CHNetwork Presents

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
 

Pentecostal Preachers, Catholic Converts - Episode 10

The road from Pentecostalism to the Catholic Church is more direct than you might think!
In this episode, Matt Swaim talks to Marcus Peter and Kenny Burchard, who both had radical conversions to Christ in the Pentecostal movement, and later became convicted to follow the Holy Spirit's leading into the Catholic Church.
They discuss how questions of freedom, authority, and the nature of the Holy Spirit led them through the discernment process. It's a great conversation!
Marcus Peter's website: stpeterinstitute.com
Connect with Kenny Burchard: chnetwork.org/compass
Related: Paul Thigpen's Deep in History episode about Pentecostalism and Catholicism
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A Protestant Bible Scholar Discovers Catholicism - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 9

The Bible is God's Word. But what should be the criteria for interpreting it correctly? Matt Swaim talks to Dr. Vern Steiner, who was a Protestant pastor, seminary professor and Biblical scholar, about the value of his Protestant formation in Scripture, as well as its limits, and what led him to enter the Catholic Church and create a Catholic Bible Institute to continue his work in exegesis and Biblical scholarship. Watch Dr. Steiner and his son Chad on The Journey Home 
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Preachers’ Kids Who Became Catholic - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 8

There are many stories out there about what happens when a Protestant pastor decides to become Catholic. But what happens when it's their children who are the ones who feel called to the Church? Dr. MaryJo Burchard and Denise Bossert both had dads who formed them strongly in faith, and whose work as Protestant pastors had a profound impact on them as they grew up. They share the unique experience of what it was like to grow up as "PK's," and how living in that world uniquely formed them to ask the kinds of questions that would one day lead them to the Catholic Faith. Dr. MaryJo Burchard's website: http://www.concordleader.com The CHNetwork Online Community: http://community.chnetwork.org
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From Protestant Music Ministry to the Catholic Church - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 7

How should Christians think about music in worship? It's an issue long debated among Catholics, but in Protestant circles, the diversity of theological expression, as well as the various understandings of the purpose of gathering on a Sunday, can sometimes make the debate even more intense. TL Putnam and Nick De La Torre both served on worship teams as Protestant Christians, and they share how their different experiences of playing and planning music for congregations caused them to ask questions about the nature of worship, the role of the clergy, and the meaning of liturgy, and ended up leading both of them to the Catholic Church. More from TL Putnam: http:///www.verbum.com More from Nick De La Torre: http://www.awakencatholic.org More episodes of CHNetwork Presents: http://www.chnetwork.org/presents
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Fundamentalist to Feminist to Catholic - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 6

An oft-heard criticism of the Catholic Church is its all-male ordained priesthood. That, along with a host of other ways the Church understands men and women, can be dealbreakers for some who have become interested in Catholicism. Dr. Abigail Favale grew up fundamentalist Protestant, and later did academic work on Christian feminism. During both of these eras of her life and study, she saw Catholicism as one of the worst offenders when it came to its teachings about women on a range of moral and theological issues. She shares how coming to understand Mary as the icon of Christian experience, and the Church's feminine character, and the sacramental meaning of the body were stepping stones that eventually led her to embrace the Catholic Faith. Dr. Favale's site: cultivatingcatholicfeminism.com
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Converts Share Their Marian Breakthroughs - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 5

For many who are exploring Catholicism, the doctrinal arguments regarding Mary may make sense, but there can often still be a mental or spiritual hesitancy to actually living out what the Church teaches about her.
Matt Swaim welcomes Matt Leonard and Denise Bossert to share how they wrestled with this issue on their own journeys, and the extraordinary experiences they had that helped completely change the way they thought about Mary.
Matt Leonard's site: matthewsleonard.com

Reading Scripture as a New Catholic - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 4

For new Catholics who are discovering all the ways that Scripture points to the reality of Catholicism, it can be tempting to start seeing the Bible primarily as a tool for making arguments in the realm of apologetics. But for many of us who were raised in Evangelical Protestantism, that's not how we were formed to read the Scriptures. We grew up seeing them as a source of life, hope, comfort and conviction. So how do we get that back? Matt Swaim talks to Sonja Corbitt, who came from a Baptist background, about how new Catholics can still get excited about the apologetics aspects of the Bible, without forgetting its primacy as the living and active Word of God in the life of a believer. Sonja's website: biblestudyevangelista.com More episodes: chnetwork.org/presents

Converts on Getting to Know the Saints - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 3

For those exploring the Catholic Faith, understanding the Communion of Saints can often be a stumbling block. And even once someone starts to understand the theology, getting to the point of actually having a relationship with the holy men and women who have gone before can seem scary and strange. Matt Swaim talks to Sr. Julia Mary Darrenkamp, FSP, and Melissa Zelniker-Presser about how their journeys to the Catholic Church began when they had dramatic and surprising encounters with the saints, and gets their advice for anyone wrestling with how to embrace Catholic teaching on the Communion of Saints. Melissa's written testimony, "A Jewish Girl’s Journey to Christ"
Sr. Julia Mary Darrenkamp's site: paulinestore.com
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