A Calvinist friend of mine helped me to become a much better Catholic. He used to hammer me with questions that Inhad no answer to, except for, "I pray, and I pray a lot, and I am sure that our Lord has led me back to the Catholic faith." Anyway, I didnt like not having answers about Marian things, Eucharist, confession, and all the regular objections. The more I sought out answers to his questions, the more I fell in love with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Praise God! He is still a great friend and a great man, much love to our Calvinist brothers and sisters in Christ.
Yeah, no wonder you both get along. Calvin thought he was simply creating the true Catholic faith. Both of you resist the Holy Spirit. You need Pentecost. You need power. Answers are good. But only for the right questions.
I can't wait for this episode! I have followed Christ for 40 years, was an Evangelical missionary for 7 years, during which time I embraced Calvinism. From there, I attended a Reformed seminary. Just two months ago, I came Home to Mother Church. Praise God.
Welcome home! I was born into an evangelical church, then raised Presbyterian from the age of 8 or so, ended up marrying my Catholic husband 10 years ago, and finally came home to The Catholic Church in 2020❤️
Grew up going to a Calvinist church, and it never felt right to me. I got to the point where I was just ignoring any and all things related to spirituality because of the existential fear Calvinism leads to. Just started attending a Catholic church, and am beyond moved by it... Planning a talk with Monsignor in the future to join
Thank you for using the phrase "existential fear." In fact, this very thing was the historical fruit of predestination obsession. No one could be sure if they were saved or not. Good works might be the proof or they might be your vain efforts to earn what only the grace of God can give. We need to leave such mysteries to God, preach the Gospel and allow for some paradox. May revelation, joy, peace, good fruits in the power of the Gospel and the graces of the Spirit be with you and your family now and always, according to the promise: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your house."
As an adult convert from the Protestants religion into Christianity (because make no mistake Protestants are not Christians, Christian is a term used to describe those IN HIS CHURCH) - I do not understand the tippy toe, super walking on egg shells- let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt to any EXTREME posture - behavior who people claiming to want to bring souls to the truth of Christ?! I actually do not understand it. My entire life no one spoke clear to me about what the Church was and it took the loss of a child for God to allow me to be humbled to see his Church. Why won’t we speak clearly and honestly and forcefully with charity, and not pretend those who hate the Church of Christ actually are OK?
I hope everyone here is listening to Ascension Presents, Father Mike Schmitz Catechism In A Year! It's not too late to catch up, or go at your own pace. What a beautiful gift of our Faith, the Catholic Catechism! God Bless everyone here.
It really is. I found a copy of the Catechism at a thrift store and it got me on the road to conversion. I had so many questions about the faith growing up in the South and nominally protestant with a healthy dose of 'antipapism' but doubts and skepticism kept mounting. The Catechism is such a wonderful gift to the faithful.
Be it known: Through the Holy Spirit, God has put it on me to preach to those lost in the devil's deceit! Hear me when I say, ye that are Catholic have been deceived and know not God. Ye worship Mary, praying to her; when God tells his to worship none other than him. It is idolatry. Catholicism has its own Bible and teachings, which are blasphemous to the word of God: the Holy Bible. As ye follow the teachings of man and not God; ye hear the pope, but not Jesus, yet ye claim to be his disciples! These are but a few things I named ye dwell within; there are many more. I tell you now to repent of your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit upon asking the Father! There are *NO* sub-divisions of Christianity. You're either a disciple of Christ or not. A Christian is someone who follows God's word, not a religion. Who obey the Father and follow his will; not man's nor their own heart's. Unless you keep Jesus' commandments, think not the Holy Spirit will dwell within you! They who heed this message and did what was stated with an open heart to God... Read the Holy Bible (KJV) daily and every time before you read, pray to the Father and ask: "Lord I ask that you give me understanding of your word, that I interpret it the way you want me to, and none of my own. I ask you in Jesus' name, amen." Revelation 22:8-9 KJV 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. Acts 2:38 KJV 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Luke 11:13 KJV 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? John 14:21-24 KJV 21 *He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.* 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, *If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.* 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and *the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.* 3 John 1:11 KJV 11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. *He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.* 1 John 3:6-10 KJV 6 *Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.* 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: *he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.* 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 *Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.* 10 *In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,* neither he that loveth not his brother.
We know that God used this very interview for my wife and I to join the Catholic Church. We were reformed Calvinists that had just that week begun the process of honestly discerning the Church. This interview gripped us and as tired parents, we stayed up very late to watch all of it. It was exactly what we needed to hear, when we needed to hear it. We will be confirmed in our local parish a week from today. Praise God for drawing us to the apostolic Church. Praise God for Ethan Dolan. Praise God for Pints with Aquinas.
The questions he was asking were the same ones I asked when I converted from Presbyterianism, I had a pastor tell me you couldn’t trust your reason because of the fall, and I’m like then how are you supposed to interpret scripture? Great interview.
They with ears to hear, let them hear: Through the Holy Spirit, God has put it on me to preach to those lost in the devil's deceit! Hear me when I say, ye that are Catholic have been deceived and know not God. Ye worship Mary, praying to her; when God tells his to worship none other than him. It is idolatry. Catholicism has its own Bible and teachings, which are blasphemous to the word of God: the Holy Bible. As ye follow the teachings of man and not God; ye hear the pope, but not Jesus, yet ye claim to be his disciples! These are but a few things I named ye dwell within; there are many more. I tell you now to repent of your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit upon asking the Father! There are *NO* sub-divisions of Christianity. You're either a disciple of Christ or not. A Christian is someone who follows God's word, not a religion. Who obey the Father and follow his will; not man's nor their own heart's. Unless you keep Jesus' commandments, think not the Holy Spirit will dwell within you! They who heed this message and did what was stated with an open heart to God... Read the Holy Bible (KJV) daily and every time before you read, pray to the Father and ask: "Lord I ask that you give me understanding of your word, that I interpret it the way you want me to, and none of my own. I ask you in Jesus' name, amen." Revelation 22:8-9 KJV 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. Acts 2:38 KJV 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Luke 11:13 KJV 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? John 14:21-24 KJV 21 *He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.* 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, *If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.* 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and *the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.* 3 John 1:11 KJV 11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. *He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.* 1 John 3:6-10 KJV 6 *Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.* 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: *he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.* 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 *Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.* 10 *In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,* neither he that loveth not his brother.
I converted from a non-practicing Methodist to Catholicism over 30 years ago. I learned a lot through RCIA, and my husband was a cradle Catholic and went through the RCIA program together. Dr Hahn was instrumental in teaching me many things even after my conversion through tapes and books. It’s such a pleasure to watch these programs and hear how people come to the Catholic faith.
What a wise young man. It amazes me these bold folks who are willing to give over their lives to Christ with no foreseeable plan of how they will deal with the consequences. May God bless them for their faith.
It seems like the only consequence is a crowd of Catholics receiving and supporting him. And he gets to tell his story on podcasts. Doesn’t seem like a huge sacrifice to be honest.
@@laurasmith4498 I mean, he got expelled from school and surely lost many friends and connections. There doesn't have to be a huge sacrifice for conversion to be incredible, but there seems to me to be in his case.
Praise God Ethan! It’s Susan Graham Myers from Westfield, Jeremy’s mom from years ago! I worked out with Micah at full plate and I told him how I quit evangelical and became Catholic and lost all my friends. I was confirmed 2 years ago! Welcome Home Ethan! I’m a 2 year old Catholic at the age of 59 at St. John’s in Agawam MA and teaching confirmation class! I’m literally the happiest convert ever! I also found out I was baptized Catholic but never knew it! I’m part of the New Evangelization to reunify Christ’s true church! 🙏♥️🙏 I pray for all the people at Westfield Evangelical Free Church and Pastor Chad’s church to come home to Catholicism ❤❤
Welcome home. I am a cradle Catholic, but I can say I was not a devout catholic when I was young and went astray for a while. I saw that many people do not understand the Bible because they do not understand the Catechism and vice versa. We all must do our homework, and no one will force us to do it (reading the Bible and the Catechism and the Code of Canon Law). The person that really helped me to understand the Catechism is Fr. Corapi with his 50 parts Catechism. Very much all the talk here or other UA-cams channels are already covered by him and what the Church teaches. May God bless you.
@@CJChesspnp my rcia director already has me on the podcast though I'm just using my catechism at home and not the plan on the website. I'm sure it's nice though
@ Timbo Slice - praised be Jesus Christ on your conversion to the Catholic Faith. Prayers for you as you journey through RCIA! It is an amazing experience and wonderful lifestyle to embrace! God bless you, and Welcome Home! 🙏✝️
This is such a great conversation, I just started following Christ about two months ago, and I've been struggling for weeks to debate the Protestant Vs. Catholic question. Every time I think i've figured it out there are other arguments that arise.
I’m so happy for you that you’ve found Faith in Jesus! I highly encourage you to visit an RCIA program at a local Catholic parish. I attended one a few years ago, and I had so many questions that they were able to help me answer. I’m praying for you on your faith journey, may The Holy Spirit guide you as you seek out Gods will for your life🙏🏻
Welcome home, Ethan! Ethan, instead of articulating Catholicism as “right” to your parents (vs. Protestantism as “wrong”) I would articulate Catholicism as having found the “fullness” of Christ’s church. Oh! And that’s Christ’s prayer - that we would be one in Him. It makes me think of the hymn O Lord Who At Thy First Eucharist. God bless you, brother! 🙏❤️
What's the point of not articulating catholicism as bing right? If it has the fulness of truth, it is the only true church and right alone. In fact you are obliged to point out that the catholic faith is right and without the catholic faith nobody at all is saved.
@ yes Catholicism is right. But a Protestant who has been brainwashed to think we worship the Pope and Mary and believe in salvation through works alone etc etc is not going to take that well. Planting a mustard seed works better than walking them over the head with a mustard bush. Take the Holy Bible for example… they have Holy Scripture but they are missing more than several books from it. It would be accurate to say that we have the fullness of truth in a complete account of revelation with ALL the books. Most Protestants aren’t Scott Hahn and you’ll turn them off if you come out guns blazing with “my faith is right and yours is wrong!” Super imprudent approach. Protestantism is almost there so it’s inaccurate in my estimation to say that it’s wrong as a blanket statement. Depending on the denomination there are a number of doctrines that are wrong but as a whole it is part of Christendom and focused on right relationship with God and man through Christ. To say Protestantism is wrong as a blanket statement denies what they have right and they would be right to be offended. Remember, most Protestants are genuinely seeking the truth through relationship with Jesus. People come around sooner if you don’t trigger their pride by being brash. As for only being saved through the Catholic Church you should reread the section of the catechism that talks about this. I don’t know which number off hand I’ll look it up.
I absolutely love the sincere honesty of Ethan. I once had a 'pal' I spoke to for a number of years online. He a Calvinist, I a Catholic and of course we had back and forth on Baptism, Grace, Sanctity, predestination etc. I was surprised at where our beliefs met - mostly in God's nature....and where they tend to part...in 'humanities' nature. Which obviously leads back to the fall. We had respectful chats, but I think he may have been more assured of my salvation because he knew I had faith then I would...He gave me the impression that I was 'almost' understanding how I'm saved.... Then, I'd bring up the 'perseverance of the Saints till the end'....and round we go. Still loved and respected that pal very very much tbh!
The issue of assurance in the Calvinistic system was one of things that eventually led me too to leave Calvinism. Btw, I loved Jimmy's article on a tip toe through the tulip. It made becoming Catholic a little easier.
