Episodes

  • Episode 18: The Metaphysics of Martyrdom (January 29, 2026)

    Episode 18: The Metaphysics of Martyrdom (January 29, 2026)
    Jan 30 2026
    In this episode of What is Truth?, Jonathon Fessenden interviews The Metaphysics of Martyrdom (January 29, 2026)

    In this interview, we explore The Metaphysics of Martyrdom by J. Marianne Siegmund, a profound philosophical and theological reflection on martyrdom as more than heroic death—it is an act of metaphysical witness. Drawing from Sacred Scripture, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. John Paul II, Siegmund presents martyrdom as a convergence of free will, grace, truth, and love, where the human person bears witness to reality itself.

    Rather than viewing martyrdom merely as suffering or political resistance, this conversation uncovers its deeper meaning: a participation in being, where fidelity to truth, goodness, and beauty is sealed through self-gift. We examine how martyrdom reveals the dignity of the human person, the nature of moral freedom, and the ultimate victory of divine love over violence and death.

    This discussion is for anyone interested in Catholic philosophy, metaphysics, moral theology, and the mystery of sanctity, especially in a world increasingly hostile to truth.

    The Metaphysics of Martyrdom by J. Marianne Siegmund | En Route Books and Media
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    45 mins
  • Episode 17: Matthew Mark McWhorter on the Truth behind the So-Called Apocrypha (October 8, 2025)

    Episode 17: Matthew Mark McWhorter on the Truth behind the So-Called Apocrypha (October 8, 2025)
    Oct 26 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth? Jonathon Fessenden interviews Matthew Mark McWhorter on the Truth behind the So-Called Apocrypha (October 8, 2025)

    Why did Protestants remove parts of Scripture from the original Bible? In this powerful conversation, Jonathon Fessenden sits down with Matthew Mark McWhorter to uncover the truth behind the so-called Apocrypha—the ancient books and passages that were part of the early Church’s Bible but later rejected during the Reformation.
    TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK, CLICK THE LINKS BELOW Free preview: https://canoncrossfire.com/#:~:text=Free%20Look%20Inside%20The%20Book Free to seminarians: https://canoncrossfire.com/free-to-seminarians General purchases: https://canoncrossfire.com/purchase-canon-crossfire
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Episode 16: Thom Brucie on his book Obsidian Mirth (October 20, 2025)

    Episode 16: Thom Brucie on his book Obsidian Mirth (October 20, 2025)
    Oct 22 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth? Jonathon Fessenden interviews Thom Brucie on his book Obsidian Mirth (October 20, 2025)

    The characters in Thom Brucie’s Obsidian Mirth fall into a dilemma where loss and betrayal entangle the need for forgiveness and love. Their choices reveal what distinctions lie between knowing one’s self and knowing another, choices that expose that small moment tottering between life-affirming hope and the despair of meaninglessness. This is a heart-rending and beautiful story, and these characters will hover at the outskirts of your thoughts like whispering ghosts of past kinships.

    Obsidian Mirth by Thom Brucie | En Route Books and Media
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Episode 15: Drago Dimitrov, CEO & Co-Founder of Holy Habits, on How to Ignite Real Spiritual Transformation (September 23, 2025)

    Episode 15: Drago Dimitrov, CEO & Co-Founder of Holy Habits, on How to Ignite Real Spiritual Transformation (September 23, 2025)
    Sep 23 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth? Jonathon Fessenden interviews Drago Dimitrov, CEO & Co-Founder of Holy Habits, on How to Ignite Real Spiritual Transformation (September 23, 2025).

    In this conversation, which occurred in August, 2025, we explore:
    • Why Catholics often struggle to live out their desire for holiness
    • The power of daily habits in shaping your soul
    • How the Holy Habits App is helping thousands grow closer to Christ
    Discover the Holy Habits App: https://holyhabits.co/app?source=missiodei Follow Drago Dimitrov on Substack: https://substack.com/@dragodimitrov

    Whether you’re a devout Catholic or just beginning to seek God, this episode will challenge and inspire you to live your faith with purpose and passion.
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    44 mins
  • Episode 14: Ray Williams on Autogynephilia & God's Grace (September 13, 2025)

    Episode 14: Ray Williams on Autogynephilia & God's Grace (September 13, 2025)
    Sep 22 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth? Jonathon Fessenden interviews Ray Williams on Autogynephilia & God's Grace (September 13, 2025)

    In this powerful and unfiltered, iinterview, Ray Williams confronts the controversial topic of autogynephilia—a subject often ignored in mainstream discussions of gender identity. Once living as transgender, Ray shares the hidden struggles behind his experience, the psychological reality of autogynephilia, and the emptiness of gender ideology. Ray courageously explains how these issues led him down a destructive path, and how God’s grace ultimately called him back. His journey of de-transitioning and returning to the Catholic faith reveals the truth that absolute freedom comes not from self-invention, but from living in harmony with God’s design. This interview explores: What autogynephilia is and why it’s such a controversial but critical part of the gender debate The psychological, emotional, and spiritual wounds behind transgender ideology Ray’s de-transition testimony and return to the Catholic Church How the sacraments and the love of Christ restored his true identity Ray’s story is a bold reminder that Christ alone gives lasting healing and peace. Read more of Ray’s work: Ray Williams Substack Twitter www.twitter.com/RayAlexWilliams
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Episode 13: Fr. Thomas Morrow on God's Design for Marriage: Theology, Love, and Sacrifice (June 8, 2025)

    Episode 13: Fr. Thomas Morrow on God's Design for Marriage: Theology, Love, and Sacrifice (June 8, 2025)
    Jun 9 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth?, Jonathon Fessenden interviews Fr. Thomas Morrow on God's Design for Marriage: Theology, Love, and Sacrifice (June 8, 2025)
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    54 mins
  • Episode 12: Dr. Chris Reilly on his book AI and Sin: How Today’s Technology Motivates Evil (May 22, 2025)

    Episode 12: Dr. Chris Reilly on his book AI and Sin: How Today’s Technology Motivates Evil (May 22, 2025)
    May 23 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth?, Jonathon Fessenden interviews Dr. Chris Reilly on his book AI and Sin: How Today’s Technology Motivates Evil (May 22, 2025)

    Artificial intelligence technology (AI) motivates persons’ engagement in sin. With this startling argument drawn from Catholic theology and technological insight, Christopher M. Reilly, Th.D. takes on both critics and proponents of AI who see it as essentially a neutral tool that can be used with good or bad intentions. More specifically, Reilly demonstrates that AI strongly encourages the vice of instrumental rationality, which in turn leads the developers, producers, and users of AI and its machines toward acedia, one of the “seven deadly sins.” The third section of the book offers a comprehensive survey and analysis of the many moral problems caused by AI. It concludes with recommendations for overcoming the 21st century scourge of AI-induced acedia.

    AI and Sin: How Today’s Technology Motivates Evil by Dr. Christopher Reilly | En Route Books and Media
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    57 mins
  • Episode 11: Dr. George Mychaskiw on his book Follow the Science (May 3, 2025)

    Episode 11: Dr. George Mychaskiw on his book Follow the Science (May 3, 2025)
    May 4 2025
    In this episode of What is Truth?, Jonathon Fessenden interviews Dr. George Mychaskiw on his book Follow the Science: A Catholic Physician’s Contemplations on Faith, Medicine, and the Catholic Church with forewords by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland and Charles C. Camosy, PhD

    Do you ever wonder if the scientific world has lost its compass?Does it seem like the Catholic Church is increasingly irrelevant in a culture of death and secular self-interest?Is there no behavior too outrageous, offensive or preposterous enough for a civilized society to protest?In this book, Dr. George Mychaskiw, a faithful Catholic, pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist takes an unvarnished, direct and unapologetically Catholic look at some of today’s most important bioethical and episcopal issues, including:
    • The common arguments supporting abortion on demand and why they are simply invalid.
    • The irrational and non-scientific basis for gender ideology.
    • The modern slavery of in vitro fertilization and surrogacy.
    • The contemporary genocide against the disabled, elderly and other “inconvenient” people.
    • Perversion of politics and the criminal justice system.
    • The silent and cowardly Catholic Church.
    And many more. This is a call to arms. A plea and guidebook for taking back the culture of death, restoring respect for life and motherhood, and setting the Church in its place as the standard-bearer for ethical behavior. Society is in decline and, unless prompt action is taken, it will collapse to a Hobbesian dystopia that is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.


    Follow the Science: A Catholic Physician’s Contemplations on Faith, Medicine, and the Catholic Church | En Route Books and Media
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    1 hr and 9 mins