Claim OwnershipCHNetwork Presents
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CHNetwork Presents is a series of conversations about the kinds of questions that people wrestle with when they’re exploring the Catholic Church, and wondering if they should become a part of it. In each episode, we focus on the specific experiences that shaped our approach faith, and how those experiences uniquely prepared us to be open to the claims of the Catholic Church. We hope that by sharing our stories, we can help others who are on similar journeys.
30 Episodes
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Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey, the Grinch... so many of the most iconic Christmas stories in film and literature hinge upon the idea of a conversion of some kind.
Matt Swaim is joined by Joseph Pearce and JonMarc Grodi to look at why Christmas is so often associated with a change of heart, and connect the concepts of memory, charity and truth back to their source: Jesus, whose birth is the occasion for all the celebration.
Joseph Pearce's website: https://www.jpearce.co
More stories and resources: https://www.chnetwork.org
Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
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For many years, Lisa Cooper was deeply involved in the Word of Faith movement, led by such figures as Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and Marilyn Hickey.
While others were mocking these televangelists for their over-the-top personalities and lavish lifestyles, Lisa was looking to them for spiritual guidance.
She talks to Matt Swaim about some of the nuances of that theological worldview: the role of language, the thinking around wealth and health, and the celebrity pastor culture.
Lisa shares how deconstructing from that form of Christianity led her to find a spiritual home in the Catholic Church.
Watch Lisa on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/lisa-cooper-former-word-of-faith/
Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/compass
Whether you entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, or at Pentecost, or at some other time, that first year of getting your bearings and living the sacramental life can be full of excitement, disappointment, encouragement, and culture shock.
Matt Swaim, Keith Nester, and Shaun McAfee reflect on what that first year as new Catholics was like for them: the biggest surprises, the most rewarding moments, and the things they wish they had done differently.
Hopefully the conversation is an encouragement to those of you who are navigating your first year in the Church!
Shaun on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/shaun-mcafee-former-southern-baptist-non-denominational/
Shaun's book, "I'm Catholic, Now What?" https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Now-What-Shaun-McAfee/dp/1681923432#:~:text=%22Shaun%20McAfee%20has%20packed%20this,how%20engaging%20Catholicism%20can%20be!%22
Keith on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/keith-nester-former-methodist-pastor/
Keith's book, "The Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church" https://www.amazon.com/Converts-Guide-Roman-Catholicism-Church/dp/1700289772/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13QCCI3HNM2NX&keywords=keith+nester&qid=1685613835&s=books&sprefix=keith+nester%2Cstripbooks%2C62&sr=1-1
More stories: https://www.chnetwork.org/presents
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For Protestants of any background exploring Catholicism, the idea of a Bible with a bigger table of contents than they're used to can be a bewildering proposition.
So why do Catholics have a different list of Old Testament books than Protestants do? And what are some good starting points for a Protestant who wants to get to know these books?
Matt Swaim welcomes Gary Michuta, author of "Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger" and "The Case for the Deuterocanon" to unpack the differences between Protestant and Catholic Bibles, and the history behind how those differences came about.
Gary Michuta's website: https://www.handsonapologetics.com
Gary's YouTube channel, "Apocrypha Apocalypse": https://www.youtube.com/c/apocryphaapocalypse
More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org/presents
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Dan Venezia grew up in New York City, and while his baseball skills caught the notice of the Minnesota Twins, spiritually he was in the wilderness.
Wade Gaynor came from a strong Christian family in Kentucky, and when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, he took his strong Methodist faith to pro baseball with him, and met his wife, Neena, along the way.
Neena, Wade and Dan share the ways their experience of Minor League Baseball shaped their way of looking at the world, especially in regards to faith, and how the things they encountered ended up uniquely leading each of them to the Catholic Faith.
Dan's written testimony: The Sacrifice that Brought Me Home https://chnetwork.org/story/sacrifice...
Neena's written testimony: A Pick-up, a Pope Book, and a Profession of Faith https://chnetwork.org/story/a-pick-up...
Neena's children's book: A Garden for Mary https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Mary-Ne...
Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
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Many private Christian schools have their staff sign an annual doctrinal statement, to ensure consistency of belief and teaching in their communities.
But many of those doctrinal statements are also crafted so as to exclude Christians from certain theological backgrounds, especially Catholics.
So what happens when a teacher at one of those schools decides to become Catholic?
Matt D'Antuono and Dr. Annie Bullock both had that experience, and share how their interest in Catholicism affected their work as private Christian high school teachers, what happened when they actually became Catholic, and how they've found ways to use their gifts and passion for education now that they've come into the Church.
Dr. Bullock's episode of The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/dr-annie-bullock-former-baptist-and-episcopalian/
Matt D'Antuono's episode of The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/matt-dantuono-former-evangelical-protestant/
A written version of Matt D'Antuono's story: https://chnetwork.org/story/discovering-the-beauty-of-the-truth/
Matt D'Antuono's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Matt-DAntuono/author/B0764HQM3H?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
More episodes: https://www.chnetwork.org/presents
Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/donate
1Often, due to their zeal and the amount of research they do, converts to Catholicism are treated like experts on the Faith, who have somehow figured it out more even than people who've been Catholic their whole lives.
But is that really the case?
Matt Swaim talks to Casey and Erin Phillips and Lorelei Savaryn about their own experience of being active Evangelical Christians, the way that formed them to think about Christianity, and how it fueled their passion about being Catholic once they discovered the reality of the Church.
They also discuss the pitfalls that can be present to new converts, and how those who are new to the Church shouldn't let the fact that they've learned a lot of information serve as a substitute for actually experiencing formation in their newfound faith.
Casey and Erin's podcast
Lorelei's website
Many inquirers feel drawn to the Catholic Church because of the beauty and power of her teachings and sacraments.
But many of them are coming from church backgrounds -- especially Evangelical ones -- where they felt welcomed and included, and their experience of visiting a Catholic parish can feel like the exact opposite of that.
Matt Swaim talks to Jennifer Fitz and Rakhi McCormick about their own experience of this phenomenon when they were becoming Catholic, how to remedy some of those frustrations, and how the Mass is fundamentally different than the kind of worship experience that so many of us have come from.
Jennifer's Substack articles on this topic: http://jenniferfitz.substack.com
Jennifer's Journey Home episode: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/jennifer-fitz-catholic-revert/
Jennifer's written conversion story: https://chnetwork.org/story/tossed-about-then-reeled-in/
Rakhi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rakstardesigns
Rakhi's Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/rakhi-mccormick-former-hindu/
More of Rakhi's story: https://chnetwork.org/insights/hinduism-and-catholicism-rakhi-mccormick/
Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/donate
Monica Anyango grew up Catholic, but left the faith for years before feeling a strong pull back to the sacraments. Raven Yohannon lived in Monica's apartment building, and one day when she got locked out, she knocked on Monica's door, and an immediate friendship began.
They talk about how friendship and community are essential components of sharing faith, and what it means to truly walk with people as they seek to grow in relationship with Christ.
Monica's work: monicaanyango.com
Raven's work: saintsalivepodcast.com
Before he became Catholic, Rob Marco sought to shake off consumerism and embrace self-discipline through extreme outdoor adventures and straight edge punk ethos.
Pat Flynn sought it too, through stoic philosophy and hardcore fitness regimens.
They share with Matt Swaim how they approached self-discipline and the desire to reject consumerism and appetites before becoming Catholic, and how those concepts took on new meaning when they began to understand how Catholicism treats Lent.
Pat's website: https://chroniclesofstrength.com
More from Pat: https://www.philosophyforthepeople.com
Rob's blog: https://fatherofthefamily.blogspot.com
Pat's testimony: https://chnetwork.org/?s=patrick+flynn
Rob's Testimony: https://chnetwork.org/?s=rob+marco
More stories: https://www.chnetwork.org
Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org
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As kids, both Rod Bennett and Jim Papandrea were captivated by science fiction, from H.G. Wells to Star Trek, to Narnia and more. These stories shaped them, and helped them to ask the most important questions about what it means to be human.
Now as widely published Church historians, Rod and Jim talk to Matt Swaim about how sci-fi and fantasy stories, and the desire to explore big questions in unfamiliar environments, can help us better understand the debates through the centuries about who Jesus is, how we should conduct ourselves in an ever-changing technological world, and what it means to have a truly Christian imagination.
Jim's book, "From Star Wars to Superman: Christ Figures in Science Fiction and Superhero Films": https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Superman-Figures-Superhero/dp/1622823885/ref=sr_1_13?crid=1IRQUO5A089Y6&keywords=james+papandrea&qid=1668699831&s=books&sprefix=james+papandrea%2Cstripbooks%2C57&sr=1-13
Rod's book, "The Popcorn Cathedral: Essays at the Junction of Film, Faith, and Fantasy": https://www.amazon.com/Popcorn-Cathedral-Essays-Junction-Fantasy/dp/153323549X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
More stories: http://www.chnetwork.org
Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
Make an end-of-year gift to support our work: http://www.chnetwork.org/donate
Many people who grew up Catholic have just stopped going to Church over the years, and for whatever reason, think the things they've been involved with have made it so they'll never be welcome to come back. They feel unwanted, by practicing Catholics or even by God, and don't want to be just one more hypocrite in a room full of people who they feel will never accept them.
Carlos "C2six" Zamora and Fonzie "Separate M1nd" Pedroza of the Catholic hip hop collective FoundNation share their own experience of getting in trouble with gangs and drugs in their high school years, how that affected their relationship with Christ and the Church, and how they came over time to see God as a loving Father who is always calling His children back to relationship with Him.
Featured track: "Empty Pew" by FoundNation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FZX3qNi5Vc
More tracks: https://www.foundnationfamily.com
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The Seventh-day Adventist movement, founded in the mid-19th century, is in many ways like other forms of American Protestantism, but the writings of Ellen G. White set it apart as its own unique expression of Christianity, most notably in the observance of Saturday as its formal day of worship.
Norman bin Yazid, a former Adventist minister, and Arthur and Teresa Beem, who come from generational Adventist families, talk to Matt Swaim about their experience of coming to know Christ in the SDA world, and the key questions they began to ask that would eventually lead each of them to the Catholic Church.
Arthur and Teresa's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXOoYMICOs_b43LagdV19Vw
More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org/presents
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Many Protestant kids who grew up in the 1980's and 1990's were either not allowed to celebrate Halloween, or went to churches that did Halloween alternatives, because the assumption was that Halloween was a pagan holiday, with demonic origins.
Matt Swaim, Sam Guzman and Bo Bonner share their experience of growing up in that world, and what they each came to discover about the Communion of Saints, the power of good over evil, and the Christian vision of the human person once they started to look at the true origins of All Hallow's Eve and its connected feasts.
Sam Guzman's site
Bo Bonner on The Journey Home
Bo's radio show, The Uncommon Good
More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org/presents
Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
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For many Protestant pastors who are considering becoming Catholic, the theological issues aren't what's holding them back; it's the question of how they'll be able to support their family when they walk away from the only career many of them have ever known.
Mike Allen, who was a Methodist pastor for several years, and Andy McNutt, whose ministry experience was in a Baptist context, share what that struggle was like for them, and offer ideas for fellow Protestant clergy who are wondering if their skills and experience will be worth anything if they leave their pastoral ministry to become Catholic.
More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org/presents
Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
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At The Coming Home Network, we're often working with people from various backgrounds on their way into the Church. But most of our support comes from faithful Catholics who have loved ones that have left the faith, because they want to see them return to the sacraments.
Patti Armstrong and Roxanne Salonen, authors of "What Would Monica Do," share their own experience of praying for their loved ones to return to faith, as well as some of the most common mistakes that can be made out of zeal or desperation. They share how St. Monica, the mother of the once wayward St. Augustine, can serve as a model and intercessor in these conversations.
Patti and Roxanne's book, "What Would St. Monica Do": https://ascensionpress.com/products/what-would-monica-do
"Redeemed by Grace" by Ramona Treviño with Roxanne Salonen: https://ignatius.com/redeemed-by-grace-rbgh/
More stories and resources: http://www.chnetwork.org
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The Restorationist movement is a uniquely influential one in the history of Christianity in the United States. Churches of Christ don't even consider themselves a denomination!
Their desire to return to the Bible alone as the source of authority, and to base their practices on the book of Acts, led to profound renewal -- but also profound division, even among members of the movement, and even over questions such as the use of musical instruments in worship.
Dr. David Russell Mosley and Rachelle Parker both grew up in that world, and each of them has a unique story to tell about how that experience formed them as Christians, the positive things they gained from growing up in the Stone-Campbell tradition, and how being part of the Restorationist movement uniquely prepared them to be open to the claims of the Catholic Church.
Dr. Mosley's Journey Home episode: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/dr-david-russell-mosley-former-church-of-christ/
Rachelle's Journey Home episode: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/rachelle-parker-former-churches-of-christ/
Dr. Mosley's website: http://www.davidrussellmosley.com
More stories: http://www.chnetwork.org
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The "Jesus Movement" that exploded in the United States in the 1970's had a number of different defining characteristics, but many people who got involved in it were first drawn to it because of the music that the movement produced.
Fr. Randy Sly came to a personal relationship with Christ in that world, and worked for a number of years promoting concerts and music festivals, and even in radio. He shares with Matt Swaim some of his favorite memories from that time, and how the experiences he had in the movement uniquely formed him to later follow a call to the Catholic Church and the priesthood.
Fr. Sly and Matt even worked for the same Christian music festival, 20 years apart from one another! Listen in to see if your favorite artists from that era got mentioned...
Fr. Randy Sly on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/fr-randy-sly-former-charismatic-episcopal-bishop/
Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
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For those who were a part of it, the Christian music underground in the 1990's and 2000's was hugely formative. It was a hotbed of creative musical expression, but it was also an intense marketplace of ideas. As a result, through Tooth and Nail Records, Cornerstone Festival, and a number of other venues, it changed the lives of countless Christian kids.
Matt Swaim, Keith Nester, and Keith Little, who were all Evangelical Christians immersed in that world, share their favorite memories of it, and reflect on why so many of those who were a part of it have deconstructed into agnosticism or atheism, and why the three of them, as a direct result of their experience in that music scene, ended up in the Catholic Church.
Keith Little's channel: http://www.youtube.com/thecordialcatholic
Keith Nester's site: http://www.down2earthministry.org
Keith Nester's channel: http:///www.youtube.com/keithnester
More videos: http://www.chnetwork.org
Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
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Matt Swaim welcomes two Catholic converts from the fields of counseling and psychology to discuss how they approached their disciplines before and after becoming Catholic.
Deacon Kevin Stephenson, a counselor from an Anglican and Charismatic background, and Dr. Brent Robbins, a psychology professor from an atheist/agnostic background, share their own stories, and the professional insights they've gained from the wisdom of the Church.
Starting with the personal experiences of woundedness that got them interested in their fields, to the role of determinism in psychology, to the way the incarnation and the sacraments help in healing the whole person, it's a pretty intense and enlightening conversation!
More on the work of Dr. Robbins: https://www.pointpark.edu/academics/schools/schoolofartsandsciences/departments/psychology/psychology%20faculty/brentdeanrobbins
Dr. Robbins on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/dr-brent-robbins-former-agnostic-and-catholic-revert/
More on Deacon Stephenson's work: https://saintaugustinebehavioralhealthsystem.com
Deacon Stephenson on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/kevin-stephenson-former-anglican-and-charismatic/
Deacon Stephenson's written conversion story: https://chnetwork.org/story/charismatic-comes-home-conversion-story-kevin-stephenson/
More episodes: http://www.chnetwork.org/presents
Our Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
Support our work: http://www.chnetwork.org/compass
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