Podcast Summary: Pints With Aquinas, Ep. 551

Episode Title: Growing Up with Drug-Addicted Parents to Becoming Catholic (Adrian Lawson @SipswithSerra)
Host: Matt Fradd
Guest: Adrian Lawson ("Sips with Serra")
Date: November 14, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Matt Fradd sits down with Adrian Lawson to discuss his extraordinary journey from an unstable, chaotic upbringing marked by drug-addicted parents and early exposure to trauma, through militant atheism and a search for meaning, to ultimately embracing the Catholic faith. Adrian vividly recounts his tumultuous childhood, intellectual struggles with Christianity, his time as an atheist, and the steps that led him from evangelical and Lutheran traditions into the Catholic Church. Along the way, the conversation highlights the importance of forgiveness, meaningful relationships, and the search for truth, as well as practical and emotional challenges of conversion and family dynamics.

Major Themes & Discussion Points

1. Adrian’s Childhood: Chaos to Resilience

[02:33–13:41]

• Drug-addicted parents: Adrian describes his mother’s and father’s struggles with meth addiction, instability, and homelessness at the time of his birth.
• Foster care and grandparents: Removed from both parents as a baby, Adrian was placed with loving Protestant foster parents, whom he refers to as his grandparents.

  "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't know the Lord at all." (Adrian, 06:52)

• Reunions and repeated instability: After spending time in foster care, Adrian’s mother sought custody. Periods in and out of prison for his mother led to recurring instability.
• Early exposure to adult dangers: Adrian experienced substance use and traumatic situations from a very young age.

2. Adolescent Rebellion and Intellectual Doubt

[13:41–22:03]

• Church injuries and deconversion: Changes in church environment (move to Calvary Chapel) spurred skepticism. By his teens, Adrian became staunchly atheist during the "New Atheism" wave.
• Rebellion takes root:

  "I totally renounced Christianity and said, 'I'm an atheist.'" (Adrian, 13:41)

• Family engagement: Intellectual questions about the faith led to heated arguments with his Christian family, who continued to pray for him despite confrontations.

3. Militant Atheism and Search for Meaning

[22:03–35:53]

• Immersion in New Atheism: Adrian became an active consumer of atheist media, attending Richard Dawkins events and adopting a contemptuous view of religion.

  "I was daily listening to, like, atheist podcasts. ... I thought religion should be illegal." (Adrian, 26:41)

• Moral conclusions: Adrian grappled with issues of meaning and morality, admitting he was “searching for identity” in ever-changing causes.
• Constructing identity and nihilism:

  “I would attach myself to causes ... Every couple of weeks the cause would be different. … I realized, 'even if I accomplish everything...there's no purpose to my life.'” (Adrian, 33:13, 35:53)

4. The Road Back: Reason, Apologetics, and the Search for Truth

[35:53–49:01]

• Respect for Christianity grows: Exposure to intellectual arguments for the faith, such as Inspiring Philosophy and Gavin Ortland’s books, shook his assumptions.

  "The fact that they're even appealing to evidence was a little bit impressive to me." (Adrian, 29:20)

• The Resurrection and political conversions: Evidence for the Resurrection and public defenses of pro-life positions (e.g., Ben Shapiro) influenced him to first become pro-life, then politically conservative, before returning to Christian belief.
• Personal experience: Adrian described the role of reading Proverbs and finding wisdom in the Bible as "a way back" even before assenting to Christian truth claims.

  "I couldn't stop reading the Bible ... There's really deep wisdom here." (Adrian, 35:53)

• Exploration of other religions: Buddhism, Islam, and their lack of cohesive doctrine did not convince him.

5. Embracing Christianity Again and Wrestling with Protestantism

[41:02–54:59]

• Return to Calvary Chapel and Evangelical culture: Adrian shares his renewed church involvement.
• Debate over sacraments: In-depth research and exposure to early church and sacramental arguments, especially on baptism and the Eucharist, convinced him of inconsistencies in Protestant teaching.

  “I didn't know that there was a difference in belief before. Like, why did we change that? That's kind of weird.” (Adrian, 01:13, echoed at 46:49)

• Friction with family: Adrian’s announcement of intention to become Catholic shocks his Protestant grandparents, leading to tension and complex emotional reactions.

6. The Path Through Lutheranism

[54:59–61:02]

• Transition to Lutheranism: Initial familial resistance led Adrian to become Lutheran, drawn by its reverence and historical depth.
• Encounters with limits of Lutheran doctrine: Lack of firm answers on Marian dogmas, confession, and the papacy left him unsatisfied.

  "The lack of a solid answer to something is really frustrating to me." (Adrian, 61:05)

7. Final Steps into Catholicism

[61:02–66:12]

• Apologetics as conversion tool: Books like "Behold Your Mother" by Tim Staples and “Why We’re Catholic” by Trent Horn solidified Marian and other Catholic beliefs.
• Emotional component: Recurring theme of beauty and completeness in Catholic practice (especially the rosary) and the longing for consistency brought him “home.”

