Shows
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Rise and Fall of the Integrated Humanities Program, 1966-1979In 1970, three professors at the University of Kansas created a unique
humanities program--the Pearson Integrated Humanities Program--that
captivated students, introducing them to the "Great Books" of the
Western tradition and the "perennial philosophy." But some in the
university did not care for this program, and pointed to the Catholic
faith of the three professors in claiming they were "brainwashing" their
students. When six students in the program entered a monastery, their
opponents seized on this to help bring the program to an end. In this
episode of Controversies in Church History, we take a closer look at the
rise...
2023-07-211h 16
Controversies in Church HistoryLatinization, Episode IV: the Ottoman World, 1450-1800
In the fourth installment of our series on Latinization of the Eastern Churches, we take a look at Rome during Renaissance and Reformation era and its relationship with the Eastern Churches that come into communion with it, above all the Maronite Church. We also take a look at the influence of European powers on this process, as well as the creation of new Eastern Catholic Churches in the 18th century.
2023-06-2757 min
Controversies in Church HistoryReView: BecketIn this episode of Controversies in Church History, we take a look at the 1964 feature film Becket, a bio pic about the medieval marytr and bishop St. Thomas Becket. After a brief relation of the history of Becket's martyrdom, we take a look at the film, which based on the play by Jean Anouilh, and assess its strengths and weaknesses as a film and as history.
2023-06-2037 min
Controversies in Church HistoryShorts: The Maronites in Renaissance RomeHey everyone! This is new Short, a preview of the latest patron only episode for everyone else. This is from Episode IV of our series on Latinization, which is on Rome's relationship with Eastern Christians in the Ottoman Empire between 1450 and 1800. In this clip, I discuss the relationship between Rome and the Maronite Church of Lebanon during the late 16th century, and how both sides sought to gain from their relationship, but which contributed to Latinization of the Maronites in the long run. The full episode will be available to all listeners at months end, but if you want...
2023-06-0805 min
Controversies in Church HistoryReView: A Man For All SeasonsHello! The latest episode of the podcast is another "ReView" of an historical film This time, I riff on the one of the most heralded movies about a ever made about a Catholic historical figure. I am of course talking about "A Man For All Seasons," the biopic about St. Thomas More which won six Oscars in 1966, and in the film I discuss what it gets right and wrong historically, and also talk about the inspiration for the film's writer, Rober Bolton, to write about a Catholic saint.
2023-06-0435 min
Controversies in Church HistoryLatinization, Episode III: The Era of Reformations, 1450-1750Hi everyone! In this episode, we give a brief overview of the trends in the early modern era that affected Rome's attitude toward Eastern Christian customs, and how that led to instances of "Latinization." We take a look at papal policy in that era, as embodied by a papal encyclical of Benedict XIV, which lays out the papal rationale for altering (or not altering) Eastern Christian customs.
2023-05-2741 min
Controversies in Church HistoryGalileo's Ghost: The Trial of Galileo & the Modern Myth of ExpertiseOur latest episode is now available. In this installment, I take a look at the "Galileo Affair" as it is often called, and talk about how it became a founding myth of modernity, not only concerning the relationship between science and religion, but also the myth of the modern "expert," which is very much still a crucial part of our world today.
2023-05-251h 03
Controversies in Church HistoryShorts: Benedict XIV on LatinizationHey everyone! This is a new feature I will be using going forward. I provide early access to certain episodes to my supporters on Patreon, in particular the episodes in my longer ongoing series. After a month, I drop the episode for everyone. So, to give non-subscribers a sneak preview, I am going to share clips of the full episodes before they drop, to give you a sense of what's going on. The current series is on the topic of Latinization, how Rome "latinized" or otherwise made Eastern Churches in communion with her adopt Latin liturgical and disciplinary customs...
2023-05-1605 min
Controversies in Church HistoryIs the Pope an Absolute Monarch?It is common to hear Catholics say the pope is an "absolute monarch." But is that true? In this episode, I examine the question and conclude that yes, he is--but not in the way you probably think.
2023-05-0832 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Arian Crisis, c320-381In this re-recording of an earlier episode, I take a look at the Arian Crisis of the Fourth Century, when conflict over the nature of Christ's divinity shook the Church for over half a century. In it, I discuss the nature of the dispute as well as how the Roman emperors played a role in the conflict. Finally, I consider the Arian Crisis in comparison with the current crisis of faith in the Church today, to which many have compared it.
2023-04-281h 02
Controversies in Church HistoryLatinization, Episode II: The Middle Ages
In this second installment of our series on Latinization, we tell the story of how Rome's reforms in the 11th and 12th centuries led to conflicts in the border lands of Eastern and Southern Europe with the Byzantine Orthodox, and how the Crusades set in motion the (mostly) voluntary Latinization of the Armenian and Maronite Churches. We end with a consideration of the reunion councils held between the Eastern and Western Churches, and whether they can be considered attempts at "Latinization." Finally, we discuss the role of political power and ideals of "ecclesiastical universalism" in the whole question of...
2023-04-1853 min
Controversies in Church HistoryReView: HBO's Rome
Hello everyone! On this episode of Controversies in Church History, I take a look back at another piece of recent cultural history. This time, I review the HBO TV series Rome, which aired from 2005-2007, and look at how the creators of the Show framed the series as a contrast between pagan Roman and Christian morality.
2023-04-1543 min
Controversies in Church HistoryPope JoanIn this episode of Controversies in Church History, we look at the reign of Pope Joan (855-857), the only woman ever to reign as bishop of Rome. If you like the podcast, please follow us on Spotify for Podcasters, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel, and if you are so inclined, become a patron of the podcast via our Patreon account.
