How to Resist Anti-Christian Bigotry

Friends, how should we respond when the culture becomes inhospitable if not actively hostile to Christian values? Sadly, biblical and natural law points of view are unwelcome now in many of the institutions that constitute the core of our society, including corporations, public schools, higher education, Silicon Valley, Hollywood, the legacy media, and even government entities themselves. What can Christians do to resist persecution by these secular powerhouses? How can we understand what it means to resist those who undermine Christians in light of Christ’s command to love our enemies?

A listener asks how she can share the faith with her non-religious family members.

00:00 | Intro
01:48 | Matt Walsh’s recent “Am I Racist?” film
02:50 | Distinguishing bigotry from disagreement
03:56 | Distinguishing inhospitality from hostility
06:12 | Anti-Christian sentiment in history
08:43 | Taking opposition at its word
12:47 | How the Olympics opening ceremony provoked response
14:58 | Provocative acts of nonviolence
18:08 | Unpacking “turn the other cheek”
22:24 | Recent revival of religious interest
23:38 | Resistance as an act of love
25:07 | What’s to be done with anger?
26:22 | Pacifism and forceful resistance
28:51 | How the martyrs inform the Church
30:09 | Resistance to culture as a form of evangelization
31:11 | Listener question
32:49 | Join the Word on Fire Institute

———SHOW NOTES———

———WATCH———

———WORD ON FIRE———

———SOCIAL MEDIA———

———SUPPORT WORD ON FIRE———

[towardthegarden]

Bishop Barron, and the word on fire team you have no idea how much this battle cry fuels the laity to defend the kingdom of God. Thank you so much for being courageous and brave enough to voice the truth. Good job team!!

[m.f.r.]

I abandoned the church for many years. I'm back because I realized that without faith, you end up believing in other things, such as money, wokeness, celebrities, etc. Im awake : Jesus is my Lord

[marielahuey]

Bishop Barron always inspiring me to be a better person and Christian.I have learned so much from all your sermons/homilies! Please continue teaching and guiding us.

[shhh]

I'm Indigenous and an intergenerational survivor of Residential Schools, most of which were run by the Catholic Church. Today is Truth & Reconciliation Day in Canada where we reflect on our healing. I'm a devout Catholic and this is an extremely difficult day for me. It's these crimes that go unpunished that feeds to fire of hate towards the Church. It's a very hard day to see pictures of nuns and priests at these schools all day. It's a very hard day to be Indigenous. It's a very hard day to be Catholic. Pray for us.

[ScottMalaney]

Bishop Barron is a “gem” beyond words. Faith is a gift beyond words. I am struck, however, by the host detailing the many issues where the Church and the broader society are at odds, yet our own church is fraught with many of the same behaviors. The inability of the church hierarchy to manage its own sinfulness has significantly eroded moral authority. I would suggest the Church begins “removing the log in its own eye” and then stand tall against the many moral issues facing the world.

[teweti]

Dear Bishop, Thank you for speaking up against the Paris Olympics bigotry.

[luisdiego]

We need more Christian soldiers like you, Bishop Barrón.

[richardorduno]

Bishop Barron is the reason I and finding my self praying for and giving thanks to the lord for all I have and are given thank you Jesus god bless all

[mapinoita]

Thank you, Bishop, for speaking up! God bless you!!!!

[hlangels]

I could care less if the whole world is against me as long as I have Jesus on my side. The Lord said, "What good is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul?" Jesus is everything.

[michelledamm]

To suggest there has been a mere dereliction of duty by leadership is a gross understatement. The systematic marginalization of Christianity—particularly evident in the media—has been a persistent reality throughout my lifetime, extending into government institutions and many of organizations.

[proverbios]

Thanks and God bless you Bishop Barron! I couldn't help feel joyful at the providential connection between Bishop's episode and today's (10/1/24) first reading of the Office which comes from Philippian 1:27-30 - "Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear news of you, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind struggling together for the faith of the gospel, not intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is proof to them of destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. Yours is the same struggles as you saw in me and now hear about me." Saint Paul, pray for us so that as Bishop Barron said in his article: we "speak up, resist, and get in their way".

[keeroe]

Amen. Too many think Christianity means you're perfect, or you will never struggle. Neither is true; after 70 years I STILL am learning to embrace my crosses.

[dezlovecraft]

"Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing".

[friendsofmongooses]

Bishop Barron should be the next Pope imo

[thomasmichael]

Jesus said heaven and earth will disappear but my words will never disappear….keep that at heart. Profound statement

[tapestry]

Ask the Holy Spirit to give us the right words if we are to speak and give us that gift that stops us from speaking too. Sometimes its best just to silently pray for them.

[mrs.m]

[The Bishop's early discussion of DEI grifting as nothing but a "naming of this problem" called to mind the Henry Reed poem "Naming of Parts, " in which a military officer runs through the parts of a gun while the listener/poet's mind wanders toward the flowers and insects in the spring garden.] As a resistant member of DC's educated elite, I see two forms of anti-Catholic bias. The first is old-fashioned Martin Luther-type "how can you believe all that stuff?" prejudice, which at least shows some knowledge of what is being rejected and is often open to discussion. The other form is antipathy towards Christianity in general, some from educated members of other religions (one of my parents WAS one of these so I am not inventing sinister cabals here) who for historical reasons don't trust Christians, others from what Virginia Woolf metaphorically referred to as the color blind (I can't see color, therefore color doesn't exist; ditto for spiritual matters). This type leads to lack of moral qualms, dismissal of deeply-entrenched values, and increasingly abusive legislation. Finally, Bishop Barron, thank you for accepting anger as often a simple reaction to injustice, because all those self-righteous "Hate Has No Home Here" signs on the big green lawns of my Trump-hating neighbors make me angry (which is NOT the same at hatred)!

[lisapolanski]

The set lighting and background is excellent in this video.

[bikecameraaction]

Like so many aspects of modern life, it seems our faith is subject to increasing polarisation of opinion and acceptance. From what I see and hear, there appears to be a resurgence of faith and interest in the Catholic church. But, at the same time, the secular world (including the high-end liberal culture refered to by Bishop Barron - including Hollywood, I'd say), is more contemptuous of the church and the faithful. It's like minds are simply closed and entrenched and prejudice against Christianity remains acceptable.