Consider This (Part I)

by Chris Findley, Editor, H2R

Not long ago I was in the waiting room at my dentist’s office.  As I was thumbing through the only magazine available, which unfortunately was “Ladies Home Journal”, I noticed that the man sitting across from me was watching me.  He looked vaguely familiar and I think I looked familiar to him.  We sat there for an awkward moment until we simultaneously realized that we did indeed know each other.  He had come to a Bible study I had led when I was an Episcopal priest.  I hadn’t seen him in a few years, certainly not since my family’s conversion to Catholicism.  As we caught up, he noted the obvious lack of my black clerical shirt I had worn as minister and he asked if it were my day off.  This opened the door to tell him a little of my journey to Catholicism.

He seemed to enjoy the conversation and yet he seemed a bit mystified as to why someone would join the Catholic Church.  As I talked I could see the “look”.  It’s a look that I’ve grown used to seeing when I talk about the Catholic Church with non-Catholics.  It’s a look that says, “I’ll listen because it’s polite, but I really think you are crazy.”  I realized too, that sometimes my explanation rambles, moves from event to event without the benefit of filling in crucial gaps in thinking that were bridged by my study of the Church.  In the end, he was very kind and we parted company on good terms.  But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wish I had answered better than I did.  I began to ask myself, “What were the things that really motivated me to move deeper into the life of the Church?”  So I offer the following ideas as an answer to that question.  I also offer them to you, for your own investigation of Catholicism.

Scripture
As an Evangelically trained Anglican, Scripture was of utmost importance to me.  I had (and still have) a deep and profound love of the Bible and readily ascribe to its authority in the life of a Christian.  I had always assumed that the Catholic Church was full of unbiblical (contrary to the Bible) or at least extra-Biblical (added to the Bible) practices and beliefs.  I know I was not alone in that conviction.  But that conviction was rooted in caricatures and stereotypes, not in actual knowledge of what the Catholic Church teaches.

I began to see that the church’s doctrine on many things that seemed strange to me actually had a Biblical basis.  Everything from the Papacy to marriage to baptism to the saints finds its roots in scripture.  And perhaps the most important thing for me was the realization that the Reformation doctrine of “sola scriptura” (by Scripture alone) is false.  I had grown to realize that even those churches that really strive to hold to the notion of “Scripture Alone” have had a hard time doing so.  Luther had his catechism which held authority for the Lutherans. Calvin had his Institutes which held a particular traditional authority as well.  If all these reformers needed was Scripture alone, why then bother with writing such works?  Additionally I became increasingly bothered by the idea of private interpretation.  Of course everyone can and should be encouraged to engage in reading the Bible.  However, there has to be some sort of authority in its final interpretation.  Do we not see evidence of fragmentation and fracturing in the various denominations because they each believe they have the authority to interpret scripture on their own?   With each split we see Scripture used as justification for that split, “But we’re being faithful to the Bible.”

In my own teaching as a pastor, I noticed that I was using the phrase, “The Church has always taught that…”  One priest friend (who had become Catholic) gently asked me, “Chris, what church are you talking about when you say that?”

I realized I was talking about the Catholic Church.

Why am I Catholic?

I thought I would share this video.  It is well done and gives a nice introduction to some of the reasons to be Catholic.  Enjoy!  You can find out more about the producer here >>>

Chris, Ed., H2R

Is Becoming Catholic Enough?

By Randy Hain

If you are a convert to the Catholic Church, currently in the RCIA program or considering joining the Church, what is Christ leading you to do with your faith? As a recent convert to the Church, I have frequently asked myself that question over the last few years. I have humbly prayed for discernment, wisdom and revelation coupled with a passionate desire to follow Christ’s will and not my own. I have also spoken countless times with our priests, deacons and other members of the Church for guidance and help. The two key points that have emerged from prayer and discussion are very simple: 1) Your Catholic faith is a lifelong journey and 2) Get involved, make a difference and do something with your faith.

