Newman on Tap Presents

In this episode of Newman on Tap, host Ron Snyder is joined by scripture and language scholar Angie Brown to discuss St. John Henry Newman's 1835 parochial sermon "Saving Knowledge." Newman asks what it truly means to know God — not as the mere possession of ideas or correct religious vocabulary, but as living under the conviction of His unseen presence, revealed personally and really in Jesus Christ. Angie, whose work lies at the intersection of biblical translation, semantics, and theological interpretation, brings a linguistic lens to the sermon, drawing on Newman's Grammar of Assent to explore how words acquire their full meaning only when they correspond to a reality that has taken hold of the person and is expressed in obedient action.

 Their conversation traces several key themes: the connection between faith and knowledge as gifts of revelation rather than intellectual achievement; the danger of "deceitful words" detached from lived reality; the indispensable role of the heart in Newman's understanding of holiness; and the limits of nature alone to reveal God, completed by Scripture as the interpretive key. Angie offers a rich analysis of the Greek grammar underlying 1 John 2:3 — the sermon's foundational verse — showing that "knowing God" is described in the present and perfect tenses as a continuous, ongoing relationship rather than a one-time accomplishment. Ron and Angie also discuss Newman's critique of Rousseau and Aristotle, the analogy of obedience motivated by love rather than duty, and the stakes captured in Newman's line: "To know God is life eternal."

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

Host Ron Snyder and his guest Leah Steele discuss St. John Henry Newman's sermon "Love of Religion: A New Nature," exploring what it means to be truly alive with Christ. Leah shares her conversion story — from a charismatic Protestant upbringing through a period of drifting, to finding the Eucharist and entering the Catholic Church in 2021. They reflect on Newman's themes of shadow and dream, the will cooperating with grace, and the lives of saints like Thérèse of Lisieux as examples of lived religion. Leah observes that God "works with what we give Him," growing our desire for Him over time, and finds comfort in the thought that God "knows fully" — that even when we see only in part, we can trust the One who sees the whole picture.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

Father Robert Whitney joins the host Ron Snyder to discuss St. John Henry Newman's first Oxford University sermon, "The Philosophical Temper, First Enjoined by the Gospel", sharing how Newman kept reappearing throughout his own journey as a student of the classics, a seminarian, and now a teacher. They explore Newman's counter to the Enlightenment claim that religion is hostile to science, citing great scientists of faith — Lemaître, Mendel, Pasteur — and Pasteur's dictum that "a little science estranges men from God, but much science brings them back to Him." They unpack the "affective dimension" of education: Newman's insistence that forming the heart and right desires is as essential as training the intellect, and that teaching facts without virtue risks producing "smart sociopaths." They examine the moral character required for honest inquiry — humility, patience, caution — and the Thomistic distinction between the vice of curiositas (self-indulgent curiosity) and the virtue of studiositas (disciplined, intentional study). They discuss how Newman warns against both Christian anti-intellectualism (disparaging anything novel) and scientific dismissiveness toward faith, pointing to St. Paul as a model of uniting pagan wisdom with Christian revelation. They explore how original sin disordered human desires and cognition, making Christianity's honest recognition of a fallen mind — not a limitation — the true starting point for education and the cure for what Newman calls the fragmentation and "siloing" of knowledge. They conclude with Newman's Christocentric vision drawn from John's Gospel: Christ as the Light of the World who unites all truth, so that approaching any field of study with authentically Christian habits of mind can transform ordinary work into something golden, offered to God.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

In this episode, Dr. Keith Kuwata joins host Ron Snyder to discuss Newman's sermon "Tolerance of Religious Error," preached on the Feast of St. Barnabas in 1834. Keith, who was raised in a non-sacramental evangelical tradition before becoming an Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian and eventually entering the Catholic Church in 2003, draws on his own journey to illuminate Newman's critique of the Christianity of his age. He describes how his evangelical upbringing reduced faith to a single conversion experience — accepting Christ's atoning death — after which good behavior was expected to follow spontaneously, with any effort toward obedience feeling almost sinful, as if works might replace Christ's merit. Newman identifies three schools of thought that distort Christianity by separating love from truth: the school of expedience, which reduces faith to social kindness and rejects eternal punishment; the school of excited feelings, which places all hope in a one-time conversion and eliminates the need for self-denial or working out salvation with fear and trembling; and the mystical school, which reduces religion to a vague spiritual sensibility disconnected from doctrine and daily moral life. The common thread across all three is that charity becomes detached from truth and drifts into merely "being a good person" rather than being rooted in Christ. Newman's answer is that genuine Christian love must be grounded in Scripture, dogma, and Christ Himself — combining the zeal of St. Paul with the kindness of St. Barnabas — so that charity always has Christ as its goal and focus.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

Host Ron Snyder welcomes Olivia Firsching to discuss Newman's 1836 sermon "Doing Glory to God in Pursuits of the World," which challenges the idea that holiness requires withdrawing from ordinary life. Newman argues Christians are called to glorify God within daily work, relationships, and duty rather than escaping them — avoiding both worldliness and passive withdrawal. Olivia shares her own journey with Newman's writing and how the sermon's call to serve heartily resonated with her two years of homeless outreach ministry in Denver.

