Controversies in Church History: Recent Episodes
Darrick N Taylor
Controversies in Church History a podcast by Darrick Taylor, adjunct profess of history at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas. It focuses on controversial issues in the history of the Catholic Church. Designed for Catholics but accessible for anyone interested in history, it balances storytelling with an academic sensibility. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/churchcontroversies/support
Just a brief preview of some upcoming events I am involved in the next month or so, including the next Controversies in Church History interview. Cheers!
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The latest episode of Controversies in Church History takes a look at the early 19th century writer and apologist Francois Rene Chateaubriand (1768-1848), and his work, The Genius of Christianity. Often considered one of the first "Romantic" authors, we will take a look at Chateaubriand's life and background and how it shaped his approach to arguing for the truth of the Catholic faith.
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Hello! The latest episode in our series on the Latinization of the Eastern Catholic Churches is now available. In this episode, we take a broad look at the policy of the papacy toward the Eastern Churches--both Catholic and Orthodox--from the reign of Pius IX to the death of Pius XII. The episode discusses how the centralization of authority in the Vatican during the 19th century affected the Eastern Catholic Churches. I argue that though such centralization likely increased the tendency toward Latinization initially, it ultimately wound up benefiting the Eastern Churches in communion with Rome.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/churchcontroversies/message
The latest episode of Controversies in Church History covers a curious topic and debate among academics. Why are modern Western societies so different from other civilizations? Why are they WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) when so much of the world is not? In this episode, we take a look at the thesis that the medieval Church's prohibitions on marriage paved the way for changes in social structure that account for the modern West's WEIRDness, and why the Church insisted on those prohibitions in the first place.
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Hello everyone! The latest installment in our series on the Latinization of the Eastern Churches is now available to all of our listeners. In it, we discuss the conflict between the Latin rite bishops of the United States in the late nineteenth century and the immigrant clergy of the Ruthenian Catholic Church, which resulted in the defection of tens of thousands of Ruthenian Catholics to Orthodoxy.
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The latest Catholic Lives episode, in which we look at notable non-saints in Catholic history, delves into the brief life of Baldwin IV, King of Jerusalem (1174-1185). Famous for contracting leprosy when he was a child, he fought multiple battles with the Muslim emir Saladin, and successfully protected the kingdom while he lived. Face with particularly difficult personal, political and diplomatic challenges, Baldwin IV earned the praise of contemporaries, and continues to fascinate today.
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Hello! The latest episode of the podcast is now available. Last year I did a "what I've been reading episode" and the feedback was in favor of a repeat, so here we go. In this episode, I recount the ten best books I have read this year, from poetry to history and liturgy. Enjoy!
Books Covered:
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John Dryden, The Hind and the Panther (1687), Poetry
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Byung Chul-Han, The Disappearance of Rituals: a Topology of the Present(2019), Philosophy
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Julian Jackson, A Certain Idea of France: the Life of Charles de Gaulle(2018), Biography
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William Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience (1794), Poetry
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Carlos Eire, War Against the Idols: The Reformation of Worship From Erasmusto Calvin (1986), History
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Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J., Christendom Lost and Found: Meditations for aPost-Post Christian World (2022), Religion
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Yamen Manai, The Ardent Swarm (2017), Novel
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Mike Yomer, Please Tell Me (2023) Novel
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James Simpson, Under the Hammer: Iconoclasm in the Anglo-American Tradition(2010) Literature/Art
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Michael Fiedrowicz, The Traditional Mass: History, Form and Theology of the ClassicalRoman Rite (2011/2021) Theology/Liturgy
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In this episode, we take a look at the Liturgical Movement of the early twentieth century in the Catholic Church. The Liturgical Movement's original aim was to make the Catholic faithful partake of the Church's liturgy more deeply and fruitfully. However, it did not originally envision a radical revision of the liturgy as actually occurred after Vatican II. I try to answer the question of what might have changed between the early twentieth century and the Second Vatican Council in the Liturgical Movement that might account for this. Pax!
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In the final episode on the Early Modern Era, our series on Latinization covers the relations of the Latin Church with Eastern Christians in Eastern Europe, primarily the Ukrainians, as well as the sad tale of the Italo-Albanian Church and its struggles to maintain its heritage in Italy. Finally, we also take a look back at the Early Modern Period itself, and discuss the changes spurred the increasing insistence of the Western Church that its traditions and customs take precedence over those of Eastern Christians.