Anyone who makes the decision to join the Church realizes the enormity of the commitment they have made. The hours of study in RCIA, exposure to new ideas, risking alienation of friends and family and embracing the Church are all components of what is one of the most important decisions in your life-entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. I have met many converts (like myself) who come from backgrounds with little or no faith whose decision to join the Church clearly reveals God’s grace and plan for our lives. So, if we can agree that our decision to join the Church is Christ’s will and we are committed to follow Him and the teachings of the Church, I ask the question: Is becoming Catholic enough?

I would respectfully ask you to consider the actions suggested below as ways to live out the points made in the first paragraph: Continue your lifelong journey in the Catholic faith and get involved:

• Show humility and put Christ’s will before your own

Glorify Christ and give him thanks for every grace and blessing. Put Him first in your thoughts and prayers and His will is more likely to be revealed. ”The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” -Matthew 23:11-12

• Develop a Prayer Life and have daily devotional time

Daily prayer is essential to every aspect of our lives. Humbly thanking God and praying for guidance, wisdom and help every day is critical to our spiritual well being. Carve out time daily to read scripture and other books to more fully experience the lessons God has for us.

• Commit yourself to following the teachings of the Catholic Church

It is also critical to follow the teachings and rules of the Church and the Magisterium. Why invest the time in becoming Catholic only to reject the teaching and guidance of our Church? Christ promised to protect the teaching of the Church: “He who hears you, hears me; he who rejects you rejects me, he who rejects me, rejects Him who sent me” – Luke 10: 16

• Go to Reconciliation……frequently

Frequent confession is one of the best ways to continue receiving God’s graces and avoid sinning. A thorough examination of conscience cleanses you and lifts your spirit. It keeps God’s commandments firmly planted in your mind and becomes a road map for living a life that helps us to get closer to Christ. “He said therefore to them again: Peace be with you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” -John 20:21-23

• Strive to Integrate Faith, Family and Work

Do we think about Christ throughout the work day or only during the mass? Are we living out our Catholic faith at home? Striving to integrate the 3 areas of our lives where we spend most of our time should be easy, but it poses a significant challenge for many. Put Christ first….and everything else will follow.

Continue Reading >>>

Confessions of a Catholic Convert Man

By Chris Findley

The Findley Family, May 08

I’ve never found being a Christian to be an easy thing. I have never felt like I’ve ever done it “right” or “well enough”. So many times I made promises to myself to do better, to pray more, to be impatient less often and to say those bad words even less. Part of me longed for the kind of super-spirituality that people notice and find inspiring. I looked up to a number of Christian leaders who seemed to have everything in place, whose flaws had burned off long ago, who could weather any storm with grace and who led their family as fine as Jesus led the disciples.

My desire for these elusive perfections led me to read many of the popular Christian books that promised to help me become more loving and more understanding, more spiritual, and a more effective leader for my family. In the last 15 years I bet I’ve spent several hundred dollars on these types of books.

And without fail, I’ve hated every one of them.

Instead of helping me become more of an authentic Christian man, I just felt like an inadequate dweeb. I think many of those books were written while the authors were watching “Andy Griffith” or “Leave it to Beaver” re-runs or the more modern day “Truman Show”. I always went away from the men’s books unsure if they inhabit the same world I do and yet there was a part of me that felt that I was the one out of sync. What am I to do? Maybe I’m just too “worldly” (and I was a minister at this time!)

I like rock music. Hard rock music. I like it loud. Really loud. I like the great bands of the 80’s. I like movies and football, cold pizza and beer. I like watching movies with my wife and wrestling with my kids. I still enjoy roller coasters and a good joke, even if it is a little off-color. Basically, every time I read a “Christian” book, I just felt too normal to be that spiritual. I just didn’t want to poof my hair up, talk about “Jay-sus”, and tape Bible verses to the dashboard of my car.

What’s a guy to do? I’ve met a few of you and I sense you’re in the same boat as me. You may have read the books or gone to the weepy rallies, but never really had any sense of a real deepening spirituality.

