The Catholic Culture Podcast

Bl. John Henry Newman was, among many other things, a lifelong teacher. Not only did he found the Catholic University of Ireland and England's first Catholic public school, he was a highly influential philosopher of education. In his collection of addresses titled The Idea of a University, Newman set forth his conception of liberal education, defending the essential place of theology among the university subjects and arguing against the growing utilitarian tendency to see education as nothing more than professional training. Paul Shrimpton, teacher at Magdalen College School in Oxford and author of The Making of Men, brings together the theory and practice of Newman the educator. Books mentioned: John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University: Read http://www.newmanreader.org/works/idea/ Purchase https://www.clunymedia.com/product/the-idea-of-a-university/https://amzn.to/2REdkJB John Henry Newman's historical sketches relating to education: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/historical/volume2/index.html http://www.newmanreader.org/works/historical/volume3/index.html Paul Shrimpton, The Making of Men: The Idea and reality of Newman's university in Oxford and Dublin https://amzn.to/2Dsx28h Ian Ker, John Henry Newman: A Biography https://amzn.to/2D5Xzau

The new feature film Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer, about the investigation, trial and conviction of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, has defied opposition from the film industry and the press alike to become an artistic and financial success, even briefly making it into the top ten in box office results. Writer Ann McElhinney discusses the film, her research process (including the disturbing experience of interviewing Gosnell himself), and the numerous obstacles the filmmakers faced in telling a story nobody wanted to see the light of day. At the beginning of the episode, Thomas also discusses the recent film about Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince (the Gosnell interview starts 10 minutes in). Links The film: http://www.gosnellmovie.com The book: https://amzn.to/2Rt20A5 https://twitter.com/annmcelhinney https://www.facebook.com/annmcelhinney/

The American Catholic painter Carl Schmitt (1889-1989) made fascinating innovations in the use of color. He wrote extensively on the artist's vocation, arguing for seeking holiness through practicing one's art rather than the other way around, and advocating the three virtues of poverty, humility and purity as a necessity for all artists to follow. He inspired artists in other media, like Hilaire Belloc and Hart Crane. He did all this while raising ten children. Andrew de Sa, the Creative Director at the Carl Schmitt Foundation, educates us about this artist who was content to paint in obscurity for God. Links Carl Schmitt Foundation https://carlschmitt.org/ Upcoming CSF Events https://carlschmitt.org/upcoming-events/ Andrew de Sa http://andrewdesaart.com/ Arlington Catholic Herald article about Andrew and the Foundation https://www.catholicherald.com/News/Local_News/Catholic_creators_to_share_methods/

