Fr. Robert Barron is one of the most provocative teachers of faith today. He’s a brilliant philosopher, capable of writing heavy scholarly works on theology–I’m currently pushing through his “Priority of Christ”–and he has a gift for oration and articulation. But he’s most well know for his popular presentations of faith through new media outlets like blogs, Youtube videos, and podcasts.
Fr. Barron and his Word on Fire team are just wrapping up their monumental, 10-part “CATHOLICISM” project which I’ve mentioned many times before on this blog. A month ago, my parish hosted an advanced screening of Episode 1 of the series, titled “Amazed and Afraid”. Almost every person left deeply moved and unsettled by their new understanding of our strange God.
Fr. Barron revealed a God who is not a safe diety, but a dangerous warrior. He showed that this New King was born to counter the old kings, uprooting the backward ways of Caesar and his cohorts. And he gently shifted our responses to God away from comfort and bore to fear and wonder.
My pastor, having his expectations exceeded, told me afterward that ‘we will definitely purchase and screen the entire series when it is officially released.” The series is that powerful. I think it will be the most explosive evangelistic tool our generation has yet seen.
Matthew Warner, a blogging friend over at FallibleBlogma, has teamed up with Word on Fire to release some short previews of the series to whet the world’s appetite. Click below to watch a five-minute clip from Episode 1, discovering who Jesus is and what makes him unique.
And be sure to subscribe to Matthew’s excellent blog so that you can catch more previews as they become available!
(Also, be on the lookout for some updates on the book I’m writing with both Matthew and Fr. Barron, which explores the relationship between New Media and the Church.)