I was thinking about this today as I considered my life since my conversion to the Catholic Church. No, I’ve not made great strides in sanctity, I’ve gone backwards in some places I suppose. But I am better for my conversion and so is my family.

First of all, the Catholic Church has blessed us with great positive teachings about the family. It doesn’t take as its starting point the external trappings of the Christian life, but the internal attitudes that undergird the life of husband and wife. Since Vatican II one of the dominating metaphors for the family is “the domestic church” Therefore the beginning of family life doesn’t begin with “me” but with “us”. We are a unit, a team. We are an expression of God’s love. Pope John Paul II said, “The family itself is the great mystery of God. As the ‘domestic church’ it [the family] is the bride of Christ.”

This is a great change of viewpoint in a society that places one’s own needs above all else. The family is the basic building block of communal faith. Ever notice that the Protestant churches count individual members, but the Catholic Church counts families? The Church encourages engagement with the family, the raising and education of children, and the deepening of family spirituality. But it begins with not “doing” but with adjusting our understanding. Commenting on some of John Paul II’s words about the family, Carl Anderson notes, “[The Pope] is saying that the family is –and will be- the chief witness to the active power of the love of God in the world.” (Anderson, A Civilization of Love, 82) It is in the family that we learn to laugh and to cry, to love and to forgive, to fight and make up, to give when giving is hard. It is in doing these things, these very normal earthy things, that we reflect the love of an Incarnate savior who didn’t shy away from earthy things. In being authentic in the midst of our faith, struggles and all, we are better, more realistic witnesses for our faith. So we can relax from having to be someone we’re not. We can engage our family and our God by being who we are. God will build us from there.

A Journey in Prayer

By Randy Hain

I was recently reflecting on my faith journey over the last few years. I converted to the Catholic Church in 2006 along with my wife. I was raised in the Baptist church until I stopped attending as a 15 year old and had no relationship with God until I experienced a powerful personal conversion in late 2005 while attending my second mass. My 23 years in the “spiritual wilderness” were challenging in that my life revolved around only work and then after my marriage, family and work was the focus. God was always watching over me, but I didn’t have Him in my life and I certainly didn’t pray until after my conversion to the Church.

Before I began RCIA in the fall of 2006, I studied the Catholic faith in earnest. I tend to intellectualize everything and my first thoughts were to learn everything I could about our Church. I quickly realized there was more to our wonderful Faith than knowledge, history and tradition! I then began to focus on being the best Catholic I could and starting on my true faith journey versus simply immersing myself in books. One of the biggest obstacles for me in those days was my lack of prayer life. I knew I needed to pray, but I couldn’t ever remember sincerely praying about anything. I was struggling with the typical male challenge of asking for help, especially asking God for help! Who was I to bother Him with my petty problems?

I went to one of our Deacons, shared my prayer challenges with him and asked for his guidance. He looked at me with some amusement and said I was approaching prayer in the wrong way. “Don’t worry about asking for help just yet”, he said. Simply go to the Lord with thanks and be grateful for the blessings in my life. Eventually, I would learn to ask God for help and guidance, but start by sincerely thanking Him. The light bulb went off and I finally got it! I now understood that my faith journey would never grow unless I had an active prayer life! This was the beginning of my prayer journey that has continued to unfold and grow with each passing day. I would like to share with you the stages of my prayer journey as a Catholic, lessons I have learned and insights into how I pray that I hope you will find helpful.

Stage One of my prayer life was learning to thank God and be grateful. Going to Him in prayer and reflecting on the countless blessings in my life every day is how I learned to appreciate and acknowledge the Lord’s role in my life. To this day I never start a prayer without thanking Him.

Stage Two for me was learning to ask for forgiveness. I go to reconciliation frequently, but it is still important for me to ask the Lord for his pardon and forgiveness when I commit a sin-which is more frequent than I care to admit! It has become like a daily Examination of Conscience for me to reflect on where I have failed Him and ask for forgiveness and the strength to not commit that sin again.

