Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In our first full-length interview, we host Dr. Alan Fimister, a renowned theologian and seminary professor, to discuss his conversion to the Catholic Faith from atheism, and why he found protestantism so unconvincing. Not only did he find it unconvincing, he concluded it played a decisive role in the rise of secularism. We also discuss issues of political theology, Christendom, and the rise of liberalism (both "left" and "right" wing varieties).
Dr. Fimister is a member of Eternal Christendom's Advisory Board. We hope to host him as a regular guest on the Eternal Christendom Podcast. You can find his bio here: eternalchristendom.com/advisory-board
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This apostolate is a non-profit under priestly authority, and all your gifts are tax-deductible. Your generosity makes it possible for us to produce our podcast, research, and written content with excellence, while making it available to the world for free, all for the salvation of souls. It also empowers us to work on even bigger projects behind the scenes (stay tuned).
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
02:32 - Bio: Dr. Alan Fimister
05:13 - Interview: Dr. Fimister's Atheist/Communist Childhood
20:01 - Anglicanism, and the UK's "Christian" State of Apostasy
24:17 - More of Dr. Fimister's Non-Christian Childhood
25:38 - Dr. Fimister's Earliest Memories of the Blessed Virgin Mary
28:52 - Dr. Fimister's First Consideration of Religion/Christianity
35:24 - His Atheist Father Reading Him C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" as a Child
36:13 - Pictures of Hell in a Friend's Family Bible
37:50 - Asking His Mother if He Could Become Anglican
39:13 - Attending Catholic School
44:45 - Those Who Know the Catholic Faith is True But Don't Convert Go to Hell
46:12 - Dr. Fimister Asks His Mother to be Baptized
48:23 - Dr. Fimister's Favorite Biblical Character as a Child
48:50 - Receiving a Beautiful Gift from His Catholic Teacher, and Being Baptized
51:24 - Why So Many Catholic Friends Fell Away from the Faith
56:14 - Why Catholicism Was the Only Viable Option
01:01:09 - The Rise of the "Celebrity" Papacy
01:05:04 - Why Protestantism Was Not Convincing
01:11:00 - Facing Protestant Opposition at University
01:12:33 - Is Catholicism Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian?
01:15:36 - Valid Protestant Points on Good Works, and the Church's Actual Teaching
01:26:24 - Why Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy are Fairly Easy to Refute
01:31:11 - Protestantism and the Rise of Secularism
01:37:08 - Why an Infallible Magisterium is Necessary, and Not Above Scripture
01:49:09 - How Protestantism Inadvertently Paved the Way for Secularism
02:32:53 - Conclusion
This podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
In our first full-length interview, we host Dr. Alan Fimister, a renowned theologian and seminary professor, to discuss his conversion to the Catholic Faith from atheism, and why he found protestantism so unconvincing. Not only did he find it unconvincing, he concluded it played a decisive role in the rise of secularism. We also discuss issues of political theology, Christendom, and the rise of liberalism (both "left" and "right" wing varieties).
Dr. Fimister is a member of Eternal Christendom's Advisory Board. We hope to host him as a regular guest on the Eternal Christendom Podcast. You can find his bio here: eternalchristendom.com/advisory-board
BECOME A PATRON OF THE GREAT TRADITION
Has our content blessed you or those you love? Then please consider becoming a monthly patron for $10/month or more.
➡️ eternalchristendom.com/become-a-patron
This apostolate is a non-profit under priestly authority, and all your gifts are tax-deductible. Your generosity makes it possible for us to produce our podcast, research, and written content with excellence, while making it available to the world for free, all for the salvation of souls. It also empowers us to work on even bigger projects behind the scenes (stay tuned).
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
➡️ eternalchristendom.com
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
X: twitter.com/JoshuaTCharles
Facebook: facebook.com/joshuatcharles
Instagram: instagram.com/joshuatcharles
DIVE DEEPER
Check out our “Becoming Catholic” resources, where you’ll find 1 million+ words of free content (bigger than the Bible!) in the form of Articles, Quote Archives, and Study Banks to help you become, remain, and deepen your life as a Catholic:
➡️ eternalchristendom.com/becoming-catholic
SUBSTACK
Subscribe to our Substack to get regular updates on our content, and other premium content:
➡️ eternalchristendom.substack.com
EXCLUSIVE BOOKSTORE DISCOUNTS
➡️ eternalchristendom.com/bookstore
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
02:32 - Bio: Dr. Alan Fimister
05:13 - Interview: Dr. Fimister's Atheist/Communist Childhood
20:01 - Anglicanism, and the UK's "Christian" State of Apostasy
24:17 - More of Dr. Fimister's Non-Christian Childhood
25:38 - Dr. Fimister's Earliest Memories of the Blessed Virgin Mary
28:52 - Dr. Fimister's First Consideration of Religion/Christianity
35:24 - His Atheist Father Reading Him C.S. Lewis's "Chronicles of Narnia" as a Child
36:13 - Pictures of Hell in a Friend's Family Bible
37:50 - Asking His Mother if He Could Become Anglican
39:13 - Attending Catholic School
44:45 - Those Who Know the Catholic Faith is True But Don't Convert Go to Hell
46:12 - Dr. Fimister Asks His Mother to be Baptized
48:23 - Dr. Fimister's Favorite Biblical Character as a Child
48:50 - Receiving a Beautiful Gift from His Catholic Teacher, and Being Baptized
51:24 - Why So Many Catholic Friends Fell Away from the Faith
56:14 - Why Catholicism Was the Only Viable Option
01:01:09 - The Rise of the "Celebrity" Papacy
01:05:04 - Why Protestantism Was Not Convincing
01:11:00 - Facing Protestant Opposition at University
01:12:33 - Is Catholicism Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian?
01:15:36 - Valid Protestant Points on Good Works, and the Church's Actual Teaching
01:26:24 - Why Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy are Fairly Easy to Refute
01:31:11 - Protestantism and the Rise of Secularism
01:37:08 - Why an Infallible Magisterium is Necessary, and Not Above Scripture
01:49:09 - How Protestantism Inadvertently Paved the Way for Secularism
02:32:53 - Conclusion
This podcast can also be heard on Apple, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