She recounts a particularly moving encounter from that time: on a cold day downtown, needing a quiet moment of prayer, she was heading into a church for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, hoping for a bit of rest and prayerful insight. Instead, she found Chris, a homeless man in a wheelchair, waiting outside. Rather than continuing on to kneel before the Eucharist, she knelt down in front of his wheelchair to be at eye level and speak with him. In that posture of humility, she realized she was kneeling before Christ all over again — this time in the person of Chris himself. Even as the Blessed Sacrament sat exposed just eighty feet away inside the church, she understood that Christ was also truly present in the man in front of her, and that encounter carried into the rest of her ministry.

They go on to explore Newman's warning against spiritual lukewarmness and draw parallels to saints like Andre Bessette, Solanus Casey, and Thérèse of Lisieux — figures who sanctified humble, hidden tasks through quiet devotion rather than grand gestures. The conversation returns repeatedly to the sermon's core theme: that true holiness isn't found by fleeing the world, but by loving God fully within it, rooted in generosity of heart. They close by tying the sermon to broader themes of worship, sacrifice, and vocation as paths to union with Christ.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

This episode of Newman on Tap Presents, hosted by Ron Snyder, features guest Sheila Berube, a retired Catholic Studies graduate student who discovered St. John Henry Newman through her coursework. Together they explore Newman's sermon The Danger of Accomplishments (1831), which warns that knowledge, talent, and accomplishment are only good insofar as they lead to virtuous action rather than empty feeling. They discuss how education and "refinement" can create a false sense of piety if it never translates into obedience and duty toward God. Sheila connects this to Newman's idea of the "gentleman" — someone who appears polished but may lack true virtue — and to her own studies on the Catholic novel and grace. The conversation touches on Augustine, Mother Theresa, and Flannery O'Connor as examples of faith requiring real sacrifice, not just intellectual or aesthetic appreciation. They close by reflecting on Newman's own spiritual journey from Anglicanism toward Catholicism, and Ron invites Sheila back as she continues her studies.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

Host, Ron Snyder interviews poet Rita A. Simmonds reflecting on Newman's sermon "The Invisible World" through her own poetry. They explore Newman's idea that an unseen spiritual world exists alongside the visible one, pairing his sermon passages with Rita's poems on faith, loss, and grace. Rita shares deeply personal work inspired by her husband's death, alongside poems on Christ's presence, the good thief's redemption, and nature as a window into the eternal. The conversation moves through themes of hidden vs. revealed truth, the suddenness of grace, and seeing with "eyes of faith." Rita also connects Newman's influence to Monsignor Luigi Giussani, the key inspiration for her poetry. The episode closes with gratitude and information on where to find Rita's published work (ritaasimmonds.com).

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

This episode features host Ron Snyder in conversation with Dr. Robert Kennedy, a Catholic Studies professor at the University of St. Thomas, about Newman's sermon "The Gainsaying of Korah." Kennedy shares his winding academic path and how his early work on Orestes Brownson (1803 -1876, American Catholic convert, intellectual, social reform advocate, preacher) first connected him to Newman. The two dig into Newman's sermon on the Book of Numbers, exploring how Korah's rebellion against Moses and Aaron mirrors 19th-century challenges to priestly authority within the Church of England. Their discussion turns to pride, self-reliance, and rationalism as forces that undermine faith and obedience to God's authority. Dr. Kennedy connects the biblical narrative to Newman's broader theology of vocation, arguing that true obedience means trusting a wisdom greater than our own — even without complete assurance of outcomes. The episode closes by applying these themes to modern struggles with authority, private judgment, and discerning one's calling.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

In this episode of Newman on Tap, host Ron Snyder is joined by Molly Schroeder, a middle school teacher, to discuss St. John Henry Newman's 1831 sermon "Religious Cowardice." Their conversation explores St. Mark's journey from timidity to boldness, contrasted with Moses' shift from passion to meekness, and highlights Newman's warning that peaceful, comfortable societies often breed passive faith and spiritual cowardice—an idea he revisits in his later writings. Molly and Ron draw parallels to modern life, noting how comfort and technology similarly dull people to genuine spiritual challenges today. They close by reflecting on grace, the role of trials in reminding us of God's mercy, and how authentic community can help sustain an active, courageous faith.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site. 

This is a podcast conversation between host Ron Snyder and Dr. Mark Fulk, a 19th-century British literature scholar at Buffalo State University, discussing John Henry Newman's 1842 sermon The Christian Church an Imperial Power.
Dr. Fulk shares how his Anglican faith journey and literary interests led him to Newman, and describes his current book project arguing Newman's Anglican sermons deserve recognition as literature. The conversation focuses on Newman's vision of Christ's kingdom as an imperial but spiritual force — one that spreads not through military conquest but through missionary work, teaching, and righteous living, drawing heavily on Isaiah and the Psalms. Newman's repeated rhetorical questions ("Has it not spread? Has it not taken the cause of the poor?") are highlighted as a powerful defense of the Church's enduring historical presence. The discussion also wrestles with the tension in Newman's imagery — the violent, conquering language of empire balanced by themes of clemency, humility, and parental care — and how Newman tempers that imagery by grounding it fully in Scripture. Both host and guest close with appreciation for Newman's refusal to sanitize Scripture and his insistence that the Church's ultimate victory unfolds in God's time, not ours.

To approach Newman's majestic thought it is highly recommended to download the formatted sermon at www.newmanontap.com. Comments and suggestions are appreciated on the same site.