Today on Kresta - December 15, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Dec. 15

4:00 – CNN Viewers Say Yes to a One-child Policy in America
CNN’s Jack Cafferty all but endorsed a global version of China’s oppressive one-child policy on Friday’s Situation Room. He used the argument that population control is the only way to fight global warming, and mentioned the opposition of “fundamentalist leaders” and others only in passing. This comes on the heels of a Canadian journalist named Diane Francis publishing an article in the Financial Post entitled “The real inconvenient truth: The whole world needs to adopt China's one-child policy.” Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute is with us.

4:20 – Fire of God’s Love: 120 Reflections on the Eucharist / “The Passion of St. Perpetua”
Science falters and poetry fails when we try to speak of the Eucharist, but across the centuries saints, theologians and ordinary Catholics have nevertheless found words to express the inexpressible: Jesus, fully present, body, blood, soul and divinity, offers himself to humanity in this sacrament. Mike Aquilina brings together 120 of those reflections to encourage and inspire you as you ponder the fire of God's love revealed in the mystery of the Eucharist. We also talk with him about his involvement with the “Catholic Heroes of the Bible” series and his new documentary on St. Perpetua.

5:00 – The Theology of the Body Debate: The Pivotal Questions
What’s the proper interpretation of Pope John Paul II’s teachings on the human person, love and sexuality? While championing the goodness of the body, do we risk underemphasizing our tendencies to sin? Has John Paul II’s “theology of the body” been distilled into a “theology of sex”? These questions and more have made up the discussion on Christopher West’s interpretation and presentation of the theology of the body over the past few months. The debate was spurred by an appearance of West – arguably the most widely publicized author and lecturer on the theology of the body in at least English-speaking media – on ABC’s Nightline, when he suggested a “very profound historical connections” between Pope John Paul II and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, as well as described the Book of the Song of Songs as the Bible’s “centerfold.” A statement from Christopher said that while he was pleased that the show exposed more people to Pope John Paul II’s teachings, ABC “failed to provide the larger context Christopher offered in his extended interview.” Critics, however, found the moment an opportunity to discuss what they see as fundamentally flawed in West’s theology as a whole. Christopher is now speaking out and is here to discuss the theology of the body, the controversy and more.