Kresta in the Afternoon

New technologies are emerging at a rate we’ve never seen. With a few taps of a button, you can have virtually any product on earth delivered to your doorstep by the next morning – and maybe even sooner. Before long, those deliveries could be handled almost entirely by drones and driverless trucks. What does this mean for the job market? We talk with Brett Beasley. Brett Beasley is an Associate Dir...

We often see in history how completely separate, yet closely-related, events fall within days of each other. One such example concerns Leo XII and the Communist Manifesto, the anniversaries of which both fall in late February. Leo XIII, our third-longest-serving pope, is well known for his encyclical Rerum Novarum , an explicit response to the proper care of workers and questions generated by the...

John Abbate, owner-operator of a large number of McDonald’s restaurants throughout Central California, has built a successful career investing in the iconic golden arches and in real estate. His most rewarding investment, however, has been in his Catholic faith, which has transformed his life into one of self-giving rather than self-serving. John Abbate is the author of Invest Yourself: Daring to...

One of the things that matters most: the existence of God.  How does creation point to God's existence?  Pat Flynn discuss this with guest host Gary Michuta.

What would cause a Pentecostal pastor to leave and join the Catholic Church?  Kenny Burchard shares his testimony with guest host Gary Michuta.

Most of us know what we believe as Catholics, but often we're unclear on why we believe it. At a time when vast numbers of Catholics are slipping away from the Faith, God has tasked you and countless other Catholics with understanding it so you will be prepared to defend it.  John Martignoni joins guest host Gary Michuta to talk about his new book, Blue Collar Apologetics: How to Explain and...

Did you know that there are a lot of new age ideas that have tried to find their way into the Church?  Many times it is because of ignorance of their true meanings or origin.  Bryan Mercier, author of the new book Counterfeit Spirituality: Exposing the False Gods, joins guest host Gary Michuta and talks about some of these false gods.

As a young Marine, Andrew Young was part of the first wave of America’s military to enter Afghanistan, just months after the 9/11 attacks. After tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, he became a priest and spent much of 2020 in Afghanistan as one of the last Catholic U.S. military chaplains in the country. He joins us. Fr Andy Young is vicar general for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota .

Pope Francis recently said that countries need to stop imposing their beliefs and values on others, especially without consideration of another country's religions, cultures, and history.  Al explains why this is common sense and more thoughts on Afghanistan.

Today, a heartbeat bill took effect in Texas after the Supreme Court declined to take action to stop it. Although 11 states have recently passed heartbeat bills, this is the first to go into effect. It could prevent an estimated 85% of Texas abortions from taking place. Michael New has more. Michael New is visiting assistant professor at Catholic University of America and an associate scholar at C...

The chaplains of Harvard University elected an atheist as the president of the chaplaincy there.  This is foolish, even if the role is purely administrative.  Al shares his thoughts.

Back in 2015, as ISIS ravaged its way across Iraq and Syria, Graeme Wood authored an extensive piece examining what the terror group wanted to achieve. The essential point to understand is that ISIS and other terror groups seek to establish a caliphate - and only one can exist at a time. The so-called Islamic State may be virtually destroyed but its influence remains, as we saw when ISIS allies co...

In 2005, the relatively new European Union proposed a new constitution for Europe. The problem was that in its preamble where it discussed Europe’s long history, there was no mention of Christianity anywhere. (George Weigel details this in his book The Cube and the Cathedral.) Kishor Jayabalan director of the Acton Institute’s Rome office, Instituto Acton, joins us to talk about Pope Benedict XVI...

Dr. Michael Behe of Lehigh University was one of Richard Thompson’s witnesses in the Dover case. He joins us to discuss the debate between creationism and intelligent design. This interviewed aired during the first episode of Kresta in the Afternoon on EWTN Radio. ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 3 JANUARY 2006

Al takes your calls on the top Catholic news stories of 2005. ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 3 JANUARY 2006

We can thank the Catholic Church for baseball and Babe Ruth. On January 3rd 1920, the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. Mike Gibbons was the head of the Babe Ruth museum and he joins us to discuss the Bambino’s contributions to America’s pastime. ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 3 JANUARY 2006

Hwang Woo-suk and the ethical problems of cloning and stem cell research. In 2004, Hwang made headlines for claiming he cloned two human embryos. He then claimed he was able to derive a line of stem cells from them for use in medical research. However, as Al explores in this commentary, Hwang was charged by the journal Nature for having committed serious ethical violations by using eggs from his g...

Christians may not have the social influence we once did, but in all areas of life you can still find Catholics who are committed to integrating their faith and their everyday life. One example is Dan Weingartz, whose commitment to his faith led him to join the fight against the HHS Mandate. He joins us to discuss integrating his faith and work life. Dan Weingartz is the president of Weingartz and...

You probably remember the stories of Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans. And now there is a similar tragedy coming out of the UK - a 2-year-old girl named Alta Fixsler who has been taken off life-support because doctors say she has no chance of recovery and is in constant pain. Her parents are Hasidic Jews and doctors in their homeland of Israel are willing to take over Alta's care, but a European court...

Breaking today: NY Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned after the NY Attorney General published a report detailing serial sexual misconduct in his office.  Cuomo himself has said he is arrogant because arrogance works.  Al shares how his resignation ends up being Catholic because there is always pride before the fall.

The Church is entering a period of transition. Mass attendance is on the decline, we’re dealing with the shame of McCarrick, and our secular and religious leaders – whether it be intentionally or unintentionally – are sowing confusion. These are the challenges our next pope will face – how will he tackle them? George Weigel is our guest. George Weigel is a New York Times bestselling author of many...

A recent Washington Post column profiled Michigan judge Sara Smolenski, who was told by her pastor not to take Holy Communion after she entered into a same-sex marriage. Like many in the so-called Communion Debate, the Post took the angle that we are all sinners yet we all receive Communion - which of course misses the overall point. We take a look at the discussion with Terry Mattingly.

Last week Mississippi presented a brief to the Supreme Court arguing that there is no Constitutional right to abortion and asking the Court to overrule Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey. What chances does this effort have of being successful? Professor Robert George joins us. Robert George is Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and the co-author of What is Marriage? Man and...

What happened on January 6 at the US Capitol?  Was it a coup?  A riot?  An insurrection?  Al breaks down what actually happened (and what it is not).  

The Archdiocese of New York has instructed its priests not to grant religious exemptions for COVID -19 vaccines. A memo from chancellor John Cahill says that “Any individual is free to exercise discretion on getting the vaccine based upon his or her beliefs without seeking the inaccurate portrayal of Church instructions. Our priests should not be active participants in such actions.” Dr. Michael D...