More Christ

Fr. Conor McDonough is a Dominican priest and a lecturer at the Dominican House of Studies in Dublin and is originally from County Galway. He is a renowned scholar, with degrees from the Universities of Fribourg, Maynooth, and Cambridge, specialising in Theology and Philosophy. He has also been involved in an exciting YouTube series called Treasure Ireland, focusing on the hidden gems of the history of the Catholic faith in Ireland. For more, please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROBFYalO4Ws&t=0s https://soundcloud.com/thomisticinstitute/fire-in-the-head-paganism-in-irish-christianity-fr-conor-mcdonough https://soundcloud.com/thomisticinstitute/christianity-and-nationalism-fr-conor-mcdonough-op

This is the first story in my new series of short stories. My wife and I recently completed our storytelling course with Storytellers of Ireland, so I decided to take what I have learned and apply those lessons here. Special thanks to my friend, Fr. Ryan Duns, who has allowed me to use his music for this series. He is offering a great service by keeping traditional Irish music alive and bringing it to a new audience. You can listen to his music and follow him here: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDunsSJ As always with More Christ, I hope this is for the glory of God and good of Man. I offer a brief 'theology of storytelling' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWkPBXjzaIw&t=0s

In this short video, I introduce my upcoming series of short stories and aim to convey why I think it is important to embrace stories as Christians. This is a very brief theology of storytelling, inspired by Jonathan Pageau, Jordan Peterson, Paul Vander Klay, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many other vital figures.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1961, Mike became a Christian at the age of 10 and grew up in a Christian home. He attended Liberty University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance (Saxophone). During his undergraduate studies, he had a strong desire to know God, devoting himself to studying the Bible daily. He decided to learn Koine Greek in order to read the New Testament in its original language and later completed a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies. Toward the end of his graduate work in 1985, Mike began to question the veracity of his faith and wondered if there was any evidence to support it. He decided not to go into Christian ministry at that time. Finding answers to his questions consumed him and he almost jettisoned his faith. He investigated the evidence for Christianity and a number of other major world religions. He also considered the arguments for atheism. His investigation solidified his belief that God exists and that he has actually revealed himself to mankind in Jesus Christ and that the Christian view provides the most plausible and unified theory of reality. In July of 1997, Mike formed TruthQuest Ministries in order to give an official name to his growing ministry and to allow future donors to make tax-deductible gifts. In October 2001, the ministry was renamed “RisenJesus” in order to avoid confusion with other ministries named “TruthQuest” and more closely reflect its vision of equipping 100,000 Christians to share their faith using the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection. Mike has a Ph.D. in New Testament (University of Pretoria). He completed all requirements “with distinction” and the highest marks. He is a frequent speaker on university campuses, churches, Christian groups, retreats, frequently debates, and has appeared as a guest on dozens of radio and television programs. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological and Philosophical Societies, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the prestigious Studitorum Novi Testamenti Societas. Mike is Professor of New Testament Studies at Houston Christian University and the president of Risen Jesus, Inc. Mike is married to Debbie and they have two grown children, Alexandra and Zachary. Mike is the author, co-author or editor of seven (7) books Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? What We Can Learn From Ancient Biography (Oxford University Press, 2017) The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (IVP Academic, 2010) Evidence for God: 50 Arguments for Faith from the Bible, History, Philosophy and Science, with co-editor William Dembski (Baker 2010) Paul Meets Muhammad which is a debate on the resurrection of Jesus between the apostle Paul and the prophet Muhammad The award winning The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus with co-author Gary Habermas which is a comprehensive self-study course Cross Examined, a legal novel defending the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock which lays out in a concise manner what to say to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses when they knock on your door. Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels tell the same story differently (Zondervan Academic, 2024) Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, with co-editor W. David Beck (Lexham Press, 2020) For more, please see: https://www.risenjesus.com/mike-licona Mike Licona - YouTube

Ryan Duns, SJ works at the intersection of philosophy and systematic theology. He has published on Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, René Girard, and his most recent work has involved a sustained engagement with William Desmond’s metaphysics. His dissertation, “Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age? William Desmond’s Theological Achievement” argued that, when read as a form of spiritual exercise (Pierre Hadot), Desmond’s philosophy can re-awaken a sense of the Transcendent. Now available in updated form as a book, Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God. https://www.youtube.com/@RyanDunsSJ On the Monstrosity of Christ - Theopolis Institute Amazon.co.uk Fr. Ryan G. Duns, SJ (@DunsSj) / X

