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Bishop Robert Barron

Join Bishop Robert Barron for a weekly podcast on faith and culture. Find more episodes at http://WordOnFireShow.com and submit your questions at http://AskBishopBarron.com.

The Word on Fire Show - Catholic Faith and Culture

Religious freedom, especially for Christians, is under attack across the globe, including in the West–including right here in the United States. Whether insidiously in the form of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that block Christians from employment and advancement opportunities, or, overtly, like vandalism against churches, or, in some parts of the world, murderous violence against Christians themselves, in terms of sheer numbers–and this fact is often ignored–Christians are, by far, the most persecuted religious group in the world. While defending religious freedom is important for people of all faiths, or no faith at all, it is thus especially urgent for believers in Christ. How, then, can we work together as a church and as a society to make progress on this front? Taking a step back, what, specifically, is religious freedom and why is it a universal human right? What is the relationship between the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech? And how can we respond to the secular charge that religious freedom is merely a backdoor means for the faithful to impose their beliefs on others?
 

 
A listener asks how we can grow in confidence that Catholicism is the one true religion.
 

 Topics Covered: 

 

 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:36 | Concluding Winona-Rochester's diocesan synod
 03:24 | The work of the Religious Liberty Commission
 07:33 | Responding to Religious Liberty Commission criticism
 09:11 | The inherent priority of religious liberty
 12:32 | Distinguishing the freedoms of religion, conscience, and speech
 14:26 | Is religious liberty necessary for worship?
 16:33 | Understanding "due limits" to religious liberty
 19:33 | Proposition or imposition?
 20:24 | Civil authority and religious authority
 22:40 | Truth and relativism
 27:25 | How poor conceptions of religion undermine religious liberty
 28:27 | Advocating for religious liberty
 30:06 | Religious freedom in society
 31:36 | Why religious liberty matters for evangelization
 32:48 | Listener question: How can we know Catholicism is true?
 36:01 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 

 

 Links: 

 
 Dignitatis Humanae • : 
 Vatican document • Word on Fire Institute: 
 https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 

 
 
 

 

 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 520: Defending Religious Freedom

Theology is the queen of the sciences. It is not just one science among many but the principal organizing science. If it is taken out of this central organizing place, something else will take its place. In this lesson, Bishop Barron helps us understand why Newman thought theology was of crucial importance in education. 
 
 
 
 
 Topics Covered: 
 
 
 • Theology as the queen of the sciences 
 • Consequences of supplanting theology
 • The Liberal Arts 
 • The Philosophical Habit
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 
 
 • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 519: The Queen of the Sciences (8 of 12)

Poverty is not only a complex problem to address economically–not to mention sociologically, psychologically, and culturally; it is also often caught up in political and ideological currents, both domestically and internationally, that run counter to a Catholic understanding of human dignity and the common good. So what, then, is the authentically Catholic way of caring for the poor? What does it mean to say that Catholicism has a preferential option for the poor? How, moreover, can the Church coherently both advocate for reducing poverty on the one hand while praising the embrace of voluntary poverty on the other? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A listener asks advice on how God being in a non-competitive relationship with human beings applies to his mission as an evangelist.
 
 
 Topics Covered: 
 
 
 
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:53 | Bishop Barron at the annual meeting of US bishops
 03:39 | The three essential tasks of the Church
 07:48 | The necessity of charity in true worship
 09:04 | Understanding and identifying poverty
 10:58 | The margins, the marginalized, and Catholic social teaching
 16:08 | Understanding institutional sin
 18:40 | The salvific dimension of poverty
 21:17 | The voluntary poverty of the Church
 22:57 | What about spending money on cathedrals?
 26:03 | Beauty as service to the poor
 27:11 | Defining "preferential option for the poor"
 31:16 | The Church, policy, and the poor
 35:18 | Right to private property or universal distribution of goods?
 37:42 | The evangelical dimension of caring for the poor|
 40:06 | Listener question: If God exists noncompetitively, does my mission matter?
 41:45 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 Dilexi Te • : 
 https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 518: What Is the Christian Way of Caring for the Poor?

