I am the editor of Catholic World Report, operated by Ignatius Press, and a regular contributor to several other publications and sites. I am also the author or co-author of several books and hundreds of articles on theology, Scripture, apologetics, culture, and current events for a variety of print and online publications.

 

I grew up in a Fundamentalist Protestant home in western Montana.  After two years of art school, I attended Briercrest Bible College, an Evangelical Bible college in Saskatchewan, Canada, graduating with an associate’s degree in 1991. My wife, Heather, is a graduate of Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon. We married in 1994 and entered the Catholic Church together in 1997. Their conversion story appears in the book, Surprised By Truth 3.

 

In May 2000, I graduated from the University of Dallas with a Masters in Theological Studies. For two years I was the director of catechesis and evangelization for Nativity of the Mother of God (www.NativityUkr.org), a Byzantine Catholic parish in Springfield, Oregon. From 2002 to 2004 I was the editor of the award-winning Envoy magazine. Since 2004 I have worked in various capacities for Ignatius Press, including editor of Catholic World Report since 2011.

 

I have written over two dozen articles about Bible prophecy, the belief in the “Rapture,” and the Left Behind books. My first book, Will Catholics Be “Left Behind”? A Catholic Critique of the Rapture and Today’s Prophecy Preachers  (Ignatius Press, 2003) was the result of years of research on the topic; it was recognized by the Associated Press as one of the best religious titles of 2003. 

 

I am the co-author, with medievalist Sandra Miesel, of The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code  (Ignatius, 2004). Francis Cardinal George, the late Archbishop of Chicago, wrote the foreword and described the book as “the definitive debunking” of the best-selling The Da Vinci Code. In addition, historian Dr. James Hitchcock called it “superb and meticulous,” World editor Marvin Olasky described it as a “clearly-written antidote,” and historian Philip Jenkins of Pennsylvania State University said it “is a delight to read.”

 

I am the co-editor, with Fr. David Meconi, S.J., and a contributor to Called To Be Children of God: The Catholic Theology of Human Deification (Ignatius Press, 2016), a detailed study of what it means to be a “partaker of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). I wrote the sections on the New Testament and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

“Theologians, pastors, students and laity alike would benefit immensely from reading this book,” says Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap., Member of the International Theological Commission, “not only for developing their theological knowledge but also for deepening their love for the divine life they already live here on earth.” 

 

My book Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? Questions and Answers about the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus (Ignatius Press-Augustine Institute, 2016) is a detailed but accessible work of apologetics that has been praised as “a must-read” by Dr. Brant Pitre (Notre Dame Seminary, Graduate School of Theology) and “comprehensive, well-researched, and accessible … the best defense of the Resurrection from a Catholic perspective” by Brandon Vogt (Word on Fire). 

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My most recent books are Prepare the Way of the Lord and Praying the Our Father in Lent , both published in 2021 by Catholic Truth Society. The first is meant to help readers discover the meaning of Christmas through a series of meditations on the Scripture of the Advent season and line-by-line contemplations on the Hail Mary. It is, says Amy Welborn, a "bracing and substantive companion through the Advent season."

The second is a collection of meditations that illuminate the words of the Lord’s Prayer as an essential part of the spiritual journey from Lent to Easter. Professor Tracey Rowland of the University of Notre Dame (Australia) describes it as "the best collection of Lenten reflections I have come across. ...  It is rich in sources and insights and tidbits of theological information that really add flavour to each reflection."

 

I am also author of the Study Guide for Bishop Robert Barron’s acclaimed video series, “Catholicism” (www.catholicismseries.com) and the Study Guide for Bishop Barron's series, “Priest, Prophet, King” (www.priestprophetking.com), both produced by the Word on Fire apostolate. I am currently working on several more book projects, including a book tentatively titled Why Christ Founded a Church for Emmaus Road, a volume comparing Catholicism and Buddhism, and another collaboration with Sandra Miesel, this time on “counterfeit Christs.” 

 

I have written articles for The American Conservative, Crisis, Chronicles, The Catholic Answer, The Catholic Faith, The Catholic Thing, Catholic Answers Magazine, Catholic Parent, CRUX, Envoy, This Rock, First Things, Human Events, Gilbert!, Touchstone, Canticle,  Saint Austin Review, New Covenant, The Catalyst, Lay Witness, National Review Online, Progarchy.com, CatholicExchange.com, Catholic.org, What We Need Now substack, and SpiritOfCecilia.com.  From 2006 to 2015 I wrote the weekly “Opening the Word” Scripture column for Our Sunday Visitor newspaper. 

 

I have been a guest on FOX-TV, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, CNBC, CBN News, BBC radio, “Catholic Answers Live!,” “Kresta in the Afternoon,” “Living His Life Abundantly,” “The Catholic Connection,” “Morning Air,” “Searching the Word,” and EWTN’s “The Journey Home,” “The Abundant Life,” “EWTN Live,” “Threshold of Hope,” and numerous local and regional radio and television programs. I have also spoken at several conferences, including the Orientale Lumen Conference, Defending the Faith Conference, Ignited by Truth Conference, and the Fullness of Truth Conference.

 

Since 2000, I have led a weekly Bible study at Nativity of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church and from 2013 to 2022 I taught courses in ecclesiology and soteriology in the lay ministry formation program of the Archdiocese of Portland, OR.

 

Heather and I were married in 1994 and have three children. In my spare time, I enjoy recreation with my family, collecting music and books, reading, camping, painting, playing tennis, cooking, and scouring used bookstores for hidden treasures. When asked if I have read all 30,000 books in my personal library, my answer is: "Of course not!"