Today on Kresta - January 31, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 31


Live From Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL

4:00 - Coptic Christians and the Egyptian Uprising
Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton warns Egypt’s ancient Coptic Christian minority could become increasingly endangered should the protests against Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak drive him from power. Bolton points out Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, which promotes the Islamist ideology employed more violently by Hamas and other terror groups, stands to gain despite being a late comer to the revolt. We talk with Jordan Sekulo, Director of Policy and International Affairs at the American Center for Law & Justice, who has worked closely with Coptic Christians in Egypt.

4:20 – The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends on It
In a world torn apart by religious extremism on the one side and a strident secularism on the other, no question is more urgent than how we live with our deepest differences—especially our religious and ideological differences. Os Guiness’s 2008 book, The Case for Civility, has taken on a new relevancy with so much talk of political civility in the aftermath of the Tucson shootings. Influential Christian writer and speaker Os Guinness makes a passionate plea to put an end to the polarization of American politics and culture that—rather than creating a public space for real debate—threatens to reverse the very principles our founders set into motion and that have long preserved liberty, diversity, and unity in this country.

5:00 – Egypt, Democracy and the Risk of the Muslim Brotherhood
Thousands of protesters determined to drive Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak from power launched a seventh day of noisy speeches, chanting and prayers today. The mostly young protesters and the country's traditional opposition groups, including the Islamic fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, have coalesced around the loose leadership of Nobel Peace Prize winner and former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei, who many say is a potential transitional figure if Mubarak steps down. We talk with Walid Phares of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

5:20 – Philosophy in a Theological Education
A cornerstone of Catholic intellectual life is the teaching that the light of Catholic truth does not dim, let alone extinguish, the God-given light of reason. Faith in Jesus Christ heals, strengthens and elevates the light of reason. Ave Maria University will be hosting a conference in February to explore how the love of wisdom and the intellectual life should inform the education of theologians. Conference organizer Fr. Matthew Lamb is here to discuss Philosophy in a Theological Education.

5:40 – Catholic Schools Week: The State of Catholic Education in AmericaIn this Catholic Schools Week, we take the temperature of Catholic schools in America. Do Catholic schools matter? Do they make a difference? Where do Catholic homeschools fit into the Catholic educational paradigm? We look at all of these questions and more with Dan Guernsey, Headmaster of the Donahue Academy of Ave Maria in Ave Maria, FL and Sister John Dominic, Principal of Spiritus Sanctus Academy in Ann Arbor, MI