The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture - Bishop Robert Barron

Latest Episodes:

WOF 415: Mind, Meaning, and the Materialists Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

Friends, can everything in the world be reduced to atoms bumping against each other, and chemical reactions in our brains? Or is there something more to reality than its material elements?

That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today's "Word on Fire Show" episode, with the help of a new book by Justin Brierley, titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

A listener asks, if feelings are not acts of the will, what is contrition? A feeling, an act of the will, both, or neither?

Links

The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierley
Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List by David Paul Baird, Andrew Petiprin, and Michael Ward

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WOF 414: What Makes a University Catholic? Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

Today, we're excited to share with you a talk that Bishop Barron recently gave at the University of Notre Dame titled "What Makes a University Catholic?"

The talk was cosponsored by the Notre Dame Student Government, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the McGrath Institute for Church Life, and Campus Ministry.

Enjoy!

WOF 413: "Nones" Rediscovering the Bible Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

Friends, an exciting group of psychologists, scientists, and thought leaders are rediscovering the beauty and brilliance of the Bible.

What's causing so many of them to look at the Bible with fresh eyes? That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today's "Word on Fire Show" episode, with the help of a new book by Justin Brierley, titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

A listener asks, how can Jesus be, at the same time, a God and a human being since God's nature and human nature have many differences?

Links

The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierley
The Golden Key and Other Fairy Tales by George MacDonald

WOF 412: The Evidence for God from Science w/ Fr. Robert Spitzer Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Today, we're excited to share Fr. Robert Spitzer's keynote talk from the 2022 Good News Conference on "The Evidence for God from Science." Fr. Spitzer introduces a growing amount of evidence for God found in contemporary science, along with data suggesting a rising number of young scientists who are open to God.

Fr. Spitzer is the President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and the Spitzer Center. He has authored several books including New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy (2010) and Science at the Doorstep to God: Science and Reason in Support of God, the Soul, and Life after Death (2023).

Links

100 Great Catholic Poems edited by Sally Read

WOF 411: America's Cultural Revolution w/ Chris Rufo Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Today, we're excited to share with you the newest episode in our "Bishop Barron Presents" series. In this discussion, Bishop Barron talks with writer, filmmaker, and activist Chris Rufo.

Chris is the author of a new book titled America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything. He has directed four documentaries for PBS and is a senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of the public policy magazine City Journal. His reporting and activism have inspired a presidential order, a national grassroots movement, and legislation in twenty-two states.

Sit back and take in this latest conversation in our series "Bishop Barron Presents". Enjoy!

Links

America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything by Christopher Rufo

WOF 410: It's Time for Catholics to Embrace Halloween w/ Fr. Steve Grunow Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Today, we share a discussion between Brandon Vogt and Fr. Steve Grunow, Word on Fire's CEO and resident Halloween expert.

Several years back, Fr. Steve wrote an article for Word on Fire's website titled "It's Time for Catholic to Embrace Halloween" that went viral and remains one of our most popular articles of all time.

In today's discussion, Fr. Steve explains what Halloween is fundamentally about, whether it is of pagan origin, and what a properly Catholic celebration of Halloween looks like.

Links

"It's Time for Catholics to Embrace Halloween" (Word on Fire) – Fr. Steve Grunow

WOF 409: The Rise and Fall of the New Atheism Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Friends, the New Atheism movement rose quickly in the early 2000s, led by vicious critics of religion such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. What made their polemics so popular and effective? And how did the New Atheist movement decline and fade almost as quickly over the past few years?

That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today's "Word on Fire Show" episode, with the help of an excellent new book by Justin Brierley titled The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again.

A listener asks, does the Catholic Church teach that the Holy Spirit has a gender?

00:00 | Intro 00:50 | Bishop Barron's visit to Harvard University 02:55 | Justin Brierley – The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God 03:32 | What is the New Atheism? 07:17 | What led to the rise of the New Atheism? 10:22 | Why the New Atheism appealed to young people 12:46 | How the New Atheism began to unravel 15:43 | How the New Atheism revitalized Christian apologetics 17:19 | The New Atheism's failure to provide a satisfying alternative to religion 21:50 | New questions being asked by seekers and skeptics 24:21 | Listener question 26:49 | New book – Know Thyself: Catholic Classical Education and the Discovery of Self

Links

The Surprising Rebirth of Belief In God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers Are Considering Christianity Again by Justin Brierley
Know Thyself: Catholic Classical Education and the Discovery of Self by Andrew Youngblood

WOF 408: Great Catholic Kids Books w/ Haley Stewart Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

Today, we share a fun discussion between Brandon Vogt and Haley Stewart, Editor of Word on Fire Spark, our new imprint of books for young readers. Topics include:

Were you a reader growing up? What were some of your favorite books?
How would you assess the current landscape of childrens' books? What's good? What's missing?
What is Word on Fire Spark and how did it come to be?
What is the mission/vision for Spark? How will Spark books stand out among other books for children?
Upcoming books from Word on Fire Spark
Forthcoming "Spark the Imagination" podcast
The Spark Bible – a new Bible for young Catholic readers

Links

Word on Fire Spark
Saintly Creatures: 14 Tales of Animals and Their Holy Companions by Alexi Sargeant

WOF 407: What's Next for the Word on Fire Institute? Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

Friends, five years ago, we started what has become the largest online community of Catholic evangelists: the Word on Fire Institute.

Where did this come from, what's the purpose of the Institute, and what's coming next? That's what Brandon Vogt and I discuss on today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show."

A listener asks, will God still create humans in heaven?

00:00 | Intro 01:17 | Bishop Barron's USCCB meeting 02:13 | Updates from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester 04:06 | Where did Word on Fire Institute come from? 08:00 | Building an army of Catholic evangelists 09:36 | St. Thérèse of Lisieux and the Word on Fire Institute 11:04 | Introducing Dr. Petrusek, new Senior Director of the Institute 12:52 | What a fully-formed evangelist looks like 14:53 | Why evangelists should be familiar with popular culture 17:36 | Why Catholic evangelists must understand the "nones" 19:31 | The future of the Word on Fire Institute 21:01 | Master's Degree in Evangelization and Culture w/ University of St. Thomas 22:43 | Listener Question 24:40 | Join the Word on Fire Institute!

Links

Word on Fire Institute (free 30 day trial!)

WOF 406: The Genius of G.K. Chesterton's "St. Francis" Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

Today we share Bishop Barron's keynote talk from the 2023 Chesterton Conference from July 27, 2023, in Minneapolis, MN. The theme of the conference was "Chesterton and St. Francis" as it is the 100th anniversary of the publication of Chesterton's biography of St. Francis, and Bishop Barron spoke about the enduring genius of that book. Enjoy!

Links

St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (Word on Fire Classics)
Pivotal Players: G.K. Chesterton (Word on Fire) – Watch FREE when you join the Word on Fire Institute
Chesterton.org

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