@@laurasmith4498 lol, yep, so much assurance. I just couldn't handle all that assurance. I think the level of assurance that many reformed promote is not possible and leads to constant introspection. For the person that loves God but later falls away, that initial love and faith was not true. And if it can be the case that someone can feel great affection for God and that affection can be false, what hope does anyone have that their current faith is real? I think Jordan Cooper does a good job describing the issues with the reformed view of assurance in his video "Reformed and Lutheran views of assurance contrasted"
Sorry, but this guy was never a Calvinist. After just minutes he is making statements on behalf of Calvinism that are simply not true. Need to change the title of this episode. Sad and disappointing as I was curious to hear what this guy was going to say.
Wonderful interview and guest. Ethan Dolan is so fun to listen to, so very humble, smart, and seems to be trusting and waiting on God for the next step in his Catholic faith journey.
I grew up Presbyterian, and was taught Calvinism, and I had so many of the same questions. I didn’t dive as deeply into it, but it confused me. Once I went through RCIA, sooooo many things started to make so much more sense to me, and helped me to understand why I was so confused for so long.
THIS. IS. GREAT. Literally sums up my thought/research/reflection process going from Calvinism to Catholicism as well (including the 'in what order should I explain things in so this might make sense to somebody else??') Thank you so much for this interview!
John, give Scholastic Answers a follow. I'll be appearing on that channel fairly often, and when I eventually get my own kicked off it'll be known there! In the meantime, Christian has covered all kinds of topics!
When I heard the name, Scholastic Answers, I got excited, but I forgot to subscribe. Thanks for the reminder. Scholasticism gets a pretty bad rap in a day when logic and reason aren’t highly regarded.
Not if he dealt with porn he seemingly does not have the gift of celibacy plus the Roman Catholic view of the priesthood is nowhere in the apostolic teaching of the New Testament.
The story on litany of saints (when ethan and liam were about to meet dr. Scott) literally made my mouth go from ear to ear! So many endearing and funny anecdotes there! God bless you!
I went from Mormon to Calvinist to Catholic, in large part because I found, and still maintain, that Calvinism is the most coherent form of protestantism. If you believe in imputed righteousness, I believe TULIP naturally follows, so I have always maintained great respect for their tradition. Edit: It appears my understanding of the imputation vs. the infusion of grace was still rudimentary. This interview is fantastic!
Very interesting how this college has essentially become a religious authority, acting as teachers, but also spiritual directors and theological disciplinarians to enforce the creeds. I wish our Catholic schools took the students faith seriously like this, but it seems a little strange in a faith tradition that seems to reject the larger disciplinary structure of the Catholic Church (in my own personal experience with those in this vein)
This was an awesome episode - one of my favorites. On our way to Rome (before we knew we were on the way!), we spent quite a bit of time as Presbyterian/Reformed. It was wonderful to hear Ethan's experiences and thoughts. Matt, I hope you'll have him back often.
Love hearing this conversation story, his heart reminds me of Theresa of Avila, he has so many beautiful wild horses. I would love to hear you invite more people to talk about their conversation stories. Especially focusing on how difficult conversion can be on the rest of our lives. I feel like I had very little guidance. My life literally fell apart and I lost just about everyone in the process. Don't get me wrong, I would convert all over again, but I wish I had been more gracious in the process. I have come to the Catholic church, but miss the camaraderie amongst the believers in my protestant past.
Thank you so much! This video put into words how all the different denominations of Christianity can all seem coherent but that doesn’t mean they are all true. Simply, you can’t have multiple, different and objective interpretations of the truth.There can only be one!
1:07:05 - when you come up with many coherent systems of interpretation for Scripture, what do you do with that? What a timeless and humble question. This conversation is such a blessing to the body of Christ. Thank you brothers!
There are some great depths plumbed here very early-on. I'm going to have to listen to this at least once more to truly understand some of the distinctions made.
This Easter will be the 45th anniversary of my conversion to the Roman Catholic Church. I must admit that there have been times that I have stepped away to reconsider that decision, mostly due to issues of Liturgy and/or scandalous lack of charity. But of course, when I did so the Holy Spirit always eventually helped me to remember why I became Catholic in the first place. "Lord, to whom shall we go, for you have the words of everlasting life." After recently moving across the country it has been hard to find a parish home, but this Sunday I have decided to make the 90 minute drive to an Anglican Ordinariate Parish, the Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.
What a beautiful conversation. I wish I thought half as deeply as this guy when I was in college! By God’s grace I am thinking much more deeply now about my faith and my heart is being pulled toward Catholicism, and conversations like this are helping my head to catch up. Thank you!
This is one of my favorite episodes. Ethans way of explaining the inverted reasoning is deceptively clever. I need to relisten multiple times to get all of these examples and commentary. it really opened my eyes to the calvanist world view and it makes me more charitable to their descriptions of the faith
As a graduate from a Reformed Seminary, as well as being near a Reformed Calvinist College (actually the one where JG Voss taught and lived), it's nice to hear there are others who have a similar experience. I am finding myself in a rather unfortunate position because a few of my friends in the reformed camp and not happy with mine and my wife's joining of the RC Church.
Little things like admitting you struggled with masterbation can unleash great graces on others. I did too for 15 years but will soon be 2 years without doing it. Please comment below if you have similar struggles, wherever you are on that journey. We can overcome
I thought Ethan was one of the most brave and sincere guests on Pints tbh. We're all on a journey, we sin and if we didnt we wouldn't need a Saviour. Always remembering that God is Love, and we're his Children.
I'm a returning Catholic from the Southern Baptist tradition. It was reading the Gospels of Matthew and John that convinced me of the primacy of Peter (Matthew 16:19) and the Eucharist (John 6:35). Thank God that I turned away from the monstrous deity of Calvinism, who gleefully predestines and tosses people into Hell so that he may get a bit more "glory."
What a disgusting misrepresentation of Calvinism. You were probably just as safe in the Southern Baptist tradition as you now are in Rome. Not much of a muchness on Soteriology.
I can very much relate to his struggle to tell his story, as a convert it's been months and months of trying to distill everything that happened and what drew me into the Church, I'm still not good at it. I think conversion is more of a divine mystery than we think of it now in our pluralistic society, we think that conversion just has to do with having the right information and checking the right boxes. But when it happens to you it's more like.....falling in love? It's confusing and you don't understand what's happening to you, all you know is that everything is changing and nothing is the same, you're changed but you can't describe how. I think we can look back and rationalize the journey and the data we processed, but ultimately the answer is that God called us (which I know kind of sounds like a cop out).
One of my friends, Fr Patrick, was at Incarnation a few years back! I knew him when he was still “just” a seminarian in DoSA before he transferred to the Ordinariate. Small world hearing the Incarnation connection in Ethan’s story.
Thank you so much for this conversation! I grew up Christian but in various Protestant denominations. I found reformed Calvinism about 15 years ago and 5 years ago became Presbyterian. For the past 7 years Ive been struggling with doubt in Christianity and when I study the early beliefs of the early church it always looks so catholic to me lol
Really great conversation... very helpful discussion. I grew up in the 'Christian Churches' denomination, and much of this same reasoning is what led me towards Anglicanism, funnily enough. Love the channel! Thank you!
Excellent! I love our brothers and sisters who come home to the One Mother Church. They are often such mature, deep and experienced / well-read people. Really wonderful and enriching! Thank you Ethan and Matt!
This lad is a gift to the Church , I share his sentiments , I’m greatful for Penecostal up brining its noted on my Baptism in my certificate I received in my confirmation to the Catholic Church . I was baptized by my late grandfather that fact I can carry that into Catholic faith means the world to me
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 *📜 Ethan Dolan's Background and Introduction to the Discussion* - Ethan Dolan's upbringing as a Protestant with Catholic parents. - Discussion about his family's departure from the Catholic Church and their journey into Evangelicalism and Calvinism. - Introduction to the conversation about Ethan's conversion from Calvinism to Catholicism. 01:22 *💬 Ethan's Early Exposure to Religious Concepts* - Ethan's childhood exposure to religious teachings and concepts. - The influence of his father's theological discussions and readings on Ethan's understanding of Calvinism. 04:25 *🧔 Calvinist Identity and Impressions* - Perception of Calvinists as serious Protestants within the broader religious community. - Discussion on notable figures like Charles Spurgeon and their representation of Calvinism. 07:00 *📜 Understanding Salvation: Calvinist vs. Catholic Perspectives* - Explanation of the Calvinist doctrine of justification through legal imputation and regeneration. - Introduction to the infusion of grace and familial nature of salvation in the Catholic perspective. 13:01 *💡 Exploring the Complexity of Theological Differences* - Acknowledgment of the complexity and ongoing debate surrounding theological differences between Calvinism and Catholicism. - Recognition of the fundamental divergence in perspectives on sanctifying grace as a pivotal theological point. 17:12 *📚 Understanding Calvinism and Calvinist education* - Growing up immersed in discussions about Calvinism vs. Arminianism. - Exploring the concept of predestination and its similarities between Calvinists and Catholics. 19:31 *🕊️ Exploring the Catholic understanding of original sin and sanctifying grace* - Contrasting the Catholic perspective on original sin with the Calvinist view. - Discussing the significance of sanctifying grace in Catholic theology. 22:44 *💭 Views on Catholicism during high school and early exploration of faith* - Reflecting on initial perceptions of Catholicism as non-Christian due to theological differences. - Questioning aspects of Catholic doctrine and its divergence from Protestant beliefs. 25:03 *🎓 Academic aspirations and struggles with assurance of salvation* - Desire to pursue teaching in academia and the influence of faith on career aspirations. - Struggles with assurance of salvation within the Calvinist theological framework. 28:29 *🤔 Comparison of assurance of salvation in Calvinism and Catholicism* - Discussing the concept of infallible assurance of salvation in Calvinism and its implications. - Highlighting similarities in the experiences of assurance between Calvinists and Catholics. 35:23 *🕊️ Calvinist understanding of grace and salvation history* - Differences in the Calvinist view of grace compared to Catholic understanding. - Impact of differing views on salvation history and soteriology. 38:22 *🌊 Calvinist perspectives on baptismal regeneration* - Range of Calvinist views on baptismal regeneration, from symbolic to sacramental. - Debate between Presbyterians and Reformed Baptists on infant baptism. 43:16 *🍞 Calvinist understanding of the Eucharist* - Spectrum of Calvinist views on the Eucharist, from symbolic to participatory. - Comparison between Calvinist and Catholic perspectives on transubstantiation. 45:07 *🛤️ Journey towards Catholicism* - Exploration of the concept of a visible church and its significance. - Transition from questioning ecclesiology to accepting sacramental theology. 53:46 *🍞 Transubstantiation and Real Presence* - Exploring the concept of transubstantiation and real presence in the Eucharist. 57:06 *🕊️ Exploring Catholic Practices* - Reflecting on the significance of attending a Catholic mass and the practical implications of considering Catholicism. - Evaluating the challenge of incorporating Catholic beliefs into existing Calvinist perspectives. 58:01 *🔥 Turning Point: Recognition and Research* - Recognizing the need for deeper understanding through research, particularly on baptismal regeneration. - Acknowledging a shift in perspective towards Catholic teachings, leading to a reassessment of theological positions. 59:47 *💡 Spiritual Awakening and Academic Pursuits* - Reflecting on personal shortcomings and embracing a newfound focus on spiritual growth and academic inquiry. - Highlighting the transformative impact of theological studies on personal beliefs and perspectives. 01:00:43 *🔄 Reevaluation and Augmenting Theological Understanding* - Reevaluating theological positions in light of newfound insights, particularly regarding baptismal regeneration. - Recognizing the necessity of a comprehensive understanding of Catholic teachings to engage in meaningful theological discourse. 