From politics to COVID, this past year has been filled with disagreement. That led Christian apologist Natasha Crain to write an article titled “Disagreement Fatigue and 2020: How the Events of the Year Will Shape Christian Interactions in 2021 and Beyond.”
Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss the article, focusing on three of Crain's predictions for 2021: more Christians will be hesitant to speak publicly about their faith, Christians will increasingly see apologetics as a contributor to (unhealthy) disagreement, and belief in a generic God will continue to be acceptable in culture, but belief in Jesus as God will become increasingly gauche.
A listener asks, what form was Jesus in before the incarnation?
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Today we share Bishop Barron's talk from the FOCUS SEEK 2021 conference. The talk is titled “The Identity of Jesus” and explores how Christ had the authority to fulfill the Law of the Old Testament and bring about the will of God through the Church.
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What is the “dark night of the soul”? How does it differ from general depression, sadness, or confusion? Bishop Barron and Brandon explore this spiritual concept from St. John of the Cross, and discuss a famous saint from recent times who experienced this “dark night” in a profound way.
A listener asks, does God have a sense of humor? If so, is it objective so that everyone should find it funny?
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Today we share the second half of Bishop Baron's talk titled "Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God." (Click here to listen to the first half.) He gave the talk at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary as part of their Kenrick Lecture series.
Many—especially the young—in today’s time have absented themselves from the practice of faith. Our culture and time is anomalous in the extreme, in that it’s the first ever to widely entertain God’s nonexistence. Christians, at least in the West, are facing a practically unprecedented crisis of disaffiliation. But there are paths out of the cave, and that's what Bishop Barron reveals.
Word on Fire Vatican II Collection: https://wordonfire.org/vatican2
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Parts of the Old Testament depict God commanding the Israelites to massacre entire populations—every man, woman, child, and animal. How should Christians make sense of these passages? They seem to present God as angry, vindictive, and genocidal, contradicting the New Testament presentation of God as loving and merciful. That’s what Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss in today’s episode.
A listener asks, what are your thoughts on Carl Jung? What do you agree with and disagree with?
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!
Today we share the first half of Bishop Baron's talk titled "Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God." He gave the talk at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary as part of their Kenrick Lecture series.
Many—especially the young—in today’s time have absented themselves from the practice of faith. Our culture and time is anomalous in the extreme, in that it’s the first ever to widely entertain God’s nonexistence. Christians, at least in the West, are facing a practically unprecedented crisis of disaffiliation. But there are paths out of the cave, and that's what Bishop Barron reveals.
Word on Fire Vatican II Collection: https://wordonfire.org/vatican2
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!
Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade's spiritual classic, Abandonment to Divine Providence, taught that everything falls under God's will, from our delights to our challenges, and our happiness will only be fully realized in cooperating with that will. But does this include painful and traumatic experiences? What about COVID? Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss these questions as well as a priest, Fr. Walter Ciszek, who heroically embodied this spiritual principle.
A listener asks, if all of us were like Jesus, wouldn't the world be really boring?
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!
Bishop Barron recently joined students from Princeton University in a virtual Q&A about God, faith, reason, and evangelization. The event was led by Leah Libresco Sargeant, a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, and graciously hosted by The Aquinas Institute at Princeton’s Catholic Campus Ministry. Today on the podcast, we share the second half of the Q&A (click here to listen to the first half.)
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!
Why do so many young people drift away from God and the Church, and how can we help them return? This is a pressing question for all Catholics, but especially for parents who are brokenhearted about their own sons or daughters who have become unaffiliated.
In today's episode, Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss Brandon's new book, just published by Word on Fire, titled Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church, which provides a game plan for parents hoping to see their loved ones come back to the faith.
A listener asks, what is the promise that God gives us if we keep His commandments? Eternal life, or something else? And what, exactly, is eternal 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!
Bishop Barron recently joined students from Princeton University in a virtual Q&A about God, faith, reason, and evangelization. The event was led by Leah Libresco Sargeant, a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, and graciously hosted by The Aquinas Institute at Princeton’s Catholic Campus Ministry. Today on the podcast, we share the first half of the Q&A.
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!
Today, Bishop Barron answers questions from children all over the world, including:
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It's commonly assumed that J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was an arch-conservative, a backward-looking person, and that he valued nothing that smacked of the modern day. But in a groundbreaking new book titled Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages, the first in our Word on Fire Academic line of titles, Dr. Holly Ordway reveals that Tolkien was a much broader reader than previously believed. He was quite familiar with contemporary writers and books, and those modern sources significantly shaped his Middle-earth stories.
Today, Brandon Vogt interviews Holly about her new book and some of the modern writers Tolkien enjoyed.
Pick up your copy of Tolkien's Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages at wordonfire.org/tolkien.
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!
