The Patrick Coffin Show | Interviews with influencers | Commentary about culture | Tools for transformation

Dr. Ryan Anderson rounds out the final episode in our four-part series on transgenderism. I have been an admirer of Dr. Anderson for a few years now, since the appearance of his two previous books on marriage (What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense and Truth Overruled ). In this no-holds-barred interview, Dr. Anderson gets specific about the origins of the "trans movement," the medical and social ills brought about by the gender reassignment surgery, and what ordinary people can do when asked for their opinion. The social pressure to simply agree with the aims of the ideologues is quite strong today. In this episode, you will learn: The suicide rate for those who go through with reassignment surgery What happens to a high percentage of children who are not pressured or encouraged to go through with the surgery (hint: it's good news) Why the Obama Administration changed the definition of sex in the 1972 Title IX to "gender identity" and why it changed the debate altogether The heartbreaking, largely untold, fate of those who change their minds after transitioning How to counter the almost non-stop barrage of pro-trans propaganda in movies, TV, and network news The importance of speaking and acting civilly when it comes to speaking with those who support the transgender ideology. Resources mentioned in this episode: When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense by Ryan Anderson, Sherif Gergis, and Robert George Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom by Ryan T. Anderson The Patrick Coffin Show is 100% listener supported. Help us keep our show independent and unfiltered. Consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation HERE. Tweet to Patrick HERE Follow Patrick on Facebook HERE Check out the store HERE Sign up for our Inside Scoop newsletter with the best of The Patrick Coffin Show each week.

Michelle Cretella, M.D., is president of the American College of Pediatricians, a national organization of pediatricians and other health care professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children. She is also fed up with the nonstop lies perpetuated by the "trans community" on the world of medical professionals. Big Medicine has become as politicized as Big Oil and Big Tobacco. As a pediatrician, Dr. Cretella has seen the New Normal up close and personal in the lives of young patients being put into gender transition protocols as early as toddler age. Yes, crazy. I spoke with her about what doctors, especially pediatricians, are facing when it comes to politicized peer pressure to go along with patients' deep-seated gender confusions. Very few doctors are willing to step out of the comfort zone and challenge the status quo, even when vulnerable lives are at put at risk. Dr. Cretella and her colleagues at the American College of Pediatricians deserve our support and our prayers. In this episode, you will learn The correct number of sexes from a scientific, medical point of view The facts about suicide rates post-transgender operation Medical realities involved in the mutilation procedure (start the list with double mastectomy for girls and sterilization for boys) The reason the American College of Pediatricians was formed What twin studies show us about gender disorder The real reason why GID (Gender Identity Disorder) was officially renamed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (No 5) as Gender Identity Dysphoria A clear way to understand the difference between sex and gender Recommended reading: Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything, by Robert Reilly When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment, by Ryan T. Anderson Paper Genders: Pulling the Mask Off the Transgender Phenomenon, by Walt Heyer The Patrick Coffin Show is 100% listener supported. Help us keep our show independent and unfiltered. Consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation HERE. Tweet to Patrick HERE Follow Patrick on Facebook HERE Check out the store HERE Sign up for our Inside Scoop newsletter with the best of The Patrick Coffin Show each week.

Hudson lived through a long, dark season of shame and sexual confusion. Early exposure to pornography and often feeling inferior to his older brother, led Byblow along a path toward homosexuality, gender confusion, an ingrained porn habit, and self-loathing. Years of drifting brought him to a moment of truth, a fundamental choice: to choose love and its demands, or give in to the lawlessness of lust? In response, God poured out His grace and Byblow was restored to the peace and lasting joy that chastity brings. In this courageously transparent interview, he recalls the sorrow and shame that kept him in invisible chains, but pointing also to the insistent way Christ began to move in his heart and mind. Today, Hudson Byblow is a sought-after speaker and consultant. His approach to same-sex attraction is fully in line with the teachings of the Church but it emphasizes the dimension of personal testimony and the importance of the lost art of listening. In this episode, you will learn Why the language we use when speaking with hurting or angry people with sexual wounds can make the difference between breakthrough and breakdown How loneliness and self-rejection can fuel porn addiction The psychological roots of cross-dressing and gender confusion How a robust Catholic life provides the security and support for those with backgrounds like this The power of telling your story, of being willing to summarize how God has worked in your life Recommended reading: Theology of the Body in One Hour by Jason Evert If You Really Loved Me: 100 Questions on Dating, Relationships, and Sexual Purity, by Jason Evert Courage International including En-Courage for loved ones of folks with same-sex attractions and the free documentary, Desire of the Everlasting Hills Why I Don't Call Myself Gay: How I Reclaimed My Sexual Reality and Found Peace, by Daniel Mattson Patrick Coffin Show is 100% listener supported. Help us keep our show independent and unfiltered. Consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation HERE. Tweet to Patrick: https://twitter.com/Patrick_Coffin Follow Patrick on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrickcoffin.media/ Check out the store: https://www.patrickcoffin.net/all-products Sign up for our Inside Scoop newsletter with the best of The Patrick Coffin Show each week: http://patrickcoffin.media/scoop Join the Conversation Question of the week: Why do we need to begin and end with kindness when it comes to speaking with people mired in gender confusion? Comment below. Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, while you are there, please leave an honest review.

