When I was 14 or 15, I decided that it was time to decide if I really believed in God. I already considered myself a Christian and had made a decision to give my life to Christ, but I wanted to be sure that my Christian faith wasn’t just something that I had made up in my head or only believed because of my upbringing. It seemed reasonable and necessary to ask for myself, “Is Christianity true?”. If there was a God, I wanted to serve him, but if there wasn’t a God, it would be reasonable to admit it to myself and move on with my life. And so I devoted a few months of free time to this question, reading books by Christians and atheists alike, talking to Christians and atheists, praying, and thinking. In the end, I became convinced that there was a God, that Jesus Christ really was God in the flesh, that he really did rise from the grave, and that the Scriptures that bear testimony to him are trustworthy. Satisfied, I continued in my faith. That wasn’t the last of my questions, though, and answers were not always easy. I continued to ask, “Is this true?” of different doctrines that I had either grown up with, or had come across since then. Sometimes I reaffirmed the beliefs that I had grown up with. Other times I rejected the doctrines I had been taught, and instead accepted the view that seemed to be more in line with Scripture. Many times, I admitted that I simply didn’t know the answer.
In the fall of 2016, I realized I needed to ask, “Is this true?” of the Evangelical Protestant tradition that I had been raised in. Though it had occurred to me to ask this of Christianity as a whole, as well as of specific Christian doctrines, it hadn’t occurred to me on my own to ask it of my denominational tradition and interpretative framework. And as I started asking, “Is Evangelical Protestantism the truest form of Christianity?” instead of assuming that it was the truest Christianity, I started getting very different answers than I had previously. This was (and sometimes still is) a terrifying experience, but it has also been the most exciting time that I have ever had in my faith.
This blog is a collection of some of my thoughts that I have had along the way. I’ll be posting (with some minor editing) things that I have shared on social media in the past, but I’ll also be including previously unshared thoughts from my journals. Once I’ve finished most of my posts about thoughts leading up to becoming Catholic, I’ll switch to primarily writing about Catholic doctrines for those who are interested in learning more.
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:25-27 ESV)
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15 ESV)