Ask Catholics

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Ask Catholics is a podcast run by a catechist and RCIA director to help people understand and better be able to explain the Catholic faith and to clear up a lot of misconceptions many people have when looking at Catholicism from the outside.

  1. 3d ago

    🎙️⛵ Peter's Barque Interview on Beyond The Hymnal on HOLY SPIRIT RADIO I recently had the privileg

    🎙️⛵ Peter's Barque Interview on Beyond The Hymnal on HOLY SPIRIT RADIO I recently had the privilege of joining Jennifer Breen on Beyond the Hymnal for a full-hour conversation about Peter’s Barque—where the project came from, why I’m turning Catholic theology and apologetics into music, and what it means to use new creative tools in service of an ancient Faith. And this wasn’t just an interview. The program features several complete Peter’s Barque songs, with the full music videos included so you can watch as well as listen: 🎵 “Hasn’t Changed a Thing” 🎵 “I Want to Want” 🎵 “14 Moments” 🎵 “Read Your Catechism” 🎵 “What We Believe” We talked about faith, music, catechesis, conversion, creativity, and the strange little barque God has allowed me to help steer. Jennifer was a gracious and thoughtful host, and I’m tremendously grateful to Beyond the Hymnal and Holy Spirit Radio for giving Peter’s Barque an entire hour. Watch the full interview—and hear the songs—here Truth. Tradition. Beauty. In song. CF: http://holyspiritradio.org/listen-now/ #PetersBarque #CatholicMusic #CatholicFaith #HolySpiritRadio #BeyondTheHymnal #CatholicApologetics #Catechesis #ReadYourCatechism #ChristianMusicIT RADIO Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  2. Jul 20

    📖🕰️ “Canon Fodder” — Historical Anachronism Reading Modern Assumptions Into Ancient Christianity

    📖🕰️ “Canon Fodder” — Reading Modern Assumptions Into Ancient Christianity The modern image of Christianity often looks something like this: A guy alone with his leather study Bible… cross references… highlighters… chapter-and-verse debates… and “just reading the text plainly.” There’s just one problem: That image would have looked absolutely bizarre to most Christians for most of Christian history. The early Church didn’t have: 📚 mass-produced Bibles 📖 verse numbers 🖨️ printing presses 💡 universal literacy ☕ modern “quiet time” culture 📑 self-contained tables of contents What it DID have was: ⛪ bishops 📜 liturgy 🕯️ preaching ✝️ sacraments 🧠 memory 📖 apostolic teaching handed down publicly through the Church This song is about “historical anachronism”: projecting modern assumptions backward into the ancient world. By the late second century, bishops like Irenaeus of Lyons were STILL articulating the fourfold Gospel tradition and defending what the Church had received. That doesn’t look much like: “every individual Christian privately interpreting a completed New Testament canon.” And perhaps the biggest problem of all: Scripture alone cannot tell you which books ARE Scripture. 🎶 “Canon Fodder” — a sarcastic folk-alt-rock catechetical track for history nerds, converts, Protestants, Catholics, theology junkies, and anybody willing to ask whether modern assumptions actually fit the ancient Church. #Catholic #CatholicFaith #PetersBarque #SolaScriptura #ChurchHistory #BibleStudy #ChristianHistory #Theology #CatholicTruth #ApostolicChurch #HistoricalTheology #EarlyChurch Peter’s Barque is a catechetical music project by Justin West. The music and art are created largely through digital/AI-assisted means, but the writing, theology, sarcasm, and historical rabbit trails are still very human. 🌐 https://petersbarquemusic.com 𝕏 https://x.com/petersbarque ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@peters-barque ☕ https://ko-fi.com/petersbarque Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  3. Jul 13