Gerard Casey is an Irish philosopher and former politician who is Professor Emeritus at University College Dublin. He was active in Irish politics in the 1990s and led the Christian Solidarity Party between 1993 and 1999. He now holds libertarian and what he terms (philosophically) anarchistic views. His philosophical interests include political philosophy, philosophy of law and philosophy of religion. https://mises.org/profile/gerard-n-casey https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Gerard-Casey/author/B0034OKK5E?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1719686093&sr=1-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Dr. Wanjiru Njoya is a Scholar-in-Residence for the Mises Institute. She is the author of Economic Freedom and Social Justice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), Redressing Historical Injustice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023, with David Gordon) and “A Critique of Equality Legislation in Liberal Market Economies” (Journal of Libertarian Studies, 2021). https://mises.org/profile/wanjiru-njoya https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?i=digital-text&rh=p_27%3AWanjiru+Njoya&s=relevancerank&text=Wanjiru+Njoya&ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1

Jordan Hall (Greenhall) is an entrepreneur and angel investor with a focus on the internet and digital media space. Having received his law degree from Harvard and practicing for all of 93 days, he sought greener pastures, becoming an advocate for “efficient, collaborative, open” models of information dispersal. More from Jordan Hall - Jordan Hall - YouTube https://medium.com/@jordangreenhall Note: I mentioned family Spiritual practices. Both Justin Whitmel Earley and Wendy M. Wright have been helpful to me.

Gary Chartier is a legal scholar, philosopher, political theorist, and theologian. Amongst other things, his work addresses anarchism and ethics. Chartier is a professor and serves as associate dean of La Sierra University's business school. Please see his website, here: http://www.garychartier.net/

Brian Godawa has been a professional writer and filmmaker for over 20 years. His creative versatility was born of a passion for both intellect and imagination, both left-brain and right-brain. The result: Brian is an artisan of word, image, and story that engages heart, mind, and soul. Just think, “Renaissance Man.” Bestselling Author. But Brian is also an author and international speaker on art, movies, worldviews, and faith. His popular book,Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment, is used as a textbook in schools around the country. He is a contributing scholarly writer to various journals and professional orgs, and his articles on movies and philosophy have been published around the world. His Chronicles series of novels are his most important contribution by incarnating his worldview and theology in narrative unlike anything you’ve read before. Hollywood Filmmaker. As an award-winning screenwriter, his first feature film was To End All Wars, starring Kiefer Sutherland. But his skills and experience quickly expanded to include writing and directing feature films, documentaries and video promotionals. When he isn’t reading, watching movies, or loving on his wife, he is reading, watching movies, or loving on his wife. He knows, he knows: He should get out more. https://godawa.com/ Amazon.co.uk: Brian Godawa: books, biography, latest update Brian Godawa (@BrianGodawa) / X

The Reverend, David William Brown FRSE FBA (born 1 July 1948) is an Anglican priest and British scholar of philosophy, theology, religion, and the arts. He taught at the universities of Oxford, Durham, and St. Andrews before retiring in 2015. He is well-known for his "non-punitive theory of purgatory, his defence of specific versions of social Trinitarianism and kenotic Christology, his distinctive theory of divine revelation as mediated fallibly through both tradition and imagination, and his proposals regarding a pervasive sacramentality discerned in nature and human culture alike." Videos and Websites for more of David: David Brown (theologian - Wikipedia David Brown - Arts and Religious Belief (youtube.com) AT THE THRESHOLD: The Greater Part / David Brown (youtube.com) Research Areas An earlier interest in interactions between theology and philosophy has now broadened out into one between theology and the wider culture, especially the arts. In my earlier career at Oxford (1976-90), I focused on the relationship with philosophy and this is reflected in my two major books from that period: The Divine Trinity (1985) and Continental Philosophy and Modern Theology (1987). However, thereafter with my appointment first to Durham in 1990 and subsequently to St Andrews in 2007 my interests widened to consideration of theology's relationship with the arts and culture more generally. That interest is reflected in five books all published by Oxford University Press between 1999 and 2008. In the first two Tradition and Imagination (1999) and Discipleship and Imagination (2000) I explored the way in which the Christian understanding of biblical revelation has been affected by changes in the wider culture and in turn affected that wider culture. The history of art can provide some good examples, for instance in differing treatments across the centuries of the nativity or crucifixion of Christ. The later three then looked at religious experience and the way in which this might be mediated through the arts and culture. God and Enchantment of Place (2004) explored this primarily through landscape painting, geography and architecture, as well as, more briefly, in other neglected areas such as changing attitudes to garden design. God and Grace of Body (2007) examined attitudes to the body as well as music in all its forms (including pop music). Finally, God and Mystery in Words (2008) explored religious experience as mediated through drama and poetry and their expression in worship as liturgy and hymns. However. a book published initially in French in 2010 La tradition kénotique dans la théologie britannique represented a return to more doctrinal and philosophical issues. An English version becomes available from Baylor University Press in 2011 under the title, Divine Humanity: Kenosis and the Construction of a Christian Theology.