To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age

Barron, the auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles and host of the PBS documentary Catholicism, passionately proclaims the beauty, joy, and truth of the Catholic faith in these wide-ranging and illuminating conversations with journalist Allen (The Global War on Christians). Convinced that if people can grasp the beauty of Catholicism they will convert, Barron advocates a new evangelization. He’s opposed to what he calls a “beige Catholicism,” a bland and watered-down faith that he says becomes virtually indistinguishable from the “beige” versions of other religions. He firmly believes that if people are attracted by the beauty of Catholicism or by the goodness of the lives of its saints, they’ll begin to look for the truths that underlie this beauty and goodness. Allen and Barron also cover debates about the relationship between religion and science and how Catholicism must confront a sexualized culture. They demonstrate the ways that the beauty, goodness, and truth of the faith fit in with modern science, but take a predictably conservative approach to dealing with sexual impulses. These illuminating, easy-to-read, and genial conversations reveal Barron’s passion for his faith and zeal for introducing it to others. (Nov.)