Following up on last week’s brief exposition of the theories and writings of Rene Girard, I had the great privilege of speaking with Dr. Grant Kaplan, author of the book Rene Girard, Unlikely Apologist: Mimetic Theory and Fundamental Theology. Given that Girard’s theories and analysis are immensely useful in helping people see and understand sin, […]
I have just finished reading the new Directory for Catechesis (DFC) published by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization and approved by Pope Francis in March of last year. For all of us committed to the work of evangelization, it is essential reading. What impressed me the most about the document was the […]
Credo ut intelligam—I believe in order that I may know. While St. Anselm, following St. Augustine, said this in speaking of Christian faith, what is articulated in this tight Latin turn of phrase does not apply only to the truths of the Christian faith. Rather, it highlights that no knowledge is ever fully available to […]
The 8beats Anthology is a series of short films by different Christian writers and directors brought together by Executive Producer Sam Sorich and Dallas-based Catholic Creatives. Following the example of the late Krzysztof Kieslowski’s acclaimed Decalogue films, which explore the Ten Commandments in contemporary society, the 8beats films are about the Beatitudes, which are the […]
**UPDATE: Bishop Barron’s Reddit AMA is now LIVE here*** In 2018, Bishop Barron became the first Catholic bishop to ever host a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything). With over 11,000 comments, it became the third most-commented-on Reddit AMA of 2018 (behind only Jordan Peterson and Bill Gates). In 2019, he returned for a second AMA, […]
“Even though we may feel overwhelmed and trapped, our hope in Jesus invites us to a renewed certainty in God’s victory…” Pope Francis said this during the Mass he celebrated on the island of Mauritius, during his only day visiting the tiny country, during his 31st Apostolic Trip. Francis is traveling to the African nations […]
“I had been there before; I knew all about it.” But it had been so long. Captain Charles Ryder, a middle-aged Englishman serving the homefront with his company during the Second World War, breathed deeply and surveyed the scene that he and his fellow soldiers had come across. What once was a magnificent estate warmed […]
Most of my school day from third through eighth grade was spent reading in a treehouse in my backyard, but I wasn’t a truant; my parents just homeschooled my brother and me for a few years. When I returned to traditional school, not even a string of particularly uninspiring English teachers could kill my love […]
An argument for God’s existence that has recently captured the attention of lay apologists and professional philosophers alike is the kalām cosmological argument. “Kalām” is the Arabic word for “speech,” and refers here to God, who “speaks” the world into existence. Though this argument is deceptively simple in its formulation, it has established itself as […]
René Girard was one of the most important religious theorists of the last fifty years, offering insights that resonate with both believers and unbelievers. His ideas continue to be discussed in academic circles, but I believe he needs to be better known by the wider public. Bishop Barron has made efforts in this regard, upholding […]