How Peter Kreeft Became Catholic

Peter Kreeft shares the story of how he became a Professor and Philosopher, and how he was led to Catholicism by his own attempt to dissuade himself from becoming Catholic!
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[@dolphinsharma9799]

Peter Kreeft taught me Modern Philosophy during college. At the beginning of one class he drew a cube with a question mark in it on the white board and said "If anyone can correctly tell me what this means, I will give you an A on the next test." At the end of the class, Professor Kreeft then says "This means absolutely nothing, I just made it up." He wanted his students to guess that it was just nonsense, but instead we were all trying to find really sophisticated explanations to what he drew. This man really can get away with anything.

[@easymoney7007]

Keep things simple. Call a spade a spade. That would've been an amazing class. Seems those kinds of professors are far and few between.

[@mamarkiewicz]

⁰0⁰000

[@imag218]

My sophisticated answer: "This means 'an A'". 🤡

[@navis5284]

Indeed, he gets away with a lot -- including varnishing Catholic dogma!

[@kelkabot]

Ugh. That’s the worst kind of mind-game arrogance in a teacher, and it seems most common among male teachers with huge egos to pull that kind of stunt. Too bad.

[@Coteincdr]

I read St. Augustine because protestants like him and I wanted to be firm in my protestant conviction and ended up accepting the papacy lol!

[@schwererd]

Welcome home

[@gherieg.1091]

@@schwererd I’m an ex Catholic ... how is Catholicism especially “home” for the Christian ... any more than another biblical church, like Protestantism or Orthodox, or others ? Sincerely seeking, not looking for arguments, but not afraid of a little polemic tête-à-tête for persuasion attempts.

[@schwererd]

@@gherieg.1091 Hi! I'm also not interested in arguments so no worries. So when we say "welcome home" we mean it as a term of endearment. So for a Catholic we say it because we are welcoming someone home to the singular institution Christ established. May God Bless you, Gherie!

[@mariojosephsierra1568]

@@gherieg.1091 Grace and peace to you Form God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessing to you. The Catholic Church is home because it’s the Church that Jesus Christ established and built on St. Peter and the Apostles. All the Popes and Bishops of the Catholic Church can be traced back to St. Peter and the Apostles. So the Catholic Church literally is the spiritual children of the Apostles in the most literal sense. The Catholic Church maintains the tradition and doctrine of the Apostles for 2000 years and remain one Church for 2 millennia, while all other denominations are still breaking off. This would include the Orthodox, the Anglicans, who also have apostolic succession, but broke it when they divided themselves from the one Catholic Church. Even the Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, and so on are continuing their divisions. Division will only breed more division and this division started with heresies and not trusting the Catholic Church’s unity amongst the clergy and denying the Papal primacy. All the while, the Catholic Church remains one. The Catholic Church maintains its continuity of tradition, doctrine, theology, succession, and virtues. Even with all issues throughout history and the scandals of the past 20 years. Israel knows a lot of what the feels like and yet they remained to be God’s people in the Old Testament. But even the unrighteousness of individuals of the Church aside, not to dismiss it either but the Catholic Church still is the global leader in charity work and missions, and still the most hated and persecuted! The marks of love and suffering shows this is the visible body of Christ! Few last points but not the least of them, The Catholic Church wrote the Bible. (The Apostles were Catholic) The Catholic Church put the Bible together. (Check out the Ecumenical Councils of early Church) And the Catholic Church has all the Sacraments that comes from Christ and His Apostles, just like God wanted it to be. It’s the place where the fullness of truth dwells. We are one. Lastly, The Catholic Church is home because all denominations find their origin in Catholic Church because it’s this Church that Jesus started. Since they wrote and published the Bible (which had 73 books in it not 66, Luther removed 7 books because it opposed his heresies), that means all other Churches are practicing a man made modified version of the Catholic faith. Being that home is where the heart is, the Catholic Church is just that for all branch offs and subdivisions of the Church. It’s the visible body of Christ, and all Christians should come home. (Respectfully from a former Reformed Protestant)

[@bradbrown2168]

Consider reading Dr Ken Wilson: Roots to Augustinian Calvinism.

[@RosieJ7223]

Oh I love how he says “let’s see, the kids were just in school, so that was…” He’s a dad. At the end of the day (or life) a parent’s time is stamped with the milestones of his or her children. Beautiful.

[@mchristr]

"We Unitarians don't know who we are but we're not Christian." Much respect for at least recognizing that a dividing line exists.

