The Cordial Catholic

In this episode, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester to talk about some of the pitfalls new Catholic converts may experience on their journey. Keith is a former Protestant pastor (with 20+ years in ministry), a Catholic convert himself, the author of some fantastic books, and the host of a popular YouTube channel – and he knows a thing or two about this topic! We talk about bad liturgy,...

In this episode, I'm joined by one of my favourite people to talk to Erick Ybarra. Erick is a former Reformed Baptist who became Anglican in his search for an authoritative, apostolic Church but didn't stop there. After carefully examining Catholic vs. Orthodox claims Erick eventually became Catholic – although continued his long and exhaustive search of Scriptures and Church History to...

In this episode, I'm joined by the show's most requested guest Keith from Grassroot Catholic. Keith has a popular Instagram and YouTube channel where he unpacks beautiful, sometimes forgotten practices from the Catholic faith, encourages reverence, and shares awesome insights as someone trying to earnestly live the Catholic life and pursuit Christ. Keith is an awesome guy – of course he...

In this episode, I'm joined by Patrick Callahan, Director of the Newman Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We talk about the Catholic experience on college campuses and dig into some of this wisdom Patrick's gleaned over years of working with Catholics on campus. We chat about how Catholics often come to college (inoculated against learning...

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Michael Foley, renown author, professor of theology, and one of the best storytellers out there to explain some of the incredibly weird and terribly wonderful Christian roots of our favourite Christmas traditions. Dr. Foley unpacks the dating of Christmas, the roots of Santa Claus, the incredibly weird world of "Mutant Christmas Saints," and much,...

In this episode, I'm joined by author, speaker, and all-around awesome guy Mike Pacer to talk about Advent. What is Advent? How can we best approach Advent? What are some Advent traditions, liturgies, and activities to try for single people and for families? Mike draws on the beautiful history of his Catholic upbringing to share some incredible insights into Advent specifically for new Cathol...

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Randall B. Smith, theologian, professor, and a Catholic convert himself, to talk about the wonderfully uplifting subject of death, dying, and the afterlife. Actually, we have a great time. Randall has some incredible insights in these areas and draws on history, experience, and the wisdom of the Church to help shape our understanding of how to think about, t...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Eddie Trask, host of the Catholic Re. Con. YouTube channel, to discuss his incredibly intense and interesting journey back to the Catholic Church as a "revert" to the faith. Eddie's story is a wild one with many ups and downs and a journey which led him, a baptized Catholic, into non-denominational Protestant Christianity w...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by one of our favourite guests of all time, Dr. Douglas Beaumont, to talk about Evangelical Christian conversions to Catholicism. Doug is a convert himself and a former student, then instructor, at Southern Evangelical Seminary where he worked, as a graduate student, under the late Evangelical theologian Dr. Norman Geisler. Dr. Beaumont tell...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Morgan K. Blair, an evangelical, episcopal convert to the Catholic faith. Morgan tells her story of what happened when an author she respected and followed and then a good friend of hers became Catholic and how it catapulted her into her own journey. Morgan explains how she met Catholics online who walked with her, how she left behind pro...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by speaker, author, and accomplished Catholic Answers apologist Karlo Broussard to talk about anticipating and responding to Protestant objections to Catholic ideas. It's all about knowing the Catholic faith and how to respond under pressure – and it's a great conversation. Karlo is a great guy and a perfect fit for the goal of thi...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, filmmaker, and Catholic convert Don Johnson to talk about his experience with Sola Scriptura – "Bible alone" Christianity – and how, he finds, it's not only utterly broken but utterly breaking the larger Christian church, the witness of Christianity, and the ability of Christians to stand up for Christian beliefs wi...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by YouTube sensation Mike Wilson from The Popish Plot to tell the incredible story of how an encounter with a well-meaning Evangelical Christian – and his pastor – led Mike to look deeper into his own Catholic faith, to double down on the ancient creeds, and to become serious about following the practice of his Catholic faith. It's an a...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Abigail Favale, one of the foremost Catholic thinkers on the topics of gender and sexuality, to give us the straight goods on what the Catholic Church believes about gender. We've tried our best to strip away ideology, prejudice, and commentary and dig into what we mean by gender, how it's understood by others, and what the...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Jack Morgan from the What Is Truth podcast, a non-denominational, evangelical convert to the Catholic faith who shares his journey – and his absolutely contagious excitement about being Catholic! We talk about the Old Testament studies, the Early Church, questioning authority, Mary, the Magisterium, and how an incredibly devout, reasonabl...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my good friend Keith Nester, a former Protestant pastor, to unpack the rosary. What exactly do we do when we're praying the rosary? How do we pray it more fruitfully and more authentically? How can we avoid the trap of "vain repetition" that Protestants often accuse Catholics of. And more. Keith explains how the rosary is a...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Levi Sikes, the musical genius behind Former Ruins , to talk about his journey into Catholicism. What drew Levi out of his Evangelical Christian tradition, what drew him into Catholicism, and what continues to draw him in, evermore. And, as a musician, how Levi strives to bridge this gap, to explain and wrestle with his own paradigm shift...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Sister Orianne Pietra René from the Daughters of St. Paul to talk about the story of her deep conversion to Catholicism – out of a very interesting mixed-religious household – and the call to her vocation as a religious sister, living out her life in the service of Christ and the Church. It's a fascinating look at how God calls someo...

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, and speaker – and a guy who was born in the same hometown as me! Our conversation this week revolves around that idea: what it's like to be grow up Catholic (for Robert) and Evangelical (for me) in the same small-ish town. Robert shares some incredible stor...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the one and only Melissa Presser to talk about her amazing journey into Catholicism. Raised culturally Jewish, Melissa had an incredible encounter with God which led her to become a devout practitioner of her Jewish faith. Through trauma and abuse Melissa continued to practice and deepen her faith eventually being led by the Holy Spirit i...

In this REPLAY episode of The Cordial Catholic , I'm joined by the incredible Father Mauro Gagliardi, STD, Catholic theologian, to talk about Mary. Fr. Gagliardi is the author of an enormous 1,000 page book on Catholic Dogmatic Theology and, within the context of this massive work, we're talking about his chapter on Mary. It's an absolutely fascinating discussion. We talk about Mary...

In this special episode of the show, I tell the story of the one question – asked by a pastor I was working for – that began my journey into Catholicism. For more, visit The Cordial Catholic . Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our weekly newsletter for my reflections on each episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes ple...

In this REPLAY 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,...

In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I share a bit about our journey relying on God, trusting Him to go before us, and the miracles that followed as we bought a house. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests. To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe...

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by creative artist, musician, television host Benjamin Wolaver to talk about his journey into the Catholic faith – and the journey of his entire family band! Wolaver, who plays Benjamin Cello on the incredible television program The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello, converted to the Catholic faith alongside his parents and siblings – all me...