2018 is wrapping up, and before it goes, I thought I’d look back at the top podcasts I did this year. I recorded a total of 41 podcasts in the year, which is a little less than the once/week average I was going for. I try to cover a variety of topics, from Catholicism to cryptocurrency to politics to self-improvement. Here were my most popular episodes from this past year:
10. Episode 48: Top 5 Threats to Civilization
I was a little surprised this made the Top 10, as it’s basically me detailing what I think is most likely to cause The End of the World As We Know It. But I guess I have an audience of pessimists.
9. Episode 63: Can You Be a Catholic and a Libertarian?
As a Catholic and a libertarian, I often am challenged by those who believe the two are incompatible. Here I lay out why I disagree.
8. Episode 51: The Incredibly Shrinking Catholic Convert Rate
Every Easter we hear reports of how many people entered the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, that number is steadily (and quickly) decreasing. I look at why in this episode.
7. Episode 50: Is It Okay to Be Upset with the Church?
I recorded this episode before the McCarrick scandal blew up. Even then lots of Catholics were upset at the Church, and I wanted to tell them that it’s okay to be upset.
6. Episode 45: The Best Way to Stop Abortion
On the 45th anniversary of Roe v Wade, I looked at what I thought was the best way to end the horrific practice of legalized abortion. Hint: It’s not what you might think.
5. Episode 61: What’s a “Pro-Life Issue”?
I got a lot of flak for this episode and a CatholicVote article I wrote in conjunction with it. What does it mean to be “pro-life”?
4. Episode 47: Beginning Lent
I was happy this made the Top 10, as it didn’t involve me complaining about anything or criticizing anyone. I just look at what we can do to practice a holy Lent.
The three most popular episodes shouldn’t be surprising given what’s been happening in the Catholic Church this year. They all relate to the scandals that have surfaced, and how the heirarchy—including the pope—have fostered them.
3. Episode 73: The Battle for the Soul of the Vatican
In this episode, I discussed the raging battle going on in Rome to control the Church. It’s getting ugly, but we can’t ignore what’s happening.
2. Episode 64: How Should Lay Catholics Respond in Wake of the McCarrick Scandal?
The McCarrick Scandal unleashed a fury among lay Catholics not seen since the Protestant Reformation. I discussed what the laity should do in the wake of such corruption in the highest levels of the Church.
1. Episode 74: What Makes for a Bad Pope?
I haven’t been hesitant to express my displeasure at the pontificate of Pope Francis. But here I wanted to look at what exactly makes a pontificate “bad”. Based on its ranking, this is obviously something others wanted to know as well.
Thanks for listening this year, and I look forward to many more episodes in 2019! If you have any ideas for podcast topics, feel free to shoot me an email.
