The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

Bishop Barron takes several questions from non-Catholics, including: How does the Catholic Church think about sola Scriptura and Bible interpretation? Since we can't know beyond a reasonable doubt that Christianity is true, why should I become a Christian? Any tips for a Protestant transitioning to Catholicism? Why are some sins considered mortal? Is there a realistic possibility of reuniting the...

In a recent talk, Bishop Barron presented on the importance of not dumbing down the faith as we engage in religious education. Young people enjoy asking about and discussing the big questions, from God's existence, to how to be a good and moral person, to the problem of suffering. A disconnect takes place when we meet these intellectual questions with watered-down catechesis. Instead, we must reme...

Friends, today we continue our "Word on Fire Show" series on how to understand Genesis by discussing Abraham and Isaac. Watch and learn about these two pivotal figures in salvation history. A listener asks, where can I learn more about God's non-competitive transcendence? Links Fear and Trembling  by Soren Kierkegaard Against Heresies  by St. Irenaeus The God of Faith and Reason: Foundations of Ch...

Friends, at the recent FOCUS SEEK, seminarians and young people discerning their vocation asked me range of questions about calling and vocations, including: Did Bishop Barron ever consider religious life? How should we use philosophy to approach and interact with theology? What should we do about a "dark night of the soul" when it comes to discernment? How should one discern between dating versus...

Modern psychiatry tends to downplay spirituality, but in today's episode of "The Word on Fire Show," Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss a new  Scientific American  article suggesting that "Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God." The author explains how belief in God is associated with significantly better treatment outcomes for many patients, and therefore patients should have the option to includ...

Earlier this year, Bishop Barron joined Sal Di Stefano from Mind Pump Media for a great conversation. They discussed the great social upheaval and political division in our culture—including its intellectual, moral, and spiritual dimensions—and why a purely secular framework is not enough to solve it. Links Dei Verbum Reading Challenge NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some g...

Today we continue our series on "Understanding Genesis." Last time we focused on Creation and today we're discussing Adam, Eve, and the Fall. How should we understand the creation of Adam and Eve? What actually happened at the Fall? Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss. A listener asks, why would Mark end his Gospel with the women not telling the Apostles about the resurrection? NOTE: Do you lik...

Today we share a Q&A session between Bishop Barron and Maronite clergy following a talk he shared on the priesthood. In the Q&A, he answered several questions, including: Did Adam love Eve for the sake of God? What is Mary's role in Jacob's ladder? Do you have practical advice for people feeling confined by their vocation? How should we pick our battles as we wrestle with the world? How do you app...

Pope Francis just announced he's planning to declare a new Doctor of the Church, St. Irenaeus of Lyon. Who was he? What were his key ideas? Why does he still matter? That's what Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss in today's episode. Topics include: What's a Doctor of the Church, and why should Irenaeus be declared one? How did Bishop first become acquainted with Irenaeus? What was Irenaeus' approac...

In today's episode, we share a talk Bishop Barron offered earlier this year to the Catholic educators of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He exhorted teachers to boldly proclaim the resurrection and lordship of Jesus, affirming that all Catholic teachers are, fundamentally, evangelizers. NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a patron and get some great perks for helping, like free books, bonus conte...

Today we begin a five-part series of discussions on the book of Genesis. In this first episode, we focus on the Creation story. Genesis is of course the first book in the Bible and perhaps the most foundational, but it's also the source of so much confusion. Bishop Barron clarifies what the author is intending to convey and the theological and spiritual truths we can pull from the narrative. A lis...

C.S. Lewis wrote more than 30 books which have collectively sold over 100 million copies, including the Chronicles of Narnia series, Mere Christianity , and The Screwtape Letters . But of those thirty books, there was only one which Lewis described himself as "almost my favorite among my books," yet he was disappointed that "in general [the book] has been almost totally ignored by the public." The...