Stage Three was asking for His help and guidance. I think men in general struggle with asking for help and I am no exception. My growing prayer life and deepening faith journey has given me the humility to realize that I don’t have all the answers and that Jesus absolutely wants to help me. Early on I would tentatively ask for help with the BIG stuff like getting my family get to Heaven, blessing our Priests and Deacons, giving our leaders wisdom, etc. Now, I am very comfortable asking for His help in every facet of my life. But, first I had to gain the humility to recognize that without our Lord I am nothing and I need His strength.

Stage Four in my prayer journey has been learning to completely unburden myself to the Lord. This has occurred only in the last several months. I have always been inclined to carry my stress, frustrations, worries and fears around with me like a secret weight around my neck. As I was getting better at asking the Lord for help, I began asking for His help to lighten these mental and emotional burdens. I am so grateful that I now can go to Him and absolutely give Him what ever is weighing me down, from work stress to concern about my children’s future. What ever it is, I share it with Jesus as he asked us to in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.”

I am confident that there will always be more and evolving stages of prayer growth for me if I am humble and always focused on deepening my relationship with Christ. St. Teresa of Avila wrote frequently on the stages of prayer, especially in her book The Interior Castle. I hope to reach the contemplative and mystical prayer life she describes in her works and pray that Jesus will lead me there.

Some important lessons I have learned (and keep on learning!) in my prayer life that I would like to share with you include:

• Make time for prayer-just do it! If you don’t schedule prayer time and stick to it, it will not happen. Starting the day with prayer is often best and build slowly from there. Ask yourself if you would be willing to spend only 30 minutes a day with your loved ones. Hopefully the answer is a resounding NO! Ok, then why do we struggle to give the Lord at least 30 minutes a day in prayer?
• Have the proper disposition before praying. It is important to have the right attitudes of humility and faith that God can and will help us before we start praying. Reading scripture or a book of meditations like In Conversation With God or Imitation of Christ every day before prayer will prepare our heads and hearts to approach the Lord in a deeper and more meaningful way and receive His graces.
• Work through the “dry patches”. We all experience dryness in our prayers or have trouble focusing. We may feel that God is not listening. We may fall into the trap of asking God to validate what we want instead of submitting to His will. I promise that you will experience this, but keep at it! Mother Teresa’s book revealed decades of dryness and despair in her prayer life and yet she persevered!
• Eucharistic Adoration is a gift! We are so fortunate to have perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in our parish. Going before the Blessed Sacrament and having quiet prayer time in the presence of Christ will energize you and become a catalyst for dramatically growing your prayer life.
• Practice more listening and less talking in prayer. Adoration is the perfect place to listen to the Lord in complete silence. We are often so busy talking that we fail to hear Him and this detracts from our quality prayer time.

· We can’t grow our Faith Journey without growing our Prayer Life! We simply will not grow our relationship with Christ unless we do so through prayer. According to the Catechism (2744), Prayer is the lifeblood of your faith. Without prayer, your faith will die.

Finally, I would like to share some insights into how I pray in the hope that it will inspire you and help you deepen your own prayer lives:

• I start every day by reading the bible or the Magnificat and the scripture for the mass that day. I then read In Conversation With God by Francis Fernandez and reflect on the meditation it contains and how it applies to my life. I follow with prayer and offer the day up to God.
• I have been a Eucharistic Guardian since January of 2007 and this is the best hour of my week. No matter what is going on in my life, I can come into the True presence of Christ and share my life with Him in prayer. It is absolutely uplifting and energizing for me and a great way to start my day.
• I started praying the Rosary just 3 weeks ago and have started praying it on my way to work or while on my treadmill. I put praying the Rosary off for so long, but it is becoming a critical part of my prayer life and a true blessing. This goes hand in hand with my ever deepening love and appreciation for Mary and asking for her intercession and prayers.
• The Daily Examen, developed by the Jesuits, is a critical part of my daily routine. Basically, you are to stop 5 times throughout the day for a few minutes of reflection and prayer. Each stopping point has a specific purpose such as the Prayer of Thanksgiving, Praying for Insight, Praying that you will find God in all things that day, Praying for your desires and what you seek from God and finally a Prayer about the Future and what you will resolve to do tomorrow. It is best to actually put these 5 minute blocks on your calendar throughout the day so you will be reminded.
• Pray at every meal-public and private. It is important for us be thankful and acknowledge Christ and ask for His blessing.
• My wife and I pray with our children every night. It is important for them to develop their own prayer lives. They see our example and we also grow by sharing our prayer lives with them.

