Sacramentally Speaking

I have been going back and forth in my mind on whether or not to begin a blog. I am not an interesting man nor do I provide a unique perspective on the topics I write about. As I thought more about beginning a blog, I discussed it with friends and family and one crucial question continued to stand in my way: “Who the hell are you that I should give a damn about what you believe or what you think you know?” To this objection I don’t have a good answer but I’m going do it anyway so get lost.

The following introduction I wrote one year ago when I was first contemplating beginning a blog. It is not well written nor thoughtful, however, I will share it in the spirit of transparency. A few things not stated in this introduction: First, me and my lovely wife are both now enrolled in RCIA at our local parish and are planning on being received into the church on Easter 2025. Secondly, I am not attempting to become a formal apologist for the Catholic faith, but rather trying to document my thought process as we make this leap of faith. I have many writings and reflections that I wrote during times which I wrestled with Church teaching that all ultimately pointed to the truth retained in the tradition of the Church. I hope this can help someone!

I will have two basic formats: One long form writing that will likely read like college research essays (with citations and the whole shabang). Also one that will be more like brief reflections on all sorts of theological topics. Thanks for reading!

Introduction to the Author

I’ve never been the best at introductions but thank you for taking the time to read this introductory blog post.

Here is an extremely brief background to me: I was raised in a semi-conservative household and, though I was raised going to church some-what regularly, truly came to believe Christianity in High School, and at that time, began attending a Southern Baptist church. I began to feel the call to international missions and began attending the nearest Southern Baptist College straight out of High School. About two years into my degree program, missions had began to lose it’s shine to me. I had been riding a wave of a spiritually high that I believe the Lord used in a way that ultimately lead me to where he wanted me. So after prayerfully considering my options after my first two years of college, I switched my degree program to a BA in History.

Through my studies in the history program, I quickly began to discover discrepancies between what I believed as a Southern Baptist and what I saw in early Christian writings (and in scripture). Eventually I found myself drawn to the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) due to their high(er) view of the Eucharist and Baptism. I faced a lot of push back from my Baptist peers, but decided to follow my convictions where they were leading me. That has been four years now. Even though I have graduated and begun a new career in a different field of work, I continue to have a desire to study, read, and write about history and theology. At this time, I am beginning a new search into the truth claims of the Roman Catholic Church. This issue has been a thorn in my side for the past four years in regards to interpreting the Church Fathers.

The purpose of this blog is to document my thought process in hopes to add a new voice in the shouting crowd of keyboard theologians. One that promotes an exploration of our ancient faith and denies the narrative that says we are confined to the traditions of our fathers. Let me be clear about what I am NOT implying; I am not saying that there are multiple routs to the top of the mountain (the top being heaven). Rather, there is one through belief in Christ Jesus, Son of God, and his life, death, and resurrection. What I AM saying is that if there is one way which he demands to be worshiped, Christians ought to contemplate with fear and trembling if their traditions hold Christ in the reverenced position which is fit for the Savior of the world.

Thank you