Engaging Politics as a Catholic – Dr. Jan Bentz
The Thomistic Institute
The Thomistic Institute
4.8 • 873 Ratings
🗓️ 21 January 2026
⏱️ 46 minutes
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Summary
Dr. Jan Bentz explores what it means to engage politics as a Catholic, calling believers to critical thinking rooted in truth, a both‑and logic that resists polarization, and a discerning love of nation that remains ordered to the common good and eternal beatitude.
This lecture was given on November 19th, 2025, at Thomistic Institute in London.
For more information on upcoming events, visit us at thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events.
About the Speakers:
Dr. Jan C. Bentz was born and raised in Germany and graduated high school in St Louis, Missouri, where he attended as a foreign exchange student. Dr Bentz holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the Roman Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, a Masters in Sacred Art, Architecture, and Liturgy and a Masters in Church, Ecumenism, and Religious Studies. His dissertation was published in German on Gustav Siewerth (1903-1963) and his work on Thomas Aquinas and G.W.F. Hegel. His fields of expertise include Metaphysics, History of Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Thomism, and Philosophy of Art. Dr Bentz lectures at Blackfriars’ Studium on History of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Philosophy of History. He taught Philosophy of Art (Aesthetics) for The Catholic University of America, Rome Campus, History of Medieval Philosophy at Christendom College, Rome Campus, and Apologetics for IES Study Abroad also in Rome. His journalistic career included the production of weekly TV coverage in German and English for EWTN Global; interviews and commentary for Catholic News Agency, Inside the Vatican; and for The Catholic Herald in English and Jüdische Rundschau in German. His current format is called Reality Check, a series of video interviews also published on YouTube with the European Conservative.
Keywords: Analogy of Being and Politics, Catholic Both-And Logic, Catholic Engagement in Public Life, Christian and Secular Nationalism, Common Good and Beatitude, Critical Thinking as a Catholic, National Identity and Faith, Polarization and Either-Or Thinking, Testing Everything Holding Fast to the Good, Voting as a Catholic Conscience
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Tomistic Institute podcast. |
| 0:06.2 | Our mission is to promote the Catholic intellectual tradition in the university, the church, and the wider public square. |
| 0:12.7 | The lectures on this podcast are organized by university students at Temistic Institute chapters around the world. |
| 0:19.3 | To learn more and to attend these events, visit us at to mystic institute.org. |
| 0:24.9 | Now, there's a funny story about the topic, or rather the title of my talk today. |
| 0:31.6 | Because once we set this, when we set this up, I agreed this was months ago to come today. |
| 0:36.4 | And I said, I'll send the title ago to come today and I said I'll send |
| 0:38.5 | the title closer to date. |
| 0:40.4 | And when I did, it was like, oh no, but the poster is already done, which was Catholic, |
| 0:44.6 | well, political philosophy and Catholicism, which is not really the title for talk, but |
| 0:51.5 | more like a research area. So what you have done now is inadvertently sign up for an eight-day long study course that I will host here same time every day from now on. |
| 1:03.0 | No, I'm just kidding. So what I will speak about is what you already have on your handout, which is engaging with politics as a Catholic. |
| 1:12.4 | So I think that will hopefully satisfy anyone who came to that very general talk, but also |
| 1:17.7 | includes most of the things that I want to say. |
| 1:20.7 | Good. |
| 1:21.7 | In the back, can you all hear me? |
| 1:22.7 | I'll show you the microphone. |
| 1:23.7 | You all good? |
| 1:24.7 | Okay. |
| 1:25.7 | Good. |
| 1:26.7 | Great. So yes, do feel free to ask questions afterwards. |
| 1:29.7 | Trigger alert. I will bring some concrete political examples from my experience. So I am not |
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