So There Aren’t 33,000 Protestant Denominations, Does It Matter?

March 7, 2019 By K. Albert Little

There is a figure often thrown out by Catholic apologists to demonstrate just how fractured and untenable Protestant Christianity is: 33,000. 33,000 is the number of allegedly different Protestant Christian denominations around the world. It’s a staggering figure and it isn’t surprising that apologists would latch on to such a dramatic example of the failure of Protestantism to bring about Christianity unity. Except, it isn’t totally true. In a discussion between two of my favourite apologists, Randal Rauser and Trent... Read more

Remember That You Are Not Butt Dust

March 6, 2019 By K. Albert Little

Every year at this time the “Remember That You Are Butt Dust” meme starts circling the internet. And every year, when I see it again for the first time, it never fails to entertain. It’s a classic case for proofreading and a great ode to the nuance of the English language. But it’s also a great object lesson in the beautiful theology of Lent. While Martin Luther and the Early Reformers may have agreed with the sentiment, Catholic theology... Read more

St. Francis de Sales’ Advice for Lent: Prepare to be Tempted

March 5, 2019 By K. Albert Little

One of the ever-bearing gifts of the Catholic Church is incredible depth of her teaching. Spanning over two thousand years the Church boasts incredible thinkers from Augustine to Aquinas; from Henri Nouwen to Cardinal Newman; from St. Francis of Assisi to, one of my personal favourites, St. Francis de Sales. Living and writing some 400 years ago, St. Francis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva at a time of crisis for the Christian Church. He stands out for his poignant responses to the... Read more

Belief in God Makes More Sense Than Your Mind-Bending Atheism

February 27, 2019 By K. Albert Little

I was recently in a conversation about science and religion with a stranger in a coffee shop. It was part of a lecture series put on by a few friends of mine, a discussion of issues at the intersection of the secular and religious and the conversation turned to the idea of God’s imprint in nature and the history of science. Science, in its origins and most of its history, traditionally led practitioners closer towards God. Studying God’s creation, which was the... Read more

There is a Crisis in the Church But it isn’t Just the Clergy

February 25, 2019 By K. Albert Little

It’s only too easy to become discouraged as a Catholic these days. When I came into the Church, as an adult convert, some of those around me questioned my sanity. There were, admittedly, lots of reasons to think that I was crazy but a few of those voices in particular expressed concerns about the Church itself. What about the scandals—the sexual abuses? The apparent systematic cover-ups? And this was years ago, before many of today’s issues even came to light. But... Read more

Why Are There so Many Bad Catholics (And What Should We Do)?

February 21, 2019 By K. Albert Little

I recently heard a shocking statistic out of the United States: only about 39 percent of Catholics attend weekly Mass. It wasn’t a new statistic and, frankly, it wasn’t a very surprising statistic for those that follow these kinds of things but it resonated when I heard it and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Put another way, in a room of 10 Catholics only 4 of them will have attended Mass that week. Less than half. If you’d... Read more

How Come Non-Denominational Christians Can’t Agree?

February 20, 2019 By K. Albert Little

This article is part of the Tough Questions series. A series highlighting some of the difficult questions I was asking during my conversion from a non-denominational Christian to full communion with the Catholic Church. For more about my own conversion story, read What I Wish I Knew About Catholics (And Why I’m Becoming One). As a non-denominational Christian I had a love-hate relationship with Matthew 18:15-17. In context, Jesus is talking to his disciples—teaching—and brings up the issue of disagreement... Read more

I Read the Whole Bible in 30 Days (And You Can Too!)

January 31, 2019 By K. Albert Little

I’ve never been particularly big at New Year’s resolutions but when a priest friend of mine put out a call for participants in a 30-day Bible reading challenge my interest was piqued. I’ve read the Bible many times before, but I love a good challenge. This particular Bible reading plan was dubbed, in Jillian Michaels fashion, as a “30-day Shred”. It looked absolutely monstrous, with an average reading load of 40 chapters per day. I began by finding a... Read more

Is Fake News Keeping Good Christians From Becoming Catholic?

January 23, 2019 By K. Albert Little

Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote that “to be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” He wasn’t being facetious when he penned this now famous quote; he spoke from experience. It was Newman’s deep study of the history of the Church, the development of doctrine, and the roots of our faith that led the former evangelical to eventually become a Catholic priest. It was through digging deeply into history, like Cardinal Newman, that I cease being a... Read more

How Can “Bible Only” Christians Trust Their Bible?

January 22, 2019 By K. Albert Little

This article is part of the Tough Questions series. A series highlighting some of the difficult questions I was asking during my conversion from a non-denominational Christian to full communion with the Catholic Church. For more about my own conversion story, read What I Wish I Knew About Catholics (And Why I’m Becoming One). As a non-denominational Christian, I had a passing knowledge that Catholic Bibles were bigger. I knew that they contained more books and we referred to these books... Read more