Interview: Brandon Vogt and His Book Why I Am Catholic
Brandon Vogt has created another masterpiece in his book, Why I am Catholic (And You Should be Too!)
It was so good, I had to call him up and interview him about it:
My review of Why I Am Catholic:
Each chapter in this book could be its own book, but Brandon takes the necessary chunks from each argument for God and dissects them with clarity and precision. Brandon’s ability to synthesize each topic with brevity is ingenious. From proving God’s existence to demonstrating Jesus’ divinity, his explanation on these topics range from 1-2 pages in most instances. In fact, he somehow managed to explain the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist in a mere 2 paragraphs, and he did so with remarkable eloquence (check page 66 if you don’t believe me!).
The book is logical and at times humorous. It is not an academic dissertation with thousands of citations from educational journals and teachings from the Church Fathers. On the contrary, it is lightly sited and more like a reasonable dialogue between friends at a coffee shop than a theological debate.
When Brandon does site sources, he has chosen mostly secular sources. He also inserts blips of humor and a barrage of comical (and profound) quotes from G.K. Chesterton whom he quotes more than any other source (including the Bible!) which makes for a light-hearted, yet meaningful message that says “The Catholic Church is all things good, true, and beautiful… and it has a great sense of humor!”
One of my favorite parts of this book is Brandon’s explanation of the Church’s relationship with the homosexual community. The two world’s seem to be as different as far as the east is from the west, but in a globe of sincerity and love, Brandon brings these two topics together almost magically, allowing the reader to experience the love and logic of God through the correct means of sexual expression, one that supersedes mind and body and reaches toward divine perfection.
If you or someone you know belongs to the religious group known as the “Nones,” meaning those who are not affiliated with any religion, then do them a favor and get them this book. The chapter titled “The Partiers” is enough to convert most of the world’s population.