CHNetwork Presents

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
Our online community: http://community.chnetwork.org

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
More episodes: chnetwork.org/presents
Our online community: community.chnetwork.org

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
More CHNetwork resources: chnetwork.org

What Should Converts Do With Their Protestant Books? - Episode 2

When someone becomes Catholic, especially if they are an avid reader, they often have lots of titles on their bookshelf that reflect years of study and meditation about questions of faith.
But what should happen to those books once someone becomes Catholic?
Matt Swaim talks to Andrew Petiprin and Shaun McAfee about what they did with their old Protestant books when they became Catholic. Which ones did they keep? Which ones did they give away? Which ones were they tempted to destroy?
Andrew's site
Shaun's books
For more resources, visit chnetwork.org.

Overcoming Negative Experiences of Christianity - CHNetwork Presents, Ep.1

For those of us who have had apathetic, unconvincing, or even traumatizing experiences of Christianity, overcoming those can cause significant hesitation when it comes to the idea of being part of any church, and especially the Catholic Church. 
In this episode, Matt Swaim talks to Pat and Christine Flynn, whose early experiences of Christianity led them to reject the idea of God altogether. They share how they wrestled with their negative past experiences of institutional Christianity once they started to feel drawn toward the Catholic Church.
For more stories, visit http://www.chnetwork.org
Our online community: http://community.chnetwork.org
Pat’s website: http://www.chroniclesofstrength.com
Christine’s website: http://www.thecatholicmama.com