2023-04-0102 min
Controversies in Church HistoryReView: The Tudors
In this episode, I take a look back at the Showtime historical drama The Tudors (2007-2010), and show why it was a worthy attempt to depict the Reformation era of Henry VIII, despite being what its own producers called a "soap opera." In it, I discuss what they did and did not get right about Thomas More, and why long series like this are better vehicle for history than feature films. Cheers!
2023-03-3033 min
Controversies in Church HistoryReView: William Oddie's "The Roman Option"For this episode of Controversies in Church History, we are doing something a bit different. In it, we take a look back "The Roman Option: Crisis and Realignment in English Speaking Christianity" by the Catholic journalist William Oddie. Published in 1998, Oddie details how a group of Anglicans disaffected by the Church of England's decision to "ordain" women attempted the "Roman Option," to create a corporate union of these groups in communion with Rome but were thwarted by opposition, both in and outside the Catholic Church in England. We drawe some lessons about how synodal government brought radical change to...
2023-03-2443 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCardinal McElroy's Dubious History
In this brief episode, I take a look at a very suspect historical claim that Cardinal McElroy makes in his recent response to critics in America Magazine. If you like what hear, please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel, and if you are so inclined, became a patron of Controversies in Church History by visiting our Patreon page. Pax Christi!
2023-03-2115 min
Controversies in Church HistoryLatinization, Episode I: What It Is, Why It MattersIn the first episode of our new series on Latinization, I define what Latinization is, and why it is important for understanding the Catholic Church today.
If you like this topic, please follow us on Spotify for Podcasters, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen on the Controversies in Church History YouTube channel (please subscribe there if you follow somewhere else--I am trying to build up the channel). Finally, if you would like to support the podcast, please check out our Patreon page, where for a small monthly donation y...
2023-03-1936 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Reformation of the World: the Gregorian Reform, c.1050-1150In this re-recording of a lecture given in early 2020, I take a look at the Gregorian Reform movement, a medieval movement that sought to reform the Christian world with the papacy as its champion. Beginning with monastic reforms in the tenth century, a series of reforming monks and clergy sought to free the Church from lay control while reforming the behavior of the clergy. When one of their number became Pope Gregory VII in 1073, the stage was set for a clash with the Holy Roman Emperor, as the reformers exalted papal authority in a bid to reform not only...
2023-03-1453 min
Controversies in Church HistoryUpdates & an Ordinariate DefenseHello friends! I am busy at work on the next few episodes of the podcast, and will be dropping some shorter episodes available to all listeners and not just subscribers. This begins now, with a short episode in which I give some updates but also read a post from my blog that I wrote several years ago, defending the Ordinariate liturgy (if you don't know what an Ordinariate is, I explain it in the episode). Be on the look our for a few more shorter episodes coming this week, free for all. Cheers!
2023-03-1327 min
Controversies in Church HistoryState of the Podcast UpdateAn update on the podcast, personal news, and an appeal to help grow the podcast from yours truly.
2023-01-1311 min
Controversies in Church HistoryWhat We've Been Reading: 2022A review of some of the more interesting/enlightening books I've read this past year, though not all of them have to do with Catholicism. Enjoy!
2022-12-1944 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives, Episode 15: Orestes Brownson--the American NewmanOur series of mini-biographies we call "Catholic Lives" takes a look at the life and career of Orestes A. Brownson (1803-1876), a convert from New England whose spiritual journey took him from Evangelical revivalism to Unitarianism and the Transcendentalist Movement, before entering the Catholic Church in 1844. A thinker with a wrestling, combative style, Brownson became one of the premier Catholic thinkers in 19th century America, and someone whose political thought was grounded in the need for transcendent truths, above all the truth of the Catholic faith.
2022-10-2541 min
Controversies in Church HistoryChurch Musings 10/22Controversies in Church History will return to regular (or semi-regular) podcasting in the spring. Until then, take a listen to a short audio presentation of post on the blog post concerning recent news items involving the Church in the past week. Cheers!
2022-10-2313 min
Controversies in Church HistoryMuch Ado About Integralism, 1872-PresentThere is a specter haunting the Catholic world, whose name is "integralism." The term "integralism" has been used in recent years by Catholic thinkers who want to reassert the Church's teaching on the superiority of the spiritual power to that of the temporal power, and the rights of the Church over society. Some Catholic thinkers have even brought this term into American political debate on the Right. Some have decried this trend as a resurgence of theocracy or even of fascism. In this episode, I will discuss the historical origins of "integralism" in 19th century Spain and early 20th...
2022-07-2748 min
Controversies in Church HistoryKulturkampf: the German War on Catholicism, 1871-1890In 1871, the German Empire began passing laws meant to control the Catholic Church in Germany, which it regarded as a potential fifth column. This legislation inspired attempts by other German speaking countries, and within five years governments arrested and exiled bishops, removed priests from their parishes, seized church property and expelled religious orders from their countries. This episode has become known as the "Kulturkampf," the civilizational struggle between a modernizing German nation and the retrograde Catholic Church. Join me for this episode as I dive into the causes, effects and legacy of this traumatic event in the history of...
