Today on Kresta - Aug. 17, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Aug. 17

Live From the Iowa State Fair with KWKY - Catholic Radio in DesMoines, IA

4:00 – The Enemy in Our Hands: America's Treatment of Prisoners of War from the Revolution to the War on Terror
Winston Churchill once remarked, "A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him." The discovery and exposure of the U.S. military's inhumane treatment of detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp generated a media frenzy that many argue irrevocably damaged America's reputation as a world leader. Drawing from diverse primary sources, military historian Robert C. Doyle illuminates America's prisoner of war policies from the founding era to the present. With direct relevance to contemporary events, we examine every major war and conflict, from the American Revolution to Iraq and Afghanistan. It is incumbent upon America to consider its treatment of enemy prisoners of war and how that treatment defines national character.

4:40 – Thirty-Three: The Story of Hope
Kirk Berendes took his four children to see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, the vivid cinematic portrayal of the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life before His death. All of the children were enthralled by the movie and one of them, the aptly named Christian, turned to Kirk and asked, "But, daddy, what happened next?" Out of that experience came the book, Thirty Three, The Story of Hope, which seeks to illuminate how the life, resurrection and post resurrection sightings of an itinerant Rabbi sparked a fervent movement in the Year AD 33. Author Edward Flom is with us.

5:00 - Culture Gague
From 1999-2004 Jim Havens studied media in undergraduate and graduate schools. He was fascinated with visual storytelling and how it affects those who consume it. Jim broke from his media studies to study theology from 2004-2006. He completed a M.A. in Theology and Christian Ministry at Franciscan University of Steubenville and discerned a call to parish youth ministry. He understood how the popular media culture was negatively affecting young people and he wanted to give young people the true answer they were longing for: Jesus Christ. In that capacity he recognized three ways parents were dealing with the popular media: the unaware parent (“it’s not so bad”), the overprotective parent (“I will shield my child from all media”), and the wise parent (“I need to raise my child to understand the popular media messages and teach them how to reject the bad and choose the good”). Jim began thinking about an idea for a resource to help the wise parents. He called it Culture Gauge, and now he is here to discuss CultureGauge.com.

5:20 – Can God Be Trusted: Finding Faith in Troubled Times
For his latest book, Fr. Thomas Williams, gathered a team of researchers and asked people for their views on trusting God. He incorporates their responses in what amounts to a gentle defense of God's trustworthiness. Adept at making the Christian faith accessible to general audiences, Fr. Williams looks at why trust in both God and people is important and why it is difficult, especially once lost. He examines how education, wealth, personal networks and ideologies compete with people's reliance on God and, in a section on God's Nonpromises, explains how trusting God doesn't necessarily result in perfect justice, explanations for why bad things happen, knowledge of what's coming and inner consolation. Williams also devotes a chapter to the need for balancing trust in God's care with personal responsibility and concludes by referring readers to the biblical book of Psalms, which he recommends as a resource for growing in trust through prayer. This is good reading for anyone who has asked the questions Fr. Williams poses.

5:45 – Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Gay “Marriage” – For Now
On Monday, a three judge panel of the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco decided to put on hold the blockbuster ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker striking down Prop. 8. This means that no gay marriages can take place in California until at least early December, when the Ninth Circuit will hear arguments as to whether the proponents of Prop. 8 have the legal authority to appeal Judge Walker's decision. However, the opponents of Prop 8. could choose to appeal today's decision to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has authority over the Ninth Circuit and could lift the stay on his own. Same-sex marriages in California were set to resume tomorrow before the hold was announced. We talk with Ligia DeJesus, professor at Ave Maria Law School.