Newman's articulation of the nature of university education in his ​The Idea of a University ​is crucial today in that a polytechnic model has replaced classical liberal education and theology has been exiled from most institutions. 
 
 
 
 
 Topics Covered: 
 
 
 • Why theology is a science 
 • Why secularism destroys the university 
 • Oxford ideal
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 • Read: 
Fifteen Sermons by John Henry Newman • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 517: The Idea of a University (7 of 12)

Charlie Kirk's assassination revealed a disturbing new cultural and political reality for those who share any of Kirk's views: it is possible, in our day and age, to be shot for speaking your mind. How can we recover from this dark event, whose effects have reverberated across the globe? How can we reclaim the possibility of disagreement with each other without resorting to violence? What conditions must be in place to make civil debate both possible and productive again, especially as our society appears to be growing more polarized?
 
 
 
A listener asks for advice on a healthy way to end an argument when it's clear you're at an impasse.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
00:00 | Introduction
 02:19 | Praying at Planned Parenthood
 03:17 | Bishop Barron and Charlie Kirk
 08:58 | Athens, Jerusalem, and the West
 14:49 | Two necessary conditions for meaningful dialogue
 22:08 | Belief in God—the fundamental condition
 24:50 | God and the priority of logos over will
 26:34 | Do we really need God for human rights?
 28:44 | The Catholic case for freedom of speech
 29:54 | Public celebration of evil
 33:05 | Violence as a response to speech
 34:18 | How can we debate those who reject necessary conditions for dialogue?
 35:27 | How forgiveness is possible when justice is wanted
 36:42 | Evangelical lessons from Charlie Kirk
 37:40 | Listener question: How do you walk away from an impasse?
 39:57 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 516: How to Have a Civil Debate in a Polarized World

In this lesson, Bishop Barron explains how Newman distinguishes between doctrinal development and corruption. A thorough explanation of this crucial issue requires a robust presentation of Newman's seven notes. Bishop Barron does just that!
 
 
 Topics Covered: 
 
 
 • Doctrinal development and corruption 
 • The Seven Notes 
 • Examples of doctrinal development and corruption 
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 • Article: 
Henri de Lubac on the Development of Christian Doctrine • Read: 
John Henry Newman on Truth and its Counterfeits • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 515: Developments Contrasted with Corruptions (6 of 12)

Pope Leo XIV has recently formally declared St. John Henry Newman—who was canonized only in 2019 by Pope Francis—a doctor of the Catholic Church, a recognition given only to 37 other saints in Catholicism's over 2000 year history. This places Newman among great figures like St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great, St. Jerome, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Theresa de Avila, St. Catherine of Sienna, and the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux. What is the significance of giving St. John Henry Newman—an Englishman and Anglican convert to Catholicism who was born over 200 years ago—this title? What is it about Newman's approach to communicating the faith that earned him this great honor—and why now? Equally important, how can contemporary evangelists draw inspiration from his work to proclaim the Gospel in a drastically different world, religiously and morally, from Newman's 19th century Victorian England?
 
 
 
A listener asks for advice on how to give better homilies at Mass.
 
 
 
 
 
00:00 | Introduction
 01:26 | Bishop Barron's recent domestic travels
 03:20 | Defining "Doctor of the Church"
 04:55 | Distinguishing doctors from saints
 05:50 | John Henry Newman's brief biography
 12:18 | Understanding the development of doctrine
 17:41 | Safeguards against corruption
 22:33 | The wholeness of the truth
 25:34 | Newman: "To live is to change"
 29:28 | The "illative sense" of the mind's assent to propositions
 34:10 | Difficulties vs. doubt
 35:54 | How Newman speaks to England now
 37:55 | Listener question: How can priests improve preparation for homilies?
 39:58 | Join the Word on Fire Institute
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 
 
 • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 514: Celebrating St. John Henry Newman Becoming a Doctor of the Church

On January 13, 2018, Bishop Barron joined Dr. William Lane Craig, the esteemed Protestant apologist, for an evening of dialogue at Claremont McKenna College. On today's episode, we recap both the afternoon session, which was an academic symposium attended by a couple dozen scholars, and the big evening dialogue in which Bishop Barron and Dr. Craig discussed faith, science, secularism, evangelization and more. A listener asks what Bishop Barron thinks of David Bentley Hart's work.
 
