Principles Live Lectures

Join Christendom College professor Dr. John Cuddeback for this lecture examining practical principles from the master of contemplation, St. Thomas Aquinas. No matter our state in life, we are all called to contemplation as part of our identity and fulfilment, even amidst the challenges and chaos of today.

Learn about the true nature of beauty, its importance for our lives, and why Beauty not only can but will undoubtedly save the world. Christendom professor Dr. Michael Rubin will help you discover "How Beauty Will Save the World."

Join Christendom Professor Daniel Spiottaas as he explores the structure of the Rosary from a unique perspective that illuminates fascinating new insights. The mysteries of the Rosary tell the story of Our Lady's life with Christ, and like any good story, they are artfully arranged. By reflecting on the ring-structure of the Rosary, we can come to a deeper understanding of its mysteries and how they relate to one another.

Join Christendom professor Dr. Sara Pecknold as she explores the importance of music for our lives as Catholics and as a means of glorifying God. Music holds a unique place of influence in all our lives. Because of its constant presence and its indisputable power to move our souls, music should be put to its highest purpose: to praise God and lead us to Him. This lecture invites the listener to enjoy exquisite settings of the Salve Regina from 17th-century Venice and to consider how the contemplation of sacred beauty assists in the formation of the soul. Dr. Sara Pecknold holds a Ph.D. in Historical Musicology with a minor in Vocal Performance from The Catholic University of America, where she served as a lecturer in the History of Sacred Music and directed the Sacred Music Consort from 2016 to 2022. She is currently a Visiting Professor of Liturgical Music at Christendom College.

This Principles Live Lecture was broadcast from our annual Christmas at Christendom event for our President's Council benefactors.

The breakdown of the family is one of the chief factors behind the societal decay we experience today. How can we protect the family unit and reverse the breakdown of society? This lecture will examine how rediscovering filial piety can help lead us toward the restoration we need.

Why is children's literature important? In our society where even children are made to question their very identity, it is crucial to have stories that ground them in truth.

"How can we be effective evangelizers?" Find out how baptism and hobbits can shed light on what it means to be a Christian filled with faith, hope, and love, and thus a beacon for communicating the joy of the Christian life to others.

This lecture provides the example of theology professors who conceived of themselves not only as intellectuals, but, more importantly, as Christian teachers. Focusing on the twelfth-century schools of theology, Dr. Berardi shows how theologians of the time followed the tradition of the Church Fathers and were responsible for the moral education of their students.

The world is filled with conflicts, both apparent and real, between personal love and civic duty. Can love be restrained without violating its radical freedom? In this brief talk, Christendom College's Professor Daniel Spiotta will consider how William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream expresses the demands of both love and law, manifests the dangers of neglecting either, and proposes a mutually reinforcing resolution. Spiotta, who serves as an assistant professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Christendom, specializes in the works of Shakespeare and Medieval English poetry,

Virtue has never been more maligned and misunderstood than in our age. Between movies that celebrate antiheroes and corporations that “virtue signal” about false values, we must revisit the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas to reclaim a true understanding of virtue and strategies for how we can acquire it in our age. This Principles Live Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Andrew Whitmore, assitant professor of theology at Christendom College. Dr. Whitmore authored the book Saintly Habits: Aquinas’ 7 Simple Strategies You Can Use to Grow in Virtue, recently published by Ascension Press.

This lecture will be given by Dr. Daniel McInerny, a professor of philosophy at Christendom College and faculty moderator of the on-campus drama club, the Christendom Players. Dr. McInerny also teaches an upcoming Principles class on The Philosophy of Art and Beauty and has a book coming out next year from Word on Fire Academic entitled The Way of Beauty. When we hear the word “entertainment,” we may think of the frivolous, the mindless, or the downright offensive. But who among us does not enjoy some form of entertainment? And isn’t it interesting that the foremost theologian of the Catholic Church, St. Thomas Aquinas, considered the right enjoyment of entertainment a part of what it means to live the virtuous life? In this brief talk, Dr. Daniel McInerny will explore the nature of entertainment, its right forms and abuses, and the challenges for Christian believers to developing virtuous entertainment in our time.

In this Principles Live Lecture, Christendom professor Dr. Kurt Poterack will help you understand the beautiful theology behind Catholic teaching on sacred music. These days, many people think "sacred music" can be any sort of music played in a religious setting. However, the Catholic Church has a long and rich tradition of carefully delineating just what sacred music means.

This lecture will be given by Dr. Trey Stanford, a professor in the Department of English Literature & Language at Christendom College. Dr. Stanford's lecture is entitled "'Terrificalest Freezing Magics': The Gift of Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas" and will be a part of Christendom College's annual day-long Christmas at Christendom event for our President's Council benefactors, many of whom will join us in person. We hope you enjoy a glimpse into this special event!

