I find it amazing how many Catholics are gathering together to study sacred Scripture and learn how to explain and defend the Catholic faith from a biblical perspective. As more and more Catholics increase in their confidence and knowledge of the Catholic faith and Scripture, they become willing to engage in conversations with Protestants about the beliefs of the Catholic Church.

As I see this develop among the faithful, I must emphasize the importance of using an effective course of action in those discussions. I'd like to share with you some tips on defending the Catholic faith with other Christians.

First, many people make the mistake of thinking that you can win every argument about Catholic doctrine solely by using the Bible. This is simply impossible, because there are many things in the Catholic faith that are not found explicitly in the Bible (i.e., Assumption of Mary or infant baptism). Even though there is nothing in the Catholic faith that is contrary to Scripture, one must not approach our discussions as if every teaching of the church is clearly and explicitly shown in the Bible.

In all honesty, it would be impossible to succeed in a discussion solely by using the Bible even if every doctrine was explicit in the Bible. To prove this true, one only needs to look at what is explicitly mentioned in the Bible (i.e. Eucharist and baptism) and see how many Protestants still refuse to believe; they will just explain away the verses to fit their own theology. The sole use of the Bible by Protestants is the reason why there are now close to 30,000 different denominations, each claiming to be correct.

Instead of trying to prove that a teaching is true, one first needs to show the plausibility of the claim. Your first step should be to demonstrate that such a claim is biblically possible. For example, is it possible that Jesus could have been literally saying, "This is my body" or is it plausible that God could assume someone to heaven if he already assumed Enoch and Elijah?

Most Protestants would agree to the plausibility of the interpretation of the verse, even though the feel that understanding of the verse is wrong.

Once you have proven that the Catholic teaching is biblically possible, you must then ask them the question: "If we have different interpretations, then what did the early church believe to be true?"

In all honesty, early church history is the Catholic secret weapon. In my opinion, use of this history in explaining and defending the faith is the most effective yet under-utilized tool for Catholics. You would be amazed how the writings of Christians in the first few hundred years all reinforce Catholic doctrine. The followers of the apostles held and taught Catholic teachings.

By using history, you will be able to show that beliefs of the Catholic Church were not modern inventions. These doctrines have been taught since the church began 2,000 years ago.

Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman, who converted to Catholicism after being an Anglican priest in the 19th century, put it this way: "To be steeped in history is to cease being Protestant."

To comment or ask further questions on my column, check out the comment button below each column on the CT Web site at ct.dio.org.

Deacon Kevin Muniz is a seminarian for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Visit his Web site at: www. muniz.motime.com .