Kresta in the Afternoon

It’s important to keep in mind that mainstream news outlets are not driven by ideology or mission – they are entertainment outlets driven by a need to produce ratings. What does this “news as entertainment” look like? Al discusses.

In the words of CS Lewis, “God is more than a god, not less; Christ is more than Balder, not less. We must not be ashamed of the mystical radiance resting on our theology. We must not be nervous about parallels and ‘pagan Christs’: they ought to be there it would be a stumbling block if they weren’t. We must not, in false spirituality, withhold our imaginative welcome.” Some of our most well-known myths come from the Romans and Greeks. What role did these tales play in ancient society and what use do we have for them today? Dr Louis Markos is our guest.

GK Chesterton died on June 14, 1936. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Christian writers of the 20th century and heavily influenced the work of CS Lewis. He is especially known for his quotable writings and comments. Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society and co-founder of the Chesterton Academy, is with us discuss some of Chesterton’s greatest quotes.

Zubair Simonson’s mother was a Muslim from Pakistan, and his father an American who converted to Islam. Growing up, he got a variety of impressions about what it meant to be truly Muslim, but really began to question things when he witnessed the September 11, 2001 attacks as a freshman at the University of Michigan. Later, a personal crisis led him to explore Christianity, starting with C.S. Lewis. Lewis led him to G.K. Chesterton, and reading Chesterton was a large part of what helped Zubair understand both the beauty and the reasonableness of Catholicism.

St. Thomas Aquinas is well-known for his contributions to philosophy. But scholars have recently began to more fully appreciate his role as a biblical theologian. Why was this aspect of his thought neglected for so long? What did Aquinas’ Biblical theology look like? We talk with Dr. Matthew Levering.

There is one key difference between “Theological Liberalism” and “Conservative Liberalism” and it comes down to our understanding of Divine Revelation – has God spoken? Al discusses.

The revelation of God as Trinity reveals Who God is and what God does. The Trinity is the core of all Christian beliefs, as the well-known tri-fold structure of the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed illustrates. In the light of yesterday's feast of the Trinity, we look at a theology of Trinity and learn about how other world religions view God. Dr. John Love is our guide.

Over the course of four weeks at the end of the Easter Season, we celebrate four magnificent feasts: the Ascension, Pentecost, the Trinity, and Corpus Christi. Just as the secular calendar organizes itself around celebrations like the New Year’s Day or Independence Day, the Church organizes itself around these feasts. Why? Al discusses.

On June 12, 1987, Ronald Regan uttered the phrase that arguably defined his presidency: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The Wall was an iconic symbol of Communism, designed to keep people in, not out. At the time its falling was viewed as a decisive victory for Western liberties and values, and a possible death blow for Soviet-style Communism. But was it? What do today’s generations believe about the values of Communism and Socialism? Dr. Paul Kengor joins us.

In the past, upper-class Americans used to display their social status with luxury goods. Today, they do it with luxury beliefs. These are ideas and opinions that confer status on the rich at very little cost, while taking a toll on the lower class. Al takes a look