Catholic, here. I wholeheartedly agree with your approach. One should appeal to the best thinkers of one’s tradition before swimming the Tiber. Your conscience deserves all the care you can muster.

That's a very Protestant answer: read more books! I tried that strategy. I even learnt Greek and Hebrew. Exhausting. In Orthodoxy I found rest. Come taste and see.

1. An apology of the Church of England by John Jewel 2. The freedom of a Christian by Martin Luther 3. A reformation debate letter to Sadoleto by John Calvin 4. Dogmatics in Outline by Karl Barth 5. The mediation of Christ by Thomas F. Torrance Thanks for the suggestions.

Too late! Became Orthodox three years ago and it’s wonderful.

It is actually fair to compare "pastor Bob" to the saints of the Catholic or Orthodox tradition. The reason for this being that when you enter a traditional communion, that regards the saint's lives as a rule, those saints are more authoritative in the life of the church than the local priest. Pastor Bob, on the other hand, is the final authority for whatever happens in his church. Also, a lot of the books I found most compelling in Orthodoxy were written in the last few decades. The saints are alive and well in some places!

Most people that I have heard of who converted, converted because of the authority issue. They realized they needed both Scriptures and Tradition in order to have unity of interpretation. So a good list of book that you could propose would be books about why the protestant churches are valid churches even if they don't have apostolic succession, why the papacy is not true, why Sola Scriptura actually work (even if it seems it produced hundreds of church splits and denominations since the reformation). Those are the kind of books I would like to read because I really do believe this is the heart of the matter for most

On the flip side, before you commit to staying Protestant, read Fr Stephen De Young's book Religion of the Apostles

Cradle Catholic here who left the Church during my youth for some years and attended several Protestant denominations. Considered definitively leaving the Catholic Church and joining the last Protestant church I was attending but every time this thought struck me: "I can't leave Mama!" Although I had been neglecting the Virgin Mother Mary for years, nonetheless the thought of actually cutting Her out of my life was too much for me. I'm so glad I have a perfect Mama to love, guide, and comfort me. The best Mama who kept me in the family, the huge extended family of all the saints and angels. Thank you, Mama Mary! ❤💙❤

I came to read the comments.

Although i haven’t read as much as id like to, id recommend these works for anyone looking into Eastern Orthodoxy 1. On the holy spirit by St. Basil the Great 2. On God and Christ: The Five Theological Orations and two letters to Cledonius by St. Gregory of Nazianzus 3. On Death and Eternal life by St. Gregory of Nyssa 4. The Triads by St. Gregory Palamas 5. Orthodoxy and the Religion of the future by St. Seraphim Rose

After becoming Catholic after having been Protestant for 10 years I compare the two as such: Catholicism is like going to a five star Michelin gourmet restaurant 7 nights a week feasting on the most delicious and highest quality food and Protestantism is like Popeyes or McDonald’s. It has some good things but it pales in comparison to the full experience of a 5 star gourmet meal. The fine wine, the perfectly prepared steak, the delicious dessert 🍮. And wonderful service and ambiance. It’s the feast we all long for ❤

Even as an already converted Catholic, this is helpful. I am finding that just because someone disagrees with me, doesn't mean they are uninformed. I know it's sad to have to realize that, but judging by youtube comments I see on other videos I know I'm not the only one. Wherever I look, even in atheists, I find at least some people in that group have a good reason to believe what they believe. Learning those reasons can help you appreciate what you believe more if nothing else.

Protestant here who is only becoming more Protestant after I started reading church history. Cardinal Newmans famous line is not necessarily true. Thanks for the video, adding these to my reading list!

Loved your thoughts, there’s a lot of wisdom in it. I’ll have to give all of those a read.

Thanks for the recommendations!

A timely video! Thank you so much, Austin. I believe that at the end of the day, all three Christian traditions can lead a true believer to salvation and a life that pleases the Lord. I want to make the best decision for myself and my family, though...and that might mean considering a conversion. But, then again, maybe not! I feel like I'm in a very similar boat as you, brother! Praying for you, and I ask that you'd pray for me + my family as we don't fully "belong" in our non-denominational church, yet we don't fully "belong" in the Catholic or Orthodox church, either. Somewhere in between is a hard place to be, but I'm praying that it won't last forever, and that the Holy Spirit will give us clear direction.

So much knowledge in a young man. Nice work!

