Controversies in Church History

In this episode, I take a look back at the Showtime historical drama The Tudors (2007-2010), and show why it was a worthy attempt to depict the Reformation era of Henry VIII, despite being what its own producers called a "soap opera." In it, I discuss what they did and did not get right about Thomas More, and why long series like this are better vehicle for history than feature films. Ch...

For this episode of Controversies in Church History, we are doing something a bit different. In it, we take a look back "The Roman Option: Crisis and Realignment in English Speaking Christianity" by the Catholic journalist William Oddie. Published in 1998, Oddie details how a group of Anglicans disaffected by the Church of England's decision to "ordain" women attempted the...

In this brief episode, I take a look at a very suspect historical claim that Cardinal McElroy makes in his recent response to critics in America Magazine. If you like what hear, please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel, and if you are so inclined, became a patron of Controversies in Church History by visiting our Patreon page...

In the first episode of our new series on Latinization, I define what Latinization is, and why it is important for understanding the Catholic Church today.   If you like this topic, please follow us on Spotify for Podcasters, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen on the Controversies in Church History YouTube channel (please subscribe there if you follow somewhere...

In this re-recording of a lecture given in early 2020, I take a look at the Gregorian Reform movement, a medieval movement that sought to reform the Christian world with the papacy as its champion. Beginning with monastic reforms in the tenth century, a series of reforming monks and clergy sought to free the Church from lay control while reforming the behavior of the clergy. When one of their numb...

Hello friends! I am busy at work on the next few episodes of the podcast, and will be dropping some shorter episodes available to all listeners and not just subscribers. This begins now, with a short episode in which I give some updates but also read a post from my blog that I wrote several years ago, defending the Ordinariate liturgy (if you don't know what an Ordinariate is, I explain it in the...

An update on the podcast, personal news, and an appeal to help grow the podcast from yours truly.

A review of some of the more interesting/enlightening books I've read  this past year, though not all of them have to do with Catholicism. Enjoy!

Our series of mini-biographies we call "Catholic Lives" takes a look at  the life and career of Orestes A. Brownson (1803-1876), a convert from  New England whose spiritual journey took him from Evangelical revivalism  to Unitarianism and the Transcendentalist Movement, before entering the  Catholic Church in 1844. A thinker with a wrestling, combative style,  Brownson bec...

Controversies in Church History will return to regular (or semi-regular) podcasting in the spring. Until then, take a listen to a short audio presentation of post on the blog post concerning recent news items involving the Church in the past week. Cheers!

There is a specter haunting the Catholic world, whose name is "integralism." The term "integralism" has been used in recent years by Catholic thinkers who want to reassert the Church's teaching on the superiority of the spiritual power to that of the temporal power, and the rights of the Church over society. Some Catholic thinkers have even brought this term into American political debate on the R...

In 1871, the German Empire began passing laws meant to control the Catholic Church in Germany, which it regarded as a potential fifth column. This legislation inspired attempts by other German speaking countries, and within five years governments arrested and exiled bishops, removed priests from their parishes, seized church property and expelled religious orders from their countries. This episode...

In 1899, pope Leo XIII wrote a letter to Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore, condemning something called "Americanism." Many contemporary Catholic historians and scholars have claimed that "Americanism" is a phantom, a term of abuse by "conservative" Catholics hurled at their opponents. In this episode, we will talk about what "Americanism" is and and isn't, the American Church in the 19th century, and...

Catholic images, beliefs, and even practices, dot the plays of William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright in the English language. And relatives of his can be identified as Catholic, even one that was executed for treason. But was William Shakespeare himself a Catholic? In this episode, we dive into the evidence for Shakespeare as a Roman Catholic, and take a look at the changing landscape of hi...

In this episode, I take a look at the otherwise admirable "Mass of the Ages" film, and claims of conspiracy with regard to history. Specifically, I talk about why the liturgical reform of the 1960s was NOT the result of a conspiracy and why conspiracy theories in general are poor explanations for complicated historical events.

In response to a viewer's request, I hereby present you with the story of my conversion to the Catholic Church, and how I went from atheism to believing in Jesus Christ. 

Our series of mini-biographies we call "Catholic Lives" takes a look at the life and career of Orestes A. Brownson (1803-1876), a convert from New England whose spiritual journey took him from Evangelical revivalism to Unitarianism and the Transcendentalist Movement, before entering the Catholic Church in 1844. A thinker with a wrestling, combative style, Brownson became one of the premier Catholi...

In this episode of our "Catholic Lives" series, we look at the life of Hugh-Ross Williamson, the son of a Presbyterian minister, journalist, author historian, playwright, and an Anglican clergyman before his conversion to the Catholic Church in 1955. In his later life, he was a critic of the new rite of the mass introduced in 1969, and became one of the founders of the Latin Mass movement in Engla...

In the final episode, I briefly discuss the legacy of 19th century Catholic Liberalism, and how it influenced theological movements in the 20th century. In particular, I look at the impact of Catholic Liberalism on the thinkers who prepared the way for Vatican II, and how knowledge of Catholic liberalism helps us understand the era that followed the Council. 

The latest episode in our series on Catholic Liberalism is now available. "Eclipse, 1870-1905," begins in the aftermath of Vatican I, when the Church faced even greater hostility from liberal governments, making the position of Catholic Liberals even more difficult. The Ralliement under Leo XIII seems to embrace Catholic liberal ideals, but its failure followed by the condemnation of Americanism a...

Greetings! The next episode in our series on Catholic Liberalism is now available. "Catholic Liberalism in Retreat, 1848-1870," explores how political events and a changing papacy conspired to derail the movement of Catholic Liberalism. The Revolutions of 1848, and the wars of unification in Italy and Germany, left the Church exposed to hostile, anti-clerical governments, and in response Catholics...

Greetings everyone! In the fourth installment in our series on Catholic Liberalism, we look at the sources of Catholic liberalism beyond France. Specifically, we look at the making of Catholic liberalism in Italy, where dissatisfaction with the government of the Papal States fueled Catholic engagement with liberalism. Also discussed are Church-State relations in German speaking lands, and the emer...

In the third installment of our series on Catholic Liberalism, we take a look at the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Felicite Robert de Lamennais (1782-1854), the apologist, writer and priest who inspired a young generations of Catholics to engage with the modern world, but whose embrace of liberalism clashed with the Vatican. Though Rome condemned his teachings, he left a legacy that influenced...

In the second installment of our series on Catholic Liberalism, we delve into the historical background out of which a Catholic form of liberalism emerged. We discuss the French Revolution and its impact on the French Church, the emergence of political liberalism in Restoration France, and the nature of the French Church after 1814, and how these contributed to the birth of Catholic Liberalism. If...

Controversies in Church History is back with a new series. This time, we delve into the history of Catholic Liberalism, a movement that began in the French Church in the early 1800s, and whose influence touched most of Europe and even the United States during the nineteenth century. This movement sought to reconcile the Church to modern society in France, was condemned by the papacy more than once...