The Cordial Catholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Timothy Ezat. Timothy grew up as a nominal Muslim and then a nominal atheist in Kurdistan, Iraq. Under threat of violence and persecution, he converted to Evangelical Christianity at the age of 15 in an underground church. From there, Timothy moved to London, became involved in missionary work, and eventually became ordained as an Anglican priest. But his early reading of the Church Fathers and his deep love of the Bible led him to continue to ask questions about his faith and, eventually, led him to make the decision to become Catholic. This is a truly remarkable conversation!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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 Catholic. He shares his wisdom in what to expect after becoming Catholic and how we can navigate that first year in Catholicism. And, of course, because Keith is a good friend, we have a lot of fun in this episode too!For more from Keith visit his website.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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, taking place before his eyes! From there, Fr. Lawrence set out to intellectually disprove Catholicism only to wind up convincing himself of the truths of the faith and becoming Catholic himself. It's a great story told by a wonderful storyteller and you're going to love it!For more, check out Fr. Lawrence Lew's photography on Flickr and follow him on Twitter.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 of Eden to show how the priesthood is, in fact, how God has always interacted with man and exactly how, and why, a priesthood which began with Adam, continued through the patriarchs and prophets, continues today in the Catholic Church. It's an incredible episode. To hear more from Dr. Bergsma check out his website, and make sure to listen to our previous discussions on whatever podcast platform you use! Dr. Bergma's book Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood is available from Emmaus Road Publishing.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 the very best Christian life we can.It's an incredible conversation about how we can interact with and learn from the saints especially St. Joseph.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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-depth conversation on the pope in the Bible and if you don't think the papacy exists in the pages of Scripture – this interview may just change your mind! Suan is awesome. For more from Suan, check out Intellectual Conservatism on YouTube, Facebook, and as a podcast on Apple Podcasts. 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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 and worked and taught under the esteemed Evangelical theologian Norman Geisler.However, after digging deeply into the Church Fathers and the history of the Bible Doug eventually ended up leaving his teaching career at Southern Evangelical Seminary to become Catholic.It's an incredible story, and Doug is a razor sharp guest – we always love having him! You're going to love hearing his faith journey. For more from Doug, visit his website.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 was Catholicism that Michael came back to and he joins us in this episode to explain his reasons why. We touch on the ancient Church, the papacy, tradition, and the magisterium plus so much more as we mine Michael's experiences and deep knowledge of Christianity, Christian history, and theology.For more from Michael visit his website Reason and Theology where you can find links to his podcast and YouTube channel as well.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 you know about Jesus? Cy's perspective is a uniquely Catholic one and, in fact, ramps up the "strangeness" of who Jesus said that He was and how Catholics and non-Catholic Christians have some very different ideas about who He was. Check out A Teacher of Strange Things and listen to Cy daily on Catholic Answers Live.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

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 deeper into his Christian faith and, eventually, consider Catholicism including: authority, the papacy, the Bible, and the nature of the Church as Jimmy tells the story of his conversion from New Age to Protestant Christianity and through a rigorous study, into the Catholic faith. You really don't want to miss this episode. For more from Jimmy visit his website. And make sure to check out Why Be Catholic: An Exercise for Evangelicals as well as Jimmy's previous appearances on this program.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 please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic