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Catholic Church, faith, culture, and history are explained clearly and simply for anyone curious about historic Catholicism. Faithful to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Episodes
Wednesday Oct 15, 2025
Wednesday Oct 15, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg and Ed the Protestant dive into a lively discussion about the fading concept of sin in contemporary Protestant and Evangelical churches. They explore how the gospel’s power hinges on the reality of bad news—sin’s eternal consequences—before the good news can shine. Ed shares his recent experiences at a modern evangelical church, where sermons focus on self-improvement and "living your best life" rather than confronting sin head-on. Greg argues that this shift turns pastors and even Jesus into life coaches, diluting the urgency of salvation and the church’s mission. With their signature blend of humor, insight, and orthodoxy, they unpack why a gospel without sin misses the mark. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation that challenges the modern church’s approach and teases an exciting announcement from Ed about his journey toward Catholicism.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] This episode in the series "OCIA: The Bridge to Rome" dives into the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds as vibrant summaries of the Gospel. Greg shares his journey from a deconstructed Evangelical hipster “fellowship” to embracing the Creeds’ role in guarding the apostolic faith against heresies, drawing from the Catechism and early Church fathers like St. Irenaeus and St. Athanasius. He contrasts Catholic creedal unity with evangelical “no creed but Christ” and subjective faith statements, highlighting the Nicene Creed’s power in Mass. This episode invites OCIA participants and global listeners to see the Creeds as a living roadmap for conversion.
Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/
Email: consideringcatholicism@gmail.com
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg delves deeper into the Catholic mystical tradition, defining mysticism as a profound union with God and tracing its history from early Church fathers to modern saints. Highlighting figures like St. Hildegard of Bingen, St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, St. Padre Pio, St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, and St. Joan of Arc, he explores visions, ecstasies, and miracles that far surpass contemporary Pentecostal experiences in depth and transformative power. Contrasting these with charismatic gifts, Greg explains how Catholic mysticism—rooted in prayer, sacraments, and Church discernment—offers intimate, lifelong encounters with the divine. Addressing Protestant, Catholic, and secular listeners, this episode emphasizes the Spirit’s enduring, profound work in the Church.
Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/
Email: consideringcatholicism@gmail.com
Wednesday Oct 08, 2025
Wednesday Oct 08, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] In this first part of a series on the Holy Spirit’s role in extraordinary experiences, host Greg Smith explains charismatic gifts like speaking in tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, and healing, addressing questions from curious listeners. Drawing from Scripture and the history of Pentecostalism, including the Azusa Street Revival and more extreme manifestations like holy laughter and snake handling, he demystifies these phenomena for Catholics, Protestants, and secular audiences. Greg unpacks the Catholic Church’s affirming yet discerning stance, rooted in the Catechism and papal teachings, emphasizing balance and authenticity. Teasing Part 2, he hints at how Catholic mysticism parallels these gifts in even more astonishing ways.
Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/
Email: consideringcatholicism@gmail.com
Monday Oct 06, 2025
Monday Oct 06, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Discover the Spirit’s role and how sacraments like Baptism and Eucharist use matter—water, bread, oil—to effect divine change, rooted in Scripture and the Catechism. Greg contrasts Catholic efficacious sacraments with evangelical symbolic ordinances, highlighting their incarnational power. This episode enriches your OCIA journey, guiding you to experience God’s grace through material signs.
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Building on his episode about Michelangelo's Creation of Adam (#385, "God's Finger"), Greg shifts focus to the nearby Deluge panel on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, where Noah's Ark resembles a Roman basilica, symbolizing the Church as salvation in a perishing world. Contrasting modern views of the Church as a social club or cultural mirror, he unpacks biblical typology from Genesis to Peter’s boat miracles and Jonah’s fish. This episode emphasizes the Catholic Church as the ark of eternal life, inviting seekers to embrace its saving role.
Tuesday Sep 30, 2025
Tuesday Sep 30, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Greg continues the series "OCIA: The Bridge to Rome" by exploring the Church as Christ’s living Body and instrument of grace. Discover its nature as the Body of Christ, People of God, and Temple of the Holy Spirit, its threefold mission, hierarchical structure, and four marks, drawing from Scripture, the Catechism, and Lumen Gentium. Greg contrasts the Catholic view of a visible, apostolic Church with evangelical emphases on an invisible fellowship, offering reflections for unity. This episode guides your OCIA journey, revealing the Church as the home for your faith. Visit consideringcatholicism.com for more insights.
Sunday Sep 28, 2025
Sunday Sep 28, 2025
[DONATE WITH PAYPAL] Dive into Michelangelo's iconic Creation of Adam fresco and uncover how it flips the secular view of religion as humanity's quest for the divine. Greg explores the Christian narrative of God reaching down to redeem a fallen world, debunking misconceptions about Catholicism as "works-based" salvation. Using the metaphor of a drowning man grasping a life preserver, he explains grace as God's initiative and our cooperative response. This episode invites curious seekers and rediscovering Catholics to see faith as receiving God's outstretched hand.
Website: https://www.consideringcatholicism.com/
Email: consideringcatholicism@gmail.com
”If you‘re considering Catholicism, then consider this...”
For decades, Greg Smith, M.Div, was a Protestant pastor, missionary, and writer until his ”Road to Rome” brought him into the Catholic Church. Now he shares what he found with anyone who is curious about the Catholic faith. Join him as he answers questions, explores topics, visits places, interviews guests, and discovers the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in ”the faith that was once and for all given to the saints.”
Greg serves as the Dean of the Lakeshore Academy for the New Evangelization and founder of One Whirling Adventure.
Learn more at OneWhirlingAdventure.org.