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How Do You Approach Someone Who Has Left the Church?

Jimmy Akin

Approaching someone who has fallen away from the faith can be tricky, especially when they are convinced they have made the right decision. Jimmy Akin gives some tips on how to have a conversation with someone who has left the faith to help bring that person back.

Transcript:

Host: We go now to Catherine in San Francisco, listening on Immaculate Heart Radio. Catherine, you are on with Jimmy Akin, what’s your question?

Caller: I was just wondering how do you initially approach a person who has fallen away from the Church and is adamant that they made the right decision?

Jimmy: Okay, what did they fall away to?

Caller: Non-denominational.

Jimmy: So they’re still Christian but they are non-denominational Christian.

Caller: Correct.

Jimmy: Okay. Well, it depends on the person, but my inclination would be to say: “You know, I appreciate the fact that you’re Christian, I think that’s great, you know, I’m a Christian too, I believe in Jesus Christ, I’m trusting him for my salvation; but I think that you may have been hasty in this, because the Catholic Church has been around for 2,000 years and it’s considered a lot of different objections that people have raised to the Christian faith in general, and to the Catholic faith in particular. And it may have an answer to some of the objections that you’ve had, and I’d be happy to help you find out if it does have answers to those. So if you’d like, you know, I’d be happy to learn what it was that that you think led you away from the Church that, you know, what you thought was a good reason, and then let’s look at that together. I’d be happy to try to look up some answers for you if I don’t know them off the top of my head.”

Caller: Perfect. Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you.

Jimmy: No problem.

Host: Thank you very much for that, Katherine.

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