He has engaged for the last 15 years as a full-time apologist for the Catholic faith and will soon be a grandfather.

He spoke with Register features correspondent Tim Drake about his work and his most recent book, Surprised by Truth 3.

The last time we spoke, your book Pope Fiction had just come out. What have you been up to since then?

Actually, I've had five additional books published since Pope Fiction came out three years ago: Surprised by Truth 2, Where Is That In the Bible?, Why Is That In Tradition?, Search and Rescue, and most recently, Surprised by Truth 3. I guess it's no exaggeration to say I've been trying to concentrate on writing books!

2001 and 2002 have been hectic but very fulfilling and happy years. It seems I'm busier now than ever with new book projects and public speaking. Though first, I concentrate on being a good husband and father. God has blessed me in allowing me to work mainly from home, and that helps a lot. It looks like I'm on schedule to publish a book or two per year for the next several years with Our Sunday Visitor Press and Sophia Institute Press. Envoy magazine is thriving. We're working hard to increase our circulation and are always looking for opportunities to improve the magazine and load up the Web site with even more apologetics content.

The balance of my time is spent doing public speaking at parishes and universities around the United States and in Europe. I've been fortunate that many priests and bishops have invited me to speak to their dioceses. The public speaking helps me maintain a “sharp edge” in apologetics and keeps me plugged in to the kinds of questions and concerns many people raise today about the Catholic Church.

Didn't you recently debate prominent Protestant apologist James White? How did that go?

On July 11 we had a four-hour public debate on the communion of saints at a convention center on Long Island. Nearly 1,000 people attended, about evenly divided between Catholics and Protestants. I defended the thesis that prayer to and veneration of the saints, as well as veneration of images that represent them, is consistent with Scripture and Christian tradition.

Jim concentrated on what amounted to a single argument — that veneration of the saints and asking their intercession, as well as the veneration of icons and images, such as a crucifix, constitutes idolatry. At one point during the debate, as I was explaining from Scripture the proper use of sacred images, I raised up a large crucifix, holding it before the audience. “Since we are talking about icons, I thought it would be beneficial to actually show you one,” I said. The Catholics in the audience were smiling and seemed happy to see the crucifix raised high. Many Protestants, however, had a look of consternation on their faces. The room became hushed.

I told them that, if they believed what my opponent was telling them, that icons are really idols that cannot be shown honor, then similarly, it wouldn't matter if an icon were shown dishonor. Therefore, I explained, the Protestants in the audience should have no problem coming forward to stomp on or spit upon the crucifix I was holding. I asked rhetorically how many would be willing to do this? I then added that none would be willing to show disrespect to that icon of Christ because, even though the wood itself was meaningless, they knew in their hearts that to show disrespect to the icon would be to show disrespect for Christ himself.

How much more so, I added, would the veneration of the icon show respect for Christ. It was an electric moment for the audience, and my opponent was not able to offer a coherent response to that point.

How is Surprised by Truth 3 similar to, or different from, the first two books?

Surprised by Truth 3 was published Oct. 1 and had pre-sold nearly 10,000 copies before it was released. The “Surprised by Truth formula” for this volume is that of the first two: first-person conversion stories of non-Catholics and former Catholics who came back. The first volume featured 11 testimonies. The second had 14. Volume 3 has 10 stories, plus my chapter on what it is about Catholic truth that “surprises” non-Catholics so deeply. This volume has an incredibly rich and powerful mix of conversion stories.

What does surprise people about truth?

I see God frequently using five key elements to surprise people with Catholic truth.

They include: 1) Authority. When a Protestant convert realizes the Bible does not teach sola scriptura (the Bible alone), it is a mindblowing experience. 2) History. Examining the facts of Christian history, that the early Christians were Catholic, not Protestant, is incredibly powerful. As Cardinal John Henry Newman said, “To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant.” 3) The power of beauty. God often uses the beauty of architecture, music and sacred art to initially draw someone to the Church. 4) The Eucharist. Realizing Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist draws people inexorably. 5) Personal testimony. When non-Catholics encounter the often-powerful, lived testimony of Christ by faithful Catholics, it helps them see the grace of Christ operating in the Catholic Church in ways they may have been blind to before.

You spend a lot of time speaking with people on the road during your Surprised by Truth seminars. What do you find people are hungering for?

Wherever I speak, I have found that people all have experiences in common. First, they know the pain and frustration of seeing Catholics leave the Church and go into some other religious group. Many of these people are parents of adult children who have left the Church, and they know the anguish of not seeing their grandchildren baptized or receive the sacraments.

Second, Catholics everywhere know the frustration of not having a good answer to tough questions about the faith people sometimes ask them. They want to know what they can do to remedy both of these situations. In my seminars, I endeavor to show lay Catholics how they can begin reaching out to non-Catholics and those who have left the Catholic Church as well as how they can fortify themselves in their knowledge of the Catholic faith.