Kresta in the Afternoon

In a 1946 essay, George Orwell criticized the “ugly and inaccurate” state of the English language, and observed that the decline would have political consequences. Words matter, and when they lost their meaning we lose our ability to communicate. We see this in our current debates on the meaning of equity. We’ll talk more about it with Dr. Robert Kennedy of the University of St. Thomas.

40 Days for Life will host a Closing Rally and Jericho March at the Ann Arbor Planned Parenthood on Palm Sunday. Keynote speaker Heather Gardner joins us.

After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, National Conservatives sought ways to attract moderate Democrats and other voters to their cause. This attempt has mostly failed, for a few reasons. What does this mean as America braces itself for an election between two deeply unpopular candidates? James Patterson joins us.

There are two statements that can help illustrate the cultural crisis of transgenderism. The first, by second-century apologist Tertullian, says “the Incarnation is the hinge of salvation.” Centuries later, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI would observe that “Iconoclasm as a denial of the Incarnation is the summation of all heresies.” We unpack more with Monica Miller.

Naomi White has been on the Camino de Santiago 11 times, and it’s had a profound impact on her. She dreamed of opening a little hostel on the Camino, but ended up going another direction and now hosts a retreat house in Chelsea, Michigan. She joins us to share how you can travel your own Camino without leaving home.

There was a time when the priesthood was largely respected by the general public. Actor Alec Guinness began his journey to the faith after a young boy saw him in his Father Brown costume and assumed he was a real priest; Guinness reflected that a Church which could inspire such trust in a child must be doing something right. Sadly, the abuse crisis and shifts in the culture have changed that. But despite the challenges, research by Msgr. Stephen Rossetti finds that most priests are happy, like their work, and have vibrant spiritual lives. He shares his findings.

President Biden addressed the nation last night in a speech that was much more a campaign speech than a State of the Union address. Both parties offered many of the same tired talking points they have for years. Al has some thoughts.

In March 2022, a critique of Pope Francis entitled The Vatican Today was published under the name “Demos.” It was later revealed to be authored by the late Cardinal Pell. Now, a new piece by a “Demos II” entitled The Vatican Tomorrow is making the rounds. Matthew Bunson has more.

CS Lewis is remembered as one of the great Christian writers and apologists of the 20th century, but many people don’t realize he had a lot to say on the concept of gender. Woven throughout his works, Lewis offers us a coherent, orthodox, and imaginatively satisfying vision of gender, one in which gender is a unique revelation of God—an apocalypse—and a powerful sign of reality itself. Jane Scharl joins us.

St. Thomas Aquinas died on this day at the Fossanova Abbey in 1274, 750 years ago. In the nearly eight centuries since then, there may not be another theologian who has done so much to shape our understanding of God, man and the Church. We talk more about him with Roger Nutt.