Kresta in the Afternoon

After the Jacob Blake shooting last summer, we spoke with his mother’s pastor, James Ward, who is becoming an important voice for greater racial justice and healing. As he has pointed out, we have a “sin problem, not a skin problem,” that stops us from achieving peace. He joins us again to discuss his work and what it means to have a “zero victim” mentality.

From the radical feminism of the 60s to the 2015 Obergefell v Hodges and now the transgender movement, society has become obsessed with Identity. We tend to think of the Sexual revolution as a root cause of these issues, but what if it was actually a symptom of something else? We look at the human search for identity with Carl Trueman.

How did we get to a point where Catholics had to “choose” between being concerned over social justice issues and concerned over the Right to Life? Al discusses.

In the first four chapters of the Book of Revelation, John speaks of four churches and the challenges they were facing. What parallels can we draw between these chapters and the current crises in our Church? Peter Herbeck joins us.

China’s president Xi Jinping wants to dominate his country’s future – and he’s doing it by putting a spin on its past. Last week the Communist Part adopted a resolution that elevates Xi to a position previously only held by national heroes Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Xi has and will continue to heap praise on Mao and his legacy – a legacy that is stained with the blood of millions. Who was the r...

It is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience the unbelievable pain of losing a child. But only about 5% will receive the appropriate counseling. Ryan and Kelly Breaux experienced this in 2005; their son Talon died 15 days after birth, and his twin sister Emma Grace joined him in heaven three years later. This journey led Kelly and Ryan to found Red Bird Ministries, which has just been named...

It is well-documented that the prevalence of homosexuality among Catholic priests is higher than the general population. Figures, however, have varied widely and recent statistics show they may be on the decline. Mark Regnerus joins us with more.

As the USCCB continues to meet in Baltimore, it must vote on who will replace Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill as General Secretary. Burrill resigned in disgrace last summer after a Pillar investigation found he was using the gay hookup app Grindr. Matthew Bunson reports from Baltimore.

A listener recently wrote to Al asking why Ave Maria Radio is cozy with the US bishops. Al responds.

When John U Bacon played hockey for the Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats, he never scored a goal. But years later he was asked to coach the team – which at that point hadn’t won a single game in over a year. They were proud to be called the worst team in America – and John turn them into winners. He tells us how.

The US Bishops are meeting in Baltimore this week. Today’s sessions are behind closed doors, off-limits to media, and are expected to address the much-debated Eucharistic Coherence document. We check in with Matthew Bunson, who is there.

Even while he was alive, Dominican friar Albert of Cologne was called Magnus the Great. He was a scientist, theologian, and philosopher; a teacher, preacher, and negotiator; a shrewd shepherd and an unflinching defender of the Faith – and today is his feast. We’ll talk about it with Kevin Vost.

When you hear “Supreme Court” and “Texas” these days, you probably think of the Texas abortion law. But there’s another major decision currently being considered, and it involves the rights of chaplains. A condemned man wants his pastor to lay hands on him and pray aloud during his execution – and the State is saying no. We consider the case with Andrea Picciotti-Bayer.

In the words of CS Lewis, "God is more than a god, not less; Christ is more than Balder, not less. We must not be ashamed of the mystical radiance resting on our theology. We must not be nervous about parallels and 'pagan Christs': they ought to be there it would be a stumbling block if they weren't. We must not, in false spirituality, withhold our imaginative welcome." Some of our most well-known...

"Defund the Police!" The rally could be heard in cities all over America last summer in the wake of George Floyd's murder. Last week, voters in Minneapolis - arguably the birthplace of the movement - had a chance to make it a reality. And they rejected the motion. What does this mean for the Defund the Police movement? We talk with Peter Kirsanow.

America is in the midst of a major religious flux. And thanks to a new survey by The Pillar, we can have some hard numbers to quantify the change. Some of it isn't surprising - the rise of the nones for example. And some of it is - for example, 21% of Americans who way their religion is nothing in particular still agree that Jesus died for their sins. We take a deep dive into the numbers and what...

It’s important to keep in mind that mainstream news outlets are not driven by ideology or mission – they are entertainment outlets driven by a need to produce ratings. What does this “news as entertainment” look like? Al discusses.

The Vatican on Tuesday announced that the canonization of Blessed Charles de Foucauld and six others will take place in Rome on May 15, 2022

On Veterans Day, it’s common to thank the men and women of our armed forces for their service. But as Catholics our gratitude for veterans and others who serve the common good should extend beyond this customary statement of appreciation. Msgr. Stuard Swetland joins us with more.

What do we think of when we hear the term “excommunication?” Probably that the person is barred from receiving the Eucharist. But there’s much more to it than that. Jimmy Akin joins us.

A funeral Mass in September honored the life of Fr. Emil Kapaun, who died in a prison camp in Korea in 1951. Fr. John Hotze, postulator for his Cause, joins us.

“Jesus gave Communion to Judas. He was inclusive. The bishops should follow his example and allow pro-abortion politicians to receive the Eucharist as well.” Have you ever heard this argument? How do we respond? David Bonagura joins us.

“Religion has caused more war and violence than anything else! Just look at the Crusades, the wars in post-Reformation Europe, and the rise of Jihadist attacks!” If you dialogue with atheists, you’ve probably heard this charge. Is there any truth to it? How should you respond? Al discusses.

There’s a powerful argument for the historicity of the Gospels that has been, for the most part, forgotten in recent years. It’s the way the Gospels, Book of Acts and Pauline letters “fit” together like pieces of a puzzle. Lydia McGrew joins us with a closer look at these “undesigned coincidences” and how they strengthen the case for Biblical accuracy.

Christians, and religious people in general, are often accused of having “blind spots” that warp their view of reality. But secularists have this problem as well – we often see documentaries that completely overlook the religious aspects of a story or event. Al breaks it down.