Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-ap5eg-1afce73 In this installment of Mary in the Dock, we put the claim of Mary’s perpetual virginity on trial. Many Protestants see the “brothers of Jesus” mentioned in the Gospels and the word “until” in Matthew 1:25 as decisive proof that Mary and Joseph had a normal married life…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-s5j3a-1af765d In the wake of the Pentagon’s recent effort to simplify its religious affiliation codes — and the resulting controversy when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was initially listed separately from other Christian groups — Utah senators Mike Lee and John Curtis publicly pushed back, insisting…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-mzask-1adcbae In Episode 5 of the series Mary in the Dock: Ordinary or Extraordinary?, Greg Smith puts the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception on trial. Protestants often object that it has no clear biblical basis, appears to contradict “all have sinned” in Romans 3:23, and was a late invention…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-z2yu3-1adc501 The Acorn and the Oak: Development of Doctrine, Part 2 Picking up right where Part 1 left off, Greg and Cory apply the principles of authentic development to some of today’s most contested questions. They examine recent papal teaching on capital punishment and just war as examples still…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-f6u7n-1aa0c63 In Episode 3 of the series Mary in the Dock: Ordinary or Extraordinary?, host Greg Smith puts the Catholic doctrine of Mary as the New Eve on trial. Protestants often object that it’s typology overreach with no explicit New Testament warrant, risks elevating Mary at Christ’s expense, and…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-hzqsk-1ad1930 Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical today — Magnifica Humanitas — addressing the dignity of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and rapid technological change. In this short update episode, Greg reflects on the long anticipation for this document (echoing Leo XIII’s Rerum…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-mqbs3-1ac7a46 In the final part of this three-part series, Greg takes the philosophical foundation from Episode 1 and the moral schematics from Episode 2 and applies them directly to four very ordinary, everyday situations: money lending and usury, lying versus legitimate deception, disciplining children (including spanking), and gambling. Using…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-sdzdb-1ab929b In a world of loud moral arguments and social-media slogans, real precision often gets lost. In this three-part series, Greg unpacks one of the most attractive features of Catholic moral theology: its remarkable clarity around evil as a privation (not a substance), intrinsically evil acts, prudential judgment, and…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-bcyus-1aa73d3 In this candid monologue, Greg retraces his own path from campus-ministry apologetics at a liberal university into the tight, intellectually satisfying world of Calvinism—training in a Calvinist seminary, embracing TULIP, and finding real comfort in the doctrine of Total Depravity. He walks through what made that system feel…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-9s2ce-1a9bf01 This is Part 4 of our four-episode series “What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him? Imago Dei in the Age of AI.” As artificial super-intelligence seems ready to out-perform us on every measurable scale, the Catholic Church gives us a breathtaking final answer: our destiny is…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-nqdfv-1a9b3b4 This is Part 2 of our four-episode series “What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him? Imago Dei in the Age of AI.” In a world that increasingly measures human worth by output, efficiency, and market utility, the Catholic Church insists our dignity is ontological—not something we…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-4b97q-1a8d184 In the New Testament, Paul gives clear qualifications for presbyteroi—elders—who must be the husband of one wife, manage their household well, and hold fast to sound doctrine. When Greg was a Protestant pastor, that seemed to describe exactly what church leadership should look like under sola scriptura. So…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-f8wee-1a78633 Why do some Catholics want more Latin even in the regular Sunday Mass? In this episode, Greg explores how praying familiar parts like the Pater Noster or Sanctus in the Church’s historic tongue undoes a bit of the Tower of Babel’s confusion and brings us closer to the…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-i2cmw-1a6e96e Ever wondered what actually happens at the Easter Vigil—the "Super Bowl of the Catholic liturgy" where catechumens are baptized, confirmed, and receive their first Eucharist? In this second part of our OCIA: The Bridge to Rome series, Greg and Cory walk you through the whole nighttime journey: the…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-ahcxx-1a6b28e After four years of raw, honest conversations, Ed the Protestant returns with big news that longtime listeners have been praying for and waiting to hear. What started as burnout on modern church life in episode #8 has led to a profound shift—one that changes everything for Ed and…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-js33z-1a50985 Greg sits down with his longtime Protestant friend Ed to tackle one of the biggest hurdles for many coming from evangelical backgrounds: the Sacrament of Confession (or Penance and Reconciliation). Ed shares his lifelong comfort—and unease—with keeping sins "just between me and God," while Greg explains how the…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-bb8vg-1a28b79 In this conversation with Cory, we dive into the practical side of Catholic life: where you can actually go to attend Mass. We start with the basics—your local territorial parish—and then explore all the other valid options, from oratories at monasteries and religious houses, to campus chapels, military…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-scayw-1a3be99 In the second part of this two-episode series, Greg moves from the initial Profession of Faith to the lifelong Catholic posture of religious submission of intellect and will to the Church’s authentic magisterium on matters of faith and morals. Drawing from forty years of ministry experience, he contrasts…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-tqt2k-1a0641e In this episode of our “OCIA: The Bridge to Rome” series, Greg takes listeners on a journey through the Stations of the Cross, sharing his unforgettable experience praying them on Jerusalem's Via Dolorosa at dawn amid echoing Muslim calls to prayer. He explores the devotion's rich history from…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-4k88k-1a04e47 In this installment of our "OCIA: The Bridge to Rome" series, we look at Lent—the Catholic Church's 40-day season of preparation for Easter. Drawing from Scripture, the Catechism, and early Church history (from pre-Nicene fasts to Nicaea's formalization), Greg explores its biblical foundations in Christ's desert temptation, distinctive…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-vxp6k-1a030a2 What do faithful Catholics do when the Vatican’s diplomatic choices seem to conflict with love of country or local sovereignty? It’s not a new question. For 150 years the popes formed a strategic alliance with the rising superpower France, invited French armies into Italy, and branded resisting Catholic…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-f593s-19f8286 Greg and Cory dive into "the Filioque clause"—those three controversial words ("and the Son") added to the Nicene Creed in the West—and explores why it became a flashpoint for the Great Schism of 1054. Triggered by Pope Leo XIV's recent visit to Nicaea (ancient Nicea) for the 1700th…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-dnipi-19e9269 In this episode of the OCIA: The Bridge to Rome series, we dive into the Catholic liturgical calendar—what it is, how it works, and why it matters for anyone exploring the faith. Discover how the Church sanctifies time through seasons like Advent, Lent, and Easter, unfolding the mysteries…
Source: https://www.podbean.com/eau/pb-2hity-19f821e Greg introduces Jacob, a 34-year-old software engineer (working in AI), husband, and father of soon-to-be-four who's recently come into the Catholic Church after a rich intellectual and spiritual journey from evangelical Protestantism. Jacob shares how reading the early Church Fathers, St. John Henry Newman, and even deep mystical…