01:05:12 *💭 Challenge of Interpretation and Coherence* - Wrestling with the challenge of interpreting scripture coherently within differing theological frameworks. - Exploring the complexities of defining fundamental theological concepts such as faith within divergent theological traditions. 01:09:41 *📚 Confessional Authority and Interpretation* - Discussing the role of confessions in guiding interpretation and the practical implications of adherence to doctrinal statements. - Evaluating the tension between individual interpretation of scripture and the authority of doctrinal confessions. 01:11:47 *📜 Understanding the role of Creeds and confessions in theology,* - Discussion on the role of Creeds and confessions in Christian theology. - Exploration of how these statements relate to scripture and human reason. 01:15:34 *🚫 Experiencing consequences for theological exploration,* - Ethan Dolan recounts the consequences he faced for questioning theological doctrines at his Calvinist bible college. - Description of meetings with college officials regarding doctrinal beliefs. 01:24:21 *🤝 Seeking guidance and support from Catholic figures,* -Ethan Dolan shares his journey of reaching out to Dr. Scott Hahn and other Catholic figures for guidance. - Discussion on the significance of mentorship and support during theological transitions. 01:28:49 *🕊️ Understanding Catholic Doctrine* - Exploring Catholic teachings on faith and works. - Recognizing scriptural support beyond "faith alone." 01:31:08 *📜 Insights from Saint Thomas Aquinas* - Learning about the Catholic view of justification. - Understanding the role of faith, hope, and love in Catholic theology. 01:35:18 *🤝 Connecting with Dr. Scott Hahn* - Seeking guidance from Catholic scholars like Dr. Scott Hahn. - Experiencing providential moments in seeking assistance from Dr. Hahn. 01:44:24 *📚 Conversion journey and dialogue with Dr. Hahn* - Ethan Dolan discusses his conversion journey from Calvinism to Catholicism. - Highlights a dialogue with Dr. Scott Hahn about predestination and Catholic practices. 01:46:01 *🛤️ Discovering Catholic thought in Protestantism* - Ethan reflects on how Catholic thought is foundational to Protestant beliefs. - Discusses the beauty of Catholic teachings elevating Protestant perspectives. 01:47:40 *📖 Reading and interpreting Catholic literature* - Ethan discusses reading Catholic literature, particularly Dr. Scott Hahn's works. - Reflects on the impact of interpreting Revelation through liturgy. 01:51:56 *🤔 Wrestling with papal infallibility and doctrinal interpretation* - Ethan grapples with the concept of papal infallibility and its implications. - Discusses challenges in reconciling Pope Francis's actions with Catholic teachings. 01:57:04 *📜 Evaluating scriptural interpretation and theological coherence* - Ethan explores the challenge of determining the correct interpretation of Scripture. - Reflects on how adopting a Catholic lens reshapes his understanding of Scripture. 02:02:31 *📖 Discussing the importance of clarifying definitions in theological discussions* - Emphasizes the need to focus on the realities signified by words, not just the words themselves. - Highlights the frustration of miscommunication on social media due to assumptions about word meanings. 02:03:28 *🛐 Ethan Dolan's journey to full communion with the Catholic Church* - Describes how Ethan discovered Dr. Scott Hahn through online debates about Catholicism. - Recounts the process of meeting Dr. Hahn and eventually deciding to join the Catholic Church. 02:07:18 *🚶♂️ Interactions with family and advice for Catholic children of non-Catholic parents* - Discusses the initial difficulty with parents regarding his conversion but acknowledges their loving concern. - Advises showing love and respect towards non-Catholic parents despite differences in religious beliefs. 02:11:10 *🎓 Future plans and experiences at Franciscan University* - Mentions plans to continue studies at Franciscan University and expresses gratitude for the hospitality of Dr. Scott Hahn. - Briefly discusses the Anglican Ordinariate and highlights the transformative experience of attending Mass as a new Catholic.
Great interview! Would definitely recommend having his friend Christian Wagner on to talk about his conversion and scholasticism (and possibly the development of doctrine)
As an adult convert from the Protestant religion into Christianity (because make no mistake Protestants are not Christians, Christian is a term used to describe those IN HIS CHURCH) - I do not understand the tippy toe, super walking on egg shells- let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt to an extreme posture - behavior of people claiming to want to bring souls to the truth of Christ?! I actually do not understand it. My entire life no one spoke clear to me about what the Church was and it took the loss of a child for God to allow me to be humbled to see his Church. Why won’t we speak clearly and honestly and forcefully with charity, and not pretend those who hate the Church of Christ actually are OK?
I think this quote by Fullton Sheen is helpful: "There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be." People hate the Church of Christ because they don't think it is the Church of Christ. And that is an information problem. To bridge the gap we need to let those people spell out their questions and difficulties, so that we may inform them that we "No, do not, in fact, worship Mary/believe people can buy their way out of Purgatory/contradict Scripture/add to Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition, etc." You can also show them that the difficulty they are experiencing in their own church is resolved in Catholicism. You can certainly go too far in only letting the others speak and not making the Catholic position known. But I don't see that in this conversation.
Me too. That's tippy-toey always pissed me off. I love Christ and I love His Church to be tippy toeying around to save ppl's feelings. I say there is only one Christianity worth defending and that's orthodoxy, to hell with mere Christianity. Of the two heresies, Protestanism and Mohammedism, I have to maintain that Protestanism is the worst of the two and ought to not be tolerated.
Well, it's interesting, it does in a certain sense. We can gather the meaning of some verses by understanding other verses, so they aren't wrong in saying that scripture interprets scripture (of course, in the mind of the reader). The difference is, that's something human reason does (hopefully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) so it's possible to misunderstand one or two verses, and it can lead to misunderstanding a whole multitude of verses before you know it if a few of them are interpreted incorrectly. This isn't just a concern for the protestant, the Catholic also has to be incredibly careful with his reading of scripture. The teaching of the Church really helps us read scripture through the right framework, since the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Catholic Church and directly guides and moves the body to accomplish His works through us. The most important thing, however, is just praying, reading the scriptures, and seeking to understand them by looking at what those in the past have taught about them. The Catechism is a beautiful tool that can help Catholics see the beauty of scripture if the time is taken to digest it.
Discovered what was hidden since vat II when the lockdowns hit. Learning like mad drinking from a firehose Part of my research has been vids - Father Ripperger, The Summa, Bishop Schneider, Archbishop Vigano, Cardinal Burke, Taylor Marshall etc Your vids are fantastic but WOW! This young man is astounding. Thank you for sharing His story. Will be studying the many references given in this talk. May God Bless You Both and again Thank You So Much!
Ethan, we share Thomas Aquinas as our patron Saint! You seem much smarter than me but I also love the study of theology and pondering God’s mysteries. Right at the start of this conversation I felt a kindred spirit with you. Love this Interview, and thanks to Matt as well!
Wonderful exchange! Cradle Catholic, but embraced Calvinism (OPC) after a “born-again” experience in college. Now 64, have spent the last 5-6 years wrangling with the truths of the Catholic Church. Ethan, do you have a website or some way of reaching out? Blessings!
I think the main problem is that people want to define everything precisely, so they end up guessing and inventing the "missing parts", instead of just focus on the most important thing. The inevitable end result is a multitude of doctrines and churches. The only correct solution can be to stick with the Catholic Church which has this unique continuity of primacy since the apostolic times. Only they can have the doctrine which 100% true, or at least closest to the 100%, unless we don't trust in the Holy Spirit to care about and guide the Church. All of us cannot be 100% right at the same time, and obviously those who broke away cannot be right, because to claim better understanding than the whole centuries old Church is pride, and Pride is the greatest sin.
Actually the praying Litany of Saints was actually a BETTER story than his friend just quitting. That was one of the best stories I have heard. Ave Maria...🙏
@@EthanDolan1274 I think there is a reason the Holy Spirit is guiding good Protestants back into the Church. We need you back. These are trying times. Jesus promised his Church will prevail and I believe him explicitly. I will pray a Litany of the Saints for you. Please pray for me to Mother Mary. God bless 🙏
Ethan, when talking about the eucharist, mentioned a range of interpretations, but in that range he didn't include the interpretation that I personally think is the correct one. Jesus said As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Right before he broke bread, he washed the disciples' feet, saying as I have done this for you, do this for one another. The Father had used Mary to wash Jesus' feet. Jesus washed the disciples' feet. He told them they are to wash one another's feet. He said this is an example. An example of what? of the Father loving the Son, the Son loving the disciples as he had been loved, and the command to them to love one another as he had loved them. Not long after that he breaks the bread and says, "This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Do what? Have people wash your feet? Or do you obey the commandment he just finished talking about? remembering that we are to offer our body, broken for one another? The purpose of communion is to unite us, forgiving one another. Communion is meant to be a horizontal relationship, not a vertical one. When does the bread become the body of Christ? Right after we partake. We are the body of Christ. Doesn't that make you angry? That is an example of how entrenched we can be in our own beliefs. You have to give me points on the logic, but I expect this will make everyone who reads this livid. If that's you, smash, smash, SMASH that thumbs down button. But if what you believe about communion makes you react to this with anger, maybe you should examine yourself like Paul suggested, and begin to partake worthily. Communion is not about making yourself right with God; it is about making yourself right with one another. I was just thrown out of the Evangelical Church. I expect the Catholic Church would not have me either. All for just trying to have an intelligent conversation. There are many, many more intelligent conversations we need to have. Sadly, the Christian way is to cancel those with whom we disagree. Ethan, the doctrine you are looking for is not out there, it is within you. When you are visiting your dad sometime, stop by and we can have some intelligent conversations. But they may throw you out of the Catholic Church as well.
I’ve never seen it in that light before, that fulfilling the new covenant by way of communion is horizontal and not vertical. We keep trying to please God by bypassing Christ’s command to “love one another”
Maybe my favorite PWA discussion ever. This resonated so much with me in my conversion to Catholicism from a mere Christianity... especially the portion about the Bible being coherent within different frameworks.
I totally relate to this. I got in trouble in a Baptist seminary in 1993 for quoting Luther to the Calvinist Dean, and he went ballistic. It did not end well. I miss the theological course, but not the mean-spirited Calvinism that could not accommodate any other protestant let alone Catholic source. I was considering a mission trip to Ireland at the time to save the Irish, and all I could think was "if I get sent to Ireland, I will for sure end up converting to catholicism" because I honor my Irish catholic grandma so much.
1:07:45 this makes me think of St Vincent of Lerins on how we know what is true. Owing to the depth of scripture there are as many interpretations as interpreters and so we must hold to what was believed always, everywhere, and by all. The Church is lead by the Spirit into all truth. I came from a very Calvinist background so I resonate with this so much. Welcome to the Church, brother.
I believe Calvinism is a heresy from the pit of hell. They teach that God ordains sin (not just allows it to happen), Jesus only died for a limited few, people don't have a free will (in any real sense of the word), and God doesn't love everyone (in any real sense of the word love). No thanks
It most certainly is a heresy from the pit of hell. At the same time, it retains many teachings of the Catholic Church and many people find Christ through those teachings which are expounded in their pulpits. For example, the unique mediation of Christ, justification occuring by a supernatural faith which exceeds any ability of man to arrive at on his own, and many other beautiful and glorious truths. The teaching does stray from the Catholic Faith, but that does not mean the individuals holding their positions either rightly understand what they are hearing, or that they have been accurately presented with Catholic Truth. Please pray for many conversions from Calvinism!
