The Voyage Podcast

This method of dialectic is one of the oldest in educational writing. It dates back to one of Western civilization's greatest teachers and writers, the philosopher Plato, and his *ahem* character in Socrates. One of the Church’s recent great contributors in this noble tradition of dialectic is Dr. Peter Kreeft.  ... Original author: Mike Schramm Originally posted on the Voyage Blog on 10/12/23...

When one is asked to think of comic book characters, the name Abraham Van Helsing probably does not immediately spring to mind. However, Van Helsing is a comic book character. In the 1970s, Marvel Comics published a series called The Tomb of Dracula. The series focused on Abraham’s granddaughter Rachel Van Helsing, but Abraham also made appearances. ... Original author: Thomas J. McIntrye Original...

Ba Ba DoooOOOoooK! Who is that mysterious be-hatted man in the window! Is he a menacing demonic presence intent to ruin my life or is it alllll in my heeeeeaaaad? The answer is YES! Or no? Maybe? And what's the difference anyway? Continuing Jacob's demand that the Month of October be all about the spooky stuff, this week the daring duo review the themes of the creepy 2014 film, "The B...

Smaug the dragon, via comparison, possesses everything Bilbo lacks. Smaug is physically daunting, ruthless, and treasure-lusting. His persona is one characterized by self-importance, greed, and power. The dragon knows his own strengths. However, he is preoccupied with his size and abilities to the point that he neglects his weaknesses. This defect in humility would inevitably be his downfall. ......

“The Babadook” is not a pleasant moviegoing experience, but it is fairly unique amongst the horror movie landscape for focusing on the intersection between mental health and spiritual oppression. ... Original author: Jacob Klatte Originally posted on the Voyage Blog on 10/5/23 You can read the entry here: voyagecomics.com/2023/10/05/whether-its-in-a-word-or-in-a-look-you-cant-get-rid-of-the-babado...

It's Monster Month on the Voyage Podcast! So, let's start things off with a bang. We're talking "The Cabin in the Woods!"  The conversation opens with a brief question over whether it's appropriate for Christians to watch horror movies.  From there it's a SPOILER filled break down of one of the most creative deconstructions of the horror movie genre ever made.  This m...

LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE SIMPSONS EPISODE, “BART SELLS HIS SOUL” (SEASON 7, EPISODE 4), ONE DOES FIND SOME POWERFUL, TRUE AND SURPRISING METAPHORS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE SOUL THAT RESONATE STRONGLY WITH CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY, THEOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY (AS IF YOU NEEDED AN EXCUSE TO REVISIT THOSE “GOLDEN AGE” SIMPSONS EPISODES). ... Original author: Mike Schramm Originally posted on the Voyage Blog o...

In the ancient world, many different cultures believed in a type of "firebird." For example, the ancient Greeks and Romans believed in the existence of a bird who was given new life after dying in flames and rising reborn from its own ashes. This bird could not reproduce like other birds, but only through this rebirth through fire. ... Original author: Phillip Kosloski Originally posted...

Bring out the clowns! In this episode, Mike and Jacob discuss some of their favorite comedy movies and comedians. Mike bores Jacob with the philosophy of phunny. They also discuss the distinctly divine role of comedy and the prophetic role of satire. Voyage Podcast does not own copyrights to the music score/elements. All music score/elements used with permission via standard Royalty Free License (...

Warrior Nun, one of Netflix’s most recent comics-based installments, is about a girl named Ava who, after growing up a quadriplegic as a result of a tragic car accident which killed her parents when she was young, dies (for reasons revealed later on in the show). Despite this, however, she is brought back to life when a nun from the fictional Order of the Cruciform Sword implants an angel’s halo i...

Mario’s initial abilities of running and jumping (apart from “flying power”) are like our rational abilities to figure things out on our own, apart from God’s revelation. Yes, we may get some things right and can arrive at true conclusions (even God’s existence!), but it might take us a while, and we might confuse them (in Mario terms, we might run out of “lives” trying to do so).  ... Original au...

In this elevating conversation, Mike and Jacob ascend the peaks of sacred geography to discuss the role of mountains and high places in mythology and the Bible. Voyage Podcast does not own copyrights to the music score/elements. All music score/elements used with permission via standard Royalty Free License (RFL). Music Licensing Credit. Royalty Free Theme Music Indie Rock by AlexGrhol from Pixaba...

