In Surprised by Truth in a chapter entitled "The Bible Made Me Do It", Staples describes his early role models:[4]From the time I was ten years old, I wanted to be a preacher like Billy Graham and my Baptist pastor.
[2] During his time in the Corps, he became involved with the Assemblies of God ministry, including participation in "street evangelization and leading Bible studies, young Christian singles groups and a detention center outreach.
I thank God that Matt had enough knowledge of and love for his faith to give me intelligent answers about Catholicism.
I thank God for letting me encounter a Catholic who was willing and able to contend for the faith (Jude 13).Following his military service, Staples enrolled in Jimmy Swaggart Bible College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the purpose, according to Staples, of proving Catholicism wrong.
[12][13] One of Staples' apologetics specialties is answering objections to the Catholic Church's teaching on the Virgin Mary.
[14] Staples published Behold Your Mother: A Biblical and Historical Defense of the Marian Doctrines in 2014 in Twenty Answers: Mary in 2016.