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The latest episode in our series on the Latinization of the Eastern rites is now available. In the latest installment, we examine how and why Catholic missionaries in the 16th century forced Latin customs on the Thomas Christians of India, native Indian Christian communities who trace their ancestry back to St. Thomas the Apostle.
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In this episode, I take a look at some of the most important magisterial documents that state there are limits to papal authority issued in the recent history of the Church (since 1870).
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Hey everyone. On this episode of the podcast, I read a blog post in which I look at the term and concept of "synodality," and argue that it is an unnecessary novelty which neither "conservative" or "traditionalist" Catholics should not use.
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The latest episode in our series on Latinization deals with the Church of the East, the ancient Church of Persia associated with the Nestorian heresy, which flourished in the first millennium but declined thereafter. In this, we talk about how some of these Eastern Christians came into communion with Rome in 1553, creating the Chaldean Catholic Church, which is one of the Eastern Rite Churches in communion with Rome today.
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In this brief episode, I respond to a listener's question about Elisabeth Anscombe and Truman, while also giving an update on future episodes of the podcast.
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In this episode, I take a look back at a 1995 book by the Polish philosopher Lezsek Kolakowski, "God Owes Us Nothing: A Brief Remark on the Religion of Pascal and the Spirit of Jansenism." Kolakowski's book tackles the problem of theodicy (how a good and just God can allow evil in the world) via an examination of the 17th century heresy of Jansenism. In this episode I take a look at his arguments for the idea that God is not a subject of any human moral obligations, and that the modern split between faith and science has left believers with an all-powerful but inscrutable God who "owes us nothing."
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From the blog, a meditation on the controversy over World Youth Day, and what it says about larger trends in the Church since Vatican II. You can check out the original post on the website here:
https://churchcontroversies.com/2023/08/14/world-youth-day-syndrome/
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In this brief episode, I discuss Elisabeth Anscombe's argument against the dropping of the atom bomb on Japan and defenses of Harry Truman's actions. But the real purpose is to ask the listeners what they think--was Anscombe right in saying that Truman was a mass murderer?
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In this episode, I read an article of mine which takes at look at the attitude so common in Western life today, which sees its past and its heritage as a backward stage in history that needs to be overcome. In doing so, I compare the influence of Modernism to that of 19th century Western Colonialism, reading this attitude through the prism of Chinua Achebe's book, Things Fall Apart.
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In this episode, we take a look back at Ridley Scott's 2005 film "Kingdom of Heaven," his epic about the Second Crusade which ended with capture of Jerusalem by the Muslim prince Saladine. We examine how it treats the beliefs of characters in the past, specifically those of Christian Crusaders, and what it says about modern Hollywood's sense of history--or lack thereof.
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In 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 and fall of the IHP, and the role of ideology and anti-Catholicism in its demise.
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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.
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In 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.
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Hey 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 to listen to it now (and free of ads), consider becoming a patron of the podcast. Pax Christi!
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Hello! 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.
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Hi 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.
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Our 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.
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Hey 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. This clip is from Episode III of that series, a primer for the Early Modern Period.
In it, I discuss Pope Benedict XIV, a scholar and pontiff of the 18th century who wrote an encyclical on the Eastern Rites in communion with Rome called Allatae Sunt (1755). The clip focuses on his contention that, barring any question of orthodoxy (which popes have a natural right to investigate), Eastern Christians in communion with the Holy See ought to keep and celebrate their own rites and not be "Latinized" by missionaries. You can hear the full discussion of this episode later in the month, or you can go to Controversies in Church History's patreon account to get access now. Thanks to all of my listeners as always. Pax Christi!
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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.
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In 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.
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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 Latinization.
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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.
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In 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.
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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!
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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 the Church of England and how inertia and indifference among its bishops allowed it to happen, both of which appear to have parallels within the Catholic Church today.
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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!
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In 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 you will get early access to ad free episodes, as well as exclusive content for subscribers only.
Pax Christi!
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In 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 the Church itself but the entire Christian world.
If you like the podcast, please follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, and leave comments if you have anything to say. We love the feedback! You can also subscribe to us on YouTube as well. Finally, if you want to support the podcast, please visit our Patreon page and became a patron. Pax Christi!
