The Commonweal Podcast

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Ep. 79 - Beyond Consent Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

As the #MeToo movement was unfolding, Washington Post columnist Christine Emba began asking questions about the broader health of American sexual culture.

On this episode, Emba speaks with Commonweal contributing writer and Christianity Today editor Kate Lucky about the findings presented in her new book, Rethinking Sex: A Provocation.

Our contemporary understanding of sexual consent, Emba argues, is not enough to ground our sexual ethics. For that, we need to recuperate traditional virtues like patience, care, and restraint.

For further reading:

‘Finding Our Way,’ Ellen B. Koneck
‘The Feminist Wife,’ Kate Lucky
‘Clearing the Field,’ B.D. McClay

Ep. 78 - Unholy War Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

While the humanitarian costs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to make headlines, the war also reveals contemporary religious concerns around global Orthodoxy and Vatican diplomacy.

On this episode, we speak with two guests: George Demacopoulos, professor of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University, and Paul Elie, New Yorker staff writer and longtime Commonweal contributor.

Demacopoulos frames the fiery rhetoric of Moscow’s Patriarch Kirill, who has called the invasion a “holy war,” while Elie takes Pope Francis to task for not denouncing Vladimir Putin more forcefully.

For further reading:

‘From Complacency to Clear Condemnation,’ George Demacopoulos
‘The Pope, the Patriarchs, and the Battle to Save Ukraine,’ Paul Elie in the New Yorker
‘Clarity & Consequences,’ The Editors

Ep. 77 - Democracy or Empire? Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

It’s been three weeks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky continues to plead for Western aid, the situation in his country is deteriorating as the Russian army bombards cities, hospitals, evacuation routes, and other civilian targets.

How did we get here? And which historical parallels can shed light on what’s happening now in Ukraine?

On this special episode, historian John Connelly, professor of history at UC Berkeley and an expert on east central Europe, shares his insights.

For further reading:

“What Makes Ukraine Different,” John Connelly
“Putin’s Apocalyptic Goals,” Piotr H. Kosicki
“The Orthodox Response to Putin’s Invasion,” George E. Demacopoulos

Ep. 76 - Will Catholic Colleges Embrace Synodality? Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Why haven’t Catholic colleges and universities in the United States more urgently engaged Pope Francis’s repeated calls to practice “synodality”?

After all, these centers of intellectual development and social change are crucial in getting younger Catholics to care about the future of the Church.

On this episode, we’re featuring a series of conversations with three experts on the current state of the synod and American Catholic higher education: Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University, Micah Kiel of St. Ambrose University, and Amirah Orozco of Dominican University.

For further reading

‘Unexcused Absence,’ Massimo Faggioli
‘Catholic Colleges & the Synod,’ Micah Kiel
‘Learning from Las Hermanas,’ Amirah Orozco
‘Speak Boldly, Listen Carefully,’ Austen Ivereigh

Ep. 75 - Love Entails Loss Feb 24, 2022

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Shortly before the death of her father, New Yorker staff writer Kathryn Schulz met the woman she would marry. These opposite experiences prompted Schulz to reflect on the ways in which they’re joined.

On this episode, Schulz joins Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico for a wide-ranging conversation about her new memoir, Lost & Found.

Our humanity, Schulz argues, guarantees that we’ll eventually lose the ones we love. But it’s their very finitude that makes them worth loving.

Ep. 74 - ‘Always Writing, Always Thinking’ Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

What do scholars do, exactly? Which virtues does a life of scholarship require?

On this episode, longtime Commonweal contributor and renowned New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson speaks with editor Dominic Preziosi about his lifelong intellectual journey.

One of the keys to being a good scholar (and a good Christian) Johnson argues, isn’t simply discipline and fortitude, but imagination and humility.

Read more from Luke Timothy Johnson

Ep. 73 - The Way We Work Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

Since the pandemic began, large numbers of Americans working in diverse fields have reported increased levels of burnout and exhaustion.

But the phenomenon of burnout is nothing new, argues frequent Commonweal contributor Jonathan Malesic. The problem has been with us for decades, a consequence of the increasingly blurry lines between our professional and personal lives.

On this episode, Malesic speaks with Commonweal managing editor Katie Daniels about his new book The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives. If we want to combat burnout, he says, we first need to agree on a definition.

Read Jonathan Malesic’s Commonweal essays here:

Ep. 72 - The Right Questions Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

The pandemic has forced many of us to rethink our answers to some of life’s deepest questions: How should we treat other people? Should we practice a religion? Does it matter what we believe? What would make our lives meaningful?

Thankfully, we’re not alone. Virtue ethics, as Notre Dame’s Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko contend, offers a method for reasoning about, and gaining new insights into, these age-old questions.

On this episode, Sullivan and Blaschko join Commonweal assistant editor Griffin Oleynick to discuss insights from their new book The Good Life Method: Reasoning through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning, based on their popular course at Notre Dame.

For further reading:

“Inside the Seminary,” Paul Blaschko
“The Problem with Lazarus,” Meghan Sullivan
“Highbrow Self-Help,” Charles McNamara
“Should Philosophy Retire?”, George Scialabba

Ep. 71 - Best of 2021 Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

It’s our favorite time of year here on the Commonweal Podcast.

On this special episode, we revisit four of our best interviews from 2021:

Phil Klay elucidates the complexities of modern warfare. Rita Ferrone explains how Catholic tradition evolves. Alice McDermott tells us what made her decide to become a writer. And Susannah Heschel describes how the spiritual legacy of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, can help us fight for social justice today.

Listen to the full-length interviews here:

· ‘War Without End,’ with Phil Klay

· ‘The Rite Stuff,’ with Rita Ferrone

· ‘Life Sentences,’ with Alice McDermott

· ‘Friend of God,’ with Susannah Heschel

Ep. 70 - A Book That Builds Community Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

When the first pandemic lockdowns began back in March 2020, acclaimed novelist Yiyun Li took to social media with a modest proposal: a communal reading of Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece War & Peace, complemented by daily reflections and live conversation on Twitter.

Li’s invitation met with a hearty response from readers around the world: hundreds participated in the online book club. Some of their comments, along with Li’s reflections, were published earlier this fall in Tolstoy Together: 85 Days of War & Peace.

On this episode, Li joins Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico for a wide-ranging conversation about the project, the pleasures of reading together, and why Tolstoy still matters.

For further reading:

· “2021 Books in Review,” Anthony Domestico

· “Bracing for Impact,” Cassandra Nelson

· “The Zen of Tolstoy,” Christopher Bram

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