The faithful have many questions about the ecclesiastical sexual abuse crisis: What did Church authorities do right in responding to the previous wave of scandals, and what did they fail to do? How could Theodore McCarrick, a serial abuser surrounded by rumors, rise to become one of the most powerful hierarchs in the Church? What is the connection between doctrinal infidelity and sexual infidelity by priests? How do priests living double lives justify remaining in the priesthood? Finally, how much truth is there to the claim that priestly sexual abuse is the result of clericalism? Links Fr. Roger Landry, Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God https://amzn.to/2RGVW80 Fr. Roger Landry's National Catholic Register articles about the abuse crisis: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/truth-is-needed-to-free-the-church-from-sacrilege-of-clergy-scandal http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/how-to-stay-faithful-as-we-endure-and-confront-the-crisis http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/anchors-in-the-storm http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/spiritual-paternity-anger-lying-and-vulnerable-adults http://www.ncregister.com/blog/fatherlandry/what-to-do-about-corruption-in-the-church This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Once included among the capital sins, acedia has been identified with both sloth and sadness. St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, defined it both as "disgust with activity" and "sadness about spiritual good." Today's guest, RJ Snell, argues that acedia is the chief spiritual malady of our age, underlying the malaise, nihilism and despair so prevalent in the modern West. Links R.J. Snell, Acedia and Its Discontents: Metaphysical Boredom in the Empire of Desire https://amzn.to/2xTTBhQ Thomas's 2015 review of Snell, Acedia and Its Discontents https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1307 Thomas's 2015 review of Nault, The Noonday Devil https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1283 Forthcoming book: R.J. Snell and Robert P. George, Mind, Heart & Soul: Intellectuals and the Path to Rome https://amzn.to/2zO9Uhk This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Many Catholics have become cynical about the possibility of changing the political landscape, but perhaps we've given up before we've really tried. It's not just about electing the right congressmen and nominating the right justices, it's about keeping them accountable. In this episode, former Virginia delegate Bob Marshall shares practical insights drawn from his encyclopedic knowledge of the American political tradition and from his own achievements in politics: for example, he was behind the Hyde Amendment which stopped abortion funding via Medicaid. He reminds us that "To render to Caesar, you have to know the structure of Caesar's world." Did you know that Congress has the Constitutional authority to decide what kinds of cases the Supreme Court may hear? What about the possibility of amending appropriations bills to render SCOTUS decisions like Obergefell unenforceable? Have you given real consideration to the fact that local politics is the foundation for everything else? If not, you'll want to listen to this episode. Links Robert G. Marshall, Reclaiming the Republic: How Christians and Other Conservatives Can Win Back America https://amzn.to/2xSQxlg Jeff Mirus's review of Reclaiming the Republic https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1565 Bob Marshall's recent articles for The Federalist https://thefederalist.com/author/robertgmarshall/ Msgr. John Sanders, the priest who played with Duke Ellington https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otc.cfm?id=1575 Timestamps 2:41 Bob Marshall's political career and recent defeat 6:01 Why Bob wrote Reclaiming the Republic; natural law in the American founding 9:25 Catholics ought not withdraw from politics: Biblical precedents 13:25 Judicial branch is not the final authority on what is Constitutional; Congress's authority to decide what cases the Supreme Court can hear 23:32 The importance of educating your representatives 26:47 Bob's role in passing the Hyde Amendment; importance of the power of the purse 34:13 Appropriations bills can be used to keep bad Supreme Court decisions from being enforced 36:22 Our representatives avoid voting on the record so we can't hold them accountable 39:24 How to get your representative to go on the record 41:03 The oath of office—you can't fulfill it if you don't read the bills you vote on! 44:15 Anti-commandeering laws, by which states can refuse to enforce federal laws 48:47 Why you should vote in primary elections 50:41 "All politics is local": issues that affect people's daily lives 53:18 The importance of the precinct; door-to-door campaigning tips 57:45 The role of corporations in promoting immoral policies

In part two of my interview with Corey "The Tolkien Professor" Olsen, we discuss several extremely specific questions about Middle-earth, including: What is "magic" in The Lord of the Rings? Whogiddy-what is Tom Bombadil exactly? Do the good consequences of Eowyn's disobedience to Theoden justify her actions? Are orcs—possessing free will but seemingly evil by nature—metaphysically coherent? Links Signum University https://signumuniversity.org/ Mythgard Institute (Signum's free programs for the public) https://mythgard.org/ The Tolkien Professor Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tolkien-professor/id320513707?mt=2 Corey Olsen's website https://tolkienprofessor.com/ Timestamps Corey Olsen 2:06 The ambiguity of "magic" as used by different beings and races in The Lord of the Rings 12:13 Is Tom Bombadil God or a Christ-figure? What does it mean that "he is," and that he is "the Master"? Is Tom a Maia? West vs. east and resurrection in the barrow-wight episode 35:04 Does Eowyn's fulfillment of prophecy in slaying the Witch-King justify her abandonment of her duties to stay behind and rule/protect her people in the King's absence? Simplistic feminist misinterpretations of Eowyn; Rohan's vs. Gondor's cultural values 44:26 Eowyn's despair vs. Sam's; different kinds of hope; Sam's attitude towards his duty and the sense in which he lacks hope 59:38 More on Eowyn, Rohan's debased cultural values 1:07:02 How Tolkien developed in his concept of flat vs. round Middle-earth 1:09:17 Are orcs evil by nature? How can that be if they have free will? 1:15:22 What is the basis of the differences/superiorities/inferiorities among the races of Middle-earth, and how is it different from real-world racist theories? 1:26:16 This week's reading: J.R.R. Tolkien, "On Fairy-Stories" https://amzn.to/2Cgo9Pm This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Corey Olsen, aka The Tolkien Professor, started out putting his college lectures out in podcast form, and ended up founding an online master's program devoted to the study of imaginative literature: Signum University. We discuss Signum, the state approval process, the current advantages and prospects of online education, some differences between Tolkien and Lewis, and reading Tolkien with children. Links Signum University https://signumuniversity.org/ Mythgard Institute (Signum's free programs for the public) https://mythgard.org/ The Tolkien Professor Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tolkien-professor/id320513707?mt=2 Corey Olsen's website https://tolkienprofessor.com/ Timestamps Corey Olsen 2:38 Signum University approved by the New Hampshire Higher Education Commission 3:02 Scope of studies at Signum University: definition of imaginative literature; Tolkien at the center 5:54 A fundamental difference between Tolkien and Lewis 15:23 The process of getting an educational program approved by a state board 22:46 Corey's motivations to podcast: desire to communicate with more than a tiny academic audience, unfulfilled demand from people who want to study Tolkien seriously 28:43 Making online education more than just an efficient correspondence course: real-time interaction and community 33:14 Online education as an affordable alternative to bilking students and exploiting faculty 40:00 Signum's free programs for the public at the Mythgard Institute 47:04 How old should your kid be to read The Lord of the Rings? 52:38 Moralizing Tolkien vs. Lewis: how they lend themselves to different ways of reading with children 56:17 This week's reading: J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 250 https://amzn.to/2PLXhcs This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio

What's it like to be both a priest and a professional actor? George Drance, S.J. is the artist in residence at Fordham University, where he teaches acting, a resident artist in La Mama's Great Jones Repertory Company, and the artistic director of Magis Theatre Company. We discuss his religious and artistic vocation, how people in the theater world feel about working with a priest, how to take custody of your career and choose your roles with integrity, Catholic vs. worldly ideas of success, and more. Links George Drance, S.J. Fordham faculty page https://www.fordham.edu/info/25064/theatre_full-time_faculty/10013/george_drance_sj/1 Magis Theatre Company http://www.magistheatre.org Timestamps George Drance, S.J. 1:52 Being both a Jesuit priest and a working actor 6:50 How Fr. George seeks God in his work 8:11 Working in experimental theater with Great Jones Repertory and La MaMa; the legacy of Ellen Stewart 14:25 Navigating the theater world socially as a priest; how theater people respond to Fr. George's priesthood 18:59 Dealing with the pressure to take compromising roles; taking custody of your career as a young actor 29:44 The advantage of having a personal practice as an actor 33:34 There's no shame in having a day job; rejecting worldly conceptions of success 35:51 The fascinating career of dramatist-priest Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681); his Life Is a Dream 42:27 Magis Theatre Company: actor training and reviving forgotten classics 48:02 Adaptation of The Odyssey for high school students 50:15 Magis's upcoming show, Miracle in Rwanda, based on Left to Tell by Imaculée Ilibagiza 53:50 This week's reading: Bl. John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University

The critical theorists and social justice warriors are trying to do to medieval studies what they've done to other disciplines, and if you don't get on board, you're a white supremacist. Over the past two years or so, the mob has targeted University of Chicago professor Rachel Fulton Brown, calling her a fascist, trying to intimidate her department into censuring her, and banning her from conference sessions. She joins me to discuss her ordeal, why even tenured professors are willing to stand up for unpopular truths, and the stakes of the battle for medieval studies. Links Rachel Fulton Brown's academic homepage http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/ Milo Yiannopoulos's essay "Why the Battle for Medieval Studies Matters to America" (profanity warning) https://www.dangerous.com/45111/middle-rages/ Rachel's fascinating Professional Self-Portrait http://home.uchicago.edu/~rfulton/Professional%20Self%20Portrait.pdf Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought: Purchase https://amzn.to/2MPrGFf Read Chapter 2 https://issuu.com/columbiaup/docs/mary_and_the_art_of_prayer_ave_mari Timestamps 2:56 Rachel Fulton Brown 3:41 The initial blog post that made Rachel's colleagues angry 10:15 Rachel's friendship with Milo Yiannopoulos 15:19 The progressive witch hunt within medieval studies 28:25 The letter 1,500 academics signed attempting to get her department to censure her 34:40 Rachel's defenders in academia 36:49 Why even tenured academics fear the mob 41:23 Critical theorists coming from English literature into medieval studies 45:27 What will be lost if medieval studies is taken over by progressives: the study of Christianity 51:02 This week's reading: Bl. John Henry Newman This podcast is a production of CatholicCulture.org. If you like the show, please consider supporting us! http://catholicculture.org/donate/audio