I talk to Steve Ray, author, speaker, and Catholic evangelist about the Eucharist. Is it a sign and symbol like Protestants say that it is, or something more? What did the Early Church believe? We unpack Steve's conversion story to find out how a Bible-believing Baptist of 30 years could ever become a Catholic–and the central role of the Eucha...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by theologian and scripture scholar Dr. Michael P. Barber to talk about the Catholic view of salvation. Dr. Barber's new book Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know was an instant bestseller and it's no surprise. Dr. Barber talks passionately, enthusiastically, and with an intense clarity about how Catholics should und...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by Dr. James Tonkowich, popular commentator on religion in the public square and a convert to Catholicism to share his essay, "How to Not Become Catholic in 9 Easy Steps."  In aplum and charity, Dr. Tonkowich unpacks his own journey as a Presbyterian pastor into the Catholic Church and shares 9 "rules" to follow...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I'm joined by Dr. Cheryl White, a historian with 30 years of experience studying the incredible Shroud of Turin – the supposed burial cloth of Jesus! Dr. White unpacks the incredible history and origins of the Shroud, it's seemingly miraculous qualities, and the unbelievable amount of scientific research which has gone into making the Shr...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I speak talk to JonMarc Grodi from the Coming Home Network International about the role that saints can play in the life of a Christian. JonMarc unpacks the role of saints as examples of God's grace and holiness, how we can have real relationships with saints, and gives an incredible analogy of what worship is not . We tackle some common Prote...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast , I speak with Derya Little. Derya grew up in as a Muslim in Turkey. After a life-shattering experience she became an avowed Atheist but through a series of personal encounters and a powerful mystical experience, she found her way into Christianity and ultimately into the Catholic Church.  She shares her incredible story with us, and provides some he...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with author Rod Bennett on the idea of the "great apostasy." Did the Church that Jesus founded fall away from the true faith he taught and into a "great apostasy"? Did the ancient Church become corrupt when it mixed with politics? Did pagan rituals creep in and distort the simple faith that Jesus began?  Did the church lose...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk with Dr. Randal Rauser, evangelical theologian and apologist about how to dialogue with non-believers. Do we approach atheists differently than agnostics? What about the "nones" and the "dones" – those non-believers who either used to believe or have never been exposed to religion at all.  Dr. Rauser is easily one of the mo...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk to Ken Hensley, a former Baptist pastor and an adjunct professor of Biblical studies, about the idea of Sola Scriptura – the "Bible alone" approach to Christianity. Is the Bible what Jesus left us to help guide us in our Christian faith? Can we each read and interpret the Bible correctly for ourselves? Did the authors of the New Test...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast I talk to Dr. Douglas Beaumont, author of Evangelical Exodus, about how and why evangelicals become Catholic.  We touch on the idea of paradigm shifts, proof-texting from the Church Fathers, and Flat Earth Theory. It's a great episode. For more from Dr. Beaumont visit his website , where you can also buy his book. I highly recommend it. We also...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast we tackle six of the myths that pop up every year about Easter. Is the origin of Easter pagan? Does the name come from a Mesopotamian  or Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility? Are Easter eggs a symbol of spring and fertility? And, more seriously, what about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? Can the history of this narrative be trusted? For more...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast we talk about the nature of the Christian Church. Did Jesus intend it to be an invisible collection of believers? Is this how the Early Church understood itself? Is this how the whole of the Christian Church understood itself to be for the first 1,500 years of church history? Spoiler alert: the answer is, no. Instead, I argue, the Church always thoug...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic Podcast we talk about how my journey from being a non-denominational Christian into the Catholic Church began when a pastor friend of mine asked me a probing question about Scripture and Tradition. Which is more important, Scripture or Tradition? The question led me to uncover the roots of the New Testament canon and the authority of the Early Church which p...