In this lively episode of Considering Catholicism, Greg and Ed the Protestant tackle a listener’s critique that the show is too harsh on Protestants, sparking a candid discussion over tacos. They reflect on their tone, owning...
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Raging Tacos: Are We Too Hard on Protestants? (#343)
Greg and Cory explore the three destinations awaiting every soul after the particular judgment: heaven, hell, and purgatory. They unpack Catholic teaching on these eternal and temporal states, using Dante’s Divine Comedy and ...
In this continuation of the series about Heaven, Greg and Cory dive into the Catholic teaching on judgment, exploring the two moments every soul faces: the particular judgment at death and the final judgment at the end of tim...
Ever wonder why medieval manuscripts show knights fighting giant snails or rabbits wielding swords? Or why Gothic cathedrals are covered in grinning gargoyles and quirky carvings? In this episode, Greg dives into a wild X thr...
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Killer Rabbits and Gargoyles: What Medieval Art Teaches Catholics Today (#340)
Greg Smith and Cory Lakatos dive into the profound question of what happens when we die. In this second episode of the Heaven series, they explore the separation of soul and body, the particular judgment, and the three interm...
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What is Heaven? Part 2: The Moment of Death (#339)
Join Greg Smith and Cory Lakatos as they kick off a deep dive into Catholic teaching on Heaven. In this first episode, they lay the foundation by defining key terms like "soul," "heaven," "purgatory," "beatific vision," and m...
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What is Heaven? Part 1: Checking Our Vocabulary (#338)
Greg Smith reflects on the joyful inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, unpacking its rituals, from the emotional moment Leo received the Fisherman’s Ring to the inclusive rite of obedience. He answers w...
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Peter’s Keys, Leo’s Tears: The Joy of a New Pope (#337)
What’s “Reformed” theology today? Greg Smith, a former Reformed pastor, unravels the tweed-coated posturing of a brand that claims intellectual edge but feels like evangelicalism with elbow patches. From preaching TULIP to qu...
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Is "Reformed Theology" Just Tweed-Coated Evangelicalism? (#336)
Greg addresses conservative non-Catholic friends asking if Pope Leo XIV is “red” or “blue,” arguing that the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church transcends American political categories. Acknowledging concerns about Pope Francis’s...
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Is Pope Leo XIV Red or Blue? Why That’s the Wrong Question (#335)
Hours after white smoke announced Pope Leo XIV, Greg reflects on Cardinal Robert Prevost’s election as the first American pope. Exploring Leo XIV’s choice of name, traditional regalia, and call to “build bridges,” Greg sees hope for a pope who unites past and future, left and right, in a tumultuous…
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Habemus Papam! Why I’m Loyal to the Church Under Leo XIV (#334)
Dive into the wild Tartaria conspiracy and discover a deeper truth: modernity bulldozed a sacred way of life, but Catholicism holds the key to reclaiming it. Host Greg explores how cathedrals, G.K. Chesterton, and the Mass co...
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Tartaria or Catholicism? Rediscovering a Lost Civilization (#333)
In this episode, Greg Smith dives into Flannery O’Connor’s bold claim: “If it’s only a symbol, to hell with it.” Reflecting on his own conversion and a pivotal moment on Ireland’s Skellig Michael, Greg explores why the realit...
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Cosplay or Catholicism? Are Sacred Things Really Sacred? (#332)
What kind of pope does the Church need today? In this episode, Greg argues against the modern expectation of a charismatic, media-savvy “influencer” pope, reflecting on how John Paul II’s global brand set a new standard that ...
Greg dives into the Vatican politics shaping the 2025 papal conclave, revealing a 60-year fight for the Church’s soul between the Concilium and Communio visions born after Vatican II. While Concilium ’s openness to modern cul...
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Inside the Conclave: The 60-Year Fight Over the Church’s Vision (#330)
When Pope Francis’s funeral drew millions and the world’s eyes turned to Rome, it revealed something unique: only the Catholic Church has a global leader. In this episode, Greg explores why the papacy matters, how it holds Ch...
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One Church, One Leader: Why the Pope’s Funeral Stopped the World (#329)
Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at St. Peter's Basilica. But he has chosen to be buried in another church, the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the Esquiline Hill in central Rome. This magnificent ...
Pope Francis passed away this morning. He was 88 years old and had served as the Holy Father 12 years. We pray for the repose of his soul and for the transition the Church will undergo in the weeks ahead. Greg shares some tho...
Two years ago, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Greg described what insights into the Holy Week can be gained from visiting Jerusalem. Perhaps he'll lead a Considering Catholicism pilgrimage to Israel someday! (With Greg ...
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Holy Land (and Holy Week) Diary, Part 2: Jerusalem (#326)
Two years ago, after a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Greg described what insights into the Gospel can be gained from seeing the Sea of Galilee firsthand. Perhaps he'll lead a Considering Catholicism pilgrimage to Israel someda...
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Holy Land Diary, Part 1: The Galilee Region (#325)
This was the 13th episode of Considering Catholicism, way back in 2022. Since then, the challenges to a biblical and Catholic understanding of the human person and the resurrection have grown more dramatic. Just one year ago,...
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From the Vault: Easter in a World Gone Trans? (#324)
What does it mean to be confirmed in the Catholic faith? Greg unpacks the sacrament of Confirmation, exploring its roots, its role in strengthening believers, and why it’s more than just a rite of passage. It's the Holy Spiri...
Is the world overpopulated, or are we facing a demographic free fall? In this episode, Greg and Ed dive into the startling reality of population collapse, debunking the overpopulation myth with hard numbers—like the critical ...
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The 2.3 Tipping Point: the Cost of Chasing Prosperity Over Purpose (#322)
Does the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception doom families to misery?Greg and Ed unpack whether the ban on birth control truly burdens households or if rejecting it has unleashed unexpected struggles in our modern world...
The Good Samaritan: just a call to help the needy? Explore a 2,000-year-old Catholic twist—Christ as rescuer, the Church as refuge. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho might lead to Rome, revealing salvation’s depth beyond mor...
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Road to Rome? A New Twist on a Familiar Tale (#320)