“Calvinist” is an interesting label. You’ll meet TULIP affirming Baptists (who reject everything Calvin said but TULIP), Reformed Anglicans, Liturgical Presbyterians, etc, who all call themselves “Calvinist.” I feel like the Catholic vs Calvinist thing will be defined by how you define “Calvinist.”
You're right! I would more often use the term "Reformed" because it implies that I would hold to one of the Reformed confessions of faith. But that's not something I explained here, and it's not always worth getting into when most people think of the "Reformed" as those who follow in the tradition of Calvin (which, of course, Calvinists do because they believe it's the teaching of God in scripture).
One of the important distinctions missed here is caused by the false dichotomy Calvinists ask is “Are you a Calvinist or an Arminian?’. Most (by far) are neither. Then the name calling begins like “well then, you’re a Pelagian” or “you’re a semi-Pelagian”. By most accounts Pelagius was not a Pelagian. But that is for another day. What Calvinists try to get you to see is that you are contributing to your salvation. They are confusing faith with works. Faith is believing, it is not making the first move, The Father made the first move John 3:16. Faith is not works. Doing work for the cause of Christ is evidence of faith. Book of James, Hebrews 11.. In Calvinism, one is predestined for heaven or hell and the power of the Gospel will not change them. They believe that the death and destruction of some/most people eternally is for Jesus’s glory (Calvin, Pink, Sproul, Piper, Keller) while the Bible teaches that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind and that’s why he deserves all on honor and glory. ‘Well then, why are all men not saved?” Calvinists ask implying universalism. Because you are not saved when Jesus died on the cross. You were saved when you believed. It was NECESSARY, because we could not save ourselves. God sent His son John 3:16. It was the only solution (His sacrifice) that would atone for our sins. When one comes to believe that not only Jesus died for YOUR sins, but He also defeated death., you are indeed saved eternally. Death is no longer our enemy. You can’t threaten a Christian with heaven. Peter, Paul, and all the martyrs or us. Romans 10:9-13 The Apostle John said it was not in any way dependent on man’s knowledge or heritage. In other words … God has no grandchildren. No unbeliever was ever predestined for heaven or hell (Calvinism). Being born in a Taco Bell doesn’t make you a chalupa. Neither does being born into a religion make you a Christian And now it seems that some are going back to infant baptism (which I blame on those who hold tp the WCF…a non - divinely inspired document). While some believe that baptism is an outward confession of inward change (born again), which is true. Baptism is identifying with the cause and work of Christ. It’s the beginning not the end. You are not saved as a child when you are baptized evidenced by the millions (billions?) who have left their parents faith, or become God-haters, or have simply suppressed the truth. I am specifically questioning here, Calvinism and their corrupted understanding of Romans 9 and Ephesians 1
Ethan, if you see this, I’m a member of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, the Ordinariate community in Indianapolis. If you ever want to make the trip over for an Ordinariate Mass, we have several folks who would be happy to host you!
2:05:20 A really good point on indulgences. I’d say most Catholics don’t understand that this (rejecting imputation vs indulgences) is an issue for thoughtful Protestants.
1:26:29 In the ad segment, it always makes me confused for a moment and then chuckle when I hear you both (Matt and Thursday) pronounce sudoku as... "saduko"? :D
There should be a society or some type of group where convert Catholics can meet or ask questions or have discussions. Is there one? Especially for modern young converts.
You know I'm really sad this one came out so long ago and I'm just now watching it. I've been a Catholic my whole life but the only people around me who took their faith seriously were evangelical and I never could respond. This video really is perfect in parsing out the subtle differences
@@josephbrandenburg4373 I know. But the Catholic Church teaches that if you reject Her authority to teach and have the final say in the matter of faith and moral, you are rejecting her teaching by 'disagreeing'. The Catholic Church Holy See has the final say. Of course, anyone can disagree. That has been going on for quite a while now. It's not new. And to be in the Catholic Church, all the bishops, priests, nuns and laity must agree to the teachings of the Magisterium. If people in the Catholic Church 'disagreed' and believed otherwise, they Church call them Heretics or Schimatic or Excommunicate. The Church's stand of not forcing people into the faith is still Her posture. We discuss sometime not to agree, but to understand each other's view.
I am a Presbyterian (PCA) who went to Catholic schools and appreciated hearing Ethan’s thought process. It’s interesting hearing that his “idol alarm” went off seeing people worship the Eucharist, yet he kept moving forward. It sounds like the influence of Hahn was pivotal. What prevents me and others from swimming the Tiber is that I can’t hold non-scriptural writings as authoritative. It’s what prevents most Reformed Christians from becoming Catholic because the disagreements are an unbridgeable chasm and we will never be convinced apart from scripture.
I was mostly to the point of being able to convert by the time I met Dr. Hahn, I forgot to mention that. And I was very much the same way. I couldn't hold anything other than scripture as infallibly authoritative until I became Catholic. It was scripture that really convinced me of the truth of Catholicism. We just didn't get into those discussions in this particular interview. Primarily it was verses about baptism, not wanting to play mind games with the apostasy texts, and recognizing the relationship between faith and works and the value of grace in scripture. All of these things did not match scripture in the Presbyterian reaching. I would love to talk through it further! God bless!
Yes when you change your hermeneutical approach it’s hard to put the timeline together. I grew up in Catholic school and made my way slowly toward the reformed side over years. I am interested in learning how you made the full transition to the RCC and how you overcame the obvious hurdles. Something must have been lacking in your heart to seek communion with God in a fuller sense. - RCC feels comfortable to me since I grew up around it. I just can’t get comfortable with the issues Hodge and others have had. - divisions in Christ’s church are a problem, and I am convinced that there is one true church under Christ and he knows his sheep. Would love to talk more and hear your thoughts but I live in Kansas and UA-cam comment section isn’t best format for arriving at theological truth. By the way I am using my wife’s UA-cam account and I am a 43 year old man not named Laura. 😂
@@laurasmith4498 I agree! Let me try and figure out how to get you contact info. I'd love to talk. Thank you for recognizing how difficult the timeline can be when hermeneutics change. It's messier than it looks from outside, that's for sure.
Thank you both for every word. Needed size up Calvinism from Catholic view. Both Matt (best interviewer ever) and Ethan are both handsome and beautifully dressed. Ethan looks very much like a young Gregory Peck (actor) Surely otherss have said so
27:30 The contrast between the fruits of the two teachings on grace is striking -- Dolan was freed from his struggles with sin, paradoxically, by grace and the teaching that you can lose or reject it even as it remains God's grace, while the other teaching (that you possess total assurance, unless you don't) turned him into the "double-minded man" of the Epistle of St. James, worrying about whether the grace he received was real or illusory. The former, Catholic doctrine inculcates reliance on God and encourages the sinner to get up, ask forgiveness and keep going -- "If we are unfaithful, He will still remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
This struck me deeply as it was happening actually. The principle of denying yourself and crucifying what is comfortable to reach out in faith. It was only by denying assurance of salvation that I was able to find rest in Christ.
@@EthanDolan1274 Wow, thank you for finding this comment. God bless your work, and try to get Matt to have Christian Wagner on sometime - now that would be a lively episode
Haha. My buddy and I started converting at the same time at a Baptist college. He and I left the school and we're both going through formation. I still visit the school to talk about the faith (and to see some old friends of course) but he lives too far away now. It's a long, crazy story. But definitely related to this video a ton.
Have Christian Wagner (Scholastic Answers) on. Not only the smartest young youtuber ive seen but the guy will give you tons of clips hahaha, he tends to know how to be clickbaity.
A Calvinist friend of mine helped me to become a much better Catholic. He used to hammer me with questions that Inhad no answer to, except for, "I pray, and I pray a lot, and I am sure that our Lord has led me back to the Catholic faith." Anyway, I didnt like not having answers about Marian things, Eucharist, confession, and all the regular objections. The more I sought out answers to his questions, the more I fell in love with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Praise God! He is still a great friend and a great man, much love to our Calvinist brothers and sisters in Christ.
look up Brant PItre....Jewish roots of Eucharist, Jewish roots of Mary...I just gave the one on the eucharist to my Calvinist brother-in-law
Yeah, no wonder you both get along. Calvin thought he was simply creating the true Catholic faith. Both of you resist the Holy Spirit. You need Pentecost. You need power. Answers are good. But only for the right questions.
@@nicholasgeorge7825 I see the Spirt has given you the power to read souls, quite impressive
@@nicholasgeorge7825 Calvin THOUGHT he was, but he was pre-destined to be WRONG
@@glennlanham6309 Ah, thanks brother. I have some discernment, but mostly a sharp tongue. Should work on that for '23!
I can't wait for this episode! I have followed Christ for 40 years, was an Evangelical missionary for 7 years, during which time I embraced Calvinism. From there, I attended a Reformed seminary. Just two months ago, I came Home to Mother Church. Praise God.
Welcome home! I was born into an evangelical church, then raised Presbyterian from the age of 8 or so, ended up marrying my Catholic husband 10 years ago, and finally came home to The Catholic Church in 2020❤️
🥰🤗
Wow, what a story!
Praise God!
@@magnolia31611God bless you sister
Grew up going to a Calvinist church, and it never felt right to me. I got to the point where I was just ignoring any and all things related to spirituality because of the existential fear Calvinism leads to. Just started attending a Catholic church, and am beyond moved by it... Planning a talk with Monsignor in the future to join
Welcome
LLP Welcome home to the one true holy apostolic catholic church founded by Jesus Christ
Thank you for using the phrase "existential fear." In fact, this very thing was the historical fruit of predestination obsession. No one could be sure if they were saved or not. Good works might be the proof or they might be your vain efforts to earn what only the grace of God can give. We need to leave such mysteries to God, preach the Gospel and allow for some paradox.
May revelation, joy, peace, good fruits in the power of the Gospel and the graces of the Spirit be with you and your family now and always, according to the promise:
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your house."
Same, but last Easter. Joining and confirmed this Easter :) best decision ever!
As an adult convert from the Protestants religion into Christianity (because make no mistake Protestants are not Christians, Christian is a term used to describe those IN HIS CHURCH) - I do not understand the tippy toe, super walking on egg shells- let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt to any EXTREME posture - behavior who people claiming to want to bring souls to the truth of Christ?!
I actually do not understand it.
My entire life no one spoke clear to me about what the Church was and it took the loss of a child for God to allow me to be humbled to see his Church.
Why won’t we speak clearly and honestly and forcefully with charity, and not pretend those who hate the Church of Christ actually are OK?
I hope everyone here is listening to Ascension Presents, Father Mike Schmitz Catechism In A Year! It's not too late to catch up, or go at your own pace. What a beautiful gift of our Faith, the Catholic Catechism! God Bless everyone here.
Amen
It really is. I found a copy of the Catechism at a thrift store and it got me on the road to conversion. I had so many questions about the faith growing up in the South and nominally protestant with a healthy dose of 'antipapism' but doubts and skepticism kept mounting. The Catechism is such a wonderful gift to the faithful.
I love that he discusses the sections and clarifies them.
Be it known: Through the Holy Spirit, God has put it on me to preach to those lost in the devil's deceit!