2022-07-1846 min
Controversies in Church HistoryHeresy, American Style: The Americanist Crisis, 1890-1900In 1899, pope Leo XIII wrote a letter to Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore, condemning something called "Americanism." Many contemporary Catholic historians and scholars have claimed that "Americanism" is a phantom, a term of abuse by "conservative" Catholics hurled at their opponents. In this episode, we will talk about what "Americanism" is and and isn't, the American Church in the 19th century, and why pope Leo XIII condemned the ideas associated with the term "Americanism." Pax Christi! Please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform and share with friends. You can also subscribe on YouTube and find us on the w...
2022-07-1250 min
Controversies in Church HistoryWas Shakespeare Catholic?Catholic images, beliefs, and even practices, dot the plays of William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright in the English language. And relatives of his can be identified as Catholic, even one that was executed for treason. But was William Shakespeare himself a Catholic? In this episode, we dive into the evidence for Shakespeare as a Roman Catholic, and take a look at the changing landscape of historical and literary scholarship that has led the "Catholic Shakespeare" thesis to become a popular one in recent decades.
2022-07-0452 min
Controversies in Church HistoryMass of the Ages & Conspiracy TheoriesIn this episode, I take a look at the otherwise admirable "Mass of the Ages" film, and claims of conspiracy with regard to history. Specifically, I talk about why the liturgical reform of the 1960s was NOT the result of a conspiracy and why conspiracy theories in general are poor explanations for complicated historical events.
2022-06-2541 min
Controversies in Church HistoryMy Conversion StoryIn response to a viewer's request, I hereby present you with the story of my conversion to the Catholic Church, and how I went from atheism to believing in Jesus Christ.
2022-06-241h 05
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives, Episode 15: Orestes Brownson, The American NewmanOur series of mini-biographies we call "Catholic Lives" takes a look at the life and career of Orestes A. Brownson (1803-1876), a convert from New England whose spiritual journey took him from Evangelical revivalism to Unitarianism and the Transcendentalist Movement, before entering the Catholic Church in 1844. A thinker with a wrestling, combative style, Brownson became one of the premier Catholic thinkers in 19th century America, and someone whose political thought was grounded in the need for transcendent truths, above all the truth of the Catholic faith.
2022-06-1241 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives, Episode 14: Hugh Ross-WilliamsonIn this episode of our "Catholic Lives" series, we look at the life of Hugh-Ross Williamson, the son of a Presbyterian minister, journalist, author historian, playwright, and an Anglican clergyman before his conversion to the Catholic Church in 1955. In his later life, he was a critic of the new rite of the mass introduced in 1969, and became one of the founders of the Latin Mass movement in England.
2022-05-3035 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode VII: Assessing the LegacyIn the final episode, I briefly discuss the legacy of 19th century Catholic Liberalism, and how it influenced theological movements in the 20th century. In particular, I look at the impact of Catholic Liberalism on the thinkers who prepared the way for Vatican II, and how knowledge of Catholic liberalism helps us understand the era that followed the Council.
2022-05-2131 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode VI: Eclipse, 1870-1905The latest episode in our series on Catholic Liberalism is now available. "Eclipse, 1870-1905," begins in the aftermath of Vatican I, when the Church faced even greater hostility from liberal governments, making the position of Catholic Liberals even more difficult. The Ralliement under Leo XIII seems to embrace Catholic liberal ideals, but its failure followed by the condemnation of Americanism and the final separation of Church and State in France put an end to liberal hopes. Finally, we explore how the intellectual and social dimensions of Catholic Liberalism fed into the Modernist Crisis of the early 20th century.
2022-05-1845 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode V: Catholic Liberalism in Retreat, 1848-1870Greetings! The next episode in our series on Catholic Liberalism is now available. "Catholic Liberalism in Retreat, 1848-1870," explores how political events and a changing papacy conspired to derail the movement of Catholic Liberalism. The Revolutions of 1848, and the wars of unification in Italy and Germany, left the Church exposed to hostile, anti-clerical governments, and in response Catholics across Europe turn to the power of the papacy to shield them. At the same, time, pope Pius IX and his advisors decided on a combative stance toward political liberalism in Europe, issuing the Syllabus of Errors in 1864, and convoking the...
2022-05-1155 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode IV: The Varieties of Liberalism, 1815-1848Greetings everyone! In the fourth installment in our series on Catholic Liberalism, we look at the sources of Catholic liberalism beyond France. Specifically, we look at the making of Catholic liberalism in Italy, where dissatisfaction with the government of the Papal States fueled Catholic engagement with liberalism. Also discussed are Church-State relations in German speaking lands, and the emergence of theological liberalism in German Catholic circles. Finally, we note the connection between Catholic liberalism and the beginnings of the Catholic Revival in England, including its connection with John Henry Newman.
2022-05-0447 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode III: Lamennais & the Origins of Liberalism, 1817-1834In the third installment of our series on Catholic Liberalism, we take a look at the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Felicite Robert de Lamennais (1782-1854), the apologist, writer and priest who inspired a young generations of Catholics to engage with the modern world, but whose embrace of liberalism clashed with the Vatican. Though Rome condemned his teachings, he left a legacy that influenced the Church in its attempts to come to grips with the modern world, and ensured that Catholic liberalism would long outlive him.
2022-04-2845 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode II: Revolutionary Times, 1789-1848In the second installment of our series on Catholic Liberalism, we delve into the historical background out of which a Catholic form of liberalism emerged. We discuss the French Revolution and its impact on the French Church, the emergence of political liberalism in Restoration France, and the nature of the French Church after 1814, and how these contributed to the birth of Catholic Liberalism. If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and recommend it to friends and other interested parties.
