Today on Kresta - April 14, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on April 14

4:00 – TBA

4:20 – The 2011 Budget and the Looming Battle Over the Debt Ceiling
Yesterday President Obama laid out his vision for deficit reduction, albeit very light on specifics. The GOP also has a framework to go on – the Ryan plan, which is heavy on specifics – some quite unpopular. We talk to economist Jerry Mueller, author of Redeeming Economics about the 2011 budget battle, the upcoming battle over the debt ceiling, and what issues will drive the debate.

4:40 – Christian Charity and the Welfare State
There is near universal agreement among Christians of all political stripes that one of our great privileges and duties is to do charitable deeds. Where we disagree is on the question of whether the secular authority of the state should be an agent of Christian charity. To some, such an alliance seems logical; to others, it is a non sequitur to conclude that, because we are expected to perform acts of charity, we should enlist the state to help us. We discuss the issue of Christian charity and the welfare state with Dr. Mark Hendrickson.

5:00 – God Wants You Happy: From Self-Help to God’s Help
In God Wants You Happy, Father Jonathan Morris replaces the unsatisfying, fleeting solutions we receive from the New Age self-help industry with the simplicity and depth of authentic Christian spirituality. In his work traveling the world for FOX News and in his parish work in New York City, Father Jonathan could not understand why people were choosing the vague and sometimes harmful advice of the self-help gurus and ignoring the tested and true help the Christian faith offers. He discovered that part of the problem was packaging: people thought the church dealt only in sin and guilt and not help and healing. But what if we reframed God's good news in the same terms as the self-help world? He attempts to do just that.

5:40 – John Paul II - Benedict XVI and Jewish Relations Entering Holy Week
It was 15 years ago yesterday that Pope John Paul II visits a Jewish synagogue in Rome, marking the first such visit by a pope in recorded history. We use that anniversary as a jumping off point to discuss John Paul II, Benedict XVI and the Church’s relationship with the Jewish tradition. David Moss, President of the Association of Hebrew Catholics is our guest.