I really appreciate these recommendations and would like to read them. I have been Orthodox for 17 years now after converting from evangelical Protestant. It would be nice to have sources that provide the best of Protestant thought when speaking to other Orthodox Christians about Protestants. It does seem that the best of Protestant thought is still a reaction to the worst of Roman Catholic practices. Hence, the protest. The wealth of writings found in the Orthodox Church obviously far surpasses Protestant writings simply because they got a 1500 year head start. But that wealth is why I feel at home and why I feel connected to the early Church.

Your comment at the end is spot on. I’m reading plenty of books to help me understand the denominations, but actually visiting another church has had a much bigger impact.

I know you’ve done a video on “Protestantism as default” in America, but it would be really cool to see interviews from people who became Catholic or Orthodox from non-Christian traditions and how they found Christianity and decided on Catholicism or Orthodoxy and why not a Prostestant denomination. I’m one of two people at my parish who came into Orthodoxy from Norse Paganism, there’s another person who was raised Sikh and their only experience with Christianity is Eastern Orthodoxy. We also have some Jewish converts, and Mormon and Jehovahs Witness (Christian adjacent traditions?) I’m sure there are similar stories in the Catholic church. For me I was already coming from a highly ritualized, participatory, non legalistic, communal, mystery tradition so Orthodoxy made the most sense. I instantly connected with it like I never did when encountering Protestantism or Catholicism. I read a few books before attending Liturgy, and I am very appreciative of Met. Kallistos Ware, but it was the experience and participation that fully solidified it for me. I work in my parish bookstore and when inquirers come in asking for book recommendations I usually just hand them the Way of the Pilgrim, tell them to come to church as often as they can, and converse with the clergy regularly even when catechism classes aren’t going on

Here the book list but watch his video and check the editions he recommended: From the reformation: 1- An Apology of the Church of England by John Jewel 2 - The Freedom of a Christian by Martin Luther 3 - A Reformation Debate by John Calvin & Jacopo Sadoleto Modern: 4 - Dogmatics in Outline by Karl Barth 5 - The Mediation of Christ by Thomas F. Torrance

Great idea for a video, and interesting recommendations! I’ll keep those on my list. I don’t intend to be Catholic or Orthodox, but I would love to read those.

There was a time when I was considering Catholicism and Orthodoxy, but once I started discovering some of the great Protestant thinkers like Hamann, Torrance, Owen, Mascall, and others I began to realize protestantism has far more to offer than people realize

As a Protestant who seriously considered Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, one of the books thay helped me the most was Roger Olsen's "The Story of Christian Theology." It is a big book, but he presents things in a clear and fair manner. I haven't read any on this list, but i may check them out for fun.

Before doing that pretend that Protestantism or any given denomination has remained the same since it's inception since 500 years ago and that what Calvin and Luther taught is the same that is practiced now.

I just love the saying all roads lead to Rome and they also come from Rome I am so grateful to be a cradle Catholic My prayers are with everyone today I appreciate all the heartfelt, beautiful snd sincere thoughts snd comments I have read here today. God bless

Too late. Became Catholic and it was the best decision of my life.

as a Catholic I think it is a great idea for future converts to read up on their traditions as you recommend. Some of the coolest converts we have no exactly why they converted and can explain it well. That is a very powerful witness. On the other hand I am just a simple cradle Catholic who probably isn't really going to research Protestantism very deeply at all. Other than maybe for general curiosity or to convert my friends.

I would add St. Vincent of Lerins Commonitory (5th Cent AD), extremely short book outlining the early Christian perspective on Ecclesiology and how to determine truth from heresy.

Thanks for the recommendations. I remember looking into the various denominations and theological positions when I was at University. Ultimately for me the books never really reached my heart. It wasn't until I heard theology being preached that I became convinced of reformed theology. RC Sproul and Pastor Jack Glass were the two most influential because they were so passionate for Christ and managed to explain the concepts clearly and their applications

Good video, sometimes it feels like there’s so many books to read and so little time, so I appreciate the shorter recommendations.

I’m Orthodox, but give me Pastor Bob the tomato any day over priest Larry, the cucumber… just saying.

Very good! Keep up the good work.

For me, the problem lies not really with the argumentation of the doctrines. In fact, I find protestant thinkers and their work to be of great quality and they appeal to my modern western mind. Rather the main issue seems to be the doctrines themselves. The more I read, the clearer they seem to be going in the wrong directon. It doesn't feel like orthodoxy is "pulling me in" as much as protestantism is "pushing me out". I want to follow my local church, but where they go, I cannot in good faith follow.

