Friends, one major theme appearing throughout the teachings of Pope Francis is the danger of technocracy. In his 2015 encyclical, Laudato si’, he coined the term “technocratic paradigm,” using the term five times in the encyclical.
Should we be concerned about our technocratic society, one dominated by tech and science and which, in turn, aims to dominates nature? That’s what I discuss with Brandon Vogt today on “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, what’s the difference between the Protestant and Catholic understandings of the Church?
Friends, in this conversation at the 2021 Good News Conference, Bishop Robert Barron and Fr. Mike Schmitz share about their vocation stories.
This is part of a much longer conversation the two shared. You can hear the full discussion in episode 331 of the “Word on Fire Show,” during which they discuss how they began their ministry on YouTube, their favorite movies, and what inspired them to approach their creative presentations to the Bible.
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Friends, today we share with you Chris Stefanick’s talk from the 2021 Good News Conference. In a world fraught with fear, anxiety, and denial, Chris explores the fundamental rules for living joyfully.
Friends, in today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” we share Lecture 1 from Peter Kreeft’s new 12-part video series on “Socrates’ Children: The Great Debates of Philosophy.” In this lecture series, Dr. Peter Kreeft examines key ideas in philosophy by comparing and contrasting two representative philosophers in each lecture. The first lecture compares the father of philosophy, Socrates, with the Sophists, whose philosophy is marked more by cleverness and emotion rather than by wisdom and truth.
This video series is being released alongside Word on Fire’s new book series by Kreeft, titled Socrates’ Children: An Introduction to Philosophy from the 100 Greatest Philosophers. In this four-volume series, Kreeft examines with his characteristic wit and clarity, the big ideas of four major eras—ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary—and immerses the reader in the “great conversation” the ongoing dialogue among the great thinkers of history.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, we often find two groups in the Church in tension with each other: those concerned with the liturgy and those concerned with social justice.
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss how to bridge this great divide, and why we should have enthusiasm for both the liturgy and the Church’s social doctrine.
A listener asks, can you repeat the argument for God that persuaded you as a high schooler?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, today we share Fr. Stephen Gadberry’s keynote talk from the recent Good News Conference in Orlando, Florida.
As Fr. Gadberry explains, every baptized Christian shares in Jesus’ offices of priest, prophet, and king. In this talk, Fr. Gadberry focuses on the priestly role and discusses the responsibility of every Christian to pray and work in union with Christ for the sanctification of the world.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, there are thousands of religions out there. So, why think Christianity is the right one? And why Catholic Christianity in particular?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss these challenges which have been raised during Bishop Barron’s Reddit #AMAs.
A listener asks, do you have any advice for a Muslim considering conversion to Catholicism?
Friends, when universities turn to the secular narrative of the ego drama, which views education as directed to self-advancement alone, they suffer a loss of identity.
In her talk at the recent Good News Conference, Jessica Hooten Wilson offers a different vision of education that is based on an apprenticeship to tradition and is oriented toward a contemplative life for both educators and students.
Moving toward this vision creates a university system that orders its teachers and students to a good beyond themselves.
Friends, do we have a right to choose how and when we die? Should we be worried about the rapid rise of euthanasia, including in the United States?
Euthanasia has been in the news lately thanks to reports out of Canada, where last year, over 10,000 Canadians ended their lives via euthanasia. Those numbers are sure to go up, as Canada has loosened restrictions so that people can now choose euthanasia not only to avoid pain and suffering in the face of terminal disease, but simply for “mental health reasons.”
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss these alarming trends and how to make the case that life is worth living.
A listener asks, why does it matter where we go to worship the Lord as long as we’re doing so?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. In the Mass, God is glorified and humans are sanctified.
In his keynote address at the recent Good News Conference, Abbot Jeremy Driscoll walks us through the beauty and richness of the Mass, in which we worship the Lord and then are sent out to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
Abbot Jeremy is a Benedictine monk and was elected the 12th abbot of Mount Angel Abbey, elected by the community in March of 2016. He has taught theology at Mount Angel Seminary and at Sant’ Anselmo in Rome. He continues to serve on various Vatican commissions, conducts conferences and retreats throughout the world, and continues to write and publish.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, we just marked the 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II, the Second Vatican Council. Six decades later, can we say the Council was a success? A failure? Something in between?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt discuss a provocative pair of op-eds published in the New York Times by Ross Douthat, who argues that the Council was both necessary and a failure, and yet cannot be undone.
A listener asks, if God is without form, then at the Transfiguration, what was Jesus transformed into?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, how do we educate the whole person? Religious sister and mental health counselor Sr. Josephine Garrett talks about this question in her keynote speech at the recent Good News Conference.
In her talk, Sr. Josephine shares how in order for the whole person to be educated, the object of the education must be properly ordered to the love of God.