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Hello 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!
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An update on the podcast, personal news, and an appeal to help grow the podcast from yours truly.
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A 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!
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Our 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.
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Controversies 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!
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There 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 century France, before discussing its relevance for the Church today.
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In 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 Europe and the Catholic Church.
CORRECTION: in the podcast I incorrectly refer to Silesia as a province of Germany populated by a French minority. Silesia was a Polish minority province. I meant to refer to Alsace-Lorraine, a former French territory conquered by Prussia during the Franco-Prussian War.
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In 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 web at churchcontroversies.com. Pax Christi!
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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.
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In 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.
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In 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.
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Our 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.
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In 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.
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In 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.
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The 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.
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Greetings! 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 First Vatican Council in 1870, which made papal infallibility a dogma binding on the faithful. These events seemed to lead to the demise of any Catholic liberalism hoping to compromise with the modern world--or did they?
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Greetings 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.
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In 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.
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In 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.
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Controversies 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 help us understand this important, and still very relevant, episode in the life of the Catholic Church.
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In 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 this legacy of the Union of Brest and how it relates to the current war in Ukraine.
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In 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.
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In 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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In 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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The 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 outline of the Church and its role in Latin America from the independence movements of the early nineteenth century up to the 1960s.
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In 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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Ever 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.
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Recently, 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.
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In 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.
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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 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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In 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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In 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.
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In 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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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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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.)
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This 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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The 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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From 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 Church History takes a deep dive into the history and continuing legacy of this turbulent intellectual challenge in the Church.
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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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This 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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In 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 the life of the Church today.
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In 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 factual background on this tragic and disturbing history.
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In 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 holds for us today.
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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 translated into vernacular, Catholics no longer abstained from meat on Fridays, and vast numbers of its members--including its clergy--openly rejected its teaching on sexual morality. To this day, debates rage among Catholic clergy and scholars about what sort of changes Vatican II introduced.
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In 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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Help me grow my podcast and bring Church History to the mases!
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In 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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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 Church History discusses the historical origins and theology of the Catholic Charismatic movement within the Catholic Church, and discuss why it has sometimes become an object of controversy.
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Dignitatis 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 freedom since the 19th century and its bearing on the status of Dignitatis Humanae.
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In 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 still a lightning rod for criticism of the Catholic Church and its relationship to the modern world. In this episode of Controversies in Church History, we will explore what modernism was and who subscribed to it, as well as examine its legacy for the Church today.
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In 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.
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The 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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This 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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Our 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 at Gettysburg.
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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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In 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 the boy returned to his family, and even Catholic governments in France, Italy and Austria issued protests for Pius IX to relent, but he refused. In this episode, we delve into why Pius IX refused to return the child Edgaro Mortara to his parents, and its lasting impact on the Church today.
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In 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 resolved, how people at the time experienced it, and what we can learn from this messy episode in the Church's long history.
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He 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 condemned his teachings, and what we can learn from his challenge to the Church's faith.
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In 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 lecture, we will explain why and how reforming clergy like Gregory VII reshaped the life of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, in ways that affect us as Catholics directly to this day.
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In 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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The 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 history of how Nicene orthodoxy eventually overcame the opposition of the various Arian theologies.
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"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 accusations. Come learn the history of this momentous event, which for the first time bound all Christians to believe doctrines as a test of orthodoxy, on pain of excommunication from the Church.
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"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!
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In 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 Protestant empires of Britain and the Netherlands. (Note the volume may be low on this episode, and you may need to turn it up to listen.)
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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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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 were, and what papal infallibility means for Catholics today.
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This 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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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 fit the conventional narrative, and actually exonerates the Church from much (though not all) of the calumnies it has received over the centuries.
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In 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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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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Today 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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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.
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The 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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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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In 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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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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Within 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 fierce debates and division among clergy and laity alike. "Liturgy Wars: Catholic Liturgy After Vatican II" will describe the efforts to reform the Catholic liturgy in the 20th century and how those efforts led to the divisions which persist within the Roman Catholic Church today.
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Only 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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The 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.
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Why 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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Christianity 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 Constantine's embrace of Christianity had on the Church, from Enlightenment philosophes to Dan Brown.
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