Love to see John Jewel getting some love here! I’d have to take bit to think about it, but this makes me want to make a list of 5 essential Anglican books.

Catholic for 8 years and it's the best decision I've ever made! Did not read a ton of books but the Church Fathers cliched everything. I love great Protestant minds and think that Luther and Calvin have very interesting and good things to say. Ultimately, the whole thing is just philosophically unsound. No ill-will towards Protestants, though. Just sharing what the Lord has done in my life.

Serious question, but to be fair, if someone should be open to other interpretations of the Bible, should that include reading books from the Watchtower written by Jehovah’s Witnesses? They have numerous books on numerous Bible topics. What about Joyce Meyer? Or Benny Hinn? Is it a good idea to be open to reading books that also don't perfectly fit into a Catholic or Protestant box? If no, what is there to be afraid of in reading them? If yes, how many different views should one be exposed to?

Orthodox and proud ☦️

God bless you brother nice book !

you should have added "take a look at the majority of Catholic and Orthodox comments below this video"

You mentioned in a past video that you have a certain note-taking process to help you retain and sus through information that you read. Can you please make a video about that process?

Great final comments on not just "getting the math problem right." There's so much more to it than logic, but the mind is important. The short works that helped me remain Protestant were On the Apostolic Preaching by Irenaeus, On the Creed by Athanasius and his Letter 59 to Epictetus, the First Letter of Clement to the Corinthians, and the Letter to Diognetus. For something more comprehensive, though a bit longer, I recommend Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechetical Lectures and Book 3 of Irenaeus' Against Heresies.

Hi, which 5 books would you recommend Catholics read before converting to Protestantism? Or did I miss that video somewhere else? The reason I ask is because most Protestants I know are happy to convert a Catholic just based upon a moving service, or a few verses read to them, but when it comes to going the opposite direction insist that extensive research be done first. I'm not sure if you are one of those or if you would genuinely be fair on this.

This is a great recommendation. I loved The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware, but then again, Kallistos Ware is just a great writer. I also watched catechism videos by some local Orthodox parishes and this reminded me a lot of what you said about pastor Bob.

Great video! All serious Protestant students of theology should also read the Book of Concord.

We are all one Christian family. Today it is more urgent than ever.

The Catholic Controversy: A Defense of the Faith by Francis of Sales

I became Orthodox from the Evangelical tradition about 12 years ago now. I do agree that it is important to understand what you are leaving as well as what you are going towards. For me, I never could quite shake the feeling that while the Reformers had good intentions, they never really had any more basis for their beliefs than any other person out there. A million people can read the Bible or think about spiritual things and come up with a million different interpretations. Even if they are very well reasoned and rational, it doesn't mean they are correct. I figured that if I was going to read theology, I'd rather it come from as close to the time of Christ as possible. The whole purpose of the Church according to Christ was to carry on His message, so who better to get insight into that than the people who lived within 100 years of him. When I started reading St. Clement, St. Ignatius, and other early writings, I found a completely different way of understanding God and my faith than I ever had before. There was just such a deep well of insight that I don't think anyone could exhaust it and for me, its been a huge benefit. I can certainly understand that it doesn't resonate with everyone. There are people in every Christian tradition that do a much better job of loving Christ and their neighbor than I do, so I'm certainly not going to look down on them. I will say that I don't think that internet Orthodoxy or internet Catholicism is very healthy, because its so full of people who just seem to enjoy being jerks. When I started on my journey, there was much less of that. I cringe now when I see much of the dialogue that goes on now. I think if I was in the process of exploring now, I would probably be turned off by the triumphalism of so many in the historic faith traditions.

Hey brother! What mic and camera do you use? Do you recommend a particular software to overlay a power point slide onto camera footage (if you’ve ever done that)? Thanks! I like your work and have been considering starting a channel of my own God bless

Another recommendation: The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Veith. It’s a book often read by those converting to Lutheranism, which I believe is relevant because Lutheranism contains many of the elements people find attractive in Catholic/Orthodox worship, and sacramental theology. You might not become Lutheran, but at least will know there is a place for that sort of thing in Protestantism.

Can you also do a video on longer books to get the more in depth arguments too! Thanks for this video!

Thanks friend.

Love your program I think you would have a very good conversation with David Anders of Call to Communion..

