Kresta in the Afternoon

A Pentagon official said this week that ISIS-K could have the capacity to attack the US within the next 12 months. It’s been two years since founder Abu Bakr Al Bagdadi was killed and the caliphate may be gone, but ISIS clearly isn’t going anywhere. What do they want now, and what will they do to get it? We’ll talk with Joby Warrick.

Pope Francis’ meeting with President Biden will not be televised. Today the Vatican canceled its scheduled live broadcast of tomorrow’s meeting, but did not offer an explanation as to why. Matthew Bunson takes a closer look.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1947 and are some of the most well-preserved ancient documents, and a new study at MIT examined how they were written and why they have been preserved for so long. What is written on these ancient texts? What does it reveal about the Jewish roots of Christianity? We talk with John Bergsma.

Whether you love or hate the 1960s, most people would agree they were a landmark period in American history and culture. Reforms intended to make the nation more just and humane left Americans feeling more alienated and misled. Chris Caldwell looks at the roller coaster of the last half-century and how Americans came to have two different ideas of what it means to play by the rules.

A recent Washington Post Op-Ed asserts that too much religion is bad for a country. Citing indicators such as GDP, poverty rates, education, and life expectancy, the author points to less religious countries such as the UK and Japan and asserts they are models to follow going forward. Is he right? What narratives is he missing? We talk with Casey Chalk.

In the first half of the segment it’s a continuation of the discussion on the Dead Sea Scrolls with Dr. Christopher Rollston. Then it is a widely accepted point of view that J.R.R Tolkien was dismissive of the modern fiction of his time, and that ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ were fundamentally medieval and nostalgic in their inspiration. But is that true? What contemporary books and authors did he admire? Holly Ordway joins us to examine Tolkien's modern influences.

In October 1991, Israel announced it would give scholars free access to photos of the Dead Sea Scrolls. What have we learned in the 30 years since? Dr. Christopher Rollston joins us with the story behind the Scrolls - how they came to be discovered, and the controversy surrounding their release.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is facing a demand from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to divulge information regarding the alleged use of an experimental drug on puppies. Animal research has always been a contentious topic, since it has also resulted in several important medical breakthroughs. What is a Catholic understanding of “animal welfare?” Dr Charles Camosy joins us.

What does Scripture tell us about our duty to care for creation? The Old Testament is full of laws and references to how the Jews were to care for animals. What changed with the New Covenant? Al discusses.

In the Gospel yesterday we heard the story of Bartimaeus. You probably know the story well, having heard it many times over the years. But have you ever come to the end of one of these Gospel stories and asked yourself, “what happens next?” How do we weave together the four unique gospels and find a coherent narrative of Jesus’ life? We talk with Russell Shaw.