Boo! It’s Halloween on JUST FYI POD: CULTURE. 👻
The overarching theme of Season 3 is: “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” On today’s episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I wrestle with the following issue: “What does the recent uptick in exorcisms (yes, that’s a thing) say about Western cultural and religious life?” Topics include:
Recent journalistic accounts of the “exorcism boom.”
The popularity of exorcism in film and on social media.
The biblical and theological understanding of the demonic and the traditional importance of exorcism in the Christian Church.
Potential causes of the global increase in exorcisms, from the mental health crisis in Western culture to the rise of apocalyptic political rhetoric.
Why you shouldn't expect candy if you go trick-or-treating at Amy’s house!
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and (much!) more content. Subscribe for free today. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's third season is to discuss "The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I wrestle with the following question: "What does the canonization of Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) mean for our understanding of sainthood and holiness in the 21st Century?" Topics include: the life of St. Carlo (whose feast was celebrated just yesterday), the ambiguous media coverage of his canonization, the nature of sainthood in general, and the Church's relation to, and teaching on, the Internet.
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much more content. Subscribe for free today! Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
Season 3! The first two seasons of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS have focused on the greatest works in theological and philosophical history -- at least as far as my cohost Clark Elliston and I are concerned! Now, however, we will shift from the textual to the topical.
Indeed, the main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' third season is to discuss: "'Higher Ed in the ChatGPT Era: How Did We Get Here? Where Is It Going?" In today's episode, we will preview the upcoming season and then (possibly against all odds!) try to provide a coherent and engaging discussion how, and why, we got started in academic life.
As always, please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for additional information and much more content. Subscribe for free today! Your interest and support are much appreciated.
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE’s third season is to discuss “The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions.” However, on today’s “breakout pod,” Amy Welborn, Clark Elliston, and I discuss one of the most shocking political events in recent memory—the public killing of Republican activist, author, and media personality Charlie Kirk, who was shot in front of thousands of people last week at Utah Valley University. While the criminal investigation into this case has proceeded at a brisk pace, Amy, Clark, and I take a wider view of this event, debating how American politics got to this point and what it means going forward. Topics include: social media and the phenomenon of online polarization, Kirk’s status as a kind of Christian “martyr,” and the role of churches amid this political firestorm. We end by wrestling with the question: will this crime spur a renewal of American public life—or accelerate its disintegration?
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much more content. Subscribe for free today, and, as ever, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The title of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's third season is "The Future of American Christianity: A Conversation in Ten Questions." On today's inaugural episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I preview the upcoming season, both in terms of form and content. Yet, we also take time to catch up after a busy summer. Topics include Italy, road trips, baseball, writing projects, and our favorite Summer 2025 movie releases. With regard to the latter, we pay special to attention to the new mystery-horror film Weapons (Zach Cregger, 2025) and, in turn, to the so-called "elevated horror" movement. What does it mean that America's new generation of auteurs (Cregger, Ari Aster, Jordan Peele, etc.) are largely telling stories about witches, demons, aliens, and vampires?
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much more content. Subscribe for free today, and, as ever, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode—and at long last!—my cohost Clark Elliston and I wrap up our countdown and explore two very different philosophical works—one that is a classic (and seemingly prescient) analysis of the modern sociopolitical order, and another that exemplifies the so-called “theological turn” in postmodern phenomenology.
First up is Søren Kierkegaard’s 1846 treatise A Literary Review (En literair Anmeldelse), which, as I will explain, provides an early and prophetic account of the media, public opinion, and bourgeois conformity in contemporary Western society. Next, Clark will turn to Emmanuel Falque’s The Metamorphosis of Finitude: An Essay on Birth and Resurrection(Métamorphose de la finitude. Essai philosophique sur la naissance et la résurrection), which uses Christian theology to probe a fundamental human reality—that our very existence hinges on the simple, but profound, fact that we have been born at all. Life, in other words, is more about birth than death.
As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today, and, as always, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two massively influential texts from the twentieth century. Yet, before doing so, we spend some time discussing the recent flash floods in Central Texas, which devastated Clark's hometown of Kerrville. In this opening segment, Clark gives a firsthand account of what life is now like in the Texas Hill Country. Next, and not unrelatedly, we pivot to my analysis of Martin Heidegger's famous work The Question Concerning Technology (Die Frage nach der Technik), which was first published in 1954. Finally, Clark offers an assessment of Emmanuel Levinas' 1974 treatise Otherwise than Being, or Beyond Essence (Autrement qu'être ou au-delà de l'essence).
As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today, and, as always, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing -- at long last! -- on the #1 novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining Fyodor Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (Братья Карамазовы, 1880). Next, Amy delves into THE POWER AND THE GLORY (1940), arguably the magnum opus of British author Graham Greene. Both novels are considered classics of world literature. However, as Amy and I discuss, they are also theologically insightful and, in a unique way, spiritually transformative.
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much more content. Subscribe for free today, and, as ever, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #2 (!) novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining what is undoubtedly one of the most important books in the history of world literature--namely, Don Quixote (1606/1615) by Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616). Next, Amy delves into Brideshead Revisited (1945), the magnum opus of the great English Catholic novelist Evelyn Waugh (1903-66). Written in different languages and in different eras, these two novels make for a curious pairing. And yet, both force us to grapple with the challenges of earthly life, not to mention the attendant human longing to find meaning therein
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much more content. Subscribe for free today, and, as ever, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two recent philosophical texts -- one that is already considered a classic in the field, another that presents a penetrating overview some of philosophy's greatest thinkers. The former is Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (1981), which, as I will explain, has had a massive influence on the recovery of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas in the tradition of virtue ethics. Next Clark will turn to Stephen Mulhall's Philosophical Myths of the Fall (2007), which probes the ethico-religious dimension in the thinking of Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Ludwig Wittgenstein.