Joshua Schooping is reason enough. EDIT: For someone considering Orthodoxy, you should understand there are two models for the transmission of the faith, and _people take sides._ Some think you need to receive the faith, complete and unquestioned, directly from a spiritual father. This is a monastic model; for these monks, your spiritual father is responsible for basically everything about your life, because that's what you signed up for. Monks tap into the blessings that come from obedience. It's a real thing, and nobody can take it away from them, but it doesn't mean what they're learning is correct. It means they are submitting themselves to a representative of our tradition _from the generation directly preceeding themselves._ "From generation to generation" is the idea. The same blessing is available to protestants or whomever else when they find a pastor they are willing to follow. Such a man can be so wrong he leads people away from God, so choose wisely, but the precision and correctness of his understanding is not where the blessing comes from. The blessing comes from obedience, and it is absolutely a real thing. Your conscience has to be on board; you can't just pretend to trust someone, and why would you want to do that anyway? God knows we all have our hang-ups, and we're convinced of this or the other idea. Find a pastor or a spiritual father you agree with enough to trust him when you disagree, is the point. Anyway, the other model is the "older is better" model. This is the way many of us think; precisely _because_ we trust the Church, we want the best scholarship available for understanding our tradition. Not the bible, nor Orthodoxy, nor the councils - none of it needs _us_ to defend _it._ The Church can take care of herself, and we can contribute best by refining our own understanding of her, not by doggedly insisting on what we think we know. We take refuge in our tradition and explore it freely. We do try to find pastors we can follow, but they won't tell us exactly what to think about everything. Frankly, if they tried that, we'd go somewhere else. Like with everything, the way forward is somewhere in the middle. In my opinion, you need a pastor / spiritual father you can trust. It should be someone with the appropriate level of education for teaching the faith. There are rural priests (or at least, there were in the past) who were _not allowed to teach._ Their job was to celebrate the Divine Liturgy and other priestly duties, but their sermons were handed to them by the bishop. There's a reason "READER" is a minor office in the Church; education matters. Here's one more idea though, that leans more in the direction of fundamentalist-style "monastic transmission" of the faith; choose a recent saint and read everything he or she wrote. Again, find someone you agree with enough to trust him when you disagree. For me, it's St. Sophrony of Essex. If instead you try to amalgamate all the recent voices of tradition for yourself, or rely too much on someone else who has done that, you'll end up cherry picking and never confront your blind spots.

If we use our own intellect or rely on that of others in our pursuit of God, we will inevitably divide further and be a slave to our own understanding. Where will that lead us? I have found that submission to Christs Church is the only way. ☦️

I initially left Catholicism in my teens because I didn’t read books like you said. I left because of the Catholics in my life who seemed to have low view of scriptures/church😞

Genuine question for anyone that wants to contribute an answer: do a Christian writer’s personal failings (Karl Barth’s longstanding affair for example) discredit the value of their writings at all? Maybe a similar question would be: can we separate a person’s ideas from the person’s life as a whole?

In addition to the good books recommended in the video, I'd recommend: 1. Any of the Crossway Short Classics series by theologians. The video mentioned one of these, The Freedom of the Christian (Martin Luther). But Crossway Short Classics also publishes other short works by theologians like B. B. Warfield, J. I. Packer, and Jonathan Edwards. These are well worth reading and indeed studying assiduously because these theologians pack quite a punch despite their pint-size! And if for no other reasons than for intellectual stimulation and personal edification even if one decides to become Catholic in the end. 2. The essay titled "Transubstantiation" by Antony Kenny in his book Reason and Religion: Essays in Philosophical Theology.

Almost seems like you want to stop people becoming orthodox with a video title like that.

Too late, I got chrismated into the Orthodox Church two weeks ago! 🙂 (Background: life-long Baptist turned Agnostic turned Atheist and then back to faith).

Am Catholic and have huge difficulty in wrapping my head around how protestants can even begin to justity the schism beyond "one pope is bad so let's do our own thing" after 1500 years. I am sure there are a lot of very very clever people who happen to be protestant so there has to be good arguments (even if I do not believe they will pan out), and I want to understand every argument to be able to have more empathy and certainly grow in my own faith God willing. Can you list the books in the description because I found it difficult to pick out some of them! I will at least read the one by john, luther and calvin.

This is a great approach to this topic. I’d love to chat sometime (KZfaq style)

I bought Luther’s book you recommended , thank you!

Excellent point Austin and I agree as on the flip side as a lifelong cradle Catholic, I've researched Protestantism long and hard and have found nothing worth leaving the Eucharist over!