Hear me when I say, ye that are Catholic have been deceived and know not God. Ye worship Mary, praying to her; when God tells his to worship none other than him. It is idolatry.
Catholicism has its own Bible and teachings, which are blasphemous to the word of God: the Holy Bible. As ye follow the teachings of man and not God; ye hear the pope, but not Jesus, yet ye claim to be his disciples!
These are but a few things I named ye dwell within; there are many more. I tell you now to repent of your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit upon asking the Father!
There are *NO* sub-divisions of Christianity. You're either a disciple of Christ or not. A Christian is someone who follows God's word, not a religion. Who obey the Father and follow his will; not man's nor their own heart's. Unless you keep Jesus' commandments, think not the Holy Spirit will dwell within you!
They who heed this message and did what was stated with an open heart to God...
Read the Holy Bible (KJV) daily and every time before you read, pray to the Father and ask:
"Lord I ask that you give me understanding of your word, that I interpret it the way you want me to, and none of my own. I ask you in Jesus' name, amen."
Revelation 22:8-9 KJV
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Acts 2:38 KJV
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 11:13 KJV
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
John 14:21-24 KJV
21 *He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.*
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, *If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.*
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and *the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.*
3 John 1:11 KJV
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. *He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.*
1 John 3:6-10 KJV
6 *Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.*
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: *he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.*
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 *Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.*
10 *In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,* neither he that loveth not his brother.
@@Call_Upon_YAH did you even watch the videos or are you just spamming comments with your nonsense?
We know that God used this very interview for my wife and I to join the Catholic Church. We were reformed Calvinists that had just that week begun the process of honestly discerning the Church. This interview gripped us and as tired parents, we stayed up very late to watch all of it. It was exactly what we needed to hear, when we needed to hear it. We will be confirmed in our local parish a week from today. Praise God for drawing us to the apostolic Church. Praise God for Ethan Dolan. Praise God for Pints with Aquinas.
The questions he was asking were the same ones I asked when I converted from Presbyterianism, I had a pastor tell me you couldn’t trust your reason because of the fall, and I’m like then how are you supposed to interpret scripture? Great interview.
That Presbyterian pastor was onto something. That's essentially the argument Tim Stratton makes against Calvinism.
They with ears to hear, let them hear:
Through the Holy Spirit, God has put it on me to preach to those lost in the devil's deceit!
Hear me when I say, ye that are Catholic have been deceived and know not God. Ye worship Mary, praying to her; when God tells his to worship none other than him. It is idolatry.
Catholicism has its own Bible and teachings, which are blasphemous to the word of God: the Holy Bible. As ye follow the teachings of man and not God; ye hear the pope, but not Jesus, yet ye claim to be his disciples!
These are but a few things I named ye dwell within; there are many more. I tell you now to repent of your sins, accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit upon asking the Father!
There are *NO* sub-divisions of Christianity. You're either a disciple of Christ or not. A Christian is someone who follows God's word, not a religion. Who obey the Father and follow his will; not man's nor their own heart's. Unless you keep Jesus' commandments, think not the Holy Spirit will dwell within you!
They who heed this message and did what was stated with an open heart to God...
Read the Holy Bible (KJV) daily and every time before you read, pray to the Father and ask:
"Lord I ask that you give me understanding of your word, that I interpret it the way you want me to, and none of my own. I ask you in Jesus' name, amen."
Revelation 22:8-9 KJV
8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Acts 2:38 KJV
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 11:13 KJV
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
John 14:21-24 KJV
21 *He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.*
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, *If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.*
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and *the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.*
3 John 1:11 KJV
11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. *He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.*
1 John 3:6-10 KJV
6 *Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.*
7 Little children, let no man deceive you: *he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.*
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 *Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.*
10 *In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God,* neither he that loveth not his brother.
@@Call_Upon_YAH :
The Holy Bible is certainly a beautiful Catholic book, and Catholics pray the Bible every day.
@@Call_Upon_YAH Among all the weird ideas modern Christians have, KJV-onlyism is one of the downright weirdest.
Everyone can understand Scripture:
• Ephesians 3:3-5
• 2 Corinthians 1:13
• Nehemiah 8:3, 8
• Matthew 24:15
I converted from a non-practicing Methodist to Catholicism over 30 years ago. I learned a lot through RCIA, and my husband was a cradle Catholic and went through the RCIA program together. Dr Hahn was instrumental in teaching me many things even after my conversion through tapes and books. It’s such a pleasure to watch these programs and hear how people come to the Catholic faith.
I hope this man ends up teaching at our seminaries some day.
What a wise young man. It amazes me these bold folks who are willing to give over their lives to Christ with no foreseeable plan of how they will deal with the consequences. May God bless them for their faith.
It seems like the only consequence is a crowd of Catholics receiving and supporting him. And he gets to tell his story on podcasts. Doesn’t seem like a huge sacrifice to be honest.
@@laurasmith4498 I mean, he got expelled from school and surely lost many friends and connections. There doesn't have to be a huge sacrifice for conversion to be incredible, but there seems to me to be in his case.
@@laurasmith4498Why be so dismissive when you truly have no idea what he’s experienced?
Praise God Ethan! It’s Susan Graham Myers from Westfield, Jeremy’s mom from years ago! I worked out with Micah at full plate and I told him how I quit evangelical and became Catholic and lost all my friends. I was confirmed 2 years ago! Welcome Home Ethan! I’m a 2 year old Catholic at the age of 59 at St. John’s in Agawam MA and teaching confirmation class! I’m literally the happiest convert ever! I also found out I was baptized Catholic but never knew it! I’m part of the New Evangelization to reunify Christ’s true church! 🙏♥️🙏 I pray for all the people at Westfield Evangelical Free Church and Pastor Chad’s church to come home to Catholicism ❤❤
That's amazing!!
I'm in RCIA now I was calvinist for the last 8 years
Welcome home. I am a cradle Catholic, but I can say I was not a devout catholic when I was young and went astray for a while. I saw that many people do not understand the Bible because they do not understand the Catechism and vice versa. We all must do our homework, and no one will force us to do it (reading the Bible and the Catechism and the Code of Canon Law). The person that really helped me to understand the Catechism is Fr. Corapi with his 50 parts Catechism. Very much all the talk here or other UA-cams channels are already covered by him and what the Church teaches. May God bless you.
Welcome home!!!!
The Catechism in a Year on the Ascension website is awesome!
@@CJChesspnp my rcia director already has me on the podcast though I'm just using my catechism at home and not the plan on the website. I'm sure it's nice though
@ Timbo Slice - praised be Jesus Christ on your conversion to the Catholic Faith. Prayers for you as you journey through RCIA! It is an amazing experience and wonderful lifestyle to embrace! God bless you, and Welcome Home! 🙏✝️
This is such a great conversation, I just started following Christ about two months ago, and I've been struggling for weeks to debate the Protestant Vs. Catholic question.
Every time I think i've figured it out there are other arguments that arise.
I’m so happy for you that you’ve found Faith in Jesus! I highly encourage you to visit an RCIA program at a local Catholic parish. I attended one a few years ago, and I had so many questions that they were able to help me answer. I’m praying for you on your faith journey, may The Holy Spirit guide you as you seek out Gods will for your life🙏🏻
Welcome home, Ethan!
Ethan, instead of articulating Catholicism as “right” to your parents (vs. Protestantism as “wrong”) I would articulate Catholicism as having found the “fullness” of Christ’s church. Oh! And that’s Christ’s prayer - that we would be one in Him. It makes me think of the hymn O Lord Who At Thy First Eucharist.
God bless you, brother! 🙏❤️
What's the point of not articulating catholicism as bing right? If it has the fulness of truth, it is the only true church and right alone. In fact you are obliged to point out that the catholic faith is right and without the catholic faith nobody at all is saved.
@ yes Catholicism is right. But a Protestant who has been brainwashed to think we worship the Pope and Mary and believe in salvation through works alone etc etc is not going to take that well. Planting a mustard seed works better than walking them over the head with a mustard bush. Take the Holy Bible for example… they have Holy Scripture but they are missing more than several books from it. It would be accurate to say that we have the fullness of truth in a complete account of revelation with ALL the books. Most Protestants aren’t Scott Hahn and you’ll turn them off if you come out guns blazing with “my faith is right and yours is wrong!” Super imprudent approach.
Protestantism is almost there so it’s inaccurate in my estimation to say that it’s wrong as a blanket statement. Depending on the denomination there are a number of doctrines that are wrong but as a whole it is part of Christendom and focused on right relationship with God and man through Christ. To say Protestantism is wrong as a blanket statement denies what they have right and they would be right to be offended. Remember, most Protestants are genuinely seeking the truth through relationship with Jesus. People come around sooner if you don’t trigger their pride by being brash.
As for only being saved through the Catholic Church you should reread the section of the catechism that talks about this. I don’t know which number off hand I’ll look it up.
I absolutely love the sincere honesty of Ethan. I once had a 'pal' I spoke to for a number of years online. He a Calvinist, I a Catholic and of course we had back and forth on Baptism, Grace, Sanctity, predestination etc.
I was surprised at where our beliefs met - mostly in God's nature....and where they tend to part...in 'humanities' nature. Which obviously leads back to the fall.
We had respectful chats, but I think he may have been more assured of my salvation because he knew I had faith then I would...He gave me the impression that I was 'almost' understanding how I'm saved....
Then, I'd bring up the 'perseverance of the Saints till the end'....and round we go.
Still loved and respected that pal very very much tbh!
The issue of assurance in the Calvinistic system was one of things that eventually led me too to leave Calvinism. Btw, I loved Jimmy's article on a tip toe through the tulip. It made becoming Catholic a little easier.
Hi Jess, I highly recommend you
Catholic Re.Con. UA-cam channel they have great testimony's 🤗
There was too much assurance in Reformed theology for you so you became RC?
@@laurasmith4498 lol, yep, so much assurance. I just couldn't handle all that assurance.
I think the level of assurance that many reformed promote is not possible and leads to constant introspection. For the person that loves God but later falls away, that initial love and faith was not true. And if it can be the case that someone can feel great affection for God and that affection can be false, what hope does anyone have that their current faith is real?
I think Jordan Cooper does a good job describing the issues with the reformed view of assurance in his video "Reformed and Lutheran views of assurance contrasted"
Sorry, but this guy was never a Calvinist. After just minutes he is making statements on behalf of Calvinism that are simply not true. Need to change the title of this episode. Sad and disappointing as I was curious to hear what this guy was going to say.
@@terarmy4767No True Calvinist fallacy
Conversations like this are way over my head, but I'm happy to listen and try learning something
Wonderful interview and guest. Ethan Dolan is so fun to listen to, so very humble, smart, and seems to be trusting and waiting on God for the next step in his Catholic faith journey.
I grew up Presbyterian, and was taught Calvinism, and I had so many of the same questions. I didn’t dive as deeply into it, but it confused me. Once I went through RCIA, sooooo many things started to make so much more sense to me, and helped me to understand why I was so confused for so long.
THIS. IS. GREAT. Literally sums up my thought/research/reflection process going from Calvinism to Catholicism as well (including the 'in what order should I explain things in so this might make sense to somebody else??') Thank you so much for this interview!
You *NEED* to have Ethan back and do some deeper dives into some of these theological topics. This video just leaves me hungering for more.
John, give Scholastic Answers a follow. I'll be appearing on that channel fairly often, and when I eventually get my own kicked off it'll be known there!
In the meantime, Christian has covered all kinds of topics!
