In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Soren and Ever Johnson. Soren, a convert to Catholicism, and his wife, raised in a large Catholic family, are pioneering authentic Catholic communities in parishes across the world. They join me to discuss the "Evangelical sacrament" of fellowship and the need to bring authentic community to Catholics. We talk about the importance of doing life together, the reality of fellowship in Catholic parishes today, and practical steps to begin to make the home into a true Domestic Church and the incredible impact this kind of a shift can have on the family. Plus, the counter-cultural witness of authentic Catholic community and the deep need for creating compelling communities for non-believers and non-Catholic Christians to see. An amazing conversation. For more about the Trinity House initiative visit their website and YouTube channel.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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 Scott Oakland, a former Baptist pastor, a Reformed and Lutheran elder and, finally, a grateful Catholic convert. Scott shares the story of how his love for the Bible and his quest to find the Church founded by Christ drew him ever deeper in towards the ancient Catholic Church. From a Baptist pastor, questioning his beliefs about infant baptism, to a Reformed Calvinist, steeped in the theology around predestination, to a Lutheran elder, holding on to a deep belief in the sacraments but, ultimately, unable to deny to truth of the Catholic faith. This episode is a fantastic one.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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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. Douglas Beaumont, a former Evangelical seminarian professor and a convert to the Catholic faith, to unpack how trying to decipher the "Evangelical essentials" led to his conversion. Dr. Beaumont, a student of the late Evangelical theologian Dr. Norman Geisler, studied deeply into the history of the Church, the Bible, and tried to identify the "essentials" that all Evangelical Christians held in common. Using the Bible as the sole infallible rule for faith, could Protestants come to a conclusion on what were the most important parts of the Gospel? Could Protestants agree on how we're saved? What baptism was for? When to baptize? What happened at the Lord's supper? And many more theological points. It was on this journey, studying under one of the greatest minds in Evangelical Christianity, that Dr. Beaumont came to realize that finding the "Protestant Essentials," what united all Protestants together, was an impossible task.To find more from Dr. Beaumount visit his website and check out his fantastic YouTube channel as well.Dr. Beaumont also has a great video on the Evangelical Essentials as well as two articles:Can the Grammatical-Historical Method of Interpretation Determine Christian Orthodoxy?Is Christian Orthodoxy a Logical Deduction? Norman Geisler's Failed Attempts at Preserving Orthodoxy 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 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 supThis show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 legendary, pioneering Christian  musician John Michael Talbot to share his incredible journey into the Catholic faith. John Michael is a natural born storyteller so you'll want to buckle up for this story; from encountering Christ in an Evangelical context as a country rock musician, to wrestling with denominationalism, questions about the Early Church, and a draw towards charismatic, mystical prayer traditions – the conversion journey here is incredible, and only half the conversation!We also talk about the Eucharist, the draw of Christian unity, the problem with individualism in Christianity, and the proper posture for Catholics to be cordial, welcoming, and hold fast to the Catholic faith. Plus, we talk about the incredible faith community John Michael founded, and has lived in, The Little Portion Hermitage.For more from John Michael Talbot visit his website where you can find links to his music, his books, and more information about his ministry. For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 veteran Catholic apologist Tom Nash to talk about the biblical basis for the Catholic Church. How can we use the Bible to explain the origins of the Catholic Church? We dig into apostolic succession, the centrality of the Mass, Jesus' desire for Christian unity in John 17 (and how to accomplish this), and some of the Church-dividing problems with the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Plus much, much more. Tom is a veteran apologist with a lot to say and this episode is absolutely packed to the rafters. For more from Tom check out his book To Whom Shall We Go? from Emmaus Road Publishing and visit Catholic Answers to see his decades worth of content and contributions.