Christopher O. Blum is Academic Dean and Professor of History and Philosophy at the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado, having previously served on the faculties of Christendom College and the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. He received his Ph.D. in European History and the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Notre Dame in 1996. He has published dozens of academic essays and numerous translations of early modern texts, including Roses Among Thorns (Sophia Institute...
Dec 04, 2014•56 min•Ep. 35
Author and president of Belmont Abbey College Dr. Bill Thierfelder delivered a talk entitled “The Christian Vision of Sports” to Christendom students and faculty on October 27. Thierfelder examined how sports can be integrated into the Christian life, and made the case that world-class athletic performance and virtue are not exclusive. Thierfelder, who received his Masters and Doctoral degrees in Sports Psychology from Boston University, is the author of “Less Than A Minute To Go: The Secret to ...
Oct 28, 2014•1 hr•Ep. 72
On October 23, visiting Professor Fox gave a lecture entitled “Roman Catholicism and Political Form: Carl Schmitt vs. Romano Guardini”. He delved into the history and significance of Carl Schmitt and Romano Guardini, two notable German intellectual figures of twentieth century. Professor Fox holds a B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta, and M.A. grin the School of Philosophy at Catholic University of America and a Ph.D in modern European history from City University of New York.
Oct 24, 2014•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 34
Dr. Pat Fagan, the Director of the Marriage And Religion Research Institute, explained how, from a sociological viewpoint, the married intact heterosexual family that worships God weekly has the most positive effect on children and society. He encouraged the students to live chaste, virtuous, and loving lives. Like the early Christians who lived amongst dark pagan times, the witness of strong loving families will save our culture, he told them. At the Family Research Council (FRC), Dr. Pat Fagan...
Sep 23, 2014•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 71
“How does an angel get it wrong?” Rev. John D. Corbett asked during his lecture to students and faculty on January 27 at Christendom College. Rev. Corbett’s talk discussed the nature of angels and how such high beings could have fallen from God’s grace. A moral theologian currently teaching at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Rev. Corbett explained that the fall of the angels is “a bit of a theological conundrum.”
Jan 28, 2014•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 105
On Wednesday afternoon, Mrs. Dixie Lane delivered a lecture to students and faculty entitled “Homeschooling Since 1950: A Historical Perspective.” Lane delved into the roots of the homeschooling movement and some of the key legal battles that ensured the parents’ right to educate their child. Lane is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Notre Dame. Her dissertation,”Skipping School: Homeschooling and the United States, 1950-2010,” examines nationwide trends in education, family, rel...
Dec 01, 2013•1 hr•Ep. 33
On November 19, Fr. Zieba gave a talk to Christendom students and faculty entitled “Papal Economics”. He discussed the development of Catholic social doctrine, as well of the theological dynamics of politics and economics. Fr. Maciej Zięba, O.P., was a close associate of Pope John Paul II and a strong activist in Poland’s Solidarity movement in the Communist era. A physicist by training, he became a Dominican priest and a major thinker on the theological dynamics of politics and economics, close...
Nov 20, 2013•37 min•Ep. 32
On November 14, Dr. Kurt Poterack gave a lecture as part of the Beato Fra Angelico Fine Arts Series. Entitled “Artistic Patronage and the Common Good: The Case of Johann Sebastian Bach,” he spoke on the value of music, and how music itself has changed. Dr. Poterack also emphasized the impact and importance of Johann Sebastian Bach. He spoke of how Bach had been the end of an amazing era of music that has sadly not been returned to by society today.
Nov 15, 2013•41 min•Ep. 31
An exceptionally popular speaker and teacher, Dr. Scott Hahn delves into the famous Bible passage of The Road to Emmaus, discussing the continuity of the scriptures, and how the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament. By understanding the liturgical context of the Scriptures the sacramental quality of the written text is revealed. A profound author of many books, Hahn received his Bachelor of Arts degree with a triple-major in Theology, Philosophy, and Economics from Grove City College,...
Sep 19, 2013•46 min•Ep. 93
On September 16, world-renowned Bible scholar and theology professor Dr. Scott Hahn launched Christendom College’s Major Speaker Program, delivering a lecture on “The Bible, the Eucharist, and the New Evangelization.” Hahn explained that just as human love and relationships lead to a sacrament—Matrimony—so too does our love and relationship with God lead to a sacrament—the Eucharist. He noted that it was Blessed Pope John Paul who first called for the new evangelization to be based on the Euchar...
