The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Charlie Kirk's assassination revealed a disturbing new cultural and political reality for those who share any of Kirk's views: it is possible, in our day and age, to be shot for speaking your mind. How can we recover from this dark event, whose effects have reverberated across the globe? How can we reclaim the possibility of disagreement with each other without resorting to violence? What conditions must be in place to make civil debate both possible and productive again, especially as our society appears to be growing more polarized?

A listener asks for advice on a healthy way to end an argument when it's clear you're at an impasse.

00:00 | Introduction
02:19 | Praying at Planned Parenthood
03:17 | Bishop Barron and Charlie Kirk
08:58 | Athens, Jerusalem, and the West
14:49 | Two necessary conditions for meaningful dialogue
22:08 | Belief in God—the fundamental condition
24:50 | God and the priority of logos over will
26:34 | Do we really need God for human rights?
28:44 | The Catholic case for freedom of speech
29:54 | Public celebration of evil
33:05 | Violence as a response to speech
34:18 | How can we debate those who reject necessary conditions for dialogue?
35:27 | How forgiveness is possible when justice is wanted
36:42 | Evangelical lessons from Charlie Kirk
37:40 | Listener question: How do you walk away from an impasse?
39:57 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

• Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/

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In this lesson, Bishop Barron explains how Newman distinguishes between doctrinal development and corruption. A thorough explanation of this crucial issue requires a robust presentation of Newman's seven notes. Bishop Barron does just that!

• Doctrinal development and corruption 
• The Seven Notes 
• Examples of doctrinal development and corruption 

• Article: Henri de Lubac on the Development of Christian Doctrine
• Read: John Henry Newman on Truth and its Counterfeits
• Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Both interest and conversions to the Catholic Church have been surging both here and in parts of Europe, especially among young adults. To be sure, secularism still dominates the culture, but the once common wisdom that an increasingly secular society would eventually lead to the death of Christianity and its evacuation from the public square doesn't seem so common anymore. What are the causes of this apparent religious revival among young people? What can we do as evangelists to maintain and build on the momentum?

A listener asks about the most effective way to make an initial evangelical impact on young people.

00:00 | Introduction
01:20 | Concluding Bishop Barron's first diocesan synod
03:18 | Growing interest in Catholicism
08:45 | Men and Catholic interest
11:50 | Considering our recent isolations
14:08 | The rise and decline of wokeism
17:10 | Attraction to tradition
18:48 | Attraction to the liturgy
25:50 | The attraction of moral teachings
28:53 | Evangelical challenges
31:46 | Religious liberty
35:45 | Listener question: How do you best engage the young?
38:40 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

• E&C Online article: https://www.wordonfire.org/articles/its-true-young-people-are-seeking-the-faith/
• New York Post article: https://nypost.com/2025/04/17/lifestyle/why-young-people-are-converting-to-catholicism-en-masse/
• Fox News article: https://www.foxnews.com/media/catholicism-sees-major-resurgence-among-gen-z-young-men-leading-revival
• Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/

NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Today, we're excited to share with you Bishop Barron's keynote talk from the 2023 Acton University conference, hosted by The Acton Institute.

"Wokeism" is arguably the most influential public philosophy in our country today. It has worked its way into the minds and hearts of our young people, into the world of entertainment, and into the boardrooms of powerful corporations. But what is it precisely, and where did it come from?

Bishop Barron argues in his presentation that "wokeism" is a popularization of critical theory, a farrago of ideas coming out of the French and German academies in the mid-twentieth century. Until we understand its origins in the thinking of Adorno, Horkheimer, Derrida, Marcuse, and Foucault, we will not know how critically to engage this dangerous philosophy.

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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?

00:00 | Intro
00:58 | Word on Fire's New Ressourcement Conference
03:10 | The problem with Materialism
07:56 | The problem with Determinism
10:57 | Consciousness and the problem it poses to Materialism
16:34 | Rationality, C.S. Lewis, and atheism
19:44 | Beauty as a path to transcendence
23:25 | Materialism's inadequacy as a source of meaning
26:03 | The Meaning Crisis without the Highest Good
29:48 | Listener question
31:36 | New book—"Popcorn with the Pope"

• 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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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!

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, 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?

• 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

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'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).

• 100 Great Catholic Poems edited by Sally Read

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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!

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

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 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.

00:00 | Intro 
00:56 | Why is Halloween fascinating? 
02:11 | What is Halloween fundamentally about? 
03:10 | All Saints, All Souls, and Halloween 
05:01 | Excesses in how Halloween is sometimes celebrated 
06:36 | Is Halloween essentially a pagan holiday? 
08:33 | Is Halloween evil, a doorway to darkness? 
11:10 | Memento mori and Halloween 
12:34 | Connection between Halloween and costumes 
14:18 | "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
14:54 | Candy and Halloween 
16:31 | What would a properly Catholic celebration of Halloween look like?

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

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!