[@Agustin-Parraguez]

Calvin University Student here! Thanks be to God for Peter's Witness.

[@faithadamson8889]

This guy is a legend

[@badchoices7152]

I just purchased the book The Early Church Fathers.

[@vic38290]

Just as simple as that. See how God's grace works. Just by being true and honest to ourselves will bring us back to the truth.

[@EC-rd9ys]

Thanks Matt! Great video!

[@johannaprice4880]

Dr Kreeft, I must tell you that I miss listening to Screw tapes. In my car CD and everytime good driving I listen to it.

[@sageseraph5035]

Hey, Matt! Just finished “Does God Exist?” Will there be a sequel? I felt like the ending set up for a second book about Jesus, and I thought there were a few hints towards AJ and Lucy being more than friends. Thanks!

[@waterlemon777]

The sequel is to become Catholic

[@tagontag]

Thank you for the genuine conversation. I got the joke but I find it hard to grasp the sequestering commotions between different religious orders. I am just too blessed to have shared moments with the Jesuits, Dominicans, Missionaries of Charity and Opus Dei - gladly enjoyed all their teachings and works. I would really hope to understand the nuance disagreements between the religious orders. Would gladly hear from anyone. Thanks!

[@RumorHazi]

Vic Not really nuance differences of the orders themselves but rather differences of the ORIGIN of the orders. Sorry to disappoint but they are not at odds with each other. They are each aligned with the Holy See. (Pssst...that's a good thing!!)

[@tagontag]

@@RumorHazi Hmmm.. Thanks and I hope you are right. From this interview and several encounters I had, they always present to me that there are some unemphasized disunity, which are intentionally downplayed by not giving specific reasons. We are all aware that we are one apostolic Church, but I hope what's left subtle will not amass to further fragmentation of our faith. Our faith is worth to be appreciated as a whole and I pray that we will not be too entrenched to any style spiritual practice that we unknowingly create silos within the Church than to appreciate one another by learning from each other.

[@RumorHazi]

Vic I think that was beautifully and eloquently stated. I wholeheartedly agree with you. We must concentrate on the many things which bring us together and discard that which divides us! God bless and keep you!

[@haydongonzalez-dyer2727]

More plz

[@donquixotedelamancha58]

Cool!

[@yehoshuamelech7529]

the greatest minds always do

[@gyanashekka]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:31 📚 Peter Kreeft taught a course on death and dying at Boston College, which later inspired the creation of three books on related topics. 01:23 📘 Peter Kreeft's three books, "Love is Stronger than Death," "Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing," and "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven but Not Asking," stemmed from his course on death and dying. 01:51 📖 Peter Kreeft faced challenges getting his book published initially, with a Unitarian publisher turning it down because of its Christian content. 03:16 🏫 Peter Kreeft found Boston College to be a place where he could freely express his Catholic beliefs while teaching philosophy. 03:46 😄 Peter Kreeft shared a humorous Jesuit joke highlighting the historical context of Jesuits and Dominicans. 04:14 🎓 Peter Kreeft converted to Catholicism during his college years at Calvin College, a Calvinist institution. 05:50 📚 Peter Kreeft initially read the Church Fathers to prove himself a Protestant but found himself drawn to Catholicism. 06:34 🍷 Peter Kreeft was struck by the historical continuity of beliefs such as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. 07:12 🙏 Peter Kreeft recognized the theological differences between Protestantism and Catholicism and the significance of those differences. 08:26 👪 Peter Kreeft's family had strong theological disagreements with his conversion to Catholicism, leading to open and sometimes heated discussions. 09:06 🏛️ Peter Kreeft's childhood visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York sparked his initial curiosity about Catholicism. 10:13 🎓 Peter Kreeft completed his PhD in philosophy, focusing on Plato and Augustine, at Yale University, just before the turmoil of the Second Vatican Council. Made with HARPA AI

[@capecodder04]

The initials for Boston College are BC I've heard that it stands for Barely Catholic

[@rezmetis6723]

Question for Peter: did he ever meet Father John Hardon, SJ and read any of his books?

[@dynamic9016]

Quite interesting.

[@vinciblegaming6817]

This is an interesting discussion because the Calvinist Baptist view is that the Holy Spirit does not give new revelation after the apostles. Yet Zwingli (and others) assert a new revelation that was absent from the time of the apostles (Ignatius was alive with John, wasn’t he?) things that make this prot go “hmmmm…”

[@billyinthelowland]

Kreeft chuckling over his own joke about the slaughter of the Albigensians places him squarely in the company of Father W. Thomas Faucher.

