Kresta in the Afternoon

For a large part of American history, it was widely believed that one could not be a good Catholic and a good American, as you would have to choose between loyalty to country and loyalty to the pope. Catholics play an important role in the American story - but we often make the mistake of seeing them as one, cohesive unit. In fact, Catholic immigrants from Ireland, Germany, Italy and other nations all had vastly different experiences that came to define what it means to be an American Catholic. Dr. Christopher Shannon explains how.

What is the nature of reality? At the root of our society's deepest political and cultural divisions are the conflicting principles of four global worldviews. While each of us holds to some version of one of these worldviews, we are often unconscious of their differences as well as their underlying assumptions. The ultimate test of a worldview, philosophy or ideology is whether it corresponds with reality. We talk with Mary Poplin.

Pope Gregory the Great wrote more prolifically than any of his predecessors, so much so that he is known in the East as St Gregory the Dialogist. He was the first pope to come from a Monastic background and did immense work to improve the welfare of the people of Rome. March 12 used to be his Feast Day, but it was moved to September 3 – the day his Papacy began. Bill Cook joins us.

Yesterday we celebrated the Feast of Mother Teresa. Over the last several years and especially since the murder of George Floyd we have seen an increased effort to "re-examine" the heroes of the past, with statues of everyone from Columbus to Abraham Lincoln being torn down or vandalized. But surely someone like Mother Teresa is exempt from such reckonings, right? Not so, as the New York Times published a piece asking if the saint was really a Cult leader. We'll talk about it with Clemente Lisi.

Principled Entrepreneurship is the mindset that, among other things, enables and empowers the American Dream. Principled Entrepreneurs connect people to their purpose and passion by forming teams that create value for customers. We look at Five Pillars that define Principled Entrepreneurship with Andreas Widmer.

The cause of free enterprise is under assault from the progressive left, but are the foundations of economic truth understood well enough by those who defend a market economy? Can they withstand the assault? David Bahnsen is our guest.

Christians may not have the social influence we once did, but in all areas of life you can still find Catholics who are committed to integrating their faith and their everyday life. One example is Dan Weingartz, whose commitment to his faith led him to join the fight against the HHS Mandate. He joins us to discuss integrating his faith and work life.

When we reminisce about the "good old days," one of the features we tend to remember is how we spent our Sundays. Almost all the stores were closed, and after church we'd have a family dinner and spend the day resting. While the culture has long since abandoned such traditions, it doesn’t mean we can't restore it within our families. Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle joins us to discuss how we can reclaim our Sundays.

Rodney Stark was a groundbreaking sociologist of religion who passed away this summer. Through his books and numerous appearance and Kresta in the Afternoon, he argued against the lie that the world would be better off without religion and showed that Christianity has been beneficial to all, including nonbelievers. We look back on that discussion.

In recent years atheism has become ever more visible, acceptable, and influential. Atheist apologists have become increasingly vociferous and confident in their claims: that a morality requiring benevolence towards all and universal human rights need not be grounded in religion; that modern science disproves the existence of God; and that there is nothing innately religious about human beings. Christian Smith responds to these arguments.