Theology & Apologetics
All Episodes
536 Episodes
WOF 283: Is Church Really that Important?
A [new Gallup survey](https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx) found that the proportion of Americans who consider themselves members of a church, sy
WOF 282: Called Into the Depths (Naval Academy Address, Part 1 of 2)
Today we share the first half of Bishop Barron's 2020 address at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, titled "Called Into the Depths." He discussed three sailors from the Bible: the patriarch
WOF 281: Creating a Bible for the Ages
The *Word on Fire Bible* series is one of the most ambitious and significant projects we've ever taken on. Listen as Bishop Barron and Brandon discuss where the idea came from and the future of the pr
WOF 280: Catholics, Media Mobs, and the Culture of Contempt
Today we share Bishop Barron's talk at the 2021 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress titled "Catholics, Media Mobs, and the Culture of Contempt." The talk focuses on how to address the swell of ne
WOF 279: Overcoming Disagreement Fatigue
From politics to COVID, this past year has been filled with disagreement. That led Christian apologist Natasha Crain to write an article titled ["Disagreement Fatigue and 2020: How the Events of the Y
WOF 278: The Identity of Jesus
Today we share Bishop Barron's talk from the [FOCUS SEEK 2021](https://seek.focus.org/) conference. The talk is titled "The Identity of Jesus" and explores how Christ had the authority to fulfill the
WOF 277: The Dark Night of the Soul
What is the "dark night of the soul"? How does it differ from general depression, sadness, or confusion? Bishop Barron and Brandon explore this spiritual concept from St. John of the Cross, and discus
WOF 276: Approaches to the Question of God (Part 2 of 2)
Today we share the second half of Bishop Baron's talk titled "Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God." ([Click here to listen to the first half.](https://www.wordonfire
WOF 275: Understanding Violence in the Old Testament
Parts of the Old Testament depict God commanding the Israelites to massacre entire populations—every man, woman, child, and animal. How should Christians make sense of these passages? They seem to pre
WOF 274: Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self (Part 1 of 2)
Today we share the first half of Bishop Baron's talk titled "Knocking Holes in the Buffered Self: Approaches to the Question of God." He gave the talk at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary as part of their Kenr
WOF 273: Abandonment to Divine Providence
Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade's spiritual classic, *Abandonment to Divine Providence*, taught that everything falls under God's will, from our delights to our challenges, and our happiness will only be
WOF 272: Talking to Princeton Students About God (part 2 of 2)
Bishop Barron recently joined students from Princeton University in a virtual Q&A about God, faith, reason, and evangelization. The event was led by Leah Libresco Sargeant, a fellow of the Word on Fir
WOF 271: How to Draw Young People Back to the Church
Why do so many young people drift away from God and the Church, and how can we help them return? This is a pressing question for all Catholics, but especially for parents who are brokenhearted about t
WOF 270: Evangelization 101 (part 1 of 2)
Bishop Barron recently joined students from Princeton University in a virtual Q&A about God, faith, reason, and evangelization. The event was led by Leah Libresco Sargeant, a fellow of the Word on Fir
WOF 269: Kids Q&A w/ Bishop Barron (February 2021)
Today, Bishop Barron answers questions from children all over the world, including:
WOF 268: What Books Did J.R.R. Tolkien Read?
It's commonly assumed that J.R.R. Tolkien, author of *The Hobbit *and *The Lord of the Rings*, was an arch-conservative, a backward-looking person, and that he valued nothing that smacked of the moder
WOF 267: Do Not Fear
According to YouVersion, the popular Bible app, [2020's most-read Bible verse](https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/december/most-popular-verse-youversion-app-bible-gateway-fear-covid.html) was
WOF 266: Falling Toward God
Listen to this sample lesson from Fr. Paul Murray's new course inside the Word on Fire Institute titled "Prayer, Beauty, Mission: The Hidden Springs of the New Evangelization." The spiritual life is t
WOF 265: Bishop Barron's Top 5 YouTube Videos of the Decade
As 2020 winds to a close, Bishop Barron reflects back on his five most popular YouTube videos of the decade. He and Brandon Vogt discuss why these videos, in particular, resonated with so many people.
WOF 264: The Monsters of Social Media
Listen as Fr. Steve Grunow, CEO of Word on Fire, speaks to a group of young Jesuits about the perils of artificial intelligence and the online world.