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 legendary Brandon Eaves to talk about his journey from Evangelical Christianity through to the Catholic Church. Brandon, who you've heard about on this show before, has an incredible story to tell. After the Catholic conversion of a close friend, Brandon began to ask questions about the Catholic Church – what would compel such an intelligent, Spirit-filled person to become Catholic, of all things. And was in Brandon's pursuit of those answers that he began to unwind his own misconceptions about Catholicism, ask pointed questions about his own beliefs, and eventually realize that in order to follow Christ completely, he needed to become Catholic. It's an amazing story and Brandon is an incredibly humble story teller. You can listen Brandon's new podcast Doxa everywhere podcasts are found.For more from Brandon follow him on Twitter.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 two of the most fantastic guests of all time Caleb and Natali Perkins from Shema Culture to talk about their conversion journey, their incredible ministry, and how they see the Holy Spirit dismantling the barriers between Catholics and Protestants right before their eyes. In this epic, 2-hour long conversation, Caleb and Natali unpack what it was that first drew them into Catholicism, what it was like quitting their jobs to pursue the calling of God to begin their ministry, and all of the incredible miracles (and there are an absolute ton!) that brought them deeper and deeper into their Christ-given calling to lead worship, and bring unity to the Body of Christ. There is so much in this conversation to encourage and provoke, from their fearless pursuit of God, to the incredible Holy Spirit-led movement they're leading, to the drive to dialogue and wrestle alongside of their Protestant friends and families when the tough questions come up. Man alive, it's all in here!For more from Caleb and Natali check out Shema Culture and all of the incredible work they're doing there.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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. James Prothro to talk about the historical and biblical roots of the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation. Where does the idea of the Sacraments come from? Where do we see the roots of repentance, reconciliation, and forgiveness in the Old Testament? What about penance? And how do these historical roots connect to how Catholics practice the Sacrament of Reconciliation – commonly called Confession – today. Dr. Prothro gives a through treatment of this incredibly important sacrament linking it all the way back to the Garden of Eden and the beginning of mankind and explaining – all the way to today – why confessing our sins to a priest is one of the greatest gifts God gave his followers, and mankind.For more from Dr. Prothro you can follow him on Twitter and his published material on Academia.Check out his book The Bible and Reconciliation: Confession, Repentance, and Restoration from Baker Academic.He also recommended The Sacrament of Reconciliation by Dr. Robert Fastiggi and the following Scriptures, for context: 2 Corinthians 5-6 and the Gospel of Luke (focusing on the Parable of the Prodigal Son).For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 Gerard Figurelli, a former pastor, radio host, apologist, and a student under some of the very best Evangelical minds in North America, to tell his incredible story of his return – his reconciliation – with Rome. Raised Catholic, Gerard received all of the sacraments but never really felt connected to Christ until a radical encounter in a Baptist church. From there, Gerard spent decades working in pastoral ministry and studying under some of the greatest Evangelical teachers including the late Dr. Norman Geisler at Southern Evangelical Seminary and Dr. Francis Beckwith at Baylor University.Both Dr. Geisler – and SES itself – and Dr. Beckwith figure prominently in Figurelli's journey – Figurelli was working as a Teaching Assistant under Beckwith when Beckwith had his own return to the Catholicism of his upbringing. In this episode we dig into what prompted Figurelli and his wife to begin re-examining their Evangelical faith, how learning about Christianity drew them both deeper towards Catholicism in particular, and the role of Scripture and the Early Church Fathers. It's a fantastic conversation!For more from Gerard visit his YouTube channel.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport 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 my heroes, Early Church scholar Dr. Thomas Scheck to unpack his amazing story of growing up Catholic, leaving the faith for Evangelical Christian, and then coming storming back to the Church after 17 years away. It's a great journey!Listen as Dr. Scheck explains why an encounter with two Baptist roommates in college fired him up for a relationship with Christ, his time as an Evangelical missionary with his wife in Germany, and his struggles and successes as an Evangelical pastor for almost ten years. And, of course, what ultimately led Dr. Scheck, his wife, and many of his children back to the Catholic Church. I'm so grateful for a chance to have this conversation and Dr. Scheck is a wonderful storyteller. For more from Dr. Scheck visit his page at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Studies.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. 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 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!This show is brought to you in a special way by our Patreon Co-Producers. Thank you to Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William. Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic