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By Richard Bruce BA, MA, and PhC in Economics
Former Instructor St. John's University, New York City

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National Association of Scott Hahn Wannabes

I am the founder and sole member of the National Association of Scott Hahn Wannabes, a "group" for aspiring Catholic apologists. I invented this group at an apologetics conference, that featured Scott Hahn many years ago at The Franciscan University at Steubenville, Ohio. I told Scott Hahn about it, he said I should be more ambitious.

At any rate I would like to contact other aspiring Catholic apologists to trade tips and perhaps work together on some projects. Please put a note in my guest book if you fit into this category.

QUALIFICATIONS

What other than my aspirations makes me think I fit into this category?

1. I am a convert to the Catholic Church. I was raised in an agnostic liberal Protestant family.

2. My conversion story was published in the January 1993 Catholic Digest, "Open Door" section. Last I heard Catholic Digest has the third highest circulation of any Catholic periodical in the USA. It had and perhaps still has the highest readership as the other two are organizational periodicals. The highest circulation was the Columbian which is sent out to members of the Knights of Columbus.

3. Have published an article in the New Oxford Review, January 2001. The New Oxford Review is a controversial Catholic intellectual magazine.

4. Have published one news article on the religion page of the Sacramento Bee, more than a quarter of a million circulation. I have also published an Op-Ed piece in the Bee in support of social justice.

5. Have published six articles on the religion page of The Davis Enterprise, and one article on the religion page of the Woodland Daily Democrat, both papers have about ten thousand circulation. These are news articles, some of which I was paid for. I have published 18 articles on both secular and religious topics in the Enterprise.

   The Cleveland Plain Dealer on August 26, 2004 published an article on AM radio reception which is largely based on a page on this website.

   These are the articles I know of based on this website, perhaps there are many more.

6. Published many letters in the Sacramento Bee defending the Catholic faith, and social justice. As long as I do not violate their one a month rule I usually get my letters in. Have published three letters defending faith and morals in the San Francisco Chronicle.

7. Published several letters defending the Catholic Church in The Davis Enterprise. I responded when the faith was attacked, but I found people stopped attacking the faith. The local atheists do not want to play with me.

8. Published numerous letters to the editor in This Rock Magazine. Karl Keating said that was an accomplishment as most letters are not published. None the letters were simply commenting on their work rather all added something. Have also published a couple of letters in the New Oxford Review and one in The National Catholic Register.

9. Have put an essay showing the relationship between Old and New Testament names on this website. I believe this is a miracle that provides powerful evidence for God's existence, and the truth of the Bible. If you like prophesy, foreshadowing, types, and typology try this out.

   Several professors at the Graduate Theological Union, GTU, in Berkeley said they were impressed by this, and one nationally known Catholic expert in this area first said it was impossible and then when he checked it a second time and found it worked he said it was amazing.

10. I have a collection of other pages Catholic and Christian miracles. I also have a index page on religion and science.

11. Have called into radio shows to defend the faith. One host has asked for these calls. I have also appeared on broadcast and cable TV.

12. Have written a couple of monthly columns for Catholic newsletters. One was for the Sacramento Diocese Charismatic Renewal, the other one was on Catholic media, in my parish newsletter.

13. Sent a letter to Pauline Press suggesting that they publish comics on the lives of the saints in 1994, they did so in 1995. Those comics are now out of print, but Pauline Press has been publishing Catholic Comics ever since and have I believe been the major publisher of Catholic comics in the English language for the last quarter of a century.

14. Arcadius Press, a new publisher of Catholic Comics, who unfortunately is now out of business, contacted me. This was probably because if you put the words catholic comics into Google my site is the top choice.

    Arcadius Press asked for my advice and I sent it to them. They published a series of comics in normal comic book or pamphlet form.

    I suggested to them, as I have suggested to other publishers, that they combine the stories of several saints into a "graphic novel." A graphic novel is a book-length comic. Arcadius press has done just that. I learned about that this summer, 2007. Once again I do not know how much influence I had on this. But it gives me something I can get into libraries.

15. Have contacted and been contacted by various companies about ideas for using Catholic media for advertising. I have a web page with ideas on Catholic advertising This lead to a fairly major corporation contacting me. Once again who knows how many have been influenced without contacting me.

16. The public library Catholic evangelism page goes over some successes at getting materials into public libraries. One woman credited her return to the church to the specific books that I suggested in a letter to the library. I received an E-mail that one church had arranged to put a thousand dollars of material in two public libraries. I have also gotten dozens of Christian books and videos into public libraries. Father Richard Neuhaus recommended this web page in his "Public Square" column in February 2002 First Things and more recently it was recommended by the National Catholic Register.

17. One person wrote the following in my guest book. "The Catholic Church has caused more suffering than any other organization in history. Your website will only perpetuate that." Well thank you, we all do what we can.

18. Lead a Charismatic prayer group for many years. An association of Catholic Faculty at UCD gave me an award as an outstanding student leader based on my leadership of this group. One college student was trying to decide whether to join the Assemblies of God or the Catholic Church. She credited my efforts for her decision to stay with the Catholic Church.

19. Here are a few of my secular achievements.

    I have a Masters in Economics, have passed the orals for a Ph.D. and taught economics full time at a major Catholic University for seven semesters.

    Including the secular publications I have published twenty-five articles in all and a couple of fillers.

    In the August 1, 2000 issue the New York Times published my letter suggesting that online bookstore should put an excerpt, the table of contents, and the index of their non-fiction books on line. Several months later Amazon.com did everything I suggested in the letter. They call it the "Lookinside" feature. The New York Times titled my letter, Dip Into a Book, Physically and Virtually. Check it out.

    I do not know whether I influenced or simply predicted the lookinside system. Financially it does not matter, when you print an idea in a letter to the editor it is public domain unless someone else has previously laid claim to the idea. This does not seem to be the case here as several Amazon competitors did the same thing, without the index, at about the same time. Amazon refuses to return my letters. I have found that this is standard operating poceedure for corporations and even non-profit charitable organizations, so no one should think less of Amazon.

If you are also an aspiring Catholic Apologist I would like to hear from you. Please, leave a note in my guest book. Here is an article by me that the New Oxford Review published. My article on vouchers in the New Oxford Review

Here is one they rejected. Is Hell Empty? Comments on the NOR vs. Neuhaus debate

The not ready for This Rock writers

The page above has a lot on me, now one of my parents accomplishments. Read how they and more than thirty other couples ment in a religious singles group, how the they avoided divorce, and are working on their second millennium of successful marriage.

Inspite of all this talk about accomplishments, sometimes I blow it. I used to be a Scott Hann wannabe, but it is Hahn not Hann.

Tell me what you think. Here is my contact information..

Last updated April 10, 2020