When I heard the name, Scholastic Answers, I got excited, but I forgot to subscribe. Thanks for the reminder. Scholasticism gets a pretty bad rap in a day when logic and reason aren’t highly regarded.
I have a feeling Ethan might enter the priesthood and teach theology. I am going to pray for that!
Me too! I knew him and his family 🙏 we need men like him to be Priests ❤🙏♥️
Not if he dealt with porn he seemingly does not have the gift of celibacy plus the Roman Catholic view of the priesthood is nowhere in the apostolic teaching of the New Testament.
The story on litany of saints (when ethan and liam were about to meet dr. Scott) literally made my mouth go from ear to ear!
So many endearing and funny anecdotes there! God bless you!
Me too. Very sweet and funny
Love the interview. I do however wish Matt would let Ethan ramble on more, I'd love to hear everything he has to say.
This guy will develop into an outstanding theology teacher. Faith, love of God, and reason are in all his arguments
I went from Mormon to Calvinist to Catholic, in large part because I found, and still maintain, that Calvinism is the most coherent form of protestantism. If you believe in imputed righteousness, I believe TULIP naturally follows, so I have always maintained great respect for their tradition.
Edit: It appears my understanding of the imputation vs. the infusion of grace was still rudimentary. This interview is fantastic!
Very interesting how this college has essentially become a religious authority, acting as teachers, but also spiritual directors and theological disciplinarians to enforce the creeds. I wish our Catholic schools took the students faith seriously like this, but it seems a little strange in a faith tradition that seems to reject the larger disciplinary structure of the Catholic Church (in my own personal experience with those in this vein)
This was an awesome episode - one of my favorites. On our way to Rome (before we knew we were on the way!), we spent quite a bit of time as Presbyterian/Reformed. It was wonderful to hear Ethan's experiences and thoughts. Matt, I hope you'll have him back often.
Love hearing this conversation story, his heart reminds me of Theresa of Avila, he has so many beautiful wild horses. I would love to hear you invite more people to talk about their conversation stories. Especially focusing on how difficult conversion can be on the rest of our lives. I feel like I had very little guidance. My life literally fell apart and I lost just about everyone in the process. Don't get me wrong, I would convert all over again, but I wish I had been more gracious in the process. I have come to the Catholic church, but miss the camaraderie amongst the believers in my protestant past.
Thank you so much! This video put into words how all the different denominations of Christianity can all seem coherent but that doesn’t mean they are all true. Simply, you can’t have multiple, different and objective interpretations of the truth.There can only be one!
St. Thomas Aquinas is also my patron saint for my family 💜God Bless you more Mr. Ethan Dolan and thank you Matt Fradd for Beautiful discussions
1:07:05 - when you come up with many coherent systems of interpretation for Scripture, what do you do with that? What a timeless and humble question.
This conversation is such a blessing to the body of Christ. Thank you brothers!
There are some great depths plumbed here very early-on. I'm going to have to listen to this at least once more to truly understand some of the distinctions made.
Thank both of you so much . Your love for the Lord lifts all of us . And this was a fun interview . So glad I spent my time this way .
This Easter will be the 45th anniversary of my conversion to the Roman Catholic Church. I must admit that there have been times that I have stepped away to reconsider that decision, mostly due to issues of Liturgy and/or scandalous lack of charity. But of course, when I did so the Holy Spirit always eventually helped me to remember why I became Catholic in the first place. "Lord, to whom shall we go, for you have the words of everlasting life." After recently moving across the country it has been hard to find a parish home, but this Sunday I have decided to make the 90 minute drive to an Anglican Ordinariate Parish, the Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.
Ordinariates are awesome! I attend one as well. If 90 min is too far away, is there a byzantine or eastern catholic or marionite closer?
What a beautiful conversation. I wish I thought half as deeply as this guy when I was in college! By God’s grace I am thinking much more deeply now about my faith and my heart is being pulled toward Catholicism, and conversations like this are helping my head to catch up. Thank you!
This is one of my favorite episodes. Ethans way of explaining the inverted reasoning is deceptively clever. I need to relisten multiple times to get all of these examples and commentary. it really opened my eyes to the calvanist world view and it makes me more charitable to their descriptions of the faith
As a graduate from a Reformed Seminary, as well as being near a Reformed Calvinist College (actually the one where JG Voss taught and lived), it's nice to hear there are others who have a similar experience. I am finding myself in a rather unfortunate position because a few of my friends in the reformed camp and not happy with mine and my wife's joining of the RC Church.
Did anyone else notice once he was talking about what he learned from Fr. Pine he started talking like Fr. Pine?
That's pretty funny that I did that now that you mention it 😂😂
An excellent impression
Little things like admitting you struggled with masterbation can unleash great graces on others. I did too for 15 years but will soon be 2 years without doing it. Please comment below if you have similar struggles, wherever you are on that journey. We can overcome
I thought Ethan was one of the most brave and sincere guests on Pints tbh. We're all on a journey, we sin and if we didnt we wouldn't need a Saviour. Always remembering that God is Love, and we're his Children.
@@pop6997 Praise God! Please pray for me and for the conversions of many others to the apostolic faith!
I struggled from age 11 to age 28. It was rough. It really was affecting my life. Support groups are the only things that work.
It's still a great struggle for me.
@@chase6579 Praying for you! Pray for me too please!
The saints are praying for me! Just love it.
I'm a returning Catholic from the Southern Baptist tradition. It was reading the Gospels of Matthew and John that convinced me of the primacy of Peter (Matthew 16:19) and the Eucharist (John 6:35). Thank God that I turned away from the monstrous deity of Calvinism, who gleefully predestines and tosses people into Hell so that he may get a bit more "glory."
What a disgusting misrepresentation of Calvinism. You were probably just as safe in the Southern Baptist tradition as you now are in Rome. Not much of a muchness on Soteriology.
I can very much relate to his struggle to tell his story, as a convert it's been months and months of trying to distill everything that happened and what drew me into the Church, I'm still not good at it. I think conversion is more of a divine mystery than we think of it now in our pluralistic society, we think that conversion just has to do with having the right information and checking the right boxes. But when it happens to you it's more like.....falling in love? It's confusing and you don't understand what's happening to you, all you know is that everything is changing and nothing is the same, you're changed but you can't describe how. I think we can look back and rationalize the journey and the data we processed, but ultimately the answer is that God called us (which I know kind of sounds like a cop out).
This is a perfect description of what it was like! It's not something easily explainable, that's for sure.
Totally agree.
Ahhhh that’s insane, I was baptized at Incarnation Catholic Church January 29th, 2022! That’s so awesome you know Fr Holiday !
Noo wayyy!! I'll have to have someone put us in touch. Talk to Henry Kones if you see him around there
Hi Justen, say hi to me too!! Awesome to have so many people
One of my friends, Fr Patrick, was at Incarnation a few years back! I knew him when he was still “just” a seminarian in DoSA before he transferred to the Ordinariate. Small world hearing the Incarnation connection in Ethan’s story.
Ethan, I am glad to know you personally! I do have so much respect for you! Hope to talk to you soon!
Daniellsssss ❤️❤️ Love ya man
Oh, my!! One of my favorite people!! So happy to hear you. Awesome interview and much love to you!!
Thank you! Hopefully I can visit Incarnation sometime soon!
@@EthanDolan1274 we always love seeing you. You guys are a beacon of light and hope.
Not by Faith Alone, Love my Catholic Faith
Thank you so much for this conversation! I grew up Christian but in various Protestant denominations. I found reformed Calvinism about 15 years ago and 5 years ago became Presbyterian. For the past 7 years Ive been struggling with doubt in Christianity and when I study the early beliefs of the early church it always looks so catholic to me lol
Such a powerful interview! My conversion was very similar! It's so striking how relatable it can be.
Really great conversation... very helpful discussion. I grew up in the 'Christian Churches' denomination, and much of this same reasoning is what led me towards Anglicanism, funnily enough. Love the channel! Thank you!
Excellent! I love our brothers and sisters who come home to the One Mother Church. They are often such mature, deep and experienced / well-read people. Really wonderful and enriching! Thank you Ethan and Matt!
This lad is a gift to the Church , I share his sentiments , I’m greatful for Penecostal up brining its noted on my Baptism in my certificate I received in my confirmation to the Catholic Church . I was baptized by my late grandfather that fact I can carry that into Catholic faith means the world to me
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 *📜 Ethan Dolan's Background and Introduction to the Discussion*
- Ethan Dolan's upbringing as a Protestant with Catholic parents.
- Discussion about his family's departure from the Catholic Church and their journey into Evangelicalism and Calvinism.
- Introduction to the conversation about Ethan's conversion from Calvinism to Catholicism.
01:22 *💬 Ethan's Early Exposure to Religious Concepts*
- Ethan's childhood exposure to religious teachings and concepts.
- The influence of his father's theological discussions and readings on Ethan's understanding of Calvinism.
04:25 *🧔 Calvinist Identity and Impressions*
- Perception of Calvinists as serious Protestants within the broader religious community.
- Discussion on notable figures like Charles Spurgeon and their representation of Calvinism.
07:00 *📜 Understanding Salvation: Calvinist vs. Catholic Perspectives*
- Explanation of the Calvinist doctrine of justification through legal imputation and regeneration.
- Introduction to the infusion of grace and familial nature of salvation in the Catholic perspective.
13:01 *💡 Exploring the Complexity of Theological Differences*
- Acknowledgment of the complexity and ongoing debate surrounding theological differences between Calvinism and Catholicism.
- Recognition of the fundamental divergence in perspectives on sanctifying grace as a pivotal theological point.
17:12 *📚 Understanding Calvinism and Calvinist education*
- Growing up immersed in discussions about Calvinism vs. Arminianism.
- Exploring the concept of predestination and its similarities between Calvinists and Catholics.
19:31 *🕊️ Exploring the Catholic understanding of original sin and sanctifying grace*
- Contrasting the Catholic perspective on original sin with the Calvinist view.
- Discussing the significance of sanctifying grace in Catholic theology.
22:44 *💭 Views on Catholicism during high school and early exploration of faith*
- Reflecting on initial perceptions of Catholicism as non-Christian due to theological differences.
- Questioning aspects of Catholic doctrine and its divergence from Protestant beliefs.
25:03 *🎓 Academic aspirations and struggles with assurance of salvation*
- Desire to pursue teaching in academia and the influence of faith on career aspirations.
- Struggles with assurance of salvation within the Calvinist theological framework.
28:29 *🤔 Comparison of assurance of salvation in Calvinism and Catholicism*
- Discussing the concept of infallible assurance of salvation in Calvinism and its implications.
- Highlighting similarities in the experiences of assurance between Calvinists and Catholics.
35:23 *🕊️ Calvinist understanding of grace and salvation history*
- Differences in the Calvinist view of grace compared to Catholic understanding.
- Impact of differing views on salvation history and soteriology.
38:22 *🌊 Calvinist perspectives on baptismal regeneration*
- Range of Calvinist views on baptismal regeneration, from symbolic to sacramental.
- Debate between Presbyterians and Reformed Baptists on infant baptism.
43:16 *🍞 Calvinist understanding of the Eucharist*
- Spectrum of Calvinist views on the Eucharist, from symbolic to participatory.
- Comparison between Calvinist and Catholic perspectives on transubstantiation.
45:07 *🛤️ Journey towards Catholicism*
- Exploration of the concept of a visible church and its significance.
- Transition from questioning ecclesiology to accepting sacramental theology.
