Surprised by Truth 2: 15 Men and Women Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons For Becoming Catholic

Surprised by Truth #2

by Patrick Madrid (Editor)

This collection of testimonies by people who've found new life in the Catholic Church is one of the most potent weapons for the Faith ever crafted These authors don't just tell their stories -- they also give you an insider's view of the fatal weaknesses in the creeds and belief systems that beckon unwary Catholics every day: Fundamentalism, New Age paganism, Mormonism, materialistic hedonism, and many others. You'll discover why these converts forsook beliefs cherished by their families and friends in order to enter the Catholic Church. Their reasons are so compelling that you can use them to draw your own non-Catholic friends and relatives to the Faith. These converts will also convince your wavering Catholic friends to stay Catholic, and they'll even bolster your own faith when anti-Catholic arguments start to make you doubt.

You'll come away with new gratitude that God has given you the Faith, and with a strong new tool you can use to stand proudly for that Faith.

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Foreword: Souls Winning Souls to Christ (Marcus Grodi)
Introduction: Love Will Find a Way (Patrick Madrid)
1. Our Mission to Convert Catholics Made Us Catholic (Kristine Franklin)
2. From the Church of Christ to Christ's Church (Jeff Childers)
3. A Good Girl Who Went Through Bad Times (Carolyn Kollegger)
4. Meeting Christ on His Terms, Not Ours (Fr. Ray Ryland)
5. Once, Twice, Three Times a Catholic (Lynn Nordhagen)
6. From the Latter-Day Saints to the Communion of Saints (Steve Clifford)
7. The Apostles Convert a Pentecostal (Mary Beth Kremski)
8. Conclusions of a Guilty Bystander (Patrick Madrid)
9. A Cafeteria Catholic Returns to the Table of the Lord (Nancy Montgomery)
10. Wiccan, Work It Out (John Gibson)
11. A Lutheran Lad Finds Christ's Church (Tim Drake)
12. Son of a Preacher Man (Kevin M. Lowry)
13. Methodist is Not Enough (Laura Johnson)
14. Wrong About Abortion, I Get Right About the Church (Eric Pavlat, T.O.P.)
15. A Kosher Ham Finds Christ (Martin K. Barrack)
Afterword: Catholic is Not Enough (Thomas Howard)

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith, Theology, Christian, Christianity

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2000

About the author

PATRICK MADRID is the publisher of Envoy Magazine, a journal of contemporary Catholic thought, and the director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College. Since its inception in 1996, the Envoy team has garnered numerous journalism awards, including several first-place awards in the magazine-of-the-year “General Excellence” category from the Catholic Press Association.

Patrick is the author or editor of 14 books on Catholic themes including, Pope Fiction, Search and Rescue, Does the Bible Really Say That, 150 Bible Verses Every Catholic Should Know, and The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism (Spring 2010). He edited and co-authored the acclaimed multi-volume Surprised by Truth series.

He has published numerous popular articles on Scripture, Church history, patristics, apologetics, and evangelization in various Catholic and Protestant periodicals, and he has contributed scholarly articles on apologetics in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.

Active in apologetics since 1987, he worked at Catholic Answers for eight years (from January 1988 to January 1996), where he served as vice president and helped co-found that apostolate's flagship magazine, This Rock, in January of 1990.

Patrick is a cradle-Catholic, not a convert. By God's grace, he was raised in the Catholic Faith and has been a practicing Catholic his entire life.

Growing up in Southern California, he attended grammar school at the Mission San Juan Capistrano parish school, where for years he served as an altar boy for the parish's daily Traditional Latin Mass in the famed Serra Chapel. Ever since his boyhood, Patrick has loved the Traditional Latin Mass.

Patrick earned a bachelor of science degree in business from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor of philosophy degree (B.Phil.) from the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where he is completing a master's degree in dogmatic theology. He has also done graduate studies in theology at the University of Dallas.