Brothers and sisters, I certainly don’t have all the answers and I am no expert on prayer. I simply wanted to share with you as someone who struggles with the same issues and obstacles as you, that my prayer life and my faith journey have grown together. I didn’t have any kind of prayer life just 3 years ago and now I couldn’t imagine living a life without one. I hope this proves helpful and I promise to pray for all of you and would humbly ask that you pray for me and my family. Thanks and God bless you.

More of Randy’s Writing >>>

Dealing with Difficult People…with Charity

Recently a friend of mine, in the process of converting to the Catholic Church, emailed me the following question:

In your experience – How do you best reach people who from the outset of your conversation appear to believe that you are both nutty and a border-line bumbling idiot? While they seem also to maintain a total disregard for what you are trying to share with them in relation to the faith, Church doctrine, Traditions, etc …?

My biggest struggle is suppressing my anger that seems to result in many instances while trying to maintain an approach of love and being a good witness in reaching them.

Anyone who has converted to the Catholic Church has had people question their conversion. Sometimes this comes from well-intentioned friends who are curious about the conversion and the beliefs that accompany it. Other times it seems people come out of the woodwork, suddenly concerned for your immortal soul. One might start hearing from old acquaintances, college roommates, high school pals, your sister-in-law and 3rd cousin who now express their “grave misgivings” about your conversion.

Their “misgivings” are usually based on some caricature of the Catholic Church and have no basis in reality. For example you might hear something like this:

“Aren’t all Catholic priests pedophiles? How could you join a church of pedophiles?”

“My preacher said the Pope is the anti-Christ.”

“I just believe what the Bible says. I don’t see any Catholic stuff about popes and priests and mass in there.”

“The Church is obsessed with sexuality.”

“Why do Catholics worship Mary?”

“If the Church is so good, why did it sponsor the crusades?”

“How could an otherwise rational person believe [fill in the blank]“

And it can get more ridiculous and heated than this. What are you to do when confronted about your Catholic Conversion by inaccurate assumptions about the Church?

First, take a breath and pray. When I get “hit” by one of these, it makes me instantly angry. I want to just lash out and launch a verbal tirade in retaliation. As a former Army officer I learned the skill of sarcastic, understated insults (or maybe it’s the Irish in me!) In any case, it is at precisely these moments we need to understand that we are representatives of our Lord and his Church. Our response to insults and false accusations needs to be tempered by the reminder that Jesus went through it first. In that moment you and I have the opportunity to share, in a small way, with our Lord’s sufferings. He was misunderstood, misrepresented, and mistreated. Let this thought settle into your mind and when you receive a “zinger”. Take a breath and say a quick prayer for wisdom.

Second, do NOT go defensive. Do not accept the role of defense. That just results in “Yes you do!” and “No I don’t” matches that accomplish nothing. I’m not an expert in swordsmanship but it seems we can respond in a ways similar to a swordsman: attack, defend, or parry. To “Parry” means to “deflect”. So “parry” the attack by questioning their assumptions. When confronted with, “How can you worship Mary? Catholic’s worship Mary!” Instead of saying, “No, actually they don’t.” Come back with, “Where did you get that idea?” That will most likely bring a response of, “I read…” or “I saw a movie…” or “My brother-in-law used to be Catholic and he said…” For one, it will help you see where they are coming from and it will help you have a minute to think.