[@Robb3348]

yeah that's a real knee-slapper, they were slaughtered. they were heretics after all. all praise to the one, holy, catholic, apostolic church! the true moral exemplar of history, the true defensor fidei

[@capecodder04]

Google says that the Unitarian Press in Boston is Beacon Press founded in 1854

[@drewmann856]

I kind of did the same thing, it led me into Anglo-Catholicism and then into Orthodoxy though.

[@RumorHazi]

Give it time!! You'll make it!! Read Blessed John Henry Newman and you'll be swimming the Tiber. I spent 40 years as a high-Church Anglican before my conversion to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church!! Never been happier! God Bless!!!

[@TheCleanTech]

Keep seeking humility keep seeking truth, eventually you end up Catholic

[@RumorHazi]

I need to make a correction to my last comment!! It is no longer Blessed John Henry Newman but rather SAINT John Henry Newman! As of his canonization this past weekend!!!

[@howdy2496]

They were first called Christians at Antioch.,✌️

[@gerardosulamita5088]

@@howdy2496 And in Antioch, the Church was called Catholic. Read St. Ignatius's of Antioch letters.

[@tonyfoglio6745]

An observation: The most prolific Catholic apologists appear to have gone into the Church instead of coming out of it. Their apologies often defend their decisions more than the Doctrine of the Church.

[@QuisutDeusmpc]

And isn't that what St. Paul encouraged in his divinely inspired epistle: "Be ready always to give a defense ('apologia') of the hope that is within you...." I imagine the hope that Peter Kreeft depends is that God became man so that man could become divine. It seems you haven't read many, if any, of his books, where he does defend the teachings of the Church.

[@tonyfoglio6745]

@@QuisutDeusmpc Forgive my lack of clarity. I connected two thoughts and was not referring to Dr. Kreeft. You are correct; the only book I have read up until the interview was “Symbol or Substance.” Has anyone ever told you that you resemble GK Chesterton? 😏Thanks for the correction.

[@QuisutDeusmpc]

@@tonyfoglio6745 Lol. My tattered garments and daguerreotype image betray me, sir. I have been guilty of the same lack of clarity from time to time. I love Chesterton's response to an editorial invitation "What is Wrong with the World?" to which Chesterton replied, "Me." Would that we were as humble as you have been in this instance, and Chesterton was in his reply. May God richly bless you and yours, sir. 😂

[@AntiMarxism21stCentury]

Protestants have been following Dr. Kreeft for a very, very long time.

[@bradbrown2168]

Why Rome and not Constantinople? It seems to me that Rome departed from Orthodox. How am I seeing this wrongly?

[@santiagovilla6219]

focus has started its mission in mexico

[@tomryan9718]

Does he have cancer ? ♋️ I’ll add a prayer intention

[@fld9266]

“ chaos of NO “- most catholic’s do not think it chaotic

[@jameslayne2985]

Those that still bother going to mass, that is.

[@apollo8352]

It is an atrocity for anyone to believe in God without having gone to the effort of educating themselves on the Calvinism argument....yet time and time again people present as religious.

[@helenkilgallon3522]

K I

[@oldgolfer7435]

Just saw a movie on the inquisition. Were they the same Catholics we should all adhere to? It is amazing that through the centuries this industry can cover for any atrocity over the course of history, even the latest child abuse, and come up with new versions to suit modern times and hip pockets.

[@richardkramer4076]

What movie? Was it truth, or anti-Catholic bigotry, which is everywhere? Have you ever watched the BBC documentary on the subject? You can find it on KZbin. The BBC gave a fair appraisal of the Inquisition and they are not exactly pro-Catholic. Were there abuses?... Yes. Were they largely myth and exaggerations? ...Yes. Try an open mind.

[@oldgolfer7435]

@@richardkramer4076 Strange that you can claim that the inquisition and all of its atrocities, or most of them were myths and exaggerations, which like the conquest of the Americas' were relatively recent, but belief in a much older volume called the bible cannot be challenged. Yet it is full of myths in its claim of a super natural being, and the ridiculous assertion of his son being born on earth via the services of a virgin. It is so steeped in the ethos of the day that this God is always referred to as a male. You can always find a documentary somewhere to try and prove your cause, but how do you pass off the findings of the recent Royal Commission, and the defense, by the church, of the vile offenders.

