The first woman to publish a book in her own name in the English language was Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. In her book The Lamentation of a Sinner (1547), she abased herself considerably and outlined her conversion to Protestant theology. In fact, she writes, “I feel myself to come, as it were, in a new garment before God, and now by his mercy, to be declared just and righteous. By faith alone I am sure to be justified, although the dregs of Adam do remain.” On this episode, Shane Rosenthal discusses Queen Katherine’s fascinating life and robust convictions with Don Matzat, author of a new biography titled Katherine Parr: Opportunist. Queen. Reformer.

Bestselling author Richard Rohr has argued in his writings that the concept of original sin “was first put forth by Augustine in the fifth century but is never mentioned in the Bible.” But is this really the case? What does the Bible actually say about man’s nature after the fall? And was Augustine the first theologian in church history to discuss original sin? How are we to make sense of the world, or even our own sinful inclinations, without the insights of this important doctrine? On this episode, Shane Rosenthal discusses these questions and more with Anglican theologian Michael McClymond, author of The Devil’s Redemption.

In the early 1800s, a man by the name of Robert Owen began to challenge the concept of original sin. “None are or can be bad by nature,” he mused, “and it must be a gross error to make him responsible for what nature and his predecessors have compelled him to be.” As a result, Owen attempted to establish a utopian socialist community in New Harmony, Indiana. Even though his project utterly failed after only three years, his views would later greatly influence thinkers such as Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, who in their Communist Manifesto, actually referred to Owen’s work as a kind of “new gospel.” On this episode, Shane Rosenthal continues his conversation with Dr. Michael McClymond, focusing this time on the social and political implications of denying original sin.

On this episode, Shane Rosenthal talks with Dr. Gene Veith about a book he wrote back in 1993 titled Modern Fascism: Liquidating the Judeo-Christian Worldview. Recently Dr. Veith wrote an essay reflecting on the observations he had made in that volume about the rise of fascism, its philosophical and worldview assumptions, and how many of those beliefs later morphed into what we now call “post-modernism.” In fact, in his recent article, Dr. Veith observes that “much of what I predicted and warned against has come true. And even when I was wrong, I was wrong in underestimating the magnitude of the fascist revival.” What exactly is fascism, and how is this movement being revived in our own day? That the focus of this edition of White Horse Inn.