What Should Catholic Converts Do With Their Old Protestant Books? - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 2

When someone becomes Catholic, especially if they are an avid reader, they often have lots of titles on their bookshelf that reflect years of study and meditation about questions of faith. But what should happen to those books once someone becomes Catholic?

Matt Swaim talks to Andrew Petiprin and Shaun McAfee about what they did with their old Protestant books when they became Catholic. Which ones did they keep? Which ones did they give away? Which ones were they tempted to destroy?

[Ggdivhjkjl]

Used to know someone who had a customised stamped that said something like, "HERESY - for reference only".
He stamped it onto the title page of any book he thought worth keeping but didn't want anyone else picking up.

[sbblando]

Congrats, Matt. You got your own show. Another one aside from On the Journey with Ken Hensley. 👍 God bless.

[ddzl]

as a cradle catholic l couldn't afford to have a sophisticated introspection like this but simple verse of Bible like Jesus said that he didn't come to change the law of Moses but to fulfill it, obviously he didn't come to start a new religion either but to continuation naturally of Judaism under the new covenant. His first followers were all Jews and they started this new covenant Judaism in their respective synagogues of Jerusalem, Damascus, Rome, Corinth, Smyrna, Antioch, Hippo, Carthage etc. with the basic tradition like tabernacle, alter, menohra, priesthood etc. intact and
called themselves Catholic. After the studying the dead Sea scroll and these simple historical facts made me reaffirm my catholic faith and by now l know for sure that the church of saints established by Jesus under the stewardship of Peter is the Catholic Church and simply there cannot be another .

[KSTrekker]

I still have various editions of 66-book (Protestant) Bibles. I purchased my 73-book Bible and my Archdioceses gave me one in RCIA. When certain verses are contested between Protestants and Catholics, I go back to my Protestant Bible for reference and more importantly to see where the differences are. There's not always a difference in the actual text of the chapter and verse, but the footnotes are very telling. I have a Nelson study Bible in NKJV and the notes are very telling as to the mental and lingual gymnastics performed by Protestant scholars to attempt to whitewash or dilute the obvious Catholic references in scripture. For instance, my Nelson study Bible completely skips over James 2:24 in the footnotes, as if to say, "there's nothing to see here that needs further explanation." James 2:24 "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." As Steve Ray points out, literally the only verse in the Bible that contains the words "faith" and "alone"; yet it debunks Sola Fide doctrine.

Whether or not you wanted to be a Catholic apologist, when you decided to convert to Catholicism, you became an apologist. Many of us have family and friends we left behind in our old denominations that will undoubtedly question your decision to become Catholic. My Baptist parents were horrified by my choice and argued scripture with me. You should know the material they use for their argument, while being confident in your position as a Catholic. That was my biggest opposition to Catholicism when I was growing up; the Catholics I knew were long on tradition and ceremony, but knew nothing from the Bible. When I came back to Catholicism just this past year, I was pleasantly blown away by how scholarly and well-versed Catholics are now. And it's not just the clergy, it's the laity as well.

[dougmoore]

I found an old Douay Rheims bible in a marvelous used book store during my formative period in understanding Catholism.

[LilyoftheValeyrising]

I keep my old books because they do have some relevance to my faith today. Like The Five Love Languages- that is a great book. I’ve talked with many younger married couples referencing the love languages.
It clarified things for them. For reference I’ve been married 28 years and together for 30, 6 children five of them grown up.
Also I enjoy finding the flaws in the NIV Bible- which I’ve read dozens of times- I usually read it daily. For some reason it is more comforting to read than the Catholic translation. I’ve been reading it since I was 10 so maybe that’s why. This translation screams the Catholic faith is the true faith and I have found dozens of proof for that. It’s comforting to know.
Now what I really want to know more about is the rapture! And other end times things! I was raised a so you know what I must think about these things. I am very curious about all that.
By the way I still have my first Bible - the King James in large print. We used to play ‘Draw Swords’ in Bible camp. Fun times!

[TruthHasSpoken]

There are good protestant scholars. For example, one can read Michael Gorman on St Paul and learn quite a bit. The New Perspective on St Paul is quite ancient (hello also to NT Wright).

[catholicbeth]

Oh come on, I am doing a Masters degree in theology. On my shelves are evangelical, Orthodox, Anglican and atheist books, including Richard Dawkins. How could I be expected to counter anti-Catholic arguments if I don't know what those arguments are...

[gerryrepash]

I think it depends on the convert. I kept most of my books because many of them have good things in them. I have Knowing God by Packer, Know Why You Believe by Little, and even some of Spurgeon and Chambers devotional works. I see where their biases are and it doesn't bother me.

[zeniazenia]

I did the same. You can’t give away a book that can hurt someone!

[elviragutierrez]

I lost my most cherished friend over going back to the Catholic church. 😔

[frederickanderson]

The Jewish scribes never considered the deutrocanonical books as canonical. Josephus in his book against Apion. That the Jewish scribes had exactly 22 books. Not even the 7 extra books were never considered, why because in 1 Maccabees it states that their was not prophets in that era. No inspiration of prophecy, . Between the last book of Malachi and new testament no prophet's at all .

[johng.]

Throw out the catechism, keep the bible. Problem solved.

[johng.]

Throw out the truth, keep a new delusion.