[@richardkramer4076]

@@oldgolfer7435 You give me more credit than I deserve...it's not my claim. I noticed that you failed to mention the movie that you got your information from, (something by Vincent Price maybe?) and that you rejected the BBC documentary out of hand...my guess is you never watched it and didn't do the intelligent thing...by taking each point and refuting them with substantive and credible rejoinders. Dishonest laziness? I don't know. It's clear that you have a burr under your saddle for the RCC or even all of Christianity....you can have your opinion. I'll pray for you.

[@oldgolfer7435]

@@richardkramer4076 Wish me good health if you will, I will take that as a kindness. However praying me I simply consider a waste of time on your behalf. Millions of children daily die in this world, and no doubt their distraught parents pray for them. Of course to no avail. It was not long ago that hundred were being abused by catholic priests, and their prayers did not do much good either. I cannot recall the name of the film. It was set in France, and naturally was not sympathic to the inquisition. I have no particular antipathy to Christianity, it is an improvement on some other religions. It is the belief in religion itself that I disagree with, and more especially those that benefit from those they assist in their delusions.

[@richardkramer4076]

@@oldgolfer7435 ....too late....I have already prayed an entire rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for you. So you view the reason to believe in an Almighty God is if he/she/it can remove all suffering and all sadness and all pain in this world? How much would you diminish happiness and joy to the point of being unrecognizable? God would have to also remove our free will to do that, rendering us as nothing more than well-fed zoo animals. I sense you speak from personal experience and it led you to this hate. Ignore my recommendation if you wish...but there is a great book that covers a lot of thoughts on why God allows evil, and pain and suffering, and why His will sometimes prevails over our prayers. Our understanding is limited by human limitations. The Divine knows a lot more than we do. Try reading "Understanding Divine Mercy" by Father Chris Alar, unless you have a great fear that it will transform your life, as it did mine. Best wishes.

[@annaholley2885]

[@navis5284]

Funny coincidences... I studied philosophy at Drake University and later went to Calvin College, GR Baptist seminary, and did further work in philosophy at the graduate school of Wisconsin. Peter Kreeft prides himself on Catholic dogma developed during the middle ages but leapfrogs over the radical need to study ancient Hebrew and discover the Jewish roots of the worldview and mission of Yeshua the Messiah. A text without a context is a pretext. Reading the New Testament or Church catechisms without seriously engaging the Torah and the Hebrew prophets leads invariably to a perversion of the teachings of the New Testament. Indeed, it is difficult to translate the New Testament apart from a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew and acquaintance with the literature of the sages leading up to the Second Temple period. My problem with Roman Catholicism centers on its ecclesiology, since it essentially apes the rituals of the Levitical priesthood developed by Moses without understanding the sacrificial system and how it relates to the cross and the nature of substitutionary atonement. etc etc

[@alandinsmore1186]

It's really sad that his Dad was unable to tell him why catholic churches are so much more lavish than the average protestant churches. I would have said, selling selling your soul to the devil can look like a great deal down here and the read just a few chapters of "Foxes book of Martyrs"

[@laurieveneklasen1112]

not a relevant argument. Bad behavior by people who belong to an ideology, does not negate the ideology. Truth is truth regardless of the behavior of its proponents. Read any catholic book of martyrs and you find lots of protestants torturing and killing Catholics. I'm a Calvin college graduate as well that made the mistake of reading the "wrong" books and coming home through reading.

[@crossbearer6453]

And here comes the true nature of Protestants One of lies , hatred and division

[@jameslayne2985]

Well a very good thing you weren't his dad then, as that's a silly answer. The "book of martyrs" is a book of fables, as many have demonstrated conclusively. Catholic Churches are lavish, because they properly believe (as ancient Christians did) that Jesus is REALLY present in the Eucharist, making the Church the place of His substantial dwelling. It isn't just a lecture hall.

[@frjimt2286]

Faux's book of martyrs... Calvin, zwingli, etc killed their fair share, if you are interested in playing chess

[@apollo8352]

People seem to overlook the fact Paul, Luke and Mark never meet Jesus....and if your ever wondering how much you can trust the testimony of Paul....compare Acts 9:7 to Acts 22:9, which indicates you cannot trust Paul's testimony!