A new “Scientific Revolution” is taking shape as a growing community of secular scholars called the Collegium are rediscovering the foundations of physics. Meanwhile the monks of St. Leibowitz are on the verge of harnessing the power of electricity for the first time since the Deluge. Yet there grows a rift between Church and State fostering mutual suspicion, jealousy, and prejudice between the Or...

Captain America is a fascinating character in the Marvel Universe, often described as the " Man Out of Time. " He doesn't belong to the modern world and continually fights for, " Truth, justice and the American way ." ... Original author:  Phil Kosloski Originally posted on the Voyage Blog on 11/3/20 You can read the entry here: voyagecomics.com/2020/11/03/this-captain-amer...

So Mike never got to talk about Gandalf in the last prophecy episode, so here we go again! In this special "rebootquel" episode, Mike and Jacob are diving back into the prophetic well. There's a lot more Gandalf in this one, (and even a bunch of talk about Biblical prophets!) Is this the "The Godfather Part II" of Catholic/Orthodox podcast conversations about prophecy? You...

Perhaps Oscar Wilde’s greatest children’s story is “The Selfish Giant.” This fairy tale recounts the tale of a great giant with a magnificent garden. When the Giant returns from a long journey, he is appalled to see children playing in his garden and hurriedly builds a tremendous wall to keep everyone out. “My own garden is my own garden,” is his selfish refrain as the Giant hides himself away in...

Ever since Superman debuted in 1938, pop-culture has been obsessed with superheroes. At first superheroes dominated the “comic” newspaper strips and then eventually those strips were compiled into what would become the first “comic books.” ... Why are superheroes so popular? To answer that question, it’s important to go back a step further and ask, “ What is a superhero anyway? “ ... Original auth...

We're talking about the Flash movie because Jacob loves DC Superheroes and this universally ignored film finally came out on Max. Maybe someday we’ll travel to a universe where time travel and the multiverse isn’t every other sci-fi go-to storyline! Voyage Podcast does not own copyrights to the music score/elements. All music score/elements used with permission via standard Royalty Free License (R...

Walter Mitty lives his life through a series of fantasies,  which show him being the person he wishes he was and doing the thing he wishes he could. The movie, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is all about discovering the meaning and value of the regular, real life. ... Original author: Mike Schramm Originally posted on the Voyage Blog on 8/31/23 You can read the entry here: https://voyagecomics....

In the beginning of the Infinity Saga, Loki is desperate to be loved...This sets the entire plot of the first Thor in motion. ... Original author: Thomas J. McIntyre Originally posted on the Voyage Blog on 8/31/21 You can read the entry here: https://voyagecomics.com/2021/08/31/lokis-complex-journey-to-find-true-love/ Check out the latest from the Voyage blog here: https://voyagecomics.com/blog/ V...

No, Mike and Jacob are not going to explain to you how to set up your own money-making scheme for based on feeding people things they want to hear. Yes, Mike and Jacob are going to talk about the cultural role of prophets in stories and mythology. They'll even discuss how mythology itself can be the key to unlocking your own prophetic powers! What a prophet is and what they do is far more "grounde...

Over the years Catholic Christianity came to argue that while the body was subservient to the soul, the two were linked in an essential manner. The soul is most fully expressed when enfleshed in a body, and a body is only truly itself when inhabited by a soul. ... Original author: Michael Bertrand Originally posted on the Voyage Blog on 8/24/23 You can read the entry here: voyagecomics.com/2023/08...

Our solidarity with our fellow citizens should be inflamed with the love of neighbor to which we are called as followers of Christ; we should wish for the good of our nation from that vantage point. With Hildebrand’s insights and example, we can courageously oppose cultural and social wrongs in our country, and do so not despite, but because of, our love for our country. And we should pray to be a...

In their follow-up conversation about trees and Christian theology, Mike and Jacob talk about the personification of trees and how this relates to Christian re-enchantment in modern reality. Just how much of nature is a "phenomenon" and how much of it is a "person" anyway? How have ancient and modern people thought about this? They'll find plenty of examples in pop-culture...

Gilbert is not just a lovable, fun, side character to either foil or feed the hero, but participates in a couple of powerful moments toward the story’s climax. While his “true” identity is still unknown to the viewer, “Gilbert” is able to recognize a particularly evil character and the season’s primary villain, which leads him to work behind the scenes to help bring about his demise.  ... Original...