Episode 788: Why Americans are Rediscovering Faith

Newt's World

Gingrich 360

News, Politics

4.7 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2024

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Newt talks with Dr. Matthew Petrusek, Senior Director of the Word on Fire Institute about why Americans are rediscovering faith. Their discussion centers around the Word on Fire Institute, a nonprofit global media apostolate supporting Bishop Robert Barron's work to draw people into or back to the Catholic faith. They discuss the significant increase in Bible sales in the United States, attributing it to an organic cultural shift. They also explore the rediscovery of faith among Americans, particularly young people, and the impact of secularism on society. Dr. Petrusek highlights the Institute's mission to evangelize both within and outside the church, using modern digital platforms to reach a broader audience.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	On this episode of Neut's World, as Christmas Day approaches and we celebrate the birth of Jesus,
0:09.7	I wanted to introduce our listeners to the Word on Fire Institute.
0:14.4	It is a non-profit global media apostolate that supports the work of Bishop Robert Barron
0:19.9	and reaches millions of people
0:22.1	to draw them into or back to the Catholic faith.
0:25.8	So I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, Dr. Matthew Patrusi.
0:30.3	He's the senior director of the Word and Fire Institute. Matthew, welcome and thank you for joining me on Newtsworth.
0:46.4	Thank you. It's a great blessing to be with you.
0:49.0	This is a fascinating time. The Wall Street Journal recently reported
0:52.7	the U.S. Bible sales surged by 22% through October
0:58.4	of 2024. What do you make of this significant increase in Bible sales, and what do you
1:04.7	think is driving this trend? It's a remarkable number, isn't it? And when I read that, I thought, well, maybe there's some major press that's doing a marketing campaign or there's at least some external factor that can at least contribute to an explanation of why this is happening. But what I found is that it seems to be entirely organic. In other words, a major segment of the American population on its own decided that
1:31.7	they were going to start purchasing Bibles. And in fact, most of these purchases, almost all of them,
1:37.3	are first time purchases of the Bible. So I think it very clearly signals a shift in the culture. Now we can get into
1:46.6	sort of a more exploration of why that shift may be taking place and where it may be headed,
1:51.2	but certainly something has changed.
1:53.3	So from your perspective, do you interpret this rising Bible sales as also an indication of rediscovery of faith in America?
2:04.7	I do. I do. What's interesting is this is occurring as the number of people in general, but
2:11.6	specifically young people who identify as nuns. You've probably heard Bishop Barron use that term,
2:16.9	nuns, meaning those who claim no religious affiliation, certainly within Christianity,
2:21.8	no particular affiliation, any nomination.
2:24.5	That number appears to have peaked.
	...

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