CHNetwork Presents

Science Fiction, Christianity, and the Search for Truth - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 20

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=
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Feeling Unworthy to Go Back to Mass – CHNetwork Presents, Episode 19

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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Seventh-day Adventists, Catholic Converts - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 18

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
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Baptist Hell Houses, Catholic Halloween - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 17

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
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Career Ideas for Protestant Pastors Who Become Catholic - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 16

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.
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Praying With St. Monica For Our Loved Ones - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 15

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/
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Stone-Campbell Restorationists, Catholic Converts - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 14

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
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Catholicism and the 70’s Jesus Music Movement - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 13

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/
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90’s Christian Underground Music and Catholicism - Episode 12

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
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Catholicism, Psychology, and a Life of Conversion - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 11

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