[@warrensmith3070]

'Roman Catholicism' departed from true catholicity a long, long time ago. This guy wrongly equates the latter with the former. The protestant reformers coined 'evangelism', and the foundations of reformed is catholic (not the falsehoods of 'Roman Catholicism') but a return to true catholicity and the Bible as the sole authority. St. Augustine of Hippo Regius with his Doctrine of Grace clearly indicated that only biblical scripture is inerrant, which contradicts Roman Catholicism. The five greatest Christian theologians of the past 2000 years (Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Edwards), are all in-line with Reformed and its true catholic foundations. Get on-board with true biblical Christianity - 'Reformed' is a nickname for this. 'Roman Catholicism' is an irrelevance.

[@dan-lansingmi9169]

Why stop at Catholicism? Go one step further to an Orthodox Church.

[@scoreyoublue]

I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me. Who is Jesus? Protestants or Catholic identity is not as important.

[@markie0320]

He would not be a protestant as he says the bread and wine is his actual body and blood.

[@gch8810]

Catholic identity is important. As it is the universal church.

[@jameslayne2985]

That's a very modernist attitude, and of the devil. It very much matters whether you are part of the system Christ himself established, or one established much later to deny those truths He revealed.

[@armidaleconcrete]

Big mistake becoming a Catholic Peter.

[@tmaria7209]

This is where people make the big mistake. Instead of asking God for His opinion, they listen to or read debates or history of protestantism vs catholicism, history of this church and that when what it really boils down to is Jesus Christ and redemption. The only thing to do is pray to God for His guidance whether the Bible is to be believed as true. If it isn't true then why has it been called the word of God and his testament since the first parts of the NT were completed. Jesus Christ isn't to be looked for in Augustine or Aquinas but in His word. No one would become a Catholic and no lifelong Catholic would remain if they turned to God and told Him what they believe and why and asked Him to remove from their minds and hearts all beliefs and practices that do not come from Him. Catholics don't ask God to give them the faith they need for their salvation. They are content to accept the teachings of their church without understanding the meaning and purpose of the cross of Christ, what did He accomplish and what did He finish. If they asked God to lead them to His truth and away from everything that offends Him, in time they'd find that there is nothing in Catholicism that gives them reason to remain. The church was busy for well over a thousand years killing Christians who new the true meaning of communion and why Jesus instituted it, just like they understood the redeeming power of the cross and any idea of purgatory and the sacrifice of the mass was repugnant and offensive to them, as it is to Christians today, because such beliefs mock the redeeming power of the cross.

[@nikolabrnada1256]

Dr. Kreeft studied the history of the church and where the truth is found. What most people ignore is the fact that Jesus left the church as the authority of the doctrine, not the bible. If you want to say that the word and the NT are truths, then you have to admit that those who canonized the books are in fact telling the absolute truth. The fact that you're making a statement of what everyone already understands is the misconception you make about Catholics. The eucharist was established in John 6 several times, and it was kept as so by the catholics from the beginning. To say that history does not matter, but then bash the church for having bad leaders is, with all due respect, ignorant. We had, have, and will always have, sinners within our church. But that does not mean we stray away from the true doctrine. Jesus knew one of his disciples was going to give him up, and yet he still sat next to him. As humans we are fallible, but the word and it's teachings established through the church is infallible.

[@tmaria7209]

@@nikolabrnada1256 This is the RCC's interpretation of Mt 16:18-19 Jesus said to Peter: You are Peter the rock. I appoint you as first pope. I want you and your successors to build yourselves a church and to invent a religion which will oppose everything my complete gospel truth teaches about salvation, redemption, justification, righteousness etc. I want it to be an apostate church where God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will be blasphemed and where my atonement on the cross is to be mocked. I want the popes to replace me as head and to dictate to the triune God what kind of religion they want in place of my teachings in Scripture. I want the popes by their acts and beliefs to reflect the character of Satan by being morally and spiritually depraved, including murderers, sex perverts and haters of my authority as Lord. As long as they have political power, I want them for many centuries to brutally persecute, torture and burn to death those who refuse to betray me by converting to their religion. I want the popes to lead their followers to hell and damnation by also lying to them that heaven is only for catholics and others who reject me and who do their best to be morally 'good' according to their own perception of what is moral and good, but from which those who are true to me as their Lord and who are redeemed by my sacrifice on the cross are excluded.

[@nikolabrnada1256]

@@tmaria7209 haha wow thats a very dumb interpretation. This is why not everyone should interpret the bible. lol

[@gch8810]

God is truth. Therefore, looking for the truth in Scripture and history or important in determining whether or not it is Protestants or Catholics who are right.

[@howdy2496]

I remember when I was that ignorant.