Catholic Answers is a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
advocacy group based in
El Cajon,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
. It describes itself as the largest
lay-run apostolate of Catholic
apologetics
Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...
and
evangelization
In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...
in the United States. It publishes ''Catholic Answers Magazine'', a bimonthly magazine focusing on Catholic outreach, religious formation and
apologetics
Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...
, as well as the website ''catholic.com''. It also produces Catholic Answers Live, a radio show answering callers' questions on a variety of topics related to the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church. Catholic Answers Live is syndicated on the
EWTN
The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...
radio network.
History
Catholic Answers was founded in 1979 by
Karl Keating
Karl Keating (born 1950) is a Catholic apologist and author who founded and presided over Catholic Answers, a lay apostolate of Catholic apologetics and evangelization.
Keating's book ''Catholicism and Fundamentalism'' was based on a 1988 series t ...
in response to a
fundamentalist
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishin ...
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
church in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
that was distributing
anti-Catholic
Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics or opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and/or its adherents. At various points after the Reformation, some majority Protestant states, including England, Prussia, Scotland, and ...
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loa ...
in the form of
tracts placed on the cars of Catholics attending
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...
. He first started by writing a modest tract titled "Catholic Answers" to counter the arguments he saw in the anti-Catholic tract. He distributed it on the windshields of the cars in the fundamentalist Protestant church's parking lot. Due to the feedback he received from that tract, he published 24 more tracts. In 1988 he quit his law practice and turned Catholic Answers into a full-time apostolate, with an office and full-time staff.
The Catholic.com website receives approximately 471,000 visitors per month in an October 2012 estimate.
Staff
Apologists who have worked for Catholic Answers include
Trent Horn and
Jimmy Akin
Jimmy Akin (born in 1965, Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American Catholic convert, apologist with Catholic Answers, and podcast host.
Biography
Born in 1965 in Corpus Christi, Texas, Jimmy Akin grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As a child ...
.
See also
*
Lighthouse Catholic Media
Lighthouse Catholic Media is a not for profit company that distributes CDs and digital downloads of Catholic-themed content. Lighthouse has provided CD programs to over 7,500 Roman Catholic parishes throughout the United States and Canada and ...
References
External links
*
Catholic Answers' forumsCatholic Answers' Original Catholic Encyclopedia
{{Authority control
Catholic websites
Catholic advocacy groups
Christian organizations established in 1979
1979 establishments in the United States
El Cajon, California
Christian apologetics
Catholic publishing companies
Anti-Catholicism in the United States