As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today, and, as always, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
Habemus papam! On May 8, Robert Francis Prevost, a Chicago native and a 1977 graduate of Villanova University, was elected Bishop of Rome at the 2025 papal conclave. He took the (meaningful) name of Leo XIV and is the first pope to be born in the United States. Joining me with instant reaction to this historic election is Amy Welborn, who is currently in Rome and was, in fact, present for the announcement today. See Just FYI (cbarnett,substack.com) for more details, links, and much, much more content!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE'S second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #3 novel on our respective lists. Amy begins by examining Flannery O'Connor's darkly comic debut WISE BLOOD (1952). Next, I explore Cormac McCarthy's fêted late masterpiece THE ROAD (2006). These two works are very different in tone, and yet both ponder the possibility of a godless world -- and why only the eternal can sustain human beings amid their existential suffering.
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much (much!) more content. Subscribe for free today, and, as ever, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Ideas’ second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two key works from the transformative years of the mid 20th Century. First, I dive into Simone Weil's posthumously published classic The Need for Roots: Prelude Towards a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind (L'Enracinement, prélude à une déclaration des devoirs envers l'être humain). Next, Clark turns to Iris Murdoch's 1970 exploration of moral philosophy entitled The Sovereignty of Good. Two great texts by two of the previous century's most creative and incisive intellects!
As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today, and, as always, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown, this time focusing on the #4 novel on our respective lists. I begin by examining Joris-Karl Huysmans' fascinating (and disturbing!) 1891 novel THE DAMNED (Là-Bas). Next, Amy explores Shūsaku Endō's famous (and controversial!) 1966 novel SILENCE (沈黙). Both works dare to probe the darkest corners of human life, albeit with an eye to rekindling a faith forgotten or misunderstood.
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details, and much more content. Subscribe for free today, and, as ever, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Ideas’ second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." Today's episode, however, will be different. In a wide-ranging conversation, my cohost Clark Elliston and I speak with George Pattison -- one of the world's leading philosophical theologians, who, among other things, has served as Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford (2004-13) and 1640 Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow (2013-19). The occasion for our discussion is the publication of George's excellent new book Conversations with Dostoevsky: On God, Russia, Literature, and Life (Oxford University Press, 2024). However, George's erudition and geniality allowed us to touch on a number of subjects, including his role as an Anglican priest, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and why drunken football supporters are full of surprises.
As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today, and, as always, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture's second season is to countdown "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." However, on this episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I sat down on a stormy Mardi Gras afternoon to discuss two major news stories, both of which significantly intersect with Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular. First, we consider the recent concerns about Pope Francis' health -- as of this recording, the Holy Father has been in hospital for a few weeks -- and we ponder his legacy and what it means for the Church going forward. Second, we breakdown the so-called Ordo Amoris controversy, which erupted when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance (a Catholic) invoked a Catholic theological concept to defend the Trump administration's policy on illegal immigration. Finally, we conclude with a few thoughts about the recent Academy Awards ceremony, which led many viewers to ask the questions: "What is Anora? And can I stream it somewhere?"
As always, additional content and links can be found at Just FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today. Your interest and support are much appreciated! Also, please consider following, liking, rating, and/or sharing our work.
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode, my cohost Clark Elliston and I explore two classics from the 19th Century. First, Clark offers an analysis of Democracy in America (De la démocratie en Amérique, 1835 and 1840 ) by the French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59). Next, I turn to the existentialistic novella Notes from Underground (Записки из подполья, 1862-64) written by the great Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-81). As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today. Your interest and support are much appreciated! Also please consider following, liking, rating, and/or sharing our work.
The main task of Just FYI Pod: Culture’s second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown—this time focusing on the #5 novel on our respective lists. Amy kick things off with an examination of Wilfrid Sheed's underrated 1963 book The Hack. Next, I explore Thomas Pynchon's 1997 magnum opus Mason & Dixon. Though different in setting and in style, both novels wryly probe the modern world for signs of meaning, purpose, and even transcendence.
Please visit Just FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and much more content. Please subscribe for free today, and, as always, consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: CULTURE's second season is to discuss "Ten Novels That Changed Our Lives." On today's episode, my cohost Amy Welborn and I resume our countdown -- this time focusing on the #6 novel on our respective lists. I kick things off with an examination of Walter M. Miller's post-apocalyptic sci-fi classic A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ (1959). Next, Amy explores J.F. Powers' debut novel MORTE D'URBAN (1962). Both books explore the tension between church and society, albeit in different styles and in wildly disparate settings.
Please visit JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com) for more details and additional content. Please subscribe for free today, and consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work. Your generosity and support are much appreciated!
The main task of JUST FYI POD: IDEAS' second season is to discuss "Our Ten Favorite Works of Philosophy." On today's episode -- which might be called "Plato Day" on the pod -- I begin with a discussion of arguably the greatest philosophical work of Greek antiquity, Plato's REPUBLIC (Πολιτεία). Next, my cohost Clark J. Elliston turns to Plato's late and massively influential text TIMAEUS (Τίμαιος).
As always, additional content and links can be found at JUST FYI (cbarnett.substack.com). Please subscribe for free today. Your generosity and support are much appreciated! Also please consider following, liking, rating, and sharing our work.