Sep 17, 2013•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 70
Fr. John Wauck, a communications professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, delivered a talk entitled “Communication in the Age of Pope Francis” to students and faculty on September 6. Wauck examined the different communication styles of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI as well as the media’s approach to each papacy. Fr. Wauck is an American priest of Opus Dei. A native of Chicago, he studied Renaissance history and literature at Harvard University and philosophy at the ...
Sep 07, 2013•29 min•Ep. 30
Dr. Ken Grasso, a professor of political science at Texas State University, delivered a lecture entitled “The Freedom of the Church and the Taming of the State.” Grass examines the role of Christianity in the development and the future of modern democracy. He argues that Christianity transformed western political life, and that liberal modernity is attempting to set form a purely secular understanding of freedom.
Apr 30, 2013•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 92
Dr. Harry Veryser, author and professor of economics at the University of Detroit Mercy, delivered a lecture at Christendom College entitled “Thomism and Austrian Economics” on March 18. Veryser discussed how the foundational principles of the Austrian school of economics capture St. Thomas Aquinas’s understanding of the nature of man. Dr. Veryser graduated from the University of Detroit, where he received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Economics and two Master of Arts degrees in Eco...
Mar 19, 2013•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 91
Dr. Seguda Acosta addressed the community of Christendom College on February 28, with a talk entitled “Diabolical or Psychological: The Differentiation of Psychological Diseases from Diabolical Disorders”. Dr. Seggy Acosta is a Catholic stress and pain specialist in private practice with S.T.R.E.S.S. CENTRE INC., located at 601 Jefferson Davis Hwy., suite 101, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401. She believes in the integration of her Catholic Faith into psychotherapy. She does individual, couple, an...
Mar 01, 2013•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 29
Francis Cardinal Arinze, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, delivered a talk entitled “The Year of Faith and the Apostolate of the Laity” to the students and faculty at Christendom College on February 4, 2013. Cardinal Arinze was ordained a priest in 1958 and was consecrated bishop in 1965. In 1979 his brother bishops elected him president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, a position he held until 1984, when Pope John Paul ...
Feb 05, 2013•57 min•Ep. 69
Thomistic scholar and author, Rev. Thomas Joseph White, O.P., delivered the annual St. Thomas Aquinas Lecture on January 28, 2013 at Christendom College. The talk explored the doctrine of the resurrection of the body and its influence on philosophical thought. Delving into the thought of modern philosophers on the relation of the body to the soul and Pope Benedict XVI’s response to them, Fr. White demonstrated that it was philosophically natural to hope in the resurrection from the dead.
Jan 29, 2013•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 104
On September 5, Professor J. Michael Brown gave a talk entitled “Wonder and Fear in the Pursuit of Wisdom” to the Christendom College community. He discussed the void of wisdom in the age of skepticism. Wisdom is now falsely understood as relative and subjective, a view we must fight against in the pursuit of becoming wise. Michael Brown is an assistant professor in the Philosophy department at Christendom College. Graduating from Christendom College with a Bachelor’s in English, he went on to r...
Sep 06, 2012•57 min•Ep. 28
Virginia’s Attorney General, Kenneth Cuccinelli II, spoke to the Christendom College community on the topic of “Living the Catholic Faith in Politics and Government” on April 2. Before a crowd of about 400 college students, faculty, staff, and guests, Cuccinelli, who plans on running for the Governorship of Virginia next year, encouraged all present to be active in the political process and to be Catholic leaders in all areas, but particularly in the areas of science, media, and politics....
Apr 03, 2012•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 68
On March 20, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano gave an address to the Christendom faculty and students. He emphasized the opportunity of reflection and grace in the season of Lent. Archbishop Vigano was ordained a priest in 1968. He earned a doctorate in utroque iure (both canon and civil law). He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1973, and worked at the papal diplomatic missions in Iraq and Great Britain. From 1978 to 1989, he held posts at the Secretariat of State. He was named Spe...
Mar 21, 2012•10 min•Ep. 27
Historian Dr. Emmet Kennedy delivered a lecture entitled The Survival of a Non-Juror: the Abbé Sicard and the Founding of the National Institute of Deaf-Mutes during the Reign of Terror. He explored the life of Roch-Ambroise Sicard, a priest who educated the deaf and mute during the Reign of Terror. Sicard avoided execution twice during the tumultuous times of the French Revolution. Kennedy examined whether Sicard was a “girouette,” that is, a turncoat who changed with every regime and tailored ...