Why read Jane Austen? She makes us smile and laugh through her beautifully written works of literature, but she also helps orient our imagination, intellect, and will towards virtue. Dr. Sullivan earned her Ph.D. in English from The Catholic University of America and serves as an assistant professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Christendom College. She specializes in Jane Austen, 19th century British literature, and Epistolary literature. Join us for a Principles Live Lecture with Christendom College literature professor Dr. Kathleen Sullivan. She will help you see how Jane Austen's writings can aid you in growing in the virtue of humility, in particular, through her examination of the character of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.

Dr. Vyner serves as the chairman in the Department of Theology at Christendom College, where he teaches classes on Scripture, the Sacraments, the Domestic Church, Fundamentals of Catholic Doctrine, and more. Tomorrow's Principles Live Lecture will present the Holy Family, referred to in the early Church as the "earthly Trinity," both in Scripture and Tradition. Such a topic is extremely relevant today in light of the increasing attacks on the family. It will conclude with pastoral guidelines for developing a spousal-familial spirituality.

Dr. Cuddeback holds a PhD from the Catholic University of America and has taught for 25 years here at Christendom College in the Philosophy Department. He is the author of the book, "True Friendship", where virtue becomes happiness, and a lay Dominican. He is an avid gardener and hunter. In this Principles Live Lecture, Dr. Cuddeback explains that life is about relationship. One of the most important relationships that we ultimately have are friendships. We are most ultimately called to friendship with God. This, to Dr. Cuddeback, is the main reason to be so interested and so concerned to understand well the nature of friendship. To understand the nature of friendship is really at the heart of understanding why God created us, and will be the key to living in unison with other human persons.

Canadian by birth, Conor Sweeney obtained a licentiate and doctorate in Sacred Theology from the John Paul Institute for Marriage and the Family in Rome. He taught and researched in areas of Evangelization, continental philosophy, the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger, and John Paul II's Theology of the Body, and much more. Dr. Sweeney joined the theology faculty in 2020 here at Christendom College. Dr. Sweeney delivers what he calls a warmup or preparation of a class he is offering this fall semester at Christendom College, called, "Atheism and the Death of God." The key words to keep in mind during this lecture are: Eros, Moralism, the phrase "God is dead", Love, Agape, Truth and Joy. He goes into depth of what Pope Benedict XVI's response was to one of the greatest critics of Christianity of all time: Frederick Nietzsche. Nietzsche is famous for his hatred of Christianity; he calls it a capital crime against life, a religion of the herd, an expression of the will to power of a weak and resentful type of human being who is incapable of true greatness of spirit. Dr. Sweeney particularly focuses on Nietzsche's claim that "Christianity poisoned eros and turned it into a vice or something bad." According to Nietzsche, in his book, Beyond Good and Evil, "Christianity gave Eros poison to drink. He did not die of it, but degenerated into a vice." Dr. Sweeney concludes his lecture on moral truth. He says that, "Moral truth, in its fullness, is never distinct from the love of Christ poured into our hearts. Truth is not an abstraction of an idea out there, distinct from love. It is not rationalism or subjectivism. To choose love is to choose what is true, to choose the truth is to choose love. Christian love requires iron in the soul in the one who seeks to live up to the demands of it."

Dr. Mark Wunsch received his undergraduate degree in Denver, and pursued his graduate degree in the Angelicum in Rome. Since 2005, he has taught and served in multiple administrative roles, associate professor of philosophy, academic dean, director of Rome academics, and chair of the philosophy department. He has taught all six of our core Philosophy classes here at Christendom. In this Principles Live Lecture, he first addresses Aristotle's novel thesis: only the virtuous man can be happy. Secondly, he will delve into Nicomichean Ethics, and conclude with how Aristotle's thought can be reconciled with Christian morality.

Dr. Joseph Brutto serves as associate professor of Political Science, Chairman of the Political Science and Economics department, and Director of the Advanced Studies program at Christendom College. He teaches classes on the origin of political thought, Catholic Social Doctrine, and Ancient and Political Philosophy, and more. Today's Principles Live Lecture will focus on Machiavelli. Dr. Brutto will explain how, in many ways, Machiavelli's most famous writings still impact our Western society, even today. He briefly introduces us to Niccoló Machiavelli as a man, and follows up with the historical context of his writing. Secondly Dr. Brutto will tell us about what it is in the history of Western thought that Machiavelli is responding to, and lastly, it will conclude with a brief discussion in what Machiavelli's response is to Western thought.