Third, respond honestly with charity. Simply answer their question as honestly as you in a Christ-like manner. As a new convert give yourself a break; you’re not going to be an expert on everything the week after you become Catholic. You may well be asked a question which you can’t readily respond, at least in a concise and articulate way. This exascerbates the problem and makes you feel foolish (I write from experience here.) But the truth is if you ask most any protestant a complex doctrinal question they would be hard-pressed to give you a concise answer. Try asking the average Presbyterian to explain why they believe the 5 points of Calvinism and the doctrine of imputed righteousness! So answer what you can and don’t be afraid to say, “You know, it’s a matter of faith and it’s hard for me to put into words. If you really are interested in this why don’t I send you a couple of articles and you can read for yourself.” If they say yes, then you can continue the conversation when you’ve had a chance to refresh your own mind. That being said, we should do our best to be educated and knowledgeable about our Catholic faith. With time, there should be a fair number of the common concerns that you will be able to answer. Be charitable but by all means speak honestly with conviction.

Finally, consider their sincerity. Try to discern whether this is a honest inquiry or simply a baseless accusation from someone who just wants to pick an argument. If this person just wants to argue, then simply disengage. You’re not, no way, not ever, gonna convince them of anything. Don’t waste your time. Don’t get upset. Just disengage with something like, “You know, I don’t think we’re going to change each other’s minds. We’re just going to have to agree to disagree.” But if you think the person asking you questions has an honest interest, then by all means engage them and let the conversation continue. These discussions can be fun. They can help you clarify what you believe and can perhaps help someone else learn some truth about the Church.

A convert will face questions. Expect it. Many people will not understand your decision. Expect it. Some people will be rude or hostile. Expect it. Take a breath and pray. Resist the urge to go on the defensive. Respond with honesty and charity. Try to discern the sincerity of the question and consider whether or not the conversation has potential to go further. In the end, pray for the grace of a Spirit-informed response when difficult people cross your path.

Have mercy, because ain’t we all difficult at times?

Come and See

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. John 1:46

I’ve often thought of this verse in the context of those investigating the Catholic Church. Like me, you may have had friends (well intentioned to be sure) who made a similar statement as Nathanael about the Catholic Church:

“The Catholic Church? Can anything good come from there?”

Many converts I meet have a sense that they sort of stumbled upon the Catholic Church. They may not have had a conscious thought, “I think I should look into what the Catholics say.” The more common story I hear runs something like, “I was looking around at all sorts of Christian groups when I just happened to read an article (or book or blog or…) about Catholicism and I thought that it made sense. Then I read more and more and it all began making sense. And it surprised me.“

I once said that there was no way I could ever be Catholic. I suppose if you have to eat your words, none were ever so sweet. I suppose I needed the invitation Philip offers Nathanael to “come and see”.

And that is what any investigation into the Catholic church is meant to be about -to come and see. Part of my new ministry is to encourage others to “come and see” and potentially discover something new in the midst of this ancient faith. In considering actually converting to the Catholic Church I try to point out what a Conversion should not be:

It should not be a snap decision. There’s a reason most RCIA programs last upward of a year. There’s a reason that many people who convert have spent considerable chunks of time looking into the Church and its teachings. We spent about 3 years investigating the Church, asking questions, getting clarification, wrestling with our conscience and the implications of such a move. It’s not something to be done on a whim. This runs counter to the emotionally-driven ministry of many mainstream denominations where making the immediate decision for Christ must happen now, tonight, in this moment. In the early Church, as in modern-day Catholicism the decision to become part of the Church was a decision for Christ. And it was part of a process that lasted upwards of a year or more. To “come and see” is to thoughtfully and prayerfully engage the Church and Christ in one’s faith journey.

It is not a decision to be made because you’re angry. The Episcopal Church’s rejection of historical Christianity started us looking at other denominations. Eventually we began looking into the Catholic Church. But the actual decision to become Catholic was because we became convinced of its truthfulness, not simply because we were upset with the Episcopal Church. I think this is important because when many people start looking around at other Christian groups or the Catholic Church it is usually because they are dissatisfied or even angry. But to become Catholic is not only about what one might reject in another group but it is about what one embraces by becoming Catholic. The two go hand in hand. So we should take our time. Better said, we should seek to be very conscious of God’s timing and be patient until we are ready. Trust me. You will know.