    🎶📻😈👄 “Death In The Tongue” (Don't be the Devil's DJ) — A Song About Gossip

    📜👄 “Death In The Tongue” — A Song About Gossip “You shall not kill.” Most people hear that commandment and think: “Okay. I haven’t murdered anybody.” But Scripture spends an uncomfortable amount of time talking about another kind of destruction: the tongue. James says the tongue is a fire. Proverbs says death and life are in its power. Christ says we will answer for every careless word. And yet… modern life runs on outrage. Political scandals. Celebrity implosions. Comment sections. “Prayer requests.” Screenshots. Rumors passed around before the facts even touch the ground. We assassinate reputations recreationally now. That doesn’t mean evil should never be exposed. Sometimes truth MUST be told. Sometimes corruption MUST be confronted. But there’s a difference between justice… and enjoying destruction. This song is about that line. About how easy it is to confuse gossip with righteousness. How easy it is to wound someone while feeling morally superior. How easy it is to become the Devil’s DJ while convincing ourselves we’re just “talking.” And maybe most importantly: if the tongue can destroy… it can also heal. 🎶 “Death In The Tongue” — a track for Catholics, converts, Scripture nerds, recovering gossips, doomscrollers, and anyone who’s ever hit “send” too quickly. #Catholic #CatholicFaith #PetersBarque #CatholicMusic #James3 #BibleStudy #Theology #ChristianMusic #CatholicTruth #Gossip #Scripture #Christianity #JesusChrist #CatholicTok #ChristianTok #Apologetics #MusicRelease Peter’s Barque is a catechetical musical project by Justin West. He’s a catechist, not a musician. The music is created principally through digital means, and the art is AI — but the words, heart, and theology are still him. 🌐 Website: https://petersbarquemusic.com 𝕏: https://x.com/petersbarque ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peters-barque 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/petersbarque 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07uvm7SPGUVwYdxELtbXv8 ☕ Support the project: https://ko-fi.com/petersbarque Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  4. Jul 6

    📜🍎 “Inherited Damage (Not Your Fault, Still Your Problem) (A Song About Original Sin)”

    📜🍎 “Inherited Damage (Not Your Fault, Still Your Problem) (A Song About Original Sin)” Original Sin is probably one of the most misunderstood doctrines in Christianity. Some people think it means babies are personally evil. Others think humanity is basically perfect and society ruins us later. And somewhere in the middle is the modern idea that “original sin” just means “the first dumb thing you personally did.” That’s not what the Church teaches. Original Sin is not your first personal act of rebellion. It’s the inherited fracture underneath human history itself. We inherit many things: blue eyes, family names, crooked backs, shame… …but we also inherit a world east of Eden. This song wrestles with: 🍎 Adam and the Fall 📖 Romans 5 ⚔️ Humanity’s strange mixture of beauty and brutality 🩹 Grace as healing — not camouflage 🔥 And why Chesterton called original sin the easiest Christian doctrine to prove “Grace is not white paint on a rotting door… It’s the carpenter returning to remake what broke before.” #Catholic #Catholicism #OriginalSin #Theology #Chesterton #GKChesterton #PetersBarque #CatholicMusic #ChristianMusic #BibleStudy #Romans5 #Genesis #CatholicFaith #Apologetics #Christianity Peter's Barque is a Catechetical musical project by Justin West. He’s a Catechist, not a musician. The music is created principally through digital means, and the art is AI (but the words/heart/soul are still him). 🎶 “Inherited Damage (Not Your Fault, Still Your Problem)” — for converts, cradle Catholics, theology nerds, Chesterton fans, and anyone who has ever wondered why humanity can build cathedrals and concentration camps with the same hands. 🎧 Listen / Follow: • Website: https://petersbarquemusic.com • X: https://x.com/petersbarque • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peters-barque • Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-7821522 • Instagram: https://instagram.com/petersbarque • TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@petersbarque • Facebook: https://facebook.com/petersbarque ☕ Support future songs: https://ko-fi.com/petersbarque Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  5. Jul 4

