James L. Papandrea is an expert in early Latin theology and Christology, but has a talent for making complex doctrines accessible – and understandable – for anyone.
Dr. Papandrea is not an apologist, in the sense of debating Protestants or atheists, but loves doing “soft apologetics,” meaning helping Catholics understand their faith better, so that they have the knowledge they need to “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks for a reason for your hope” (I Peter 3:15).
In live speaking engagements, he encourages lots of Q&A, and loves answering audience questions and explaining the faith to the faithful.
Jim Papandrea makes the early Church come to life, and makes the historic creeds and doctrines of the faith accessible to the layperson. He will encourage the faithful, but also challenge them to deeper faith.
Dr. James L. Papandrea is an award-winning author of over 25 books, translated into multiple languages: his book The Early Church won a first place Catholic Press Association Book Award, and his book A Week in the Life of Rome is now in its sixth printing. He is a full time Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, and the host of the Catholic Culture podcast, The Way of the Fathers. Papandrea has an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in the history and theology of the early Christian Church, with secondary concentrations in New Testament interpretation and the history of the Roman Empire. He has also studied Roman history at the American Academy in Rome, Italy. He is currently on the faculty at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is a senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, and a member of multiple professional organizations, including the Academy of Catholic Theology, the North American Patristics Society, and the Society of Biblical Literature.
Speaking Topics:
The Original Church - What was the early Church like? The Original Church was the Catholic Church! Dr. James Papandrea, PhD, is an expert on early Christianity, and has made a career of understanding what Christianity was like in the first centuries of the Church’s life – when the Church fathers were the direct successors of the apostles. Known as the Catholic Mythbuster, Dr. Papandrea busts the myths of the early Church – perhaps you’ve heard of some of these myths: “The Protestant Reformation was all about getting back to an original form of Christianity before the Catholics added things,” or “They didn’t do infant baptism in the early Church,” or “The doctrine of the Real Presence was a medieval invention,” or “Christians in Rome had Sunday Mass in the catacombs during times of persecution.” A former Protestant himself, Dr. Papandrea studied the early Church to see what the Original Church was like, and it brought him back to the Catholic Church.
The Heresies - How do we know what is true from what is false? How do we know the difference between correct and incorrect interpretations of Scripture? It turns out that all the heresies that are around today are repackaged versions of ancient heresies that were tried and found wanting in the early Church. Just as the Church did in the earliest centuries of her history, Dr. Papandrea will help audiences understand what is true, but contrasting it with what is false.
The Creed - What does the word consubstantial mean? What are we saying when we say the Creeds? Where did the Creeds come from, and what's the difference between the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed? What are the tru essentials of our faith, and where is there room for difference of opinion?
Confessions of a Revert - When I was coming up as a Protestant, I was told a lot of lies - lies by well meaning and sincere Protestant catechists who didn't know they were lies, but lies that were designed to keep people away from the Catholic Church. What are the myths that Protestants are perpetuating, and how did I bust those myths? What made me come back to the Catholic faith of my Italian heritage? How do we know that the Catholic Church is thr true Church, and the true heart and center of the universal Church?