53:46 *🍞 Transubstantiation and Real Presence*
- Exploring the concept of transubstantiation and real presence in the Eucharist.
57:06 *🕊️ Exploring Catholic Practices*
- Reflecting on the significance of attending a Catholic mass and the practical implications of considering Catholicism.
- Evaluating the challenge of incorporating Catholic beliefs into existing Calvinist perspectives.
58:01 *🔥 Turning Point: Recognition and Research*
- Recognizing the need for deeper understanding through research, particularly on baptismal regeneration.
- Acknowledging a shift in perspective towards Catholic teachings, leading to a reassessment of theological positions.
59:47 *💡 Spiritual Awakening and Academic Pursuits*
- Reflecting on personal shortcomings and embracing a newfound focus on spiritual growth and academic inquiry.
- Highlighting the transformative impact of theological studies on personal beliefs and perspectives.
01:00:43 *🔄 Reevaluation and Augmenting Theological Understanding*
- Reevaluating theological positions in light of newfound insights, particularly regarding baptismal regeneration.
- Recognizing the necessity of a comprehensive understanding of Catholic teachings to engage in meaningful theological discourse.
01:05:12 *💭 Challenge of Interpretation and Coherence*
- Wrestling with the challenge of interpreting scripture coherently within differing theological frameworks.
- Exploring the complexities of defining fundamental theological concepts such as faith within divergent theological traditions.
01:09:41 *📚 Confessional Authority and Interpretation*
- Discussing the role of confessions in guiding interpretation and the practical implications of adherence to doctrinal statements.
- Evaluating the tension between individual interpretation of scripture and the authority of doctrinal confessions.
01:11:47 *📜 Understanding the role of Creeds and confessions in theology,*
- Discussion on the role of Creeds and confessions in Christian theology.
- Exploration of how these statements relate to scripture and human reason.
01:15:34 *🚫 Experiencing consequences for theological exploration,*
- Ethan Dolan recounts the consequences he faced for questioning theological doctrines at his Calvinist bible college.
- Description of meetings with college officials regarding doctrinal beliefs.
01:24:21 *🤝 Seeking guidance and support from Catholic figures,*
-Ethan Dolan shares his journey of reaching out to Dr. Scott Hahn and other Catholic figures for guidance.
- Discussion on the significance of mentorship and support during theological transitions.
01:28:49 *🕊️ Understanding Catholic Doctrine*
- Exploring Catholic teachings on faith and works.
- Recognizing scriptural support beyond "faith alone."
01:31:08 *📜 Insights from Saint Thomas Aquinas*
- Learning about the Catholic view of justification.
- Understanding the role of faith, hope, and love in Catholic theology.
01:35:18 *🤝 Connecting with Dr. Scott Hahn*
- Seeking guidance from Catholic scholars like Dr. Scott Hahn.
- Experiencing providential moments in seeking assistance from Dr. Hahn.
01:44:24 *📚 Conversion journey and dialogue with Dr. Hahn*
- Ethan Dolan discusses his conversion journey from Calvinism to Catholicism.
- Highlights a dialogue with Dr. Scott Hahn about predestination and Catholic practices.
01:46:01 *🛤️ Discovering Catholic thought in Protestantism*
- Ethan reflects on how Catholic thought is foundational to Protestant beliefs.
- Discusses the beauty of Catholic teachings elevating Protestant perspectives.
01:47:40 *📖 Reading and interpreting Catholic literature*
- Ethan discusses reading Catholic literature, particularly Dr. Scott Hahn's works.
- Reflects on the impact of interpreting Revelation through liturgy.
01:51:56 *🤔 Wrestling with papal infallibility and doctrinal interpretation*
- Ethan grapples with the concept of papal infallibility and its implications.
- Discusses challenges in reconciling Pope Francis's actions with Catholic teachings.
01:57:04 *📜 Evaluating scriptural interpretation and theological coherence*
- Ethan explores the challenge of determining the correct interpretation of Scripture.
- Reflects on how adopting a Catholic lens reshapes his understanding of Scripture.
02:02:31 *📖 Discussing the importance of clarifying definitions in theological discussions*
- Emphasizes the need to focus on the realities signified by words, not just the words themselves.
- Highlights the frustration of miscommunication on social media due to assumptions about word meanings.
02:03:28 *🛐 Ethan Dolan's journey to full communion with the Catholic Church*
- Describes how Ethan discovered Dr. Scott Hahn through online debates about Catholicism.
- Recounts the process of meeting Dr. Hahn and eventually deciding to join the Catholic Church.
02:07:18 *🚶♂️ Interactions with family and advice for Catholic children of non-Catholic parents*
- Discusses the initial difficulty with parents regarding his conversion but acknowledges their loving concern.
- Advises showing love and respect towards non-Catholic parents despite differences in religious beliefs.
02:11:10 *🎓 Future plans and experiences at Franciscan University*
- Mentions plans to continue studies at Franciscan University and expresses gratitude for the hospitality of Dr. Scott Hahn.
- Briefly discusses the Anglican Ordinariate and highlights the transformative experience of attending Mass as a new Catholic.
This is all great stuff! Would love his whole friend group all on the podcast together
Great interview! Would definitely recommend having his friend Christian Wagner on to talk about his conversion and scholasticism (and possibly the development of doctrine)
This guy is impressive...
Thank you! ⚘️
Thank you! Please pray for me!
As an adult convert from the Protestant religion into Christianity (because make no mistake Protestants are not Christians, Christian is a term used to describe those IN HIS CHURCH) - I do not understand the tippy toe, super walking on egg shells- let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt to an extreme posture - behavior of people claiming to want to bring souls to the truth of Christ?!
I actually do not understand it.
My entire life no one spoke clear to me about what the Church was and it took the loss of a child for God to allow me to be humbled to see his Church.
Why won’t we speak clearly and honestly and forcefully with charity, and not pretend those who hate the Church of Christ actually are OK?
I think this quote by Fullton Sheen is helpful: "There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be."
People hate the Church of Christ because they don't think it is the Church of Christ. And that is an information problem. To bridge the gap we need to let those people spell out their questions and difficulties, so that we may inform them that we "No, do not, in fact, worship Mary/believe people can buy their way out of Purgatory/contradict Scripture/add to Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition, etc."
You can also show them that the difficulty they are experiencing in their own church is resolved in Catholicism.
You can certainly go too far in only letting the others speak and not making the Catholic position known. But I don't see that in this conversation.
Me too. That's tippy-toey always pissed me off. I love Christ and I love His Church to be tippy toeying around to save ppl's feelings. I say there is only one Christianity worth defending and that's orthodoxy, to hell with mere Christianity. Of the two heresies, Protestanism and Mohammedism, I have to maintain that Protestanism is the worst of the two and ought to not be tolerated.
Thanks for your honesty that sentiment is what led to inquisitions
Very good points, especially the various meanings of words. Scripture does not interpret itself.
Well, it's interesting, it does in a certain sense. We can gather the meaning of some verses by understanding other verses, so they aren't wrong in saying that scripture interprets scripture (of course, in the mind of the reader). The difference is, that's something human reason does (hopefully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) so it's possible to misunderstand one or two verses, and it can lead to misunderstanding a whole multitude of verses before you know it if a few of them are interpreted incorrectly.
This isn't just a concern for the protestant, the Catholic also has to be incredibly careful with his reading of scripture. The teaching of the Church really helps us read scripture through the right framework, since the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Catholic Church and directly guides and moves the body to accomplish His works through us.
The most important thing, however, is just praying, reading the scriptures, and seeking to understand them by looking at what those in the past have taught about them. The Catechism is a beautiful tool that can help Catholics see the beauty of scripture if the time is taken to digest it.
@@EthanDolan1274 You're absolutely right. Thanks.
Discovered what was hidden since vat II when the lockdowns hit. Learning like mad drinking from a firehose Part of my research has been vids - Father Ripperger, The Summa, Bishop Schneider, Archbishop Vigano, Cardinal Burke, Taylor Marshall etc Your vids are fantastic but WOW! This young man is astounding. Thank you for sharing His story. Will be studying the many references given in this talk. May God Bless You Both and again Thank You So Much!
Great talk ! Thanks. I was evangelical, the catholic faith is so so beautifull...
What a lovely chat- breath of fresh air!
Ethan, we share Thomas Aquinas as our patron Saint! You seem much smarter than me but I also love the study of theology and pondering God’s mysteries. Right at the start of this conversation I felt a kindred spirit with you. Love this Interview, and thanks to Matt as well!
Wonderful exchange! Cradle Catholic, but embraced Calvinism (OPC) after a “born-again” experience in college. Now 64, have spent the last 5-6 years wrangling with the truths of the Catholic Church.
Ethan, do you have a website or some way of reaching out?
Blessings!
Let me figure that out and respond here as soon as I do. I've tried to give you contact info a few times but UA-cam isn't letting me.
Interesting. I am a PCA member and I grew up Catholic and went to Catholic schools. What about the RC interests you?
I think the main problem is that people want to define everything precisely, so they end up guessing and inventing the "missing parts", instead of just focus on the most important thing. The inevitable end result is a multitude of doctrines and churches. The only correct solution can be to stick with the Catholic Church which has this unique continuity of primacy since the apostolic times. Only they can have the doctrine which 100% true, or at least closest to the 100%, unless we don't trust in the Holy Spirit to care about and guide the Church. All of us cannot be 100% right at the same time, and obviously those who broke away cannot be right, because to claim better understanding than the whole centuries old Church is pride, and Pride is the greatest sin.
Actually the praying Litany of Saints was actually a BETTER story than his friend just quitting.
That was one of the best stories I have heard.
Ave Maria...🙏
Thank you Pete! In retrospect, I certainly agree. Please pray a litany of the saints for me!
@@EthanDolan1274 I think there is a reason the Holy Spirit is guiding good Protestants back into the Church.
We need you back. These are trying times. Jesus promised his Church will prevail and I believe him explicitly.
I will pray a Litany of the Saints for you.
Please pray for me to Mother Mary.
God bless 🙏
Ethan, when talking about the eucharist, mentioned a range of interpretations, but in that range he didn't include the interpretation that I personally think is the correct one. Jesus said As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Right before he broke bread, he washed the disciples' feet, saying as I have done this for you, do this for one another. The Father had used Mary to wash Jesus' feet. Jesus washed the disciples' feet. He told them they are to wash one another's feet. He said this is an example. An example of what? of the Father loving the Son, the Son loving the disciples as he had been loved, and the command to them to love one another as he had loved them. Not long after that he breaks the bread and says, "This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Do what? Have people wash your feet? Or do you obey the commandment he just finished talking about? remembering that we are to offer our body, broken for one another? The purpose of communion is to unite us, forgiving one another. Communion is meant to be a horizontal relationship, not a vertical one.
When does the bread become the body of Christ? Right after we partake. We are the body of Christ.
Doesn't that make you angry? That is an example of how entrenched we can be in our own beliefs. You have to give me points on the logic, but I expect this will make everyone who reads this livid. If that's you, smash, smash, SMASH that thumbs down button. But if what you believe about communion makes you react to this with anger, maybe you should examine yourself like Paul suggested, and begin to partake worthily. Communion is not about making yourself right with God; it is about making yourself right with one another.
I was just thrown out of the Evangelical Church. I expect the Catholic Church would not have me either. All for just trying to have an intelligent conversation. There are many, many more intelligent conversations we need to have.
Sadly, the Christian way is to cancel those with whom we disagree.