I wonder how many of these authors would consider the others in communion with their own tradition?

The great William Abraham was my systematic theology professor at SMU and he had good things to say about TF Torrence.

The best of both worlds: the Anglican Communion. Christ's big tent under one roof.

Any Baptist recommendations?

Austin, any recommendations for a Catholic thinking about coverting to Protestantism? To be fair, that is.

In my experience as a Baptist pastor, the people I've seen convert to Catholicism/Orthodoxy have done so in a very rushed and emotionally motivated way. It's important to slow down and make sure you understand the best of protestantism before you leave, and not just run away because of a bad experience you may have had.

Also! Since you asked for book recommendations, I’ve got two for you: "The Mystical Body of Christ" by Ven. Fulton J. Sheen and “The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism” by Fr. Louis Bouyer. Both are about 300 pages. The former is a thorough yet accessible dive into the Catholic understanding of "Church", and the latter is by far the most ecumenical book I’ve ever read. The first 200 pages are, I feel, a great steelman of Protestantism, including a detailed dive into the best it has to offer (according to the author) that includes primary sources, followed by 100 pages in which the author digs into how these good things find their fulfillment in Catholicism, and identifies the actual points of divergence between the two parties and their underlying causes. It's very much in the spirit of this video.

I can't help but wonder if the roman catholic zeal for converting potestants is matched by their zeal to seek and save the lost.

Hi there, although I usually find your videos gripping, I have to admit I nodded off while watching this one. I heard little of anything mystical, contemplative or meditative here. I'm glad I left protestantism aside as a young man, even though it was a somewhat impulsive decision at the time. As a Catholic, I would recommend you read: 1. St John Henry Newman's Apologia 2. Julian of Norwich's Showings or Revelations of Divine Love 3. St Therese's Story of a Soul 4. St Augustine's Confessions and 5. the main documents of Vatican II like Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes. I hope they lead somewhere for you.

Agreed! When I find out someone I know is wanting to convert to Catholicism. I always tell them to research both for a solid six months to a year. Any book by Peter Kreft and Scott Hahn are the ones I recommend and then I tell them to find a book that coincides with their current faith traditions. I've seen many people convert to Catholicism on a whim or "because I'm marrying a Catholic" (that one drives me nuts btw!)

The only book i needed before conversion is the bible

I am surprised that so many Protestants convert to RC/EO and don't seem to see the "veneration/worship" of Mary, The Queen of Heaven as much of a problem nor do they read the services /prayers dedicated to her. When I looked into the EO, I was told that they didn't pray to Mary, but only asked for her intercessions; this is absolutely not the case. I was also told that I would understand the whole Mary issue once I joined and could be a part of the Church bc trying to explain Mary to a noninitiate wasn't possible. Also, look into the actual words of the Marian feasts and ask, where did this come from? For example, in the E.O. there is a major feast that celebrates how Mary was taken, at 3 years old, to live in the Temple in Jerusalem, where she spent most of her time in the actual Holy of Holies for 9 years, being fed by an Angel. Where did that idea come from? It comes from, The Protovangelium Of James, supposedly written by the same James who wrote the book of James in the Bible. You don't have to be a Bible scholar to see that the same author could not have written both books. The Protevangelium is the oldest of the Apocryphal Gospels and as wacky as it is, the ones written later are clearly Gnostic but are used as the basis for other Feasts, like the Dormition. Read, The Book of Mary's Repose. For more, scholarly information on the use of Gnostic/esoteric writings in Marian feasts, read, Mary in Early Christian Faith And Devotion, by Stephen J Shoemaker.

Almost made the jump to Eastern Orthodoxy but then took a class where we covered Martin Luther and it was one of many puzzle pieces that changed everything.

well with both protestantism and catholicism they have some truth in it but not full truth I choose Orthodoxy because its the faith of the apostles and its what Jesus originally taught. You can even see this in the writtings of the apostolic fathers. I didnt create the church this is Jesus who created it. So me saying oh this sounds good or that sounds good is missing the point I need to abide by Jesus Christ fully so that is why i am Orthodox

Calvin's Letter to Sadoleto is a great recommendation for this exercise. Whether you end up agreeing with Calvin or not, it's a great example of how a protestant answers, very detailed and constructively, a call heard from many Catholics today. Listening to Sadoleto, it seemed his words were verbatim what I have heard many Catholic apologists say to Protestants today.

