Conceptualizing Christ, the Beauty of the Church & Miracles

Introduction (00:00:00)

• Bishop Robert Barron is the bishop of the diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.
• Dr. Jordan Peterson is a bestselling author, psychologist, online educator, and professor emeritus of the University of Toronto.
• Father Mike Schmitz is a renowned Catholic priest, evangelist, and host of the popular YouTube channel Ascension Presents.
• Dr. Matthew Petrusek is the senior director of the Word on Fire Institute and its professor of Catholic ethics.
• Christians understand Jesus as the Christ, the anointed one of God.
• The title "Christ" is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah."
• Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.
• Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are the central events of salvation history.
• The biblical story of Jesus is a story of transformation.
• Jesus is the archetype of the hero who descends into the underworld and returns with the power to save.
• Jesus' message is one of hope and redemption.
• Jesus offers a way out of the suffering and meaninglessness of life.
• The beauty of the Church is its diversity.
• The Church is made up of people from all walks of life, all cultures, and all backgrounds.
• The Church is a place where everyone is welcome and loved.
• The Church is a source of hope and joy for the world.
• Miracles are signs of God's power and love.
• Miracles are not just about breaking the laws of nature, but about revealing the deeper reality of God's kingdom.
• Miracles are a source of faith and hope for believers.
• Miracles can be a challenge to our understanding of the world, but they can also be a source of great joy and wonder.

How does Dr. Peterson relate his own conception of Christ to the orthodox Christian conception? (00:05:36)

• Christ is seen as the historically real lord, the God-man who was crucified, died for sins, and was resurrected. He claimed to be the Incarnation of the prophet and the laws, embodying true kingship.
• The Christian claim that Christ defeated death and overcame hell is challenging to understand given the ongoing presence of death and hell, but the idea that good has already won in the space of Eternity, with Christ's sacrifice as the pattern, provides strength and hope.
• The victory over evil has been won by Christ through the cross and resurrection, but there is still work to be done in the present to increase good and decrease evil.
• Human beings are created in God's image and likeness, which means they have an intellect, a will, and freedom. Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven make it possible for humans to become like God.
• The privilege of being a Christian is the opportunity to become like God.

How can Catholics make a case for the objectivity of beauty in a culture awash with relativism and the celebration of ugliness? (00:17:24)

• Beauty has an objective power that transcends subjectivity and leads us towards God.
• Beauty can be objectively identified and measured through interrater reliability.
• According to Aquinas, beauty consists of wholeness, harmony, and radiance.
• Beauty compels awe and imitation and captures attention before goodness and truth can be considered.
• Deep beauty moves individuals in multiple dimensions simultaneously, has multiple meanings, and is inexhaustible.
• The Bible is a deep story that has the ability to rearrange one's consciousness and bring them into harmony with its spirit.
• The structure of the Bible reflects the structure of the brain, with both simplicity and complexity optimized.
• Transcendent literature, like Shakespeare's works, can provide a language for expressing complex emotions and experiences.
• Severe trauma often involves encountering malevolence and can lead to a loss of faith and trust.
• Religious formulations provide sophisticated representations of the deepest levels of Good and Evil.
• Dismissing the Bible as mere Bronze Age mythology overlooks its profound influence on Western culture, artistic expressions, and psychological needs.
• Sam Harris's attempt to ground morality in objective truth fails due to mixed philosophical categories and inherent flaws in his project.