    🇺🇸📜 **"Created Equal" — America Didn't Invent the Idea. America Enshrined It.**

    🇺🇸📜 **"Created Equal" — America Didn't Invent the Idea. America Enshrined It.** Today marks the **250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.** For two and a half centuries, Americans have repeated these words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." But here's the question: **Why?** Why are all people equal? History certainly didn't think so. Ancient kingdoms ranked people by birth. Empires ranked people by power. Slave and free. Citizen and foreigner. King and peasant. The idea that every human being possesses equal dignity wasn't obvious. It was revolutionary. Long before Philadelphia... Long before 1776... Long before the Declaration... Genesis proclaimed: "So God created man in His own image." America didn't invent that truth. She did something extraordinary: She built a nation upon it. **"Created Equal"** celebrates one of America's greatest contributions to history—not creating human dignity, but boldly declaring that our rights do not come from kings, presidents, or governments, but are **endowed by our Creator.** As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, may we never forget the Source of the liberty we cherish. Happy Independence Day, America. 🇺🇸 Peter's Barque is a catechetical music project by Justin West. He's a catechist, not a musician. The music is created principally through digital means, and the artwork is AI—but the words, research, and heart behind every song are his own. 🎶 **"Created Equal"** — a song for patriots, history lovers, Christians, skeptics, teachers, students, and anyone who believes ideas matter. #FourthOfJuly #America250 #IndependenceDay #CreatedEqual #DeclarationOfIndependence #Catholic #CatholicFaith #ChristianHistory #ImagoDei #PetersBarque #CatholicMusic #BibleStudy #Theology #AmericanHistory 🌐 Website: https://petersbarquemusic.com 𝕏: https://x.com/petersbarque 📷 Instagram: https://instagram.com/petersbarque 🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@petersbarque 📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/petersbarque 🎧 Listen everywhere: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peters-barque/1857703433 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07uvm7SPGUVwYdxELtbXv8 ☕ Support future songs: https://ko-fi.com/petersbarque Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  6. Jun 29

    🪨🔑 “Peter Means Rock” — The Pebble Argument Had A Nice Run

    🪨🔑 “Peter Means Rock” — The Pebble Argument Had A Nice Run Apparently Jesus changed Simon’s name to Rock, built something on “this rock,” gave him the keys, and then some folks said: “Could be unrelated.” Bold strategy. The old “Petros means little stone / Petra means big rock” argument sounds clever until you actually slow down and read the passage. Jesus was speaking Aramaic. The word is rock. Not pebble. Not tiny stone. Not “Simon Evan.” Rock. And even if you stay in the Greek, the argument still doesn’t work. Petra is feminine, so when it becomes a man’s name, it gets masculinized as Petros. That is not Jesus downgrading Peter. That is grammar. If Matthew wanted “pebble,” he had other words available. He did not use them. And here’s the funny part: this is not just a Catholic reading. Plenty of Protestant scholars have admitted that Peter himself is the rock in Matthew 16, even if they disagree with Catholics about what that means later. Here’s a roundup: https://www.oram.us/protestant-scholars-on-mt-1616-19/ But the bigger point is the structure of the scene. Jesus does not just give Peter a compliment. He blesses him. He explains the blessing. He names him Rock. He explains the rock. He gives him keys. He explains the authority. Blessing, reason, reason. Name, foundation, gates. Keys, authority, heaven. That is a lot of holy weight. Yes, Christ is the Builder. Yes, Christ is the King. Yes, Peter’s confession matters. Yes, the faith Peter confesses is rock-solid. The Catekizm can allow for that. But Scripture does not make Peter vanish to save your theology. This is not either-or. It is Catholic both-and. Christ is the foundation, but Christ also appoints a steward. Christ is the King, but Christ also gives keys. Christ is the Head, but Christ also founds a visible Church. And when the New Testament repeatedly treats Peter like the leed apostle, maybe the rock is not your preferred abstraction. Maybe it is Peter. Weird, I know. 🎶 “Peter Means Rock” — a snarky catechetical track for Catholics, converts, Scripture nerds, apologetics folks, and anyone who has ever heard “Petros means little stone” said with absolute confidence. #Catholic #CatholicFaith #PetersBarque #CatholicMusic #Matthew16 #PeterMeansRock #SaintPeter #Papacy #CatholicApologetics #BibleStudy #Theology #CatholicTruth #ApostolicChurch #Scripture #ChurchHistory #KeysOfTheKingdom #CatholicConvert #JesusFoundedAChurch Peter’s Barque is a catechetical musical project by Justin West. He’s a catechist, not a musician. The music is created principally through digital means, and the art is AI — but the words, heart, and soul are still him. Website: https://petersbarquemusic.com X: https://x.com/petersbarque Instagram: https://instagram.com/petersbarque TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@petersbarque Facebook: https://facebook.com/petersbarque YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@peters-barque Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-7821522 Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peters-barque/1857703433 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07uvm7SPGUVwYdxELtbXv8 Support: https://ko-fi.com/petersbarque Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  7. Jun 22