When I am asked why my wife and I became Catholic I often make these points. There are more, but here are a few:

We were looking for a church with definitions and leadership. Like many Episcopalians I had been waiting for someone to deal with the mess in the Episcopal Church. But with each deadline and each wishy-washy statement I became more discouraged. We were told to wait for this meeting, this conference, this gathering. Next month, next year, maybe at the Lambeth Conference. And still nothing was done. The drift from historical Christianity became more and more pronounced. The Episcopal Church is in no way alone in this drift. Methodists, Prebyterians, Lutherans and others are facing similar crises in their respective ranks.

Finally I realized that Anglicanism, along with most Protestant groups have no way of settling these disputes. There is no agreed upon and defined core doctrine. Therefore there is no way anyone can call anything heretical. Instead we simply share “differing opinions” and promise to “dialog” with each other. And with no way to make these decisions you have the ability to go to one assembly of Christians and hear one thing and go across town and hear the exact opposite -everyone claiming to authoritatively speak for God.

As we struggled within Anglicanism I heard many people were wanting the Archbishop of Canterbury lead the way. I often had conversations where someone commented, “Why doesn’t he (the Archbishop of Canterbury) say that this is what needs to happen? This is what we believe and that is not. We need a strong leader with authority.” Suddenly I realized that what many people were describing was the Pope. It simply made common sense after a while that when you have both a strong, orthodox Christianity with clearly defined beliefs and practices you have the foundation for a vibrant Church.

When you lack these things it’s sort of like watching a construction crew build a building with no blueprints or design. Everyone just does their own thing and nothing of value is accomplished.

We were looking for a church that could speak prophetically into society. Many protestant groups have been greatly influenced by the liberal scholarship of the 2nd half of the 20th century. These groups have a habit of bending to the culture, particularly in morals. In my journey I began asking, “Where do I see a church speaking into the culture and challenging that culture?” I saw it clearly in the Catholic Church. In terms of life issues such as abortion and euthanasia they spoke consistently and clearly. In terms of sexual morality they spoke deliberately and without compromise. It didn’t appear heavy-handed, but simply matter-of-fact. They also spoke out with solid orthodoxy to the issues of poverty, peace, and justice without diminishing the need for Christ. I saw a courageous church that fostered courage and didn’t bend to the times and winds of opinion.

We were discovering theology that was historical and biblical. Like anyone looking at the Catholic Church, I was curious about many of the doctrines I had not been exposed to. I didn’t understand purgatory or Mary or praying for the departed. While I liked its moral stance I didn’t understand why it was so opposed to contraception or divorce. Those things took time to work through. But as I did so, I discovered that the Church’s logic and theology was thoroughly Biblical. What I had been taught and absorbed through culture about the Catholic Church while I was growing up and in seminary had been very selective. I had not seen that the Church Fathers held more in common with the Catholic Church than the protestant. Until our “come and see” time, I had not discovered how Catholic doctrine is supported in New Testament. It was truly eye-opening.

What about the blights on the Church’s past? I have no problem with living in Church with other sinners like me. It’s still full of fallen, struggling and wonderful and faithful people. Yet, I came to believe that it was the Church it proclaimed to be. The question for me was never, is the church without blemish. My search led me to the conviction that, at her best, it is here I really see the Church of Jesus Christ in its fullness. Unified. Prohetic. Biblical. With Godly leadership. The more I looked around, the more I came to believe that what I was looking for was found in the Catholic Church.

So, that’s my story, in just a few words. I believe in the Catholic Church and I’m still learning about her. I would encourage you to do the same. Read. Read. Read. Talk to those who have converted. Pray. Pray. Pray.

Come and See.

Chris Interviewed on Sacred Heart Radio

This morning I had the pleasure of talking with Brian Patrick of Sacred Heart Radio (Cincinatti, OH) on their morning show. The interview centers on a recent article I had published on catholicexchange.com about failure. In it I also talk about my family’s conversion to the Catholic Church. Thanks to Brian and Matt of SHR for the opportunity.

Listen to the interview here >>>