Update: Podcast Re-Launch and Becoming Catholic

Study-O update w/ pictures!

This will be a less formal writing. I wrote it quickly, so read it with a lot of grace. First, an update on what I have affectionately called the Study-O.

Welcome to The Study-O!

We now have a new home, and God provided a perfect room that is practically set up for a podcast “out of the box”. It’s nearly sound proof, and all we had to do was paint the walls and run an ethernet cable. We did add some upgrades to make it more like a Studio, and I think the finished product will really pop. We intend to add a few more elements to the set, especially when guests come from out of town and want to do a Joe Rogan style interview. But in the meantime, check out what we’ve accomplished so far, and tell us which lighting you think is better in the comments: white or yellow?

Study-O Progress

New Content / Upcoming Projects

The Intellectual Life Podcast (Working Title).

Our plan is to relaunch our weekly podcast in January 2024. I recently acquired permission to do an Audio version of The Intellectual Life by A.G. Sertillanges from CAU Press. Sertillange’s book and Dr. J. Budziszewski were the inspiration for Solomon’s Corner, and so I’ve wanted to do a commentary on the book since our beginning.

We are thinking of publishing it as a separate podcast called the Intellectual Life Podcast sponsored by Solomon’s Corner. The format will be a 15 minute reading of the book, and a 15 minute reflection to help people with busy lives get exposed to this great book and inspire them to see their own intellectual potential. In this format, it would be entirely audio format and no video would be used. But what do you think? Do you think we should include video? Should it be live? Let me know in the comments.

The Cowardly Knight

This is a creative project that I started for my kids, and they have been begging me to finish. I haven’t decided on whether or not I will post it here, or self-publish, or submit to a publisher. Just depends on how well I think the content will be and the best place to preserve it for my kids. I’m working on it as God inspires me. I have the beginning and the ending completed, but now I need to fill in the meat. This may be the first book we attempt to self-publish, but with inflation and the economy only time will tell.

The Solomon’s Corner e-Store

This will be updated when we have some more products. Our hope is that this will be a primary way that we can encourage people to support our content. Thank you for those who have done so already.

The Saints

More on this below…

Comments Section

This is short. If you like an article, have a question, or just want to post an encouraging word, please use the comments. This drives more people to our content, and also makes it easier for us respond. So if you hate something, love something, have an idea for some content, please use the comments section, instead of email or private messages.

Now onto the important stuff.

Becoming Catholic…

While many of you may know already that Lindsey, myself, and the kids intend to enter the Roman Catholic Church later this year, there are many that may not know. For those that don’t know, right before we took our break to sell our house and move, I announced that we needed to investigate Roman Catholicism.

The responses were mixed. I don’t intend to rehash them here, but needless to say, given that my audience, small though it may be, is all Protestant Evangelical or Anglican, the reactions were all over the place. Converting to Roman Catholicism is not a fun experience for a Protestant raised in a godly home. You really do feel the weight of Christ’s words in Luke 14:25 . It is not that you hate your family and friends within Protestantism, but you do feel the tug of God on your heart, and your loyalty to them. In all such cases, we must offer wounds from a friend, rather than be an enemy who kisses the face of God (Prov. 27:6).

I know that I have friends who were raised “Catholic” or in some way were hurt by the Catholic faith. I don’t fault you for leaving. After all, I had a great Protestant upbringing and education, and I am leaving that tradition for the Catholic Church. And while there are exciting elements, and I have been impacted by its teaching in many ways already, it is a culture that is still very much foreign to me.

But if I could say something to those who objected from a position of “been there done that”, I would submit this to you: in the same way an atheist will leave the faith because of abuse in the Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal, Church of Christ, Calvary Church, Catholic Church, or any other church, every single one of these denominations would say “Well that’s not what we teach, and we’re sorry that happened to you.”

Similarly, bad teachers are a wound against the faithful as well. Those who had incompetent pastors or Christian communities that pushed false teachings or elevated non-essential teachings did so to the their disciples’ detriment. Regardless of whether it was a misunderstanding or abuse, those who left the Catholic faith from their youth were leaving a false Catholicism or a Catholicism that their parents never passed down, and as a result their understanding of the faith is tainted by the failures of the faithless.

We American Christians are modernists. We know nothing of what it is like to live in a kingdom, let alone a Jewish kingdom. This taints everything we read. We reject any form of authority and submission, unless of course its a good World War 2 movie where the good guys win in the end.

But when one understands that Christ died for his church, despite its erroneous, abusers, hypocrites, backstabbers, and sexually immoral followers, we too must be willing to take up the same cross, for the same people. It’s impossible on our own, but he has not left us alone.

This post will not recount our testimony. If people are interested in a write up or podcast on that, let me know in the comments. But for now we are keeping that to ourselves, not because we want to hide it from you, but because a write up would take a lot of thought and time to ensure its right and accurate.

That said, this is more of a “Hey, so…we’re becoming Catholic…if you want to get off the Solomon’s Corner train, this is a good stop to get off.” I won’t fault you for doing it. I know what it’s like to be anti-Catholic, a Catholic sympathizer, and now a convert wanting Protestants to experience the same things that I am. But if you can’t stomach the content, I understand.

Some might say, “Why would you say this? Do you think that our relationship will change because you’re becoming Catholic?” To which I say, absolutely. It’s difficult to talk about what you’re learning about the Blessed Mother and Marian devotions to a Protestant who thinks Mary was just another sinful woman who had several kids.

Protestantism and Catholicism are not the same. Heck, compare any two protestant denominations and they are mutually exclusive in their requirements for salvation, their interpretation of scripture, and in some cases the contents of their scripture — I know that protestants have arguments responding to this; I just don’t find them convincing.

This does not mean we will not be friends anymore, but the relationship will have to be different: mainly because I am now obligated to share my faith with non-Catholics, this includes Protestants. Let me tell ya, it’s a bit awkward leading a prayer group where you’re the only one who starts a prayer in the Trinitarian form.

When a Protestant asks “Are you spending time with Jesus?” the Catholic response can vary significantly. For example, Catholic Christians will dedicate time in prayer and adoration of Christ in the Eucharist. The Catholic believes that Christ is really present in the Eucharist and that he is worthy of of worship. So if this is true, and you are in a time of crisis, naturally one should want adoration, not Bible study.

This does not belittle Bible study as unnecessary to discipleship, it’s just that all Bible study leads to practice, and the practices between Protestants and Catholics are mutually exclusive. As I said to a Lutheran friend of mine during my investigation, “If Christ is really present in the Eucharist, then all the other questions about Mary and the Saints is over for me. I’ll figure them out when I get there.”

But we are becoming Catholic. That means the content here will change, and our loyalty and love is for Christ and the teachings of the Church. This doesn’t mean that I believe that God doesn’t hear your prayers, or that God can no longer work through you in our lives. There are plenty of Protestants who have put Catholics to shame in their faithfulness, and there are plenty of Catholics who have put Protestants to shame in a similar way. I still see you as Christians, but Christians who are not fully formed, or able to enjoy Christ to the fullest. And this should not be offensive, as I know that Protestants think the same about Catholics.

I don’t intend for this to become a “Catholic Answers” or Pints with Aquinas podcast, but Catholicism is infusing everything in my life. This means that it will inevitably inform our content and message as we move forward. One example is that for the podcast I intend to highlight the life of a saint on a regular basis. The first saint we’ll highlight is St. Maximillian Kolbe. He is the patron saint of media and communications. He led a miraculous life, and is one of those saints that causes a lot of trouble for Protestants, as his whole life was a devotion to the Blessed Mother, Mary. Tune in later if you want to find out more.

Finally, I’m grateful to all of you. If it were not for your witness and discipleship in my life from all the various denominations, I wouldn’t be Catholic. For those that disagree or believe me a fool, I would just say, wait and see; if I am a fool, God will expose me as such. But if I am following where he is leading me— and hopefully all of you — then it will be confirmed by the fruit that comes from a life nourished by Christ and his Church. As he uses his Church to fashion me into the image of his Son, and offers me whatever cross he desires me to take up, it is my hope that it will be a testament to the truth of the Christianity and Christ’s Church at work in me.

I leave you with this reflection, which I intend to post separately in a stand-alone post.

Let Me Fall

If the Bread of Life is a stumbling block, then let me fall.

If the Blood of Christ is an abyss, then let me drown.

The Bread brings Life, and the Blood washes me clean.

If I drown, I shall be whiter than snow.

If I fall, I shall be raised up.

For if I eat this bread and drink this cup, it is Christ who remains in me, and I in him.

He will raise me up, and he will wash me clean, through the stumbling block of Bread, the abyss that is his blood, and the rivers of his Sacred Heart.

Amen.