Walt Heyer lived for seven years "with" a female identity named Laura Jensen, having undergone the full gender reassignment surgery as an adult male in his late 30s. Full mutilation, hormone treatments, driver's licence with legal name change. In other words, all in. It took a few years, but the "Laura" persona cracked under the pressure of the real man beneath the mountain of lies, which induced alcoholism, and a suicide attempt. Walt underwent his second reassignment surgery over 15 years ago and has a profound cautionary tale and hard won wisdom to dispense for those with ears to hear. In this episode, you will learn The common myths sold as truths regarding transgenderism Whether transgender surgery ever works in the long term The textbook childhood traumas that typically induce gender dysphoria How a secretive grandmother unwittingly helped destroy Walt's life by dressing him in a purple chiffon dress at age four. The way in which divine Providence used Walt's pain to be a source of hope to others How he left the dangerous confusions of the trans movement and found lasting peace. Resources mentioned in this episode A Transgender's Faith by Walt Heyer Sex Change—It's Suicide: A Whistleblower Speaks Out by Walt Heyer Check out his two websites for more information: www.sexchangeregret.com and www.waltheyer.com Patrick Coffin Show is 100% listener supported. Help us keep our show independent and unfiltered. Consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation HERE. Tweet to Patrick: https://twitter.com/Patrick_Coffin Follow Patrick on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrickcoffin.media/ Check out the store: https://www.patrickcoffin.net/all-products Sign up for our Inside Scoop newsletter with the best of The Patrick Coffin Show each week: http://patrickcoffin.media/scoop Join the Conversation Comment below. Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, while you are there, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

Jordan Peterson has been called "the most influential public intellectual in the Western world right now" by the New York Times, "the world's most sought after psychologist" by Psychology Today, and "rock star" by most every other pundit—admiringly by fans, sarcastically by critics. Whatever he is, Jordan Bernd Peterson is crushing it. As of this writing, his YouTube channel has close to 800,000 subscribers; his videoed lectures on the interface between psychology and the biblical narrative are virally shared; his Patreon account snags over $70,000 per month; and his live lectures and debates sell out everywhere. But what recently supercharged his notoriety (?) was his patient take-down of England's Channel 4 presenter Cathy Newman during a contentious interview about the so-called gender pay gap. If you missed that slow-motion car wreck, it's here. As of this writing, it generated over six million views and pushed a worldwide audience in his direction very quickly—and providentially, just in time for the release of his new book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. In this interview (my fourth with him, the first in person), I get into some of the questions I many of my listeners have had about his worldview. Is he a Christian? Agnostic seeker? Lapsed Catholic academic trying to climb back home? We go there. Peterson's Bible exegesis approaches the sacred text from surprising angles, mainly drawn from Jungian insights into archetypes and mythopoetic interpretations of the events and players of salvation history. He is a gifted storyteller with an intense way of getting to the inner truths of the outer stories. If you're looking for black and white answers that bear the whiff of complete certainty, try a dogmatic theologian. Peterson is acutely allergic to tossing out glib answers to questions he believes need to be deeply pondered before wading into premature answers. In sense, many of his lectures seem to be orally delivered first drafts of something he might write down later and polish. He clarifies his own thinking as he goes. For people (especially mothers and fathers) who are concerned about the aggressive neo-Marxist social engineering on college campuses and about the rise of the dictatorship of relativism, Peterson's courage and perseverance in the face of intense pushback from defenders of the academic status quo is downright inspiring. 12 Rules for Life is not short, and is not for everyone. His eponymous rules embody the kind of tough love messaging that was common in say, pre-1960s America. In a post-modern era of politically correct bromides beloved by feminists and their beta male cheerleader, Peterson offers strong lye, albeit peppered with an offbeat sense of humor. He knows that some medicine now and again needs a spoonful of sugar to go down. In this episode, you will learn How his role in the battle for free speech in Canada with the passage of Bill C-16, which criminalized "misgendering" someone, ended up launching his new career as a social critic and surrogate father to millions of millennials. Why PTSD is as much about the realization of the evils of which one is capable as about life-threatening experiences one has had. His thought process in analyzing the foundational miracle of Christianity, the Resurrection of Christ. The ways in which the West is still in something of a hangover from Soviet Communism. How suffering can be an introduction to experiences of profound meaning and sensitivity to the pain of others. The enduring influence of his father (and former teacher) Walter Peterson. Why failing to speak up against evil is far more costly than actually doing so. Resources mentioned in this episode 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, by Dr. Jordan Peterson. He Leadeth Me, by Walter Ciszek, SJ. With God In Russia, by Father Walter Ciszek, SJ. Holy Bible, Ignatius Study Bible, Second Catholic Edition. Help us keep our show independent and unfiltered. Support the mission with a one-time or recurring donation. Patrick Coffin Show is 100% listener supported. Go to https://www.patrickcoffin.media/donate Check out the store: https://patrickcoffin.net/all-products Tweet to Patrick: https://twitter.com/Patrick_Coffin Follow Patrick on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrickcoffin.media/ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Patrickcoffinmedia SUBSCRIBE, RATE AND REVIEW OUR SHOW

Here's an easy one for you: would you like to meet someone, say, at a business meeting or barbeque and actually remember his or her name for more than a nanosecond? Would you like to remember a list of grocery items even if you don't have a pen and paper with which to write it down? Meet Harry Lorayne. I get a lot of compliments about my memory, and I like to give credit where it's due. Harry Lorayne's first book, How To Develop a Super Power Memory (1957) is still, for my money, the best way to learn his system. His later book Ageless Memory: The Memory Expert's Prescription For a Razor-Sharp Mind (1957) incorporates many additional insights for memory improvement. Lorayne became nationally known for his many television appearances through the years, having "done" all the television biggies, from Ed Sullivan to Jack Paar, to Johnny Carson (24 times!), to Mike Douglas to Merv Griffin, et al. His showcase piece is to meet hundreds of strangers, one after the other, and then recite everyone's name later with perfect accuracy. Hale and hearty at 92, Mr. Lorayne epitomizes line from Psalm 92:14, "They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green." It's always a thrill to interview a long-time mentor, and I found myself smiling throughout the entire interview with the great man. The personal obstacles he overcame growing up on the mean streets of the Lower East Side would flatten most people. His childhood family experiences and his early days breaking into the world of magic (and memory) performance are straight out of the Damon Runyon school of hard knocks. He lost his beloved wife Renee three years ago after 70 years of marriage. (Ponder that level of loss the next time you're feeling sorry for yourself.) But Harry Lorayne keeps putting one foot up, one foot down, all the way to Londontown, as the saying goes. He has at least one more book in the creative pipeline, and he still does the occasional convention lecture to magicians and others for whom he is a living legend. Not bad for someone who grew up with undiagnosed dyslexia and crippling boyhood shyness. I have a half dozen of his books, but few more interesting than his autobiography, Before I Forget which his long-time pal Mel Brooks calls "a rememoir." Talk about funny and insightful anecdotes – couples' trips around the world with Brooks and his wife the late Anne Bancroft; things going terribly wrong during shows, and his big television break on The Jack Paar Show, thanks to writer Moss Hart, then a very big name. (Mr. Lorayne, a self-described crier, barely manages to hold it together when recalling Hart's kindness.) Lorayne speaks the way he writes – quickly, crisply, clearly. His teaching style is at once compressed (he never wastes a word) and conversational (he never sounds "professorial"). Harry Lorayne is an American original. I know you'll enjoy this audio only conversation. Ad multos annos, Mr. Lorayne. Join the Conversation Question of the week: Lorayne says that memory is just a synonym for understanding. Do you agree? Subscribe and rate the show! Follow me @Patrick_Coffin www.facebook.com/patrickcoffin.media