2022-04-1344 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Liberalism, Episode I: IntroductionControversies in Church History is back with a new series. This time, we delve into the history of Catholic Liberalism, a movement that began in the French Church in the early 1800s, and whose influence touched most of Europe and even the United States during the nineteenth century. This movement sought to reconcile the Church to modern society in France, was condemned by the papacy more than once, and left a lasting impact on the Church. In this episode, we discuss what Catholic Liberalism as a movement sought to achieve, its main intellectual sources, and key terms that will...
2022-04-0126 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Union of Brest (1596) & the Ukrainian Catholic ChurchIn 1596, bishops and priests from the Orthodox Church in what is today Ukraine entered into communion with the bishop of Rome. This union, proclaimed at the city of Brest, became the foundation of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, whose liturgy and spiritual heritage derive from Byzantium rather than Rome. The Ukrainian Catholic Church is largest Eastern Church in communion with Rome, and plays a vital role in the history of Ukraine. In this episode, we discuss how the Union of Brest both created a local church communion with Rome but also divided the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and we consider...
2022-03-121h 11
Controversies in Church HistoryLiberation Theology, Ep. IV: A Permanent Revolution? 1980-PresentIn the final episode of our series on Liberation Theology, we examine the Vatican efforts to curb the excesses of the movement in the 1980s, as historical events lead to its decline in the 1990s. Finally, we consider Pope Francis and his relationship to this movement, and what it means for the Church today.
2022-02-1259 min
Controversies in Church HistoryLiberation Theology, Ep. III: Liberation Struggles, 1968-1980In the third episode of our series on Liberation Theology, we look at the growth and expansion of the movement during the 1970s, even as an opposition arises in the Latin American hierarchy, amidst the backdrop of guerrilla warfare and brutal government repression that afflicts much of Latin America.
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2022-02-0242 min
Controversies in Church HistoryLiberation Theology, Ep. II: Awakenings, 1958-1968In this second episode in our series on Liberation Theology, our story continues with the first wave of theologians who made up the movement. In it, we look at how the Cuban Revolution shook up Latin America in the late 1950s, what the intellectual influences were that shaped liberation theology, and finally examine how progressive theologians and bishops were able to gain official recognition for their ideas by 1968.
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2022-01-261h 09
Controversies in Church HistoryLiberation Theology, Ep. I: Latin America to 1960The first new episode of 2022 begins a new series on Liberation Theology, the controversial intellectual and social movement that swept Latin America in the 1960s and 70s. A response to social and cultural upheavals in Latin American societies, Liberation Theology flourished for several decades before declining in influence by the 1990s. This series will chart the rise and fall of the movement, the source and inspiration of its ideas, and the legacies it has left behind for the Church today.
In our first episode, we explain the basic premise of Liberation Theology, and give a short historical...
2022-01-1838 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Vatican-China AgreementIn 2018, the Vatican announced it had made a diplomatic agreement with the People's Republic of China, in the hopes that it would lead to formal recognition by both parties. The intervening years have seen an intensification of the Chinese government's policy of "Sinicization," of forcing religious and ethnic groups to adapt their beliefs, institutions to Chinese communism. In this bonus episode, we will provide some background on relations between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China since its inception in 1945, and assess the agreement in light of that history.
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2021-11-2045 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Church & the BaroqueEver wonder why Catholic churches got "wreckovated" in the 1960s? The answer is complicated, but one reason has to do with a style of art that flourished in the 17th century: the Baroque. In this episode we will dive into where the art of the baroque came from and why liturgical reformers tried to purge "baroque" elements from the liturgy.
2021-11-0937 min
Controversies in Church HistoryConciliarismRecently, the Vatican has announced the commencement of a world-wide "Synod on Synodality" in which local churches will participate. In light of this, we are bringing you a bonus episode, in which we take a brief look at the doctrine and history of the conciliarist movement, the idea that ecumencial councils should govern the church rather than popes.
2021-11-0240 min
Controversies in Church HistoryDarkness and Light: The Church from WWII to Vatican IIIn this special Bonus Episode of Controversies in Church History, I give a talk about trends in the Church between the Second World War and the Second Vatican Council, as well as their impact on the upheavals that followed in the 1960s.
2021-09-2643 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, Episode 2: "Disobedient People," 1964-1974In this episode, we recall the history of lay men and women's efforts to preserve the old Roman liturgy from suppression in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. From the growth of such lay movements as Una Voce International, we examine the response of those laymen attached to the old rite to the promulgation of the new missal, and the attempts to end the celebration of the older rite.
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2021-09-061h 35
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, Episode 5: Back to the Future, 1988-PresentIn this final episode in our series on the Traditionalist movement, we detail the growth of the traditionalist orders in communion with Rome, the growth of traditionalism during the reign of Pope Benedict XVI, and finally, end with a brief examination of Francis' motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, and what it means for the traditionalists and the Church as a whole.
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2021-09-031h 21
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, Episode 4: Divisions, 1976-1988In the latest episode in our series on the Catholic Traditionalist movement, we pick up the narrative in the reign of John Paul II, where the new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Ratzinger, brings a sympathetic voice into the curia. Meanwhile, divisions arise within the Society of St. Pius X, even as negotiations with Rome continue, and Una Voce International continues to press for the legalizing of the Old Roman missal. But negotiations breakdown, leading to excommunication, the division of Marcel Lefebvre's followers and the return of some to communion with Rome.
2021-08-2756 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, Episode 3: Rebel Priests, 1964-1978In this episode, we will look at some of the priests (and a few bishops) who resisted the suppression of the old Roman rite during the 1960s and 70s. We discuss how arguments over the liturgy inevitably involved disputes about the Second Vatican Council, and the reforms implemented in the immediate post-conciliar period, as well as the series of events that would lead to the separation of the Society of St. Pius X from communion with Rome.
