Twenty Centuries. Twenty-Four Timezones. Two Hemispheres. One Church.

Episodes

Dec. 15, 2023

Snapshot: Is Christianity Impractical or Impossible? (#163)

If you’re not crazy for being a Christian, can you realistically pull it off? Because living out your faith, living the Christian life, in the face of all of the struggles of this world and all that life in general throws at ...
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Snapshot: Is Christianity Impractical or Impossible? (#163)
Dec. 13, 2023

Snapshot: Is Christianity Crazy? (#162)

How do all the agnostics, atheists, secularists, nihilists, and neopagans that make up our 21st-century culture view the Christian religion? Culturally, we’re living through the last days of the new Roman world. And how did t...
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Snapshot: Is Christianity Crazy? (#162)
Dec. 11, 2023

Searching for a Christmas Playlist (#161)

Every year, Greg tries to build a new Christmas playlist on his phone, and every year, he realizes how few decent Christmas carols there are. Why not? Why haven't any new Christmas carols been written in the last 100 years or...
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Searching for a Christmas Playlist (#161)
Dec. 8, 2023

Good Popes, Bad Popes, Mostly Average Popes (#160)

A listener named John asks, "What about bad popes who lived immoral lives, etc? How can they lead the Church?" As Greg explains, there have been good popes, bad popes, and mostly average popes, but the office of the seat of P...
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Good Popes, Bad Popes, Mostly Average Popes (#160)
Dec. 4, 2023

Snapshot: Discover Advent (#159)

We have begun Advent, the liturgical season of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. Advent means "coming" or "arriving," but what, exactly, is coming? And has it all arrived yet? To learn more, watch the series of four v...
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Snapshot: Discover Advent (#159)
Nov. 29, 2023

Snapshot: Stuff Jesus Never Said (#158)

Those who want to change the Church's teaching on homosexuality and same-sex marriage like to argue from Jesus' silence on the issue: "If Jesus didn't bother mentioning it in the gospels, it shouldn't matter." Protestants hav...
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Snapshot: Stuff Jesus Never Said (#158)
Nov. 27, 2023

The Crusades (#157)

Ed asks about the Crusades: did the Catholic Church really launch brutal wars of colonization, invading Muslim ancestral lands with hordes of Catholic knights to rape, pillage, and steal the Middle East? Greg explains that mu...
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The Crusades (#157)
Nov. 25, 2023

Snapshot: Christ the King (#156)

In the last snapshot ("The End of Ordinary Time"), Greg pointed out that the Catholic Church has a major feast to celebrate the end of ordinary time and the liturgical year. That feast is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Chris...
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Snapshot: Christ the King (#156)
Nov. 22, 2023

Snapshot: The End of Ordinary Time (#155)

Ordinary Time is coming to an end, very soon. If that sounds alarming and weird to you, then listen to this short explanation of the Catholic conception of time, and the cycles and landmarks that ought to define our lives. Bu...
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Snapshot: The End of Ordinary Time (#155)
Nov. 20, 2023

Charity and Social Justice (#154)

Ed the Protestant asks about the Catholic Church's commitment to charity and the poor. Greg explains where that comes from and the related but very different concept of Catholic Social Justice. Support the podcast: https://gi...
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Charity and Social Justice (#154)
Nov. 15, 2023

Listener Questions, Part 2 (#153)

Greg answers questions sent in by listeners (send your own to consideringcatholicism@gmail.com ): "I'm a recent convert to Catholicism, but my wife is still Protestant. We disagree over which church to raise our children in. ...
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Listener Questions, Part 2 (#153)
Nov. 13, 2023

Demons (#152)

What does the Catholic Church teach about Satan and demons? Is he, or are they, the opposing force in the universe to God and angels? What do they know? What can they do? Can they possess us? What is an exorcism? Greg and Cor...
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Demons (#152)
Nov. 9, 2023

Snapshot: ”God, Country, Notre Dame” (#151)

This iconic motto is all over merchandise at the University of Notre Dame. Non-Notre Dame fans find it arrogant and annoying. But most don't realize that it's a double entendre, and that the real meaning, the deeper meaning, ...
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Snapshot: ”God, Country, Notre Dame” (#151)
Nov. 6, 2023

What is Evil? (#150)

What does the Catholic Church teach about what evil actually is? Is it the opposite of good, like light/dark or yin/yang? Is it moral failing? Being outside of God's will? A social construct? Greg and Cory explain that in Cat...
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What is Evil? (#150)
Nov. 2, 2023

Snapshot: Taking Death Seriously (#149)

In this snapshot, Greg discusses why it's important to take death seriously in a culture that doesn't, and takes comfort in Catholicism which offers a coherent, comprehensive, and mature approach to death, dying, and remember...
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Snapshot: Taking Death Seriously (#149)
Oct. 31, 2023

Snapshot: (Un)Happy Reformation Day! (#148)

For secular folks this is Halloween, for Catholics it's the eve of All Saints Day, but for Protestants it's Reformation Day, when Martin Luther nailed his complaints against the Catholic Church to a cathedral door in Germany....
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Snapshot: (Un)Happy Reformation Day! (#148)
Oct. 30, 2023

The Pursuit of Happiness (#147)

Greg and Ed discuss the concept of happiness and the responsibility to cultivate happiness in one's life. Pursuing immediate gratification does not lead to genuine happiness, but rather, pursuing goodness, truth, and beauty c...
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The Pursuit of Happiness (#147)
Oct. 28, 2023

Snapshot: More About UFOs (#146)

Snapshots are a type of episode: around 10 minutes on a single topic. Today, Greg follows up on a recent episode about whether UFOs are aliens, angels, or something else. What should Christians, and Catholics in particular, b...
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Snapshot: More About UFOs (#146)
Oct. 25, 2023

Listener Questions, Part 1 (#145)

Greg answers questions sent in by listeners (send your own to consideringcatholicism@gmail.com! ): How do I overcome my distrust of the Catholic Bible (the "deuterocanonical books)? Can salvation be lost? What if I commit a m...
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Listener Questions, Part 1 (#145)
Oct. 23, 2023

Our Duty to Improve (#144)

Greg and Ed have an honest talk about what stewardship means. Because our life is a gift, God expects us to try and become the best possible versions of ourselves that we can be. Please support the podcast: https://givebutter...
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Our Duty to Improve (#144)
Oct. 22, 2023

Revisiting an Evangelical Protestant Church (#143)

Greg was traveling in the Rocky Mountains last week, and revisited a contemporary evangelical Protestant church that he attended sometimes before he converted to Catholicism. These are his reflections on the differences that ...
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Revisiting an Evangelical Protestant Church (#143)
Oct. 16, 2023

Can We Participate in Halloween? (#140)

Greg and Ed talk about Halloween. Can Christians participate? Are its origins really in the Catholic Church incorporating pagan Celtic rituals? And has the Church adopted pagan rituals throughout history, including Easter cel...
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Can We Participate in Halloween? (#140)
Oct. 9, 2023

What are Angels? (#142)

What are angels? How are they different from us? What do they do? What are the types or categories? Do we have a guardian angel, and what does he do? Greg and Cory unpack the nature of these spiritual beings. Please support t...
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What are Angels? (#142)
Oct. 2, 2023

UFOs: Aliens, Angels, or...? (#141)

UFOs are in the news again, as Congress holds hearings about what the government knows about them. How should Christians feel about this issue? What does the Catholic Church teach? And how do we make sense of it. Greg and Cor...
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UFOs: Aliens, Angels, or...? (#141)