According to YouVersion, the popular Bible app, 2020’s most-read Bible verse was Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Bishop Barron discusses this verse, the Bible's repeated encouragement not to be afraid, and how we can overcome our fears of sickness, loss, and death.
A listener asks, was Jesus subject to things like doubt and ignorance?
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Listen to this sample lesson from Fr. Paul Murray's new course inside the Word on Fire Institute titled “Prayer, Beauty, Mission: The Hidden Springs of the New Evangelization.” The spiritual life is typically understood to begin in ascent. However, in Christianity it begins with descent, namely the descent of God. As 1 John 4:10 says, God has loved us first. In this lesson, Fr. Paul Murray explores the significance of such a beginning.
Join the Institute and listen to the rest of the course! >> https://wordonfire.institute
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As 2020 winds to a close, Bishop Barron reflects back on his five most popular YouTube videos of the decade. He and Brandon Vogt discuss why these videos, in particular, resonated with so many people.
A listener asks, if Jesus already did what he came to do, and Satan realized he was beat, why wasn't that the end of the story? What are we still doing here?
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Listen as Fr. Steve Grunow, CEO of Word on Fire, speaks to a group of young Jesuits about the perils of artificial intelligence and the online world.
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A hit Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” is a film about the dark side of social media explained by the Silicon Valley innovators behind it. Bishop Barron discusses some of the film's insights and offers a Catholic perspective on social media, technology, and their addictive qualities.
A listener asks, if Joseph descended from David, but is not Jesus' biological father, how is Jesus considered to be related to David?
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Today, we share the second half of Bishop Barron's recent discussion with Dave Rubin on the topic "Has Liberalism Failed?" (Click here to listen to the first half.) It's part of the "Bishop Barron Presents" series of conversations with various thinkers and cultural influencers.
In this discussion, Bishop Barron and Dave uncover the underlying issues fueling today’s partisan politics and the culture of contempt. Further, they discuss how to engage in constructive dialogue for the sake of the common good.
To listen to the full conversation, and gain access to dozens of courses, films, and other resources, become part of the Word on Fire Institute.
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!
There seems to be a growing sentiment, both within the Church and the wider culture, that if you share a public conversation with someone, or say something nice about one particular aspect of their work, you’re necessarily endorsing everything they’ve ever said or done and can therefore be easily dismissed, a fallacy known as "guilt by association."
Bishop Barron discusses this problem, how it undermines evangelization, and why he chooses to engage people from across the religious and cultural spectrum.
A listener asks, how do you respond to people who discredit Catholicism based on the sex abuse scandals?
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!
Today, we share the first half of Bishop Barron's recent discussion with Dave Rubin on the topic "Has Liberalism Failed?" It's part of the "Bishop Barron Presents" series of conversations with various thinkers and cultural influencers.
In this discussion, Bishop Barron and Dave uncover the underlying issues fueling today’s partisan politics and the culture of contempt. Further, they discuss how to engage in constructive dialogue for the sake of the common good.
To listen to the full conversation, and gain access to dozens of courses, films, and other resources, become part of the Word on Fire Institute.
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!
Today, we look at Bishop Barron's favorite books of all time, from theology to poetry, fiction to stage plays. Download a full PDF guide to his favorite books at wordonfireshow.com/books.
A listener asks about Thomas Aquinas' views on women.
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!
Today we hear the second half of Bishop Barron's recent talk to the Knights of Malta, in which he explains that behind much of the rioting and deep unrest in our country stand ideas stemming from four influential thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once we understand some of their most basic ideas, we will recognize their influence everywhere today.
(If you missed the first half of the talk, click here to listen.)
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!
In this bonus “Word on Fire Show” episode, Bishop Barron discusses the long-awaited “McCarrick Report” (PDF), which the Holy See just released on Tuesday, November 10. This long and exhaustive report, spanning over 450 pages, shares the results of a two-year investigation into former-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, exploring how he rose through the ranks of the Catholic hierarchy despite years of sexual abuse and cover up. Bishop Barron shares his thoughts, impressions, and offers a way forward through this awful crisis.
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 survey from Ligonier Ministries titled “The State of Theology” revealed lots of interesting things. But one finding that stood out, and generated lots of headlines, was that most Christians believe about Jesus. Nearly 70% of Catholics believe “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God,” while 57% of Catholics believe “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss this survey and the ancient heresy these statements reflect.
A listener asks if confirmation is supposed to make us fiery defenders of the faith, then why do some Protestants seem to have more fire for the faith, even without this sacrament?
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!
In a recent talk given to the Knights of Malta, Bishop Barron addressed this convulsive time in our national history, demonstrated by the global pandemic, unstable politics, and outbursts of violence. What he shows is that behind much of the rioting and deep unrest stand ideas stemming from four influential thinkers: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. Once we understand some of their most basic ideas, we will recognize their influence everywhere today.
In today's episode, we share the first half of the talk (the second half will be coming soon).
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!