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2021-08-201h 40
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, Episode 2: "Disobedient People," 1964-1974 (Pt. 2)In the second part of episode 2, we detail the efforts of lay writers and activists to stave off attempts to end the celebration of the old Roman liturgy after the promulgation of the new Roman missal in 1970.
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2021-08-0952 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, Episode 2: "Disobedient People," 1964-1974 (Pt. 1)In this episode, we recall the history of lay men and women's efforts to preserve the old Roman liturgy from suppression in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. From the growth of such lay movements as Una Voce, we examine the response of those laymen attached to the old rite to the promulgation of the new missal, and the attempts to end the celebration of the older rite. (Note: the episode was much longer than I planned, so it will be broken up into two parts.)
Please subscribe to our podcast on Anchor and check out...
2021-08-0843 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Traditionalist Movement, 1964-Present: Episode 1, The OutsidersThis episode is the first in a new series on the Traditionalist movement in the Catholic Church, from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present day. In light of recent events, we discuss who and what the traditionalist movement is in the present day, discuss how it was born out of the turmoil following the Second Vatican Council, and take a look at the early leadership of the movement.
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2021-07-2445 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives, Episode 13--The Outlaw: "Bloody" Bill LongleyThe latest episode of Catholic Lives examines the life and career of the notorious Texas gunman, "Bloody" Bill Longley, whose murderous life ended with his execution--and a jailhouse conversion to the Catholic Church.
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2021-07-1425 min
Controversies in Church HistoryGreat Heresies: Jansenism, 1640-1801From the early seventeenth century to the beginning of the modern era, a dispute over ideas of salvation and sin, eucharistic discipline and the nature of the Church's authority divided the Latin Church. Labeled Jansenism, a group of writers, priests and religious espoused a rigorous form of Catholic life, inspired by the writings of St. Augustine. Clashing with the Jesuits, whom they accused of promoting laxity in faith and morals, supporters of Jansenism fought a decades long battle to instill their ideas into Church teaching, only to have their ideas condemned by the pope. In this episode, Controversies in Chu...
2021-07-071h 24
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 7: The Catholic Founding Father*Originally released 7/3/19*
This special Fourth of July episode focuses on the life of Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737-1832), the Catholic landowner, politician and businessman who signed the Declaration of Independence, and helped transform an anti-Catholic British colony into a part of a union one of whose basic rights was religious freedom.
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2021-07-0414 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives, Episode 12--From Victim to Icon: Artemisia GentileschiThis week's episode of Catholic Lives takes a look at the life and times of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1656?). A master of the Baroque era in an age when almost no woman attained such a stature as an artist, she is perhaps more well known for her somewhat scandalous life: raped at the age of 17 by a painter, she was vindicated in court, and went on to become a successful artist in her own right. In this episode we will discuss her life, and why should be considered a Catholic artist, despite her controversial life.
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2021-07-0320 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCouncils of the Church: The Council of Trent, 1545-1563In 1545, the Catholic hierarchy met in the imperial city of Trent to decide how to respond to the Protestant Reformation. Over the course of eighteen years, the council responded to Protestant criticisms by reaffirming key doctrines but also took steps to reform abuses which contributed to the Protestant schism. Trent would reshape and revitalize the Catholic Church in Europe and set the stage as Catholicism became a global faith in the early modern era. In this episode, Controversies in Church History will looks qt the impact of the council and why its achievements are still important (and controversial!) in t...
2021-07-0157 min
Controversies in Church HistoryIn the News: Catholic Indian Schools in CanadaIn the past week, some disturbing stories have come out of Canada regarding the Residential School System, the educational apparatus set in the 19th century by the Canadian government to assimilate indigenous peoples into European civilization. The Canadian government contracted the Catholic Church and other churches in Canada to run these schools, and since the early 2000s they have been in the news as tales of abuse, neglect, and above all the forced relocation of Indian children to these schools has become more widely known. In this episode, we examine the news coming out of Canada and gives some...
2021-07-0123 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCouncils of the Church: The Council of Constance, 1414-1418In 1415, cardinals, bishops and religious met in the imperial city of Constance to resolve the Great Western Schism. The Council Fathers would condemn the teachings of John Wycliffe, burn Hus at the stake, elect a new pope and end the schism. Most controversially, the Fathers of Constance would make claims for the power of councils that challenged the primacy of the papacy and inspire the Conciliarist movement of the 15th century, which claimed that ecumenical councils were superior to popes. The episode of Controversies in Church History will examine the history and legacy of Constance and the lessons it ho...
2021-06-301h 09
Controversies in Church HistoryVatican II: Continuity or Rupture?In 1962, Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council in Rome. Before the Council, the Church's liturgy was in Latin, its hierarchy largely unquestioned by it members, and Catholics were everywhere recognizable by their habit of abstaining from meat on Fridays, as much as by their devotion to the Virgin Mary. Everyone knew that Catholics thought theirs was the one true Church, and that it was opposed to much in the modern world, most obviously contraception, abortion and sex outside marriage.
Within five years of the Council's closing in 1965, all of these things had changed--the liturgy was translat...
2021-06-291h 26
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives, Episode 11: American MosesIn this episode of Catholic Lives, we detail the life of Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first black American priest to be considered for canonization. In it we will discuss his journey from slavery to freedom, and from seminary in Rome to the priesthood, ministering to black Catholics in 19th century Chicago.