Ethan, the doctrine you are looking for is not out there, it is within you. When you are visiting your dad sometime, stop by and we can have some intelligent conversations. But they may throw you out of the Catholic Church as well.
I’ve never seen it in that light before, that fulfilling the new covenant by way of communion is horizontal and not vertical. We keep trying to please God by bypassing Christ’s command to “love one another”
Maybe my favorite PWA discussion ever. This resonated so much with me in my conversion to Catholicism from a mere Christianity... especially the portion about the Bible being coherent within different frameworks.
I totally relate to this. I got in trouble in a Baptist seminary in 1993 for quoting Luther to the Calvinist Dean, and he went ballistic. It did not end well. I miss the theological course, but not the mean-spirited Calvinism that could not accommodate any other protestant let alone Catholic source. I was considering a mission trip to Ireland at the time to save the Irish, and all I could think was "if I get sent to Ireland, I will for sure end up converting to catholicism" because I honor my Irish catholic grandma so much.
1:07:45 this makes me think of St Vincent of Lerins on how we know what is true. Owing to the depth of scripture there are as many interpretations as interpreters and so we must hold to what was believed always, everywhere, and by all. The Church is lead by the Spirit into all truth.
I came from a very Calvinist background so I resonate with this so much. Welcome to the Church, brother.
I believe Calvinism is a heresy from the pit of hell. They teach that God ordains sin (not just allows it to happen), Jesus only died for a limited few, people don't have a free will (in any real sense of the word), and God doesn't love everyone (in any real sense of the word love). No thanks
it depends. if youre thinking james white calvinism yes. john piper is an example of a more moderate calvinist.
It most certainly is a heresy from the pit of hell. At the same time, it retains many teachings of the Catholic Church and many people find Christ through those teachings which are expounded in their pulpits. For example, the unique mediation of Christ, justification occuring by a supernatural faith which exceeds any ability of man to arrive at on his own, and many other beautiful and glorious truths.
The teaching does stray from the Catholic Faith, but that does not mean the individuals holding their positions either rightly understand what they are hearing, or that they have been accurately presented with Catholic Truth.
Please pray for many conversions from Calvinism!
Amen !!!
Only 30 minutes in and as a cradle Catholic my mind is 🤯🤯🤯🤯. Beautiful 👏🏻👏🏻
We need a part 2 with Wagner ASAP
Excellent podcast. So glad to see Frank!
“Calvinist” is an interesting label. You’ll meet TULIP affirming Baptists (who reject everything Calvin said but TULIP), Reformed Anglicans, Liturgical Presbyterians, etc, who all call themselves “Calvinist.” I feel like the Catholic vs Calvinist thing will be defined by how you define “Calvinist.”
You're right! I would more often use the term "Reformed" because it implies that I would hold to one of the Reformed confessions of faith. But that's not something I explained here, and it's not always worth getting into when most people think of the "Reformed" as those who follow in the tradition of Calvin (which, of course, Calvinists do because they believe it's the teaching of God in scripture).
One of the important distinctions missed here is caused by the false dichotomy Calvinists ask is “Are you a Calvinist or an Arminian?’. Most (by far) are neither.
Then the name calling begins like “well then, you’re a Pelagian” or “you’re a semi-Pelagian”. By most accounts Pelagius was not a Pelagian. But that is for another day.
What Calvinists try to get you to see is that you are contributing to your salvation. They are confusing faith with works. Faith is believing, it is not making the first move, The Father made the first move John 3:16. Faith is not works. Doing work for the cause of Christ is evidence of faith. Book of James, Hebrews 11.. In Calvinism, one is predestined for heaven or hell and the power of the Gospel will not change them. They believe that the death and destruction of some/most people eternally is for Jesus’s glory (Calvin, Pink, Sproul, Piper, Keller) while the Bible teaches that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind and that’s why he deserves all on honor and glory.
‘Well then, why are all men not saved?” Calvinists ask implying universalism.
Because you are not saved when Jesus died on the cross. You were saved when you believed. It was NECESSARY, because we could not save ourselves. God sent His son John 3:16. It was the only solution (His sacrifice) that would atone for our sins.
When one comes to believe that not only Jesus died for YOUR sins, but He also defeated death., you are indeed saved eternally. Death is no longer our enemy. You can’t threaten a Christian with heaven. Peter, Paul, and all the martyrs or us. Romans 10:9-13
The Apostle John said it was not in any way dependent on man’s knowledge or heritage. In other words … God has no grandchildren. No unbeliever was ever predestined for heaven or hell (Calvinism). Being born in a Taco Bell doesn’t make you a chalupa. Neither does being born into a religion make you a Christian
And now it seems that some are going back to infant baptism (which I blame on those who hold tp the WCF…a non - divinely inspired document).
While some believe that baptism is an outward confession of inward change (born again), which is true. Baptism is identifying with the cause and work of Christ. It’s the beginning not the end. You are not saved as a child when you are baptized evidenced by the millions (billions?) who have left their parents faith, or become God-haters, or have simply suppressed the truth. I am specifically questioning here, Calvinism and their corrupted understanding of Romans 9 and Ephesians 1
I was always told, Salvation is “a fact not a feeling”
It doesn’t matter how you feel. It was an objective legal action and it doesn’t change
When are you going to have Christian B. Wagner (Scholastic Answers/ Militant Thomist on UA-cam) on the show?
What would you say about how Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica part 1 question 23 presents a view identical to Calvinist unconditional election?
Ethan, if you see this, I’m a member of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, the Ordinariate community in Indianapolis. If you ever want to make the trip over for an Ordinariate Mass, we have several folks who would be happy to host you!
Great interview. The time flew by on that one.
2:05:20
A really good point on indulgences. I’d say most Catholics don’t understand that this (rejecting imputation vs indulgences) is an issue for thoughtful Protestants.
1:26:29 In the ad segment, it always makes me confused for a moment and then chuckle when I hear you both (Matt and Thursday) pronounce sudoku as... "saduko"? :D
Have Christian Wagner on
1:10-1:14 You heard right and yes that is what they believe and how to its practiced. (Calvinist OPC turned Catholic Catacumen here)
There should be a society or some type of group where convert Catholics can meet or ask questions or have discussions. Is there one? Especially for modern young converts.
Your nearest Ordinariate parish, maybe?
The Reddit "Catholicism" is actually quite good, solid in faith, and well monitored. Lots of converts comment there so lots of questions and answers.
You know I'm really sad this one came out so long ago and I'm just now watching it. I've been a Catholic my whole life but the only people around me who took their faith seriously were evangelical and I never could respond. This video really is perfect in parsing out the subtle differences
That guy is podcaster material lol. I really enjoyed this one. God Bless both you guys.
My belief in Theosis whenever I was a Protestant was a pillar of my understanding the Catholic doctrine of Infused Righteousness.
‘Calvinists are serious Protestants’ made me laugh
As a Calvinist, can confirm.
There’s a reason calvinists are referred to as ‘the frozen chosen’.
wonderful, thank you Matt and thank God!
Your baptism came back to get you
Haha, I thought this too!!!
Glad trad with patchy beard here! God bless
From rejecting Matthew 16:13-18 to accepting Matthew 16:13-18.
Protestants don't reject that. We just disagree about what it means.
@@josephbrandenburg4373 I know. But the Catholic Church teaches that if you reject Her authority to teach and have the final say in the matter of faith and moral, you are rejecting her teaching by 'disagreeing'. The Catholic Church Holy See has the final say. Of course, anyone can disagree. That has been going on for quite a while now. It's not new. And to be in the Catholic Church, all the bishops, priests, nuns and laity must agree to the teachings of the Magisterium. If people in the Catholic Church 'disagreed' and believed otherwise, they Church call them Heretics or Schimatic or Excommunicate. The Church's stand of not forcing people into the faith is still Her posture. We discuss sometime not to agree, but to understand each other's view.
I am a Presbyterian (PCA) who went to Catholic schools and appreciated hearing Ethan’s thought process. It’s interesting hearing that his “idol alarm” went off seeing people worship the Eucharist, yet he kept moving forward. It sounds like the influence of Hahn was pivotal. What prevents me and others from swimming the Tiber is that I can’t hold non-scriptural writings as authoritative. It’s what prevents most Reformed Christians from becoming Catholic because the disagreements are an unbridgeable chasm and we will never be convinced apart from scripture.
I was mostly to the point of being able to convert by the time I met Dr. Hahn, I forgot to mention that.
And I was very much the same way. I couldn't hold anything other than scripture as infallibly authoritative until I became Catholic. It was scripture that really convinced me of the truth of Catholicism. We just didn't get into those discussions in this particular interview.
Primarily it was verses about baptism, not wanting to play mind games with the apostasy texts, and recognizing the relationship between faith and works and the value of grace in scripture.
All of these things did not match scripture in the Presbyterian reaching. I would love to talk through it further!
God bless!
Yes when you change your hermeneutical approach it’s hard to put the timeline together. I grew up in Catholic school and made my way slowly toward the reformed side over years. I am interested in learning how you made the full transition to the RCC and how you overcame the obvious hurdles. Something must have been lacking in your heart to seek communion with God in a fuller sense. - RCC feels comfortable to me since I grew up around it. I just can’t get comfortable with the issues Hodge and others have had. - divisions in Christ’s church are a problem, and I am convinced that there is one true church under Christ and he knows his sheep.
Would love to talk more and hear your thoughts but I live in Kansas and UA-cam comment section isn’t best format for arriving at theological truth.
By the way I am using my wife’s UA-cam account and I am a 43 year old man not named Laura. 😂
@@laurasmith4498 I agree! Let me try and figure out how to get you contact info. I'd love to talk.
Thank you for recognizing how difficult the timeline can be when hermeneutics change. It's messier than it looks from outside, that's for sure.
@@EthanDolan1274 do you have a website or twitter or plan on posting theology UA-cam vids in the future?
Ethan- do you have a Goodreads account?
All of this is happening to me right now.
Thank you both for every word. Needed size up Calvinism from Catholic view. Both Matt (best interviewer ever) and Ethan are both handsome and
beautifully dressed. Ethan looks very much like a young Gregory Peck (actor) Surely otherss have said so
27:30 The contrast between the fruits of the two teachings on grace is striking -- Dolan was freed from his struggles with sin, paradoxically, by grace and the teaching that you can lose or reject it even as it remains God's grace, while the other teaching (that you possess total assurance, unless you don't) turned him into the "double-minded man" of the Epistle of St. James, worrying about whether the grace he received was real or illusory. The former, Catholic doctrine inculcates reliance on God and encourages the sinner to get up, ask forgiveness and keep going -- "If we are unfaithful, He will still remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
This struck me deeply as it was happening actually. The principle of denying yourself and crucifying what is comfortable to reach out in faith.
It was only by denying assurance of salvation that I was able to find rest in Christ.
@@EthanDolan1274 Wow, thank you for finding this comment. God bless your work, and try to get Matt to have Christian Wagner on sometime - now that would be a lively episode
Haha. My buddy and I started converting at the same time at a Baptist college. He and I left the school and we're both going through formation. I still visit the school to talk about the faith (and to see some old friends of course) but he lives too far away now. It's a long, crazy story. But definitely related to this video a ton.
Wonderful interview
To clarify I’m talking about John MacArthur , Justin Peters and Ect .
Have Christian Wagner (Scholastic Answers) on. Not only the smartest young youtuber ive seen but the guy will give you tons of clips hahaha, he tends to know how to be clickbaity.
It would have been nice to hear Ethan about the Virgin Mary