In most social circles today, if you announce that you're a Buddhist, that's cool; you're like a celebrity. If you say you're into yoga retreats, that's wonderful. Even if you say you're a Christian (understood as Protestant) everything is still more or less groovy, unless you're one of those fundamentalist types that believes Jesus really rose from the dead. But announce you're Catholic? Better get ready for the inquisition. Tim Staples knows all about it. Tim was raised Southern Baptist, later became an Assemblies of God youth pastor, and is now the director of apologetics and evangelization at Catholic Answers. In this interview, Tim goes off-road to talk about life as a Catholic in a post-modern culture. How has the papacy of Pope Francis been a game changer? Some have implied or accused Pope Francis of being a heretic. Tim weighs in with his take. Last year was the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the revolt now called the Protestant Reformation. How can Catholics talk about about the breakaway that had led to constant, and predictable, splinterization of so many different denominations, each contradicting the others is various ways? And what is ecumenism, anyway? What should the endgame be for our prayers "for Christian unity"? Tim Staples has been debating, writing about, and pondering all these questions for 30 years. Listen and learn. In this episode you will learn: Specific examples of how to interact with people who disagree How life as a Catholic is, in a certain sense, different under the unpredictable papacy of Pope Francis Why ecumenism can't possibly mean merely being nice and collaborating on projects How to recover from an awkward start to an interview! That Jesus Christ founded one Church Much more! Recommended Reading Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines by Tim Staples Catechism of the Catholic Church Join the Conversation Question of the week: Why is it important to get the definition of ecumenism right? Don't forget to Subscribe and Review!

As promised, I posed the questions solicited from Facebook about Medjugorje to my guest, historian Donal Foley, author of Medjugorje Revisited: 30 Years of Visions or Religious Fraud? and Marian Apparitions, the Bible, and the Modern World Please understand that the number of questions exceeded the time limit of the show, but I did my best to compress together the ones that either asked the same basic thing or were already answered in the first episode. Be assured that none were skipped or censored. In this episode you will learn: The occultic undertones to the manner and mode of the Medjugorje visions and how closely they resemble condemned apparitions If the visions are not of God, and yet so many good fruits have resulted in the shorter term, what the longer term endgame might be from Satan's perspective Why the fallen or suspended priests who have been closely allied with the seers provide a serious reason to be skeptical Whether there have been any verified medical healings as a result of the apparitions Much more! Don't forget to Subscribe in iTunes and YouTube! Also on our website www.patrickcoffin.media