Mar 13, 2012•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 90
Author and Professor Dr. Susan Hanssen delivered a lecture entitled “Henry Adams on the Sanity or Suicide of America” to the students and faculty of Christendom College on February 27. The lecture examined the history of education in America and Henry Adam’s perception of it. Henry Adams voiced concerned over the choices the nation would face, and spoke of the special importance of young woman in the future of America. Hanssen, an associate professor of history at the University of Dallas, recei...
Feb 28, 2012•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 88
Renowned scholar and author Russell Hittinger delivered the annual St. Thomas Aquinas lecture to the students and faculty of Christendom College on January 27, 2012. The talk, which examined the nature of societies and marriage, was entitled: “Are Societies Made Unto the Image and Likeness of God?: A Thomistic Response to a Disputed Issue. Hittinger delved into the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Leo XIII, and other popes to illustrate how the image of God is reflected in a society. Since 1996...
Jan 28, 2012•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 103
Fr. Brett Brannen gives a talk to the Christendom College community entitled “Fraternal Charity”. He discusses the importance of charity in the Christian life, as well as the difficulties that accompany being a follower of Jesus. Born in Louisiana, Fr. Brett grew up with a Catholic background. He was ordained a priest in 1991. Father Brett Brannen is the author of two books about the priesthood: To Save a Thousand Souls and A Priest in the Family .
Jan 27, 2012•48 min•Ep. 26
On November 9, Fr. Paul Scalia addressed the Christendom College with a talk entitled “Clarity and Charity: The Catholic Response to Challenge of Homosexuality.” He speaks on the difficulty of being caught in between the uncharitable extremes when responding to homosexuality. Father Scalia is a native of Virginia and grew up in the Diocese of Arlington. He attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He then studied theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the P...
Nov 10, 2011•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 25
Acclaimed author and professor Dr. Anthony Esolen delivered a talk entitled “The Gift of Self: Modern Culture’s Impact on Love” to the students and faculty at Christendom College on October 24. The talk examined how modern society’s understanding of human love has destroyed all sense of mystery and imagination. A professor at Providence College, Esolen explained that society has reduced love to sex, and sex to hygiene—a reduction that has occurred due to a skewed view of what it is to know somet...
Oct 25, 2011•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 67
Theologian Msgr. Andrew R. Wadsworth delivered a talk entitled “The Making of the Missal” to the students and faculty of Christendom College on September 19. Msgr. Wadsworth, the Executive Director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), examined the role of the Commission in producing the new translation of the missal of the Roman Rite. At ICEL, Msgr. Wadsworth has worked to prepare the English translations of Latin liturgical books and texts in accord with the directi...
Sep 20, 2011•45 min•Ep. 66
On May 2, Barbara Nicolosi Harrington’s talk entitled “Why Hollywood Matters” explored the challenges facing Christians in the art of cinema and the art in churches. Harrington explains how the traditional philosophical definition of beauty is the combination of wholeness, harmony, and radiance. A professor at Pepperdine University, Nicolosi is the founder of Act One, an organization that seeks to nurture the next generation of Christian artists and media pioneers. She was a theological consulta...
May 03, 2011•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 65
A professor in the English Department at the University of Dallas and author of several books on Thomas More, Dr. Gerard Wegemer presented Thomas More as an example for all who strive to be a positive force in their families and country. It was More’s dedication to self-cultivation and the liberty of the human person that made him the great man that he was, Wegemer said. More believed that the liberty of a person or a nation is possible only with the cultivation of four major arts: the liberal a...
Apr 05, 2011•49 min•Ep. 89
Acclaimed author and speaker, George Weigel, delivered a lecture to students and faculty at Christendom’s Rome campus on March 7. The lecture, entitled “The Achievements of Blessed John Paul II,” was held in the Rome campus’ academic center, Istituto Maria Santissima Bambina, located directly next to the Vatican. He discussed the Pope’s formation as a young man in Poland and his journey to the priesthood. John Paul II attended a clandestine seminary due to the Nazi occupation of Poland. Archbish...
Mar 08, 2011•33 min•Ep. 24
On February 16, the members of Shield of Roses hosted a talk entitled “Understanding The Culture of Life,”by former president of Shield of Roses, Alumnus Andrew Bodoh (’07). Bodoh explained how many pro-lifers have great ambitions and want to really go out in the world and make a difference, yet they aren’t the ones who are getting up on Saturday mornings and praying in front of the clinics—they go hand-in-hand, he explained.
Feb 17, 2011•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 23
