Why subscribe?

There are many books written by converts explaining why they entered the church. This is a newsletter written by a cradle Catholic explaining why he had not left yet.

An odd topic, perhaps, but in an age where so many are leaving and have left, it seems apt to explore why I have not yet done so. “Yet” is the sticking point of course. It implies that I will leave, but that is not certain. Indeed, I don’t think it likely. As St. Peter said, “to whom shall we go?” The reasons for not leaving outweigh those for leaving.

But it causes astonishment to many of the people I encounter, both in my old life in the tech industry, and even more so in my current avocation as a novelist, that I remain a Catholic, that I consider myself a Catholic author, and that I take any of it seriously at all.

On the surface, and in the media, and, to be frank, in the pews, there are many reasons to leave, so many that I am not surprised or offended when people are surprised I remain. But it seems necessary to me to give some account of myself to them, as far as they may be interested to hear it.

And I feel I have something to say to the church too on the many ways in which it makes itself easy to leave.

This will not be a work of devotion, catechesis, apologetics, or evangelization. I am not qualified for any of that. I am not a theologian (though I did spend one year in the seminary in my youth). Nor am I learned in Church history, governance, or doctrine. I am an ordinary reasonably well educated man in the pew. It is not my purpose to defend or expound the faith of the church or explain its doctrines. It is only to defend and explain myself.

You can find me at https://gmbaker.net.

My other newsletters are:

https://storiesallthewaydown.com

and:

https://ordinaryeccentricity.substack.com

You can find my novels here: https://www.amazon.com/author/gmbaker