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095: Making Sense of the Dark Passages of the Bible

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Featuring Curtis Mitch

Have you ever read something in the Bible and thought, “Yikes! That doesn’t sound like a loving God!”

There are a lot of difficult events (not to mention direct instructions from God) that cause 21st century Christians a lot of angst.

Of particular note is the extreme violence ordered by God against seemingly innocent people. So what gives? How does this square with the love taught by Christ and His Church?

To provide some answers, I brought in Curtis Mitch. He’s one of the sharpest biblical minds in the Catholic Church. (For the last 20 years he’s been writing the commentary in the best-selling Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.)

He’s got serious Scripture skills and I love having him on the show.

Among other things, we’ll discuss:

  • Why the Israelites engaged in the violent conquest of Canaan (killing everyone and everything…Yeah, I told you this one wasn’t easy)
  • What is herem warfare and why did God order it
  • The whole point of the Promised Land
  • The extremely dire consequences of idolatry
  • How to reconcile the violence of the Old Testament with the love taught by Christ
  • What lessons we can learn from the Israelites for our spiritual life

This might be the most difficult topic we’ve ever addressed. But it’s a necessary one to address if we’re going to proclaim the truth of God in the world (not to mention grow in our understanding and faith).

Blessings,

Matthew

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094: Unlocking Catholic Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

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Featuring Dr. John Bergsma

Discovered in 1946 by a guy throwing rocks into a cave, the Dead Sea Scrolls have been called “the greatest archeological find of the 20th century.”

And they’re totally Catholic!

Join Matthew Leonard and scrolls expert Dr. John Bergsma as they unlock some very illuminating secrets from these famous scrolls.

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It’s a conversation that may help fill in some cracks you didn’t even realize were there.

Among other things they’ll cover:

  • What the Scrolls teach us about the Eucharist
  • The mysterious Essenes and Christ’s relationship to them
  • Why Matthew, Mark, and Luke say the Last Supper was on a different day than the Gospel of John…and how to reconcile that difference
  • Why in the world John the Baptist lived in the wilderness eating weird stuff and wearing animal skins
  • How the Scrolls shed light on what books make up the Bible (or don’t)

This is a jam-packed interview that will help you see the story of Scripture in a whole new way!

God bless!

Matthew

Other Art of Catholic podcasts featuring Dr. Bergsma:

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“If you’ve ever wanted to deepen your life of prayer and actually make some progress in avoiding vice and growing in virtue, look no further.” Dr. Brant Pitre – Renowned theologian & best-selling author

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093: God & Evolution

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Featuring Dr. Jay Richards

The confusion is pervasive. The consequences are catastrophic.

What is a Catholic supposed to believe when it comes to evolution? Is it okay or not? Can Darwinism be reconciled with Church teaching as many argue (or even assume)?

To answer these (and many other related questions), I brought in a man I consider to have one of the most remarkable minds in the Catholic Church.

His name is Dr. Jay Richards, a New York Times best-selling author and convert to Catholicism (from Calvinism).

Jay is an Assistant Research Professor in the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, and the Executive Editor of The Stream.

He’s smart. Very smart. And he’s got a lot to say on the topic of evolution. In fact, he edited and contributed to a powerful book titled “God and Evolution” which I found very interesting.

You will, too.

Among other things, Jay and I discuss:

  • The predominant views of how the world came to be
  • How the Church views the famous “Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin
  • The fundamental difference between a Darwinist and a theist
  • The conundrum of “theistic evolution”
  • Intelligent Design
  • Why there is so much confusion in Catholicism about evolution

This is one of those episodes that’s going to challenge some of your fundamental presuppositions and make you say, “What? Really?” Enjoy!

God bless!

Matthew

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“If you’ve ever wanted to deepen your life of prayer and actually make some progress in avoiding vice and growing in virtue, look no further.” Dr. Brant Pitre – Renowned theologian & author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist

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