Jan Bentz, native of Germany, teaches Philosophy at Blackfriars, Oxford. He has worked in journalism for over a decade based in Rome, Italy, covering the Vatican. His academic work focuses on Thomistic Metaphysics and Medieval thought in relation to Modernity.
Reality Check | Ep. 11 | Conservative Re-enchantment with Charles Coulombe

Reality Check | Ep. 11 | Conservative Re-enchantment with Charles Coulombe

In an era where disenchantment seems to permeate every aspect of modern life, is there a way to revive the sense of wonder and connection to tradition that once defined our worldview? In this episode, Charles A. Coulombe argues that re-enchantment requires more than a superficial return to old ways.

September 13, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 10 | Navigating Wokeness and Faith in America

Reality Check | Ep. 10 | Navigating Wokeness and Faith in America

In this episode of Reality Check, Trey Dimsdale, executive director of the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy, joins us to discuss the current state of religious freedom in the United States.

September 8, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 9 | A Catholic Perspective on Brain Death: An Ethical Dilemma?

Reality Check | Ep. 9 | A Catholic Perspective on Brain Death: An Ethical Dilemma?

In this episode of Reality Check, we delve into the complexities of brain death and organ donation with Dr. John Di Camillo, an ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

September 1, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 8 | Art and Morality: Can Beauty Save the World?

Reality Check | Ep. 8 | Art and Morality: Can Beauty Save the World?

What is the relationship between art and morality, and can beauty truly save the world? We explore these profound questions with Fr. Brad Elliott OP, a Dominican friar, artist, and philosopher.

August 9, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 7 | <strong>Margarita Mooney Clayton</strong>: The Liberal Arts and Perennial Truths

Reality Check | Ep. 7 | <strong>Margarita Mooney Clayton</strong>: The Liberal Arts and Perennial Truths

In this episode, Jan Bentz is joined by Margarita Mooney Clayton. Together they explore how a liberal arts education fosters adaptability, nurtures a love of lifelong learning, and equips individuals with the tools to navigate the rough waters of society.

June 30, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 6 | <strong>Sean Brooks</strong>: Psychology and Christianity

Reality Check | Ep. 6 | <strong>Sean Brooks</strong>: Psychology and Christianity

Jan Bentz speaks to psychologist Sean Brooks. Together, they navigate faith and science, refuting the view that psychology is incompatible with religious belief.

June 23, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 5 | <strong>David Schindler</strong> & The Politics of the Real

Reality Check | Ep. 5 | <strong>David Schindler</strong> & The Politics of the Real

Jan Bentz speaks to Dr. David C. Schindler from the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family about the reality of politics—and how politics can be based on reality.

May 19, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 4 | <strong>Fr. Michael Baggot</strong>: <br>Transhumanism as Pseudo Transfiguration

Reality Check | Ep. 4 | <strong>Fr. Michael Baggot</strong>: <br>Transhumanism as Pseudo Transfiguration

Jan Bentz speaks to Fr. Michael Baggot about the unholy goals of the transhumanism movement.

May 12, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 3 | <strong>David Clayton</strong> & The Way of Beauty

Reality Check | Ep. 3 | <strong>David Clayton</strong> & The Way of Beauty

Jan C. Bentz talks with David Clayton, artist, writer, and provost at Pontifex University, about beauty and art. Is beauty objective? Is it scientific? What makes a good artist good? All these and more related questions are tackled by Clayton in the context of art and sacred art.

May 5, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 2 | <strong>Ernst-Peter Fischer</strong>: Science & Mystery

Reality Check | Ep. 2 | <strong>Ernst-Peter Fischer</strong>: Science & Mystery

Jan C. Bentz talks with Ernst-Peter Fischer, historian of science, about the beauty of mystery and whether is it scientifically possible to understand the world as enchanted.

April 28, 2024
Reality Check | Ep. 1 | <strong>Michael Thomas</strong> & the Catholic Land Movement

Reality Check | Ep. 1 | <strong>Michael Thomas</strong> & the Catholic Land Movement

Philosopher and journalist Jan C. Bentz talks with Michael Thomas about the Catholic Land Movement, tradition, perennial truths, and the inspiration of Chesterton and Belloc.

April 22, 2024
An Antidote to the Woke Virus

An Antidote to the Woke Virus

Counter Wokecraft makes the case that woke strategies, “while tricky and manipulative,” are also “comprehensible, predictable, and able to be countered.”

October 4, 2023