The Cordial Catholic – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Christopher Kaczor, to discuss his new work on the reasonableness of belief in God and some of the most popular challenges – and changes – with how we approach this fundamental topic. 

What can we make of the shifting landscape of belief? Catholic conversions are on the rise! How do we address the perennial problems of Evil? God's hiddenness? And, hey, where did all those atheists go?!

Dr. Kaczor is wonderfully articulate even when I am not – so hopefully you enjoy this episode!

For more from Dr. Kaczor you can follow him on Twitter and you can find his book, Is Belief Believable? from Ave Maria Press and everywhere you find fine books.

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!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

n this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Matthew Mark McWhorter, a high-powered, high-profile corporate lawyer who turned his skills in the courtroom towards the Bible and Christianity.

After a life-changing experience made him consider Christianity, McWhorter set out to research the evidence for belief in Jesus. He encountered the Bible and quickly realized that not all Christians believed in the same canon of Scripture – so which one is right.

In this episode, we dive deeply into this exact topic and unpack why McWhorter thinks that a Protestant reliance on the *wrong* books of the Bible actually undermines their complete case for Christianity – and why Protestants should seriously rethink their "smaller" Bibles.

For more from Matthew McWhorter including his wonderful book Canon Crossfire please visit his website.

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!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Adom Postma and his brother Jason, a former Anglican priest, to talk about the incredible conversion – a journey made by three brothers into Catholicism. 

Raised in the Reformed tradition, these brothers loved their faith deeply and regularly spared with one another, as iron sharpens iron, on all kinds of topics in Evangelical Christianity. But when one brother began to look into the Early Church Fathers in order to win a debate with a Jehovah's Witness, things begin to take an interesting turn. 

Listen and learn how slowly their conversation turned towards Catholicism. How Jason, a devout Anglican priest with a church and a ministry and a family to take care of, wrestled with the same questions he watched his brothers wrestle with – and come to startlingly similar conclusions. And how, ultimately, the only thing that made sense to do for all of the brothers was to become Catholic!

This is a fantastic story that you won't want to miss. 

For more from Jason check out his Substack.

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!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Joe Goodwin. Joe was an evangelical seminarian, worship leader, and a Catholic convert. Since his conversion, Joe's gone on to work in campus ministry for a number of years and is currently the Executive Director of Canadian Priests for the Third Millennium, a group working to meet the needs of the next generation of priests.

This week on the show, Joe tells his incredible conversion story which, remarkably, intersects with my own at several different points. Joe's story is one of deep love of his faith, of Christ, and of studying the Church Fathers in an Evangelical seminary which ultimately led to his asking deeper questions and deciding to become Catholic.

Joe's an amazing guy and I hope you enjoy this conversation. It was absolutely thrilling to be able to bring it to you.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Matthew J. Thomas to talk about justification, salvation, and whether or not Evangelicals and Catholics can agree on how we're saved.

This is a wonderful topic and one of the bread-and-butter type conversations on this podcast: unpacking what both Catholics and Evangelicals believe about how we're saved and trying to come up with some agreement.

Dr. Thomas explains how the definition of words like "justification," "works," and "salvation" can often be misused and misunderstood across different groups and that being clear with our language, looking for similarities, and working through differences is how we can better understand what divided and shockingly still divides Protestant Christianity from Catholic and Orthodox believers.

For more from Dr. Matthew J. Thomas, visit  the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.

You can read Dr. Thomas' article, "Justification," at the St. Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology.

Be sure to listen to Dr. Thomas' wife's incredible conversion story, too. A female Anglican priest-candidate, Leanne Thomas discerned a different path when she encountered the Catholic liturgy and the Early Church Fathers and ended up, along with her husband, becoming Catholic. Her episode is number 210.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert, author, speaker, and, of course, Catholic priest Father Ken Geraci, CPM to talk about the realm of spiritual warfare and the uniquely Catholic tools we have to combat sin, Satan, and the demonic.

Father Ken is a truly wonderful priest – with a great conversion story! – and is full of fascinating insights into the spiritual realm and how, as Catholic, we possess the unique tools to draw us closer to Christ and away from spiritual darkness, in all its forms!

For more from Father Ken visit his website and check out his book Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Samuel Klumpenhouwer, an expert in Medieval Catholicism, to talk about the day-to-day realities of what it was like for Catholics in the Middle Ages?

Did the Catholic Church really keep the Bible out of the hands of average Catholics? Was doctrine, dogma, and theology out of touch with Scripture and the history of the Church? Did Catholicism really go off the rails? Was the Reformation necessary?

We tackle these questions and much more this week on the show with a wonderful guest.

For more from Dr. Klumpenhouwer visit his website.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, podcaster, and Catholic convert Tsh Oxenreider to talk, first of all, about how the liturgies like those surrounding Advent drew her and her family deeper into the traditions and practices of Catholicism. And then about how each of us can deepen our own walk towards Christmas through embracing the season of Advent and the liturgical calendar.

We talk about trying new Advent traditions (but also doing too much!), how to truly connect with the season through choosing the right Advent traditions to take on, how the Church calls us to embrace that time of waiting, and some of the more quirky celebrations we can take on during the Advent season.

For non-Catholic Christians looking at us Catholics through the keyhole, for new Catholics looking to build some Advent liturgies into their lives, and for those Catholics who want to embrace the season even more, this is a conversation for everyone!

And I really hope you enjoy!

For more from Tsh visit her website. Her fantastic Advent book Shadow and Light is available where most fine books are found.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Taylor Schroll from Forte Catholic, among other things, to talk about what's wrong (and what's right?) about the official process for converting to Catholicism.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.) is a long-standing, historical process of initiating non-Catholics into the beauty of the Catholic Church but it's not without its faults, its pitfalls, and its problems and this week Taylor and I talk about what to do when things go wrong, how to stick with it (or move on), and what can be done to make sure the whole thing makes more sense, and creates authentic Catholic disciples.

This is such a fun conversation filled with lots of laughter, some great spicy hot takes from Taylor, and our own personal experiences of struggling through teaching and learning in the RCIA program.

I know lots of listeners to this show have had struggles (or are having struggles) with this process and we're here to try and help!

For more from Taylor check our Forte Catholic website, the podcast (available everywhere) and, in particular, the Catholic Foundations Teaching series, which is fantastic.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend and fellow Catholic convert Brantley Rutz to share the story of his conversion.

Brantley is a wonderful guy. A "dyed-in-the-wool" Protestant who even named one of his children after a famous Baptist preacher – yes, he was that serious of a Protestant. It wasn't until Brantley and his wife began investigating what they believed about Infant Baptism – and looking into what the Early Church believed about the practice – that he had ever even thought about Catholicism!

This story is a fantastic one. Listen, and learn how Brantley, a deep thinker, a dedicated Evangelical Christian, and a Calvinist to boot, made the journey into Catholicism!

To connect with Brantley find and follow him on Facebook.

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!

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.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

Instagram: @cordialcatholic
Twitter: @cordialcatholic
YouTube: /thecordialcatholic
Facebook: The Cordial Catholic
TikTok: @cordialcatholic