Magis Center Blog | Faith Questions & Answers

Credible Catholic is Now Called ‘Magis Institute for Teachers and Catechists’

Written by Magis Center | January 20, 2023

New year, new name! Credible Catholic is now called Magis Institute for Teachers and Catechists. Additionally, it is now hosted at MagisCenter.com, so you can get all your faith, science, and reason resources in one place—including the Essential Modules videos and slideshows!

A project of the Magis Center, Credible Catholic began when Magis Center tested teaching high schoolers and college students several areas of evidence for God, Jesus, the soul, and the Church. In the end, there were seven areas in particular that were essential for reinforcing students’ faith and reversing the direction of those who were considering unbelief:

  1. Proof of a soul from contemporary peer-reviewed medical studies of near-death experiences, medical studies of terminal lucidity, as well as the five transcendental desires.
  2. Evidence of an intelligent creator from contemporary science, including the Borde- Vilenkin-Guth Proof, entropy, and the fine-tuning of universal constants at the Big Bang (explained below).
  3. An explanation of six prevalent questions about faith and science: “the Bible and science,” evolution, aliens, why some scientists are atheists, Galileo, and the “God particle.”
  4. The evidence for the historicity and resurrection of Jesus from recent scientific studies (post-1998) of the Shroud of Turin.
  5. Contemporary scientifically validated miracles (including three Lourdes cases, analysis of the Guadalupe Tilma, and the Eucharistic miracle overseen by Archbishop Bergoglio in Buenos Aires).
  6. Four levels of happiness and purpose in life.
  7. Why an all-loving God allows suffering—and how to suffer well.

After teaching the high school students these seven areas of evidence (taught via the Essential Modules), 43% responded that the information was “positive,” and 54% indicated that it was “very positive” for maintaining their faith and responding to doubts. The college students who were given the evidence indicated that it would have made a significant difference to their faith lives if they had learned it earlier.

Learning at the Magis Institute for Teachers

The former Credible Catholic website hosted the Master Teacher Program, now Magis Institute for Teachers and Catechists. The Institute equips teachers and catechists to effectively deliver the above essential areas of evidence to young people and keep them from leaving the Church.

Like before, the Magis Institute for Teachers and Catechists offers three learning paths: a Certificate in Contemporary Apologetics (given in partnership with Catholic Distance University), a monthly membership, and the opportunity to take individual courses. Learn about and register for all three learning paths at the Magis Center under Magis Institute for Teachers and Catechists.

What’s Next for Magis Center

We’ve recently partnered with Sophia Institute for Teachers to create a senior-year course in science-based apologetics entitled “The Catholic Faith and Science.” This will be followed by a first-of-its-kind moral apologetics course for second-semester high school seniors. A parish evangelization program with Sophia Institute is also in the works! 

Finally, we’re in the beginning stages of a merger with the Spitzer Center for Visionary Leadership to synergize our efforts in marketing, digital presence, social media, and diocesan programming. You will soon be able to access their materials at MagisCenter.com under the name “Magis Institute for Clergy.” 

We invite you to check out our new Magis website and continue to utilize all the science-based apologetics resources, including: