Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 23, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Dec. 23

Countdown of the Best Interviews of 2011

4:00 - #25 Mass Revision - How the Liturgy Is Changing and What It Means for You
The Mass Is Changing THIS WEEKEND --How? Why? And what does it mean for you? Catholics all across America will be asking these questions, seeking the answers from a trusted source. In a highly readable, information-packed volume, award-winning author Jimmy Akin describes the transformation and lays out the facts. Jimmy goes straight to the heart of the issue, quoting the Church's own documents so you can see for yourself what the Church has to say and not be deceived by falsehood and spin. He is here to shows us exactly which parts of the liturgy are changing, review the rites and new wording, and provide very practical information on who can and cannot receive Communion, liturgical furnishings and vestments, postures and actions during Mass, as well as the hot-button issue of liturgical abuses.

5:00 – #24 History in His Hands: A Christian Narrative of the West
By writing as if God did not exist, professional historians have stripped history of its meaning. But in a courageous challenge to his fellow scholars, Harvard-trained historian Brennan Pursell shows why denying the central truth about man cripples our understanding of history. Dr. Pursell argues that history is much more than man's encounter with economic, social, or psychological forces. It is, as St. Augustine saw, the story of man's love--the love of wealth and power or the love of God. He joins us

5:40 - #23 Catholic Hospitals vs. the Bishops: Administrators shop for theologians to support practices that conflict with church teachings
The severing of ties two weeks ago between the Catholic Church and St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Ariz., is the latest example of the fraying relationship between the bishops and Catholic hospital administrators. In recent years, some Catholic hospitals have taken greater liberties, authorizing abortions and sterilization procedures that the church strictly prohibits. Earlier this year, for instance, Bishop Robert Vasa, bishop of the Diocese of Baker, Ore., ended the church's sponsorship of St. Charles Medical Center in Bend over the hospital's performance of tubal ligations. But the Phoenix case breaks new ground. In explaining his decision, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, bishop of the Phoenix Diocese, was the first to explicitly point to the role played by Catholic theologians in providing theological cover for "a litany of practices in direct conflict with Catholic teachings." Anne Hendershott is here to look at how administrators are shopping for theologians to support practices that conflict with Church teachings.