    📜⚖️ “That’s Not Fair” — a song about objective morality,

    📜⚖️ “That’s Not Fair” — a song about objective morality, hypocrisy, and the weird little problem people run into when they insist morality is subjective… right before telling everyone what they should and shouldn’t do. This one started with a simple question: How do you get from “I don’t like that” to “you ought not do that” …without quietly borrowing a ladder from the building you just condemned? The song pokes at the contradiction we all instinctively feel: If morality is only preference… then genocide is just unpopular. Betrayal is just inconvenient. Justice is just chemistry having a mood swing. And yet nobody actually lives that way. Nobody praises betrayal for the beauty of betrayal. Nobody hangs false oaths on the wall. Nobody says mass murder is merely “not their favorite.” Because deep down, we all talk like some things are REALLY wrong. 🎶 “That’s Not Fair” — a fast-talking, sarcastic, slightly caffeinated philosophical argument disguised as an alt-rock song. For converts, skeptics, philosophy nerds, apologetics geeks, and anyone who has ever heard somebody deny objective morality five seconds before making a moral accusation. #Catholic #Apologetics #ObjectiveMorality #Philosophy #NaturalLaw #PetersBarque #CatholicMusic #Theology #CSLewis #MereChristianity Peter’s Barque is a catechetical music project by Justin West. He’s a catechist, not really a musician. The music is created principally through digital means, and the visuals are AI-assisted — but the writing, theology, and existential sarcasm are still very much him. 🔗 https://petersbarquemusic.com 𝕏 https://x.com/petersbarque ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@peters-barque 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07uvm7SPGUVwYdxELtbXv8 Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

  8. Jun 15

    🏆 “Apostolic Participation Trophy”

    📜 — If Sola Scriptura was THE plan from the beginning… why did most of the Apostles never write anything? That’s the joke. But also… kind of the question. This new Peter’s Barque track leans hard into the absurdity: 🎶 Andrew evangelized nations… but apparently forgot to leave notes. 🎶 Bartholomew got flayed alive for Christ… but didn’t “submit paperwork.” 🎶 Luke and Mark weren’t Apostles. 🎶 Nobody’s even fully sure who wrote Hebrews. 🎶 And somehow we’re told Christianity was always supposed to function as “Scripture alone.” The song isn’t attacking Scripture. Far from it. It’s poking fun at the strange historical reality that: the same Christians who say “the Bible alone” still have to inherit the canon itself from the Church that preserved, recognized, copied, preached, and defended it. Because before Christianity was a paperback… it was preached. It was taught. It was sacramental. It was apostolic. It was a Church. And that’s exactly the tension this song plays with — through dry humor, punchy ska energy, and one very awkward participation trophy. 🎶 “Apostolic Participation Trophy” — a track for converts, cradle Catholics, theology nerds, Church history geeks, and anybody who has ever wondered why Simon the Zealot apparently forgot to turn in his assignment. #Catholic #CatholicFaith #SolaScriptura #ChurchHistory #BibleStudy #CatholicMusic #PetersBarque #Theology #ChristianHistory #ApostolicChurch #ChristianMusic #Catechesis #Apologetics #Bible #NewTestament #Christianity #JesusChrist #CatholicTruth #ChurchFathers #Hebrews The music is digital. The art is AI. The arguments, sarcasm, and late-night theological spirals are extremely human. 🌐 https://petersbarquemusic.com 𝕏 https://x.com/petersbarque 📺 https://www.youtube.com/@peters-barque 📸 https://instagram.com/petersbarque 🎵 https://open.spotify.com/artist/07uvm7SPGUVwYdxELtbXv8 🍎 https://music.apple.com/us/artist/peters-barque/1857703433 ☕ https://ko-fi.com/petersbarque Subscribe to Ask Catholics on Soundwise

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About

Ask Catholics is a podcast run by a catechist and RCIA director to help people understand and better be able to explain the Catholic faith and to clear up a lot of misconceptions many people have when looking at Catholicism from the outside.

Information

  • Creator
    Let's Talk
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Let's Talk
  • Show Website
    Ask Catholics