The Brian Holdsworth Podcast

The evil revealed in elite scandals like Epstein's is not shocking if you understand modern philosophy's influence. When a culture elevates sensation as the primary human experience and abandons objective truth, goodness, and beauty, it produces boredom, addiction, and an obsessive search for novelty. In ordinary people this results in distraction and vice. In the powerful, it becomes dangerous — because their access to limitless choice pushes them toward increasingly exotic and morally unthinkable experiences.

Why does the Society of St. Pius X provoke such intense reactions among Catholics—especially among those who have no real connection to them? Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help In this video, I don't argue whether the SSPX is schismatic or whether they should be excommunicated. Instead, I look at something deeper and more widespread: the culture of online "chattering" that erupts whenever a controversial Church topic hits the headlines - and why that habit does real damage to Christian unity, charity, and credibility. Drawing on history, St. Thomas Aquinas, and common sense, I argue that many Catholics mistake being informed for being authoritative, and opinion for competence. The result is a cycle of outrage that solves nothing and often makes the Church look worse to outsiders. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

Can God die? Muslims often argue that the Trinity and the Incarnation are incoherent, but their own theology makes that argument impossible. Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help Islam's dominant Divine Command Theory teaches that God can will anything whatsoever, even what seems incoherent or contradictory. Therefore Muslims cannot logically argue that the Trinity or the Incarnation are impossible, because their own theology denies any intrinsic limits on God's power. At most they can claim that God wouldn't do these things, which shifts the burden of proof and collapses their usual objections.

Modern entertainment trains us to live for self-pleasure, turning us inward and making us passive consumers, whereas true worship trains us in sacrifice, gratitude, and outward-facing love; because these orientations are opposites, a culture addicted to entertainment is structurally incapable of sustaining real worship or belief in God.

In this podcast, I analyze the recent debate between Catholic apologist Joe Heschmeyer and Mormon apologist Jacob Hansen, and show how his central LDS argument for a "Great Apostasy" commits a fatal logical fallacy: if not Catholicism, therefore Mormonism. I explain why this reasoning collapses, why the burden of proof is on the one claiming the Church disappeared, and how the historical record actually ends up pointing straight back to Catholicism.

"When you seek to fill an infinite need with finite material means, no amount of consumption will satisfy." Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help Every year, secular Christmas extends itself further into sectors of seasons and places it doesn't belong. It seems that no amount of time, no quantity of purchases, no amount of decorations, and no amount of indulgence will finally be enough for people who seem to need Christmas to meet some need that they have that is far greater than any Christmas display or material consumption will satisfy. Perhaps this is because we have an infinite need to worship the infinite God who alone can satisfy this need that we have. Instead, we're trying to meet the infinite need with finite solutions, and we find we are unsatisfied as a result, committing ourselves to more, and greater consumption to try to appease the restlessness of our dissatisfaction.

"If Scripture alone produces 'wrong' conclusions unless filtered through Protestant tradition, then Scripture is not the final authority—Protestant interpretation is." Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support A doctrine that cannot produce its own intended end (reliable knowledge) without extra-scriptural authorities fails on its own terms. Sola Scriptura claims that Scripture alone is sufficient to produce authoritative knowledge of faith and morals, yet in practice Protestant theology constantly corrects the conclusions people naturally reach from Scripture—especially in passages like James 2 or John 6. This shows that Scripture is not functioning as the final authority; instead, Protestant interpretive frameworks are.

"Feminism is the shadow Church - it mimics the faith with a sacrament, it has commandments, it evangelizes, and it offers a whole ethos for women." Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support

"Good laws are designed to judge visible actions, not internal emotional states." Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help Clear laws protect ordinary people. Vague laws empower authorities. In this video, I explain why legal certainty is essential to justice, how hate-speech laws undermine the rule of law, and why criminalizing intent and offense opens the door to arbitrary enforcement and abuse of power — using real-world examples from the UK, Canada, and beyond.

"If validity is all that mattered, the Church wouldn't bother with all these other instructions, and it certainly wouldn't have rewritten the liturgy at a massive cost to unity, tradition, and pastoral peace." Sponsor: https://catholicmatch.com/ Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support The idea that the Latin Mass and Novus Ordo are "equal" simply because both are valid collapses liturgy into its bare minimum. The Church repeatedly teaches that validity is only the floor, not the measure of excellence. If validity were all that mattered, the Church would never have issued extensive liturgical norms, nor undertaken the most disruptive liturgical reform in its history. Honest evaluation is therefore not judgmentalism but necessary for genuine reform and unity. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

My interview with Catholic convert and emerging Catholic apologist, Christian Wagner. Christian's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MilitantThomist Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

Modern culture tells men they're inherently oppressive and tells women the Church despises them — both lies. Modern culture often pits men and women