Friends, did you know that the birth rate in America is the lowest it’s ever been? Why have families stopped having so many kids, and what can we do about it?
On today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss a recent First Things article by Kevin DeYoung titled “The Case for Kids”.
A listener asks, how do you reconcile the fact that we have to honor our parents but also Jesus asking us to leave our parents to follow him?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the 265th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, has passed away at the age of 95 years old.
In this special “Word on Fire Show” discussion, Brandon Vogt and I reflect on his life, impact, and key ideas and contributions.
We specifically touch on five key areas:
1) True reform vs. false reform in the Church
2) Liturgical renewal
3) Importance of the Bible for theology
4) Synthesis of faith and reason
5) Christocentrism
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, when society dismisses the natural law tradition, is it any wonder we see voluntarism take its place? I recently spoke with Ben Shapiro on his Daily Wire show about natural law, family, happiness and much more.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, many people in the Church, including the Holy Father, have been talking about “synodality.” But what is it? What does it mean? How can it help the Church, and what are possible dangers? That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s episode of “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, what is appropriate to bring with you into Eucharistic Adoration?
Friends, today we share Fr. Mike Schmitz’s keynote talk from the recent Good News Conference in Orlando, Florida.
As Fr. Mike explains, joy is a choice, just like love. We can either chase the feeling or choose the reality. Joy comes from the fact that you know that God is here and that you are known and loved by him. The Christian life is a pursuit of the One who loved us first, the One in whom we find our true joy.
Friends, why is art important? An uptick in vandalism against famous pieces of art, calling to mind outbreaks of iconoclasm throughout history, has raised questions about art’s value and purpose.
On today’s “Word on Fire Show,” I discuss with Brandon Vogt why art matters.
A listener asks, is God’s true nature love or truth? What’s the interplay between those two?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, today we share Bishop Barron’s 2022 Commencement Address at Benedictine College, which he offered on May 14, 2022.
Well aware that he was on Benedictine ground, a place filled with the mind and spirit of St. Benedict, Bishop Barron shared some simple rules of life that flow from the heart of that great saint.
Friends, in many parts of the world the Catholic Church is shrinking. Parishes are closing or merging, pastors are devising strategies of consolidation. But for the Church to flourish, we can’t just manage decline. We need strategies for growth. That’s what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today’s “The Word on Fire Show.”
A listener asks, why should Catholics be pro-life?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
A new Word on Fire book titled With All Her Mind: A Call to the Intellectual Life features essays by Catholic women who offer a call to pursue what is too often excluded from our picture of femininity: the intellectual life.
Full of practical advice and personal testimonies, and featuring a foreword by celebrated scholar Tracey Rowland, this collection opens readers to the endlessly unique ways for a woman to follow the first and greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all her soul, with all her heart, and with all her mind.
Today we share an interview with the editor of the book, Rachel Bulman, conducted by Haley Stewart, Editing Manager of Word on Fire Spark.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, what is the role of religion in civic life? Must we bracket religion from the political sphere? Those are pressing questions as we near the midterm elections. On today’s “Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss the relationship between politics and religion and the proper place of tolerance.
A listener asks, do you have any recommendations for explaining the Eucharist to high schoolers?
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, today we share a recent discussion between Bishop Barron and the theologian Larry Chapp about Vatican II. The conversation ranges over several topics, including:
If you missed the “Bishop Barron Presents” discussion with Larry Chapp, you can listen to that in episode #299 of this podcast.
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus content, and more. Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners…like you! So be part of this mission, and join us today!
Friends, Tertullian famously asked in the third century, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” What does philosophy have to do with theology, or reason with faith?
However, on today’s “Word on Fire Show,” Brandon Vogt and I discuss a provocative new article that wonders what Athens and Jerusalem have to do with Silicon Valley. How should we understand the intersection of reason, faith, and technology?
A listener asks, how do you feel about neuroscience, and how does it fit in with your understanding of the soul?
Friends, today we share Lesson 1 from our new Word on Fire Institute course titled “Evangelizing Protestants.” The course is taught by Andrew Petiprin, the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen Fellow of Popular Culture at the Word on Fire Institute, also a former Episcopal priest who converted to Catholicism.
Andrew takes you inside several important texts that express how the Church thinks about Protestants and explain how they belong with us in the Catholic Church. You’ll look at works by St. John Henry Newman, Pope Pius IX, the Second Vatican Council, and Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
In this first lesson of the course, Andrew shares a little about his personal journey and encourages Catholics to support any Protestant friends or family members who may be discerning coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. He also draws on the particular experience of St. John Henry Newman. Andrew sees Newman as a role model for all our Protestant brothers and sisters who are considering making this step.
To watch the other lessons in this course, sign up for the Word on Fire Institute today!