  "If these [Marian dogmas] are this well reasoned, then the rest of it's got to be good, too." (Adrian, 62:09)

• RCIA and Confirmation: Adrian completes initiation into the Church, keeping it initially secret from his grandparents to avoid further family strain.

8. Family, Marriage, and the Ripple Effect

[66:12–75:46]

• Relationship with wife: High school sweetheart, initially non-religious, stayed by Adrian’s side through all spiritual shifts.

  “She was with me at a time when there was no good reason to be with me.” (Adrian, 67:29)

• Wife’s own conversion: Catholicism’s explanatory power (especially through “The Exorcist Files” podcast) moved her; baptized and confirmed Easter 2025.

  “What did it really was the podcast, the Exorcist Files.” (Adrian, 74:15)

9. Catholic Influences and Media Ministry

[77:03–80:55]

• Genesis of 'Sips with Serra': Adrian traces his journey from “Lattes with Luther” on TikTok, inspired by 'Pints with Aquinas', to his current Catholic apologetics channel.

  “I like the name Structure ... I liked cigars ... Sips with Serra ... I guess that makes sense.” (Adrian, 78:20)

• Ministry approach: Aims for approachable, authentic dialogue, focusing on clarity and charity rather than polemics.

10. Maturing Faith, Humility, and Healing Family Bonds

[80:55–94:39]

• Navigating criticism: Adrian reflects on the need to speak charitably (especially online) about Protestantism, knowing his grandparents feel wounded by his conversion.

  “They see that as me rejecting them and saying, ‘What you gave me as a child is worthless.’ … That’s not how I feel.” (Adrian, 83:07)

• The power of example: Stories from Matt and Adrian about ordinary people’s quiet holiness (e.g., grandparents’ daily prayer), and the importance of humility in ministry and conversion stories.
• Relationship with parents: Both parents are now stable and in a much better place than during Adrian’s childhood; his father is now a practicing Protestant and his mother is doing well (“not a Christian yet, but praying for her”).

  “Compared to before, I have a great relationship with them and really happy they're in my life.” (Adrian, 94:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Forgiveness and Grace:

  “There's no negative feelings that I have towards her at all.” (Adrian on his mother, 11:10)

• Confrontation with the Depth of Catholic Tradition:

  “I remember that ... every church father that has spoken on the Eucharist says that it is the true body and blood of Christ. And doesn't that bother you? ... That kind of bothers me, though.” (Adrian, 01:49/48:15)

• On Meaninglessness and Nihilism:

  “Even if I accomplish everything ... there's no purpose to my life. Like, if I live the rest of my life, 50 more years, or if I die right now, there's no difference morally to that. And that just didn't feel right.” (Adrian, 33:13)

• On the Impact of Protestant Grandparents:

  "They have always been a constant source of stability in my life." (Adrian, 17:06)

• On Differences in Christian Traditions:

  "I wanted to believe what the historical church believed." (Adrian, 54:59)

• On His Wife's Conversion:

  "She would pray the rosary with me. And she liked it, even if she was like, I don't really know what I'm doing here. ... What did it really was the podcast, the Exorcist Files." (Adrian, 74:15)

• On Regret and Family Dynamics:

  “Had a great experience in the Lutheran Church ... but sadly, it doesn't have the true Eucharist." (Adrian, 63:01)

Important Timestamps

• [04:00]: Discussion of Adrian’s near-aborted birth, parents' homelessness
• [06:52]: Being taken in by Protestant (foster) grandparents
• [13:41]: Renouncing Christianity during adolescence
• [22:26]: Attending Dawkins/Harris events; militant atheism
• [29:20]: Respect for Christian apologetics; historicity of Resurrection
• [35:53]: Reading Proverbs as a pathway back to faith
• [41:02]: Return to Calvary Chapel
• [46:49]: Shock at historical differences between Protestant and Catholic sacramental theology
• [50:16]: Telling grandparents about Catholic conversion and subsequent familial rift
• [54:59]: Entering Lutheran Church as an intermediary step
• [61:02]: Final approach to Catholicism, reading Tim Staples “Behold Your Mother”
• [66:12]: Relationship journey with wife, her patience, own conversion story
• [74:15]: Wife drawn to Catholicism by “The Exorcist Files” podcast
• [77:03]: Origin story for “Sips with Serra”; transition from TikTok to YouTube
• [83:07]: Emotional conversation with grandparents about value of their upbringing
• [94:00]: Update: Parents now in good place, father baptized Protestant, relationship restored

Closing Reflection

This episode is a deeply personal account illuminating the complexity of conversion—both intellectual and emotional. Adrian’s resiliency in the face of adversity, ability to find beauty and rationality in faith, and commitment to familial love and charity, make his story compelling. Through thoughtful insights about the limits of secular meaning, the historical and logical foundations of Catholicism, and the struggles and grace involved in conversion, Adrian’s journey offers hope for anyone searching for purpose, faith, and reconciliation.

For more from Adrian, follow him at Sips with Serra on YouTube and TikTok.