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2021-06-2636 minControversies in Church HistorySupportHelp me grow my podcast and bring Church History to the mases!
2021-06-2500 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Episode 10: the Knight PrisonerIn this episode, we look at the life and times of Sir Thomas Malory, author of Le Morte d'Arthur, the most famous of medieval renditions of the story of King Arthur, during the Wars of the Roses in fifteenth century England.
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2021-06-2435 min2021-06-2300 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Catholic Charismatic Movement, 1967-Present*The talk is a bit rambling, as it was recorded while I was traveling. Apologies for any confusion or difficulty in listening.*
In 1967, students and faculty at a weekend retreat at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania experienced what they believed was a movement of the Holy Spirit, which led them to embrace what they called "baptism in the Holy Spirit," a form of spirituality and devotion previously found in Pentecostal Christianity. Since the late 60s, the Catholic Charismatics have made up a growing but controversial part of the global Catholic Church.
This installment of Controversies in Churc...
2021-06-021h 41
Controversies in Church HistoryDignitatis Humanae: Religious Liberty & the ChurchDignitatis Humanae, the document on religious liberty issued by the second Vatican Council, states that "that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power." And yet, nearly a century before, pope Pius IX condemned the proposition that "every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which...he shall consider true."
Because it seemed to contradict previous magisterial teachings, Dignitatis Humanae has caused controversy ever since its promulgation. Controversies in Church History looks at the history of the Church's teaching on religious...
2021-05-021h 19
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Modernist Crisis, c.1890-1920In the early twentieth century, a group of Catholic scholars tried to argue that the Catholic Church needed to adapt fundamental doctrines of its faith to match with the findings of modern historical and biblical scholarship. In doing so, they challenged both some of the most fundamental doctrines of the Catholic faith, as well as the authority of its hierarchy. In this lecture, we give a broad overview of the causes that led these scholars to deny traditional Church teaching, and why Pope Pius X condemned their beliefs as "the synthesis of all heresies." More than a century later, it is sti...
2021-04-071h 27
Controversies in Church HistoryEvolution and the Catholic Church, 1859-PresentIn this episode, we take a look at the history of how the Catholic Church has navigated the issues surrounding the scientific theory of evolution, what its teaching is regarding evolution, and how it came to that position. From the initial reception of Darwin's ideas, Catholics have debated the implications of his idea for the Catholic faith, and over time it has come to be accepted by most Catholics, if only in modified form. How and why that has happened, and what the relationship of evolutionary theory is to Catholic theology today, are also touched upon.
...
2021-03-031h 21
Controversies in Church HistoryDevelopment of Doctrine, 1845-PresentThe episode of Controversies in Church History examines the theory of doctrinal development in the history of the Catholic Church in the 19th and 20th centuries. Associated with St. John Henry Newman, we will discuss how this idea became has become central to debates on controversial issues in the life of the Church today.
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2021-02-021h 29
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 9: Captive, Convert and Mother Superior in Colonial AmericaThis episode of Catholic Lives focuses on the extraordinary Esther Wheelwright (1696-1780). Born in a Puritan family in colonial Massachusetts, she was abducted from her family at age seven by a Native American tribe, eventually converted to Catholicism and became mother superior in a convent of colonial Canada.
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2020-08-2423 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 8: The Poet-Priest of the South and the Confederate GeneralOur eighth installment of Catholic Lives is a two for one deal! We look at the lives of two men loyal to the Confederacy during the American Civil War, one of whom entered the Catholic Church after the war was over. Father Abram Ryan (1838-1886) was a priest and poet, know both for his poetry eulogizing the fallen South but also for his great preaching and love for the Catholic faith. James Longstreet (1821-1904) was the second in command to Robert E. Lee during the war, and afterwards became a pariah in the South for criticizing Lee's decision making a...
2020-07-3132 min
Controversies in Church HistoryHumanae Vitae*Recorded on May 27, 2020*
In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his encyclical on the regulation of birth, which reaffirmed Catholic teaching on the nature of human sexuality. The ensuing controversy led to open defiance of the encyclical by both clergy and laity alike, and so great was the outcry against it that Paul VI never issued another encyclical during his reign as pope. This episode discusses the origins of the encyclical as well as the widespread conflict that followed its promulgation, and grapples with enduring impact of that conflict.
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2020-05-311h 16
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Case of Edgaro MortaraIn 1858, a scandal rocked Europe. The Vatican removed an eight year old Jewish boy from his family and pope Pius IX raised him as a Catholic. The boy's name was Edgaro Mortara, and he would eventually become a Catholic priest. The Vatican based its decision on the claims that the boy's nurse had baptized him during a serious illness when he was one year old, and that therefore he had a right to a Christian upbringing. In an era of revolutionary change throughout Europe and the world, non-Catholics were incensed, Jewish organizations mounted a campaign in the press to have th...
2020-04-291h 06
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Great Western Schism, 1378-1417In recent years, the existence of a "pontiff emeritus" has caused some confusion for faithful Catholics, with two living popes at the same time. But imagine if there were THREE living popes, none of them "retired," all with their own rival supporters among the cardinals of the Church--what would this be like? How would we know whom to follow as Catholics?
In this episode, Controversies in Church History details the Great Western Schism (1378-1417), when just such a scenario took place in the Church, and examines how the Church became divided between rival popes, how this was reso...