1. Two Paths Papal Monarchy - Collegial Tradition by Michael Whelton 2. The way of the Pilgrim translated by Olga Savin 3. Christ in Eastern Christian Thought by John Meyendorff (been borrowing this book for about a year now it's a big read ahaha)

Luther believed in prayer to saints and Mary. He also wanted tests books removed from the bible: Hebrews, James, Jude, and the Book of Revelation.

My three are Foxes Book of Martyrs, The Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan, and THE BLOUDY TENENT OF PERSECUTION Roger Williams

Light from the Christian East is a great book written by Protestants for Protestants.

You're a wise guy Austin

How to Read the Bible for all It's Worth by Gordon Fee, ESV Bible, Pray the Daily Office in The Book of Common Prayer, Knowing God J.I. Packer, and Creeds Confessions and Catechisms by Chad Van Dixhoorn.

The EO and Papists are quite salty in the comments today.

00:00 Intro 02:10 An Apology of the Church of England (John Jewel) 02:52 The Freedom of a Christian: A New Translation (Martin Luther) 04:10 A Reformation Debate (John Calvin and Jacopo Sadoleto) 06:08 Dogmatics in Outline (Karl Barth) 08:06 The Mediation of Christ (Thomas Torrance)

I don't think the goal is to fight over what denomination is correct(unless they are obviously teaching false things as a whole) but if we are following the way of Jesus Christ accurately and truly transforming in the Holy Spirit and where you are going to get that. The church should be one, unfortunately thats not the case. Disunity and division is actually one of the things that opens doors to the enemy, so no wonder we are having issues.

Reccomendations on Orthodoxy: The Orthodox Way by Bishop Kalistos Ware Thinking Orthodox by Jeanie Constanieau St Paisios of Mt. Athos Becoming Orthodox (I think this one is Ware as well) Rock and Sand by Fr. Josiah Trenham

I was received by the Greek Orthodox last year!!! E Panagia Theotoke soson eemas !!!

Sorry for all the salty Catholic comments (EO will have to speak for themselves). As a former Lutheran I would have to add for Protestants : The Augsburg Confession The Confutation of the Augsburg Confession (it can be found) The Apology of the Augsburg Confession. As someone who crossed the Tiber about 20 years ago after 7 years of discernment: 1. The letters between Carthage and Rome during the Decian Persecution. Found under Cyprian's Letters. 2. Augustine - "On Faith and Works" (not free in the online collections. Buy as single book or buy electronic copy on Logos) 3. Newman - Essay on Development of Doctrine 4. Newman - Letter to Duke of Norfolk 5. A Biblical Defense of Catholicism by Dave Armstrong (an oldie but still goodie if you don't want a Tome)

It all comes down to individual arrogance. Each interpreting Scripture on their own, rather than trusting Jesus' promise to guide the Church unto all Truth. If you trust the Holy Spirit guided the Catholic Church to canonize Scripture, why wouldn't you trust that God would guide it to interpret it.

I would recommend Father John Strickland’s series books 📚 The Age of Utopia: Christendom from the Renaissance to the Russian Revolution , The Age of Nihilism: Christendom from the Great War to the Culture Wars , The Age of Paradise , and The Age of Division: Christendom from the Great Schism to the Protestant Reformation

Became Orthodox! ☦️

Read nothing by Barth. He was an adulterer and did not repent. Blatant living in sin.

Converted to Orthodoxy this year! (I was predestined)

Catholic here. I love some of the ideas behind Anglicanism, but it remains tradition based on the state church/monarchy. For me there really can be no doubt the Council of Trent got it right on justification though. Justification is something that enfolds all three theological virtues not just someone’s attempt to reach out and personally appropriate Christ’s righteousness for yourself. If that’s going to be the bedrock issue I can’t see how others got it right even though they pointed out a lot that was Catholicism at a point . Thanks for the book recommendations

Anyone who reads Fr. John Romanides and is legitimately seeking the truth and not simply doing an intellectual exercise on “Christianity”, really would have no choice other than to become Orthodox.

My ancestors were forced to become protestants by the king of Denmark. Not sure I owe anyone anything, but I get your point though. But ultimately this is in itself a very modern and protestant way of doing/thinking. It is the mindset that you can be your own guide. But, it is much easier than this to decide wether or not to become Catholic. The ONLY question to decide is whether the pope has been given authority by Christ through Peter. If no, then Catholicism is false. If yes, then it’s settled.

A psychological analysis of Martin Luther should be part of the exploration. Eric Fromm is the author. I forgot the title.