Dr. Christian Smith has written a new book titled Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation . It's based on new research about how parents successfully raise children to become religiously-practicing adults. In this episode, Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt walk through his findings and discuss what actually helps our kids to retain their faith into young adul...

In this Q&A session with students at Yale University from February 2021, Bishop Barron answered a variety of questions from students, including: Do you think that the culture's view of sex has kept people outside of the Church? How do we charitably share our view? What did you decide to give up for Lent? How do we discern if bad things are tests from God, Satan, or just the way of the world? What...

A recent poll from the Survey Center on American Life revealed that people are rapidly losing their close friends, especially men. The number of American men who view themselves as having "no close friends" quintupled over the last 30 years, increasing from 3 percent in 1990 to 15 percent in 2021.  Why is this happening, and how can we reverse it? How can we develop closer friendships? Bishop Barr...

Today we share the latest "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, featuring theologian and educator Dr. Larry Chapp.  Larry and Bishop Barron discuss topics such as: Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement Traditionalism and liberalism in the Catholic Church The Second Vatican Council And several other topics Stay tuned for future "Bishop Barron Presents" conversations. These intellectually invi...

Today we continue our discussion of a recent article by Tim Keller, the popular Protestant pastor, titled "The Fading of Forgiveness: Tracing the Disappearance of the Thing We Need Most." We previously explored why forgiveness has faded in our culture. Today, we focus on the path forward, how we can practice and encourage more forgiveness. A listener asks, what is, for Bishop Barron, the most anno...

Today we share the latest "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, this one featuring American legal scholar, political philosopher, and public intellectual Robert George. Robert and Bishop Barron discuss virtue, focusing on topics such as Natural law, the "woke" phenomena, how we can engrain virtue in our society today, and more. Stay tuned for future "Bishop Barron Presents" conversations. These int...

Today we discuss a recent article by Tim Keller, the popular Protestant pastor, titled "The Fading of Forgiveness: Tracing the Disappearance of the Thing We Need Most" . Why are people increasingly skeptical about forgiveness? Keller proposes two reasons: a therapeutic culture, and religion without grace.  A listener asks, how did God create the universe if not from potentiality? Links WOFI Faith...

Today we share the latest "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, this one with author Dr. Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen. Jennifer and Bishop Barron discuss the history of ideas that shaped American culture, and her two books, American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas  and The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History . Stay tuned for future "Bishop Barron Presents" conversations. These inte...

Today we share the latest "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, featuring author and political science professor Dr. Jason Blakely. In Jason's conversation with Bishop Barron and Jared Zimmerer, he discussed topics found in his new book, We Built Reality: How Social Science Infiltrated Culture, Politics, and Power , including hermeneutics, economics, and more. Stay tuned for future "Bishop Barron P...

Today we share in interview about Brandon Vogt's new book Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church , recently published by Word on Fire. The book is full of concrete advice and practical strategies to help draw any loved one back to the Church. Return includes one of the best summations of why people dismiss the Church's faith. He doesn't cast aspersions or blame, and he avoids the scapeg...

Today we share the latest "Bishop Barron Presents" discussion, featuring literary and theological scholar Jessica Hooten Wilson. Jessica recently sat down with Bishop Barron and Jared Zimmerer to discuss caring for the soul through human formation, focusing on topics such as: - The humanities within education - Flannery O'Connor - Dostoevsky - Walker Percy Stay tuned for future "Bishop Barron Pres...

Is parenthood suffocating or liberating? Do children keep you from self-discovery, or can they facilitate you finding your identity? Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss those questions in light of two controversial articles about parenting, one in Time Magazine and another in the New York Times. A listener asks, what does a priest go through that validates his authority for the sacraments? Link...

Today we share the latest episode in our "Bishop Barron Presents" series, featuring editor and author Sohrab Ahmari. Bishop Barron sits down to discuss Sohrab's new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos . Sohrab named his son after St. Maximillian Kolbe, and the book originated in his hope to inculcate in his son the virtues and values that shaped this g...