2020-03-311h 08
Controversies in Church HistoryGreat Heresies: John Wyclif and the LollardsHe has been called "The Morning Star of the Reformation" by Protestants, and is sometimes regarded as the last great scholastic theologian of the Middle Ages. He denied the doctrine of transubstantiation, translated parts of the bible from Latin to English, and sent lay preachers out into the English countryside to teach poor people. His followers were condemned by the Church and persecuted by English authorities, but a scattered few remained in existence at the time of the Reformation in England. In this episode, Controversies in Church History retails the exploits of the medieval theologian John Wyclif, why the Church...
2020-02-2555 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Reformation of the World: the Gregorian Reform, c. 1050-1150In 1077, the Emperor Henry IV did homage to pope Gregory VII at Canossa in northern Italy, who in return absolved him of the excommunication he had pronounced upon the Emperor. The most powerful man in Europe submitted himself to the bishop of Rome, who not only excommunicated him but even declared him deposed as emperor and absolved his subjects from their allegiance to him.
The Gregorian reform movement saw popes clash with kings, church reformers impose celibacy upon the clergy and enjoin their vision of a purified Church on medieval society, lay and clerical alike. In the next l...
2020-01-2950 min
Controversies in Church History1054 and All That: the Latin-Byzantine SchismIn the year 1054 AD, representatives of Pope Leo IX and the patriarch of Constantinople, pronounced a mutual excommunication upon each other. This event usually is remembered as the beginning of the schism that has lasted since then between the Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox. But how did this excommunication come about? And was this event really the beginning of the division between two rival versions of apostolic Christianity? Can this division be healed? "1054 and All That: the Latin-Byzantine Schism" grapples with these questions and more.
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2020-01-291h 03
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Arian Crisis, c.330-381 ADThe First Council of Nicaea (325) proclaimed the doctrine that Jesus was one with the Father, and condemned the idea that he was a mere creature. Yet with a few years, that belief--that Christ could not be truly God and man--gained the acceptance of nearly every bishop in the Christian world, and the support of numerous Roman emperors. How did a belief condemned by an ecumenical council dominate the Church's hierarchy for so long, and how did it fail to successfully perpetuate itself in the end? The second episode of Controversies in Church History for the 2019-2020 season investigates the histor...
2019-10-291h 00
Controversies in Church HistoryThe First Council of Nicaea"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty..." Each week, Catholics recite the Nicene Creed in the liturgy. Why do we do this?
The first lecture of Controversies in Church History for the 2019-2020 academic year will be on the First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical (or general) council in the history of the Christian Church. In 325, the bishops assembled promulgated a creed which is the basis of the one we recite today. Critics in the past have asserted that the Council corrupted Christianity's original message, and that the council invented the canon of Scripture, among other acc...
2019-10-031h 00
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Wars of Religion, 1524-1649"Why were there no wars of religion in the pagan world?" the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau once asked. His answer was that their religions made no universal claims, unlike Christianity, which he called "the most violent despotism in the world." "The Wars of Religion, 1524-1549," discusses the wars fought between Catholics and Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, and how much Christian faith contributed to the wars of that age. Was Christianity responsible for the violent wars of the period? Or were there other factors which complicate this received picture of the era? Listen to find out!
2019-08-201h 03Controversies in Church HistoryBlack Legends: Myths of the Spanish ConquestIn the sixteenth century, the Spanish brutally conquered a more civilized and advanced Aztec civilization, and imposed Catholicism on the native peoples of the Americas.
Or did they?
In this special episode, Dr. Ezekiel Stear of the University of Auburn, dispels the myths surrounding the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and the conversion of their native peoples. In this lecture, Dr. Stear provides us with some background on the "Black Legend," the propaganda of Spanish rivals in the early modern period, which became the received wisdom about alleged Catholic cruelty to Native Americans, in contrast to the Pr...
2019-08-061h 02
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Church and the Holocaust*Originally recorded April 30 2018*
This episode of Controversies in Church History assesses the charges against the Catholic Church and pope Pius XII as being culpable in some way for the Holocaust during WWII. In this talk, we explore the Church's relationship with Nazi Germany, and its actions with regards to the Jewish people during the war. The talks concludes that the charges are mostly false, while acknowledging the sensitivity of the issues involved.
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2019-07-261h 11
Controversies in Church HistoryThe First Vatican Council & Papal Infallibility*Recorded March 26 2018*
Popes have always exercised "immediate jurisdiction" over the entire Church, and have always been proclaimed to speak infallibly when pronouncing upon matter of faith and morals--haven't they? Though popes long claimed some sort of infallibility with regards to their teaching, it was only in the late 19th century that papal infallibility was solemnly defined as a dogma of the Church. In this episode, we discuss the debate over the definition of papal infallibility which took place at the First Vatican Council in 1870. It details the immediate background for the definition, what the major criticisms of it wer...
2019-07-0959 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 6: The Pope That Excommunicated NapoleonThis week's episode of Catholic Lives recalls the life of Barnaba Chiaramonti (1742-1823), known to history as Pope Pius VII (1800-1823), the pope who dealt with the aftermath of the French Revolution in Europe, including the general and statesman Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he excommunicated in 1809.
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2019-07-0120 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Trial and Condemnation of Galileo*Recorded on February 26 2018*
Ever since the Inquisition condemned him in 1633, critics have used the story of Galileo Galilei to illustrate the conflict between faith and science, and the obscurantism of the Catholic Church. In this episode, we will explain why the Church condemned Galileo's heliocentric theory, and what the ramifications are of this historical event for the relationship between the Church and science, reason and faith in our world today. on the condemnation of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) will discuss why the Inquisition condemned his word. This episode talk discusses aspects of the Galileo affair, which do not fi...