On June 24, 1981, a clear Wednesday afternoon, some young people went up Podbrdo Hill near the small hamlet of Medjugorje in then Yugoslavia. When they came down, they told people they saw "the Gospa," (Croatian for "Our Lady"). A few more joined them, and it happened again. And again. And again. Today, three decades later, the six teen-aged seers are middle-aged adults and are still getting these visitations with their alleged secrets and signs. A global movement supporting these visions has been selling the phenomenon as real, in the face of the official stance of the Catholic Church. What is the official stance? What is the truth about Medjugorje? I spoke with British historian and researcher Donal Foley about the whole story behind the visions, about the assessment by the local bishops (and every official commission that ever investigated the seers' claims), and about the criteria the Church uses to approve or condemn private apparitions. There are undoubtedly good fruits associated about some of the more disturbingly bad fruits of Medjugorje. We can start with that: there are good fruits, and that is GREAT. There is much more to the story, including some very bad fruits. His book Medjugorje Revisited: 30 Years of Visions or Religious Fraud? is a must-read for anyone interested in the most popular unapproved apparition in history. It is the definitive account. (Full disclosure: I wrote the Preface). There are three groups of people on the Medjugorje spectrum: 1) true believer zealots; 2) sarcastic naysayers; and 3) the much larger group in the middle—people who are either on the fence, ignorant of the details, or who don't care one way or the other. This two-part series is meant for that much larger middle group. One American theologian told me privately, "Medjugorje is not only unapprovable; it's a giant tar baby. Whoever touches it gets sticky tar all over himself." So why am I doing it anyway? Clickbait? Attention? Not even close. As I'm sure my comment box will reflect, that first group, the fanatics—mercifully small in number—will provide lots of "attention," all of it hostile and negative. They cannot can't abide any information getting out there that contradicts almost four decades of propaganda. The Medjugorje Movement dominates the publishing and internet world, fleeces good people of millions of dollars based on half-truths and outright lies, and people have a right to know a fuller account of the story. In the scores of books and websites that peddle the phenomenon, you will not find references to its serious problems, and so pilgrims are kept largely in the dark. This is a problem. I have dear friends whom I love and respect who believe the Blessed Virgin Mary continues to appear to the seers. There's no soft way to say that the Church has never wavered in the official judgment, however, starting with the late Bishop Pavao Zanic, and now Bishop Ratko Peric of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno (to whom the Church gives the right and duty to judge apparitions). The Latin phrase is non constat de supernaturalitate, meaning, "it is not established that anything supernatural is happening." It is a negative judgment, and the Church has never wavered in giving it. Why negative? Medjugorje enthusiasts are quick to claim that it simply means something like, "Wait and see the final approval; in the meantime, go there so you, too, can discover that the Blessed Mother is appearing." That logic won't work, for the same reason that if a man asks a woman to marry him and she replies, "Let me get back to you" -- that's a no. He's only engaged after she says yes. The fact that more than one commission has been set up by Church authorities stems not from "doubt about the disbelieving local bishop," nor did the Vatican "take it out of his hands." The Movement repeats this mantra frequently. The real reason for additional commissions is disobedience to the judgment itself, as the local Ordinaries have been dealing with fanatical attachment to the visions from the get-go. Despite the spiritual bullying that some of the zealots employ, it is perfectly fine for Catholics to disbelieve the claims of Medjugorje, as even approved apparitions like Fatima and Lourdes are not binding on the faithful. As this is being written, the results of the investigative Ruini Commission (chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini of Rome and initiated by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009) have been on the desk of Pope Francis for two years. A rumor floated around the internet last year that the Commission is set to approve "the first seven" apparitions—a rumor based on information leaked to a pro-Medjugorje Italian journalist) In addition to my interview this week with Donal Foley, interested readers need to read this summary regarding that first week in late June, 1981, compiled by Bishop Ratko Peric. The summary is based on the taped interviews with the seers. It's devastating evidence against the claims of Medjugorje, particularly the first seven apparitions. Please note that this is not an "anti-Medjugorje" position. It's a pro-Catholic one. As with most disputes in the Church, this one is about authority. The legitimate authority of the local bishop, His Excellency Ratko Peric, has been rejected, derided, and, in one instance, through a physical attacked. Not exactly a good fruit. I pray this conversation with Mr. Foley will be of great value to you and I highly recommend his comprehensive book on the matter, and also his Marian Apparitions, the Bible, and the Modern World. In this episode you will learn The long history of disobedience by the Franciscans serving in the local Diocese. The official judgment of the Church, what it means, and why it is so. The disturbing, occultic elements of the visions of Medjugorje you won't read about in pro-Medjugorje websites and books. Why ex-Franciscan friar Tomislav Vlasic, the original self-described spiritual director of the seers, was defrocked in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI (this is the man of whom "the Gospa" told the seers, "Thank Tomislav very much for he is guiding you very well. Go in the peace of God, my angels!" —February 28, 1982) Why the Church does not bind the faithful even to approved private apparitions. Resources mentioned in this episode Marian Apparitions, the Bible, and the Modern World by Donal Foley Medjugorje Revisited: 30 Years of Visions or Religious Fraud? By Donal Foley The Medjugorje Deception: Queen of Peace, Ethnic Cleansing, Ruined Lives by Dr. E. Michael Jones VERY IMPORTANT TO READ: Bishop Ratko Peric, the local Ordinary has compiled the following summary of the first week of apparitions here: http://md-tm.ba/clanci/first-seven-days-apparitions-medjugorje Join the Conversation Question of the week: With the embarrassment of riches we already have—the Blessed Trinity, the sacraments, the papacy, the magisterium, the Holy Bible, approved apparitions—why do some people still attach themselves to unapproved apparitions? Next week's episode, Part 2, where questions solicited from Facebook cheerfully answered! Don't miss it. Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

Ask Katie Ascough (pronounced azkoe) if she ever dreamed a year ago that she would be elected president of the Student Union of the 32,000 strong University College in Dublin (UCD), only to be impeached eight months later for following the law regarding advertising abortion services. Ouch, to say the least. The third year medicinal chemistry major won the election hands down and disclosed from the start that she is pro-life, although she was not the "pro-life candidate" as the Irish press labeled her. She just wanted to make some real improvements for UCD students, like healthier cafeteria food, better living conditions, and open discourse among disparate groups. In this interview, she shared with me what she did that induced so many of her fellow UCD students to impeach her (the first time in UCD history). The reality behind the misleading headlines is maddening and provides both a snapshot of post-Christian Ireland and an example of media manipulation. It turns out that my guest was found guilty of EWPL (existing while pro-life). In this episode you will learn Why Katie Ascough represents the best of public pro-life witness: intelligent, honest, and consistent. What it was like to have her own team of officers turn on her, one by one. How the Irish media, and contemporary college settings generally, reflect a wall-to-wall animus against Catholics who are willing to serve in public office. A great example of how to endure pushback and persecution with grace and grit. Resources mentioned in this episode Target Africa by Obianuju Ekeocha Love Unleashes Life by Stephanie Gray Join the Conversation Question of the week: How much does the fear of human respect stop me from becoming more actively pro-life? Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!