He is the host of several EWTN television series, including “Pope Fiction,” “Search & Rescue,” and "Where Is That In the Bible?" and he hosts the Thursday edition of EWTN Radio's “Open Line” broadcast, heard on approximately 150 AM & FM stations across the United States, as well as on shortwave and on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network (Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. ET). He is also a regular guest on the "Catholic Answers Live" program and Sirius Radio's "The Catholic Channel."

Patrick serves on the board of trustees of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, CA, on the board of directors of St. Gabriel Catholic Radio, in Columbus, Ohio, and on the board of advisors for Catholics United for the Faith, Immaculate Heart Radio Network, and Catholic Scripture Study International. He authored all the original website content for CatholicsComeHome.org, where he also serves as a theologica

Reviews

[Kevin Heldt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never read Volume 1 but I'm guessing (hoping) it's better. There were a couple good ones in here, but for the most part, I didn't find the stories particularly relatable. But hey, Brianna got it cheap at the thrift store. :)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed and found it edifying to read the stories of people who grew to love and appreciate the beauty, richness and depth of the Catholic Faith, culminating in their conversion. I probably would not read Surprised by Life, Surprised by Truth 1 and Surprised by Truth 2 back to back again however as I found myself just sort of moving on to the next story too automatically, due to the sheer number of stories at that point; not grasping them as meaningfully as I was initially. So many of these conversions involved significant intellectual and internal struggle as well as much discord with family and friends, acknowledging further the magnitude of conversion. Each book had its own flavor in a way. Surprised by Life included stories that seemed to have more of a impetus to pondering/conversion due to life situations, Surprised by Truth 1 had the most apologetic, Biblical explanation of the deficiencies found by the mostly prior Protestant believers that converted, and Surprised by Truth 2, widened the various types of beliefs that the converts were converting from, that actually
taught me more about what other faiths believe. Surprised by Truth 2 ended with a recommended reading list that this avid reader was thrilled to see.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conversion stories are some of my favorites. It's just so beautiful to watch a searching soul come home to the Catholic Church. This is an easy read, but brings you through many ups and downs and questions of people who were seeking the truth and found it. It's encouraging to me as a Catholic. It's encouraging for anyone who's searching, because that's the story of every person in this collection. And I think this is helpful for non Catholics to see why and how converts fall in love with Catholicism...an uplifting reminder to treasure my faith even more!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read conversion stories and this book has some great ones. Marcus Grodi and Patrick Madrid are among the converts in this book who explain their journey into the Catholic Church. The more I read, the more I know I am blessed to belong to the one true church. I have quoted this before and continue to believe that "to be steeped in history is to cease to be a Protestant." Read some of the writings of the early church fathers and see how similar worship in the early church was 2000 years ago with worship in the Roman Catholic Church today. If you are on your own spirtual journey, these conversion stories will confirm that you are on the the right path.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as the first one. Conversion stories from former Protestant ministers, a Jew, a Mormon, a pagan, a lukewarm Catholic, and others. Gives some common protestant misconceptions about the Catholic faith, and how these converts got through them. Gives biblical references. Many got started on their journey when trying to choose a church to join, and they questioned how the churches were different, and why they have different interpretations of the Bible. How to know which interpretation is correct?? If Christ established a Church (Matt 16:18), and intended it to be the Pillar of Truth (1 Tim 3:15), then where is that church that embodies the truth as passed from Jesus to the Apostles?

[Jennifer]

This is one I have read and that I re-read every so often. Short stories--fit my current abilities and time. Just enough personal story to make this read enjoyable and just enough content on christian teaching to make it informative.

[Kerry Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent many years searching for authentic, historical, logical reference to help me discover the purpose and meaning to life. This book was very helpful in my conversion. Thank you Tiffany D for sharing it with me :)

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing how much a cradle Catholic like me can learn from this courageous people. Not only about what is it that brought them back home to Rome but about my own faith. At the end of the book there's a whole list of resources which will help me to understand better my faith.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

the men and women subjects in this book did more research to come to their conclusions than I could have possibly done. Very interesting and easy to read.

[Erik]

Listed by Patrick Madrid in the Reading Plan of Search and Rescue in Phase 1 (Preliminary).

[Joey Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very powerful anecdotes for why people choose the Catholic church.