Click here to watch the full dialogue between Bishop Barron and Dr. Craig, and to listen to the afternoon symposium >> http://wordonfireshow.com/wlc
 
BONUS: Click here to get your free Lent Reflections booklet from Bishop Barron!
 Topics Discussed 0:04 • - Intro, Why is Bishop Barron in Philadelphia?
 1:30 • - What was Bishop Barron's overall impression of the event with Dr. William Lane Craig?
 6:4o • - What was discussed during the daytime symposium?
 16:25 • - During the evening event, how did Bishop Barron and Dr. Craig agree about evangelization?
 19:03 • - What are Bishop Barron and Dr. Craig's favorite arguments for the existence of God?
 21:40 • - How did a book change the lives of both Dr. Craig and Bishop Barron?
 23:25 • - Why didn't Dr. Craig agree that beauty can be a source of evangelization?
 29:00 • - What happened when Bishop Barron asked Dr. Craig, "Why aren't you Catholic?"
 33:00 • - Listener Question: What does Bishop Barron think about the writings of David Bentley Hart?
 Bonus Resources Books • 
 Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics • (William Lane Craig)
 The Kalām Cosmological Argument • (William Lane Craig)
 The New Testament: A Translation • (David Bentley Hart)
 The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss • (David Bentley Hart)
 • 
 Articles • 
 An Evening with William Lane Craig • (Bishop Barron)
 • 
 Videos • 
 Dialogue with William Lane Craig • (Bishop Barron)
 • 
 
 
 
Have a question for Bishop Barron? Go to AskBishopBarron.com!

WOF 113: Recapping the William Lane Craig Dialogue

Newman thinks that the fullness of an idea can best be manifested when it enters the play of lively minds. It grows and develops through the Church. Newman's organic imagery opens up an interesting way of thinking about the difference between development and corruption in matters of doctrine. 
 Topics Covered: • 

The unveiling of ideas through the lively play of minds 
 • 
 • 

Difference between development and corruption 
 • 
 • 

The Prophetic Office 
 • 
 • 

The Kingly Office 
 • 
 Links: • 

Article: A Theory on the Development of Dogma?
 • 
 • 

Video: Bishop Barron on the Development of Christian Doctrine
 • 
 • 

Read: Newman's Challenge by Stanley L. Jaki
 • 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 513: The Play of Lively Minds (5 of 12)

Newman's ​Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine​ is perhaps his greatest contribution to theology. In this essay, Newman considers why "development" is an important lens through which to understand the Church and her teachings. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Topics Covered: 
 
 
 • How ideas and doctrines tend to evolve over time
 • How Newman avoids historicism 
 • The inexhaustible richness of Christ
 
 
 Links: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 • Podcast: 
 WOF 511: Newman as a Catholic (3 of 12) • Read: 
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine • Article: 
Development or Corruption • Video: 
Development of Doctrine: What it is and Why it Matters • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
 
 
 
 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 512: The Development of Christian Doctrine (4 of 12)

Today we bring you the second half of a conversation between Bishop Barron and biblical scholar, N.T. Wright, at Word on Fire's recent Evangelisation & Culture Conference in London. We hear the conclusion of the conversation and dive into some of the listeners' questions, ranging from questions on artificial intelligence and motivations for reading the Bible, to the varying opinions of the show The Chosen. Enjoy! 
 Link: • Word on Fire Institute: 
https://institute.wordonfire.org/ 
NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

WOF 495: The Bigger Story of the Bible with N.T. Wright (Part 2)

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