2019-06-241h 04
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 5: The Man Who Volunteered for AuschwitzIn this episode of Catholic Lives, we discuss the heroism of Witold Pilecki (pronounced Vitold Piletski, 1901-1948), a member of the Polish resistance against the Nazi occupation of Poland who volunteered to enter the concentration camp of Auschwitz to gain information. Captain Pilecki wrote a hundred page report on the camp, and both it and his life testify to the enduring power of the Catholic faith and the human spirit.
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2019-06-1113 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Protestant Reformation*Recorded January 29 2018*
This episode covers one of the most divisive events in all of Church history: the Protestant Reformation. Why did the Reformation happen? Is it still important for Catholics today? This talk will address some of these basic questions, and provide some basic historical background for those still unfamiliar with the great divide within the Western Christian world.
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2019-06-081h 33
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 4: The Last Roman EmperorToday we take a brief look at the life of Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos (1404-1453), the last Emperor of the Romans, who came to the throne of Constantinople at the very end of the Roman (i.e. "Byzantine") empire's life, and fought a heroic 52 day siege against Ottoman forces before succumbing in May of 1453.
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2019-05-2913 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Inquisition*Recorded November 27 2017*
This episode addresses the origins and function of the various institutions that that have gone under the name of "inquisition" in the Catholic Church since the Middle Ages, and separates the history of those institutions from the many myths surrounding them in our popular culture. It give a broad overview of how the Church has treated heretics, how an "inquisition" as a legal process was established in the Middle Ages, debunks some myths about its destructiveness, and explains how it came to used in propaganda against the Church from the Reformation onward.
...
2019-05-211h 08
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 3: A Woman Author in Charlemagne's EmpireThe latest episode focuses on Dhuoda, the 9th noble woman known to us only through her Handbook, the work she wrote for her eldest son William. Dhuoda's handbook instructs her son on how to live a Christian life, and prepare him for public life as an aristocrat. Written during a time of war an turmoil during the Carolingian period, Dhuoda's handbook is a testament to a life filled with grief but also a strong and enduring Catholic faith.
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2019-05-1718 min
Controversies in Church HistoryThe Crusades*Recorded October 30 2017*
What were the Crusades? Were they merely wars of conquest? Did they represent a perversion of Christian teachings? Were the Crusades "holy wars," the way they are often presented in popular culture? This episode provides an overview of the origins, outcome and meaning of the Crusading movement of the Middle Ages.
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2019-05-101h 13
Controversies in Church HistoryDeaconesses in the Early ChurchIn this podcast, we discuss the evidence for the ordination of Deaconesses in the early Church, and the arguments for whether or not they were ordained in the same way men were in the early Church.
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2019-05-0441 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 2: Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967)Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of West Germany, from 1949-1963, is the subject of this episode of Catholic Lives.
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2019-04-3011 min
Controversies in Church HistoryLiturgy Wars: Catholic Liturgy Since Vatican IIWithin living memory, the liturgy of the Latin rite provided a visible focus of unity for Catholics. It possessed a universal liturgical language that distinguished Catholicism wherever it was present, supplemented by devotional practices such as processions, Eucharistic adoration and other aids to faith. To many Catholics, it appeared the embodiment of the Church's unchanging nature. By contrast, today the liturgy of the Latin Church is a source of controversy, over virtually every aspect of the liturgy, whether it be which direction the priest faces, the music played, or the vestments worn by the clergy, and has been the source of ...
2019-04-301h 13
Controversies in Church HistoryNecessary Additions? The Marian Dogmas, 1854 & 1950Only twice in history have popes explicitly invoked their infallible teaching authority, and both times they did so to defend teachings concerning the Virgin Mary. "Necessary Additions? The Marian Dogmas, 1854 & 1950," discusses how and why popes Piux IX and Pius XII felt it necessary to invoke their authority to defend these doctrines, and why they caused such consternation for Protestant and Orthodox Christians, who object both to the content but also the authority of the pope to define such matters of faith.
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2019-03-2650 min
Controversies in Church HistoryCatholic Lives Ep. 1: The Battalion of St. PatrickThe first episode of a new series I am calling "Catholic Lives." Each episode will be a brief look at the lives of Catholics in history who have been overlooked or not as well known to our listeners. For our first episode, recorded shortly after St. Patrick's Day, we will look at the brief but fascinating career of the Battalion of St. Patrick, a unit in the Mexican army during the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-1848, comprised entirely of former American soldiers who had deserted the U. S. Army to fight for Mexico.
Ple...
2019-03-2119 min
Controversies in Church HistoryClerical Celibacy in the Early ChurchWhy does the Catholic Church require celibacy of its priests? Was this discipline an imposition of the medieval Church, or is there a basis for this discipline in the Early Church? This episode of Controversies in Church considers these questions, and examines what the Church's practice of celibacy in its earliest days and how it came to be made mandatory for priests in the Western Church--though not for the East.
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2019-03-0747 min
Controversies in Church HistoryBy This Sign Conquer: the Conversion of ConstantineChristianity was a persecuted, minority religion within the Roman Empire until, in the year 312, the Western Emperor Constantine decreed toleration for the Christian Church, and became its patron, endowing it with land, buildings, wealth, and a status it had never before attained. Throughout history, many have claimed that Constantine's embrace damaged the Church by allying it to wealth and power, corrupting its message, and has been the source of criticism for many centuries. "By This Sign Conquer: the Conversion of Constantine," discusses the historical background to this momentous event, and also outlines the long standing controversy over the effect Cons...
2019-02-0255 min