My First Chick Tract, and my first Debate with an Evangelical

I'd heard all about Chick tracts, and I'd read them on the internet, but today I was handed my first Chick tract in Dublin's O'Connell Street.

The particular one I was handed was this sweet little love letter to Jesus Christ.

I'm a pretty shy person and I'm not naturally inclined to get into debates on the street. I'm also not very good at them. Also, my bus was coming in fifteen minutes.

But, despite all that, I decided I couldn't just take one of these poisonous little tracts without speaking up for the Faith. So I walked past the evangelists again and, when I was offered another Chick tract, plunged into debate.

The approach I took was the one that has always seemed to me like an open-and-shut case against anti-Catholic Protestantism (even when I was an agnostic): How can you use the Bible to argue against Catholicism, when the Catholic Church gave you the Bible?

The evangelist was a pretty nice guy, a handsome Hispanic fellow. We lobbed the usual arguments at each other; Jesus's 'brothers and sisters', prayer to the Blessed Virgin, Christ's words to St. John on the cross, and so forth. We went at it until my bus came. Then we shook hands, he said "God bless you", and I ran to catch it.

I felt pretty good afterwards. Nothing he said left me at a loss and I always had something to respond. In fact, I regret that I interrupted so much and I didn't listen patiently enough. I was heavily indebted to Mark Shea (a former Evangelical) and his book Mary: Mother of the Son, a book that is as fun to read as it is educative. (But out of print, unfortunately.)

I pray for the men who were handing out Chick tracts today, and the man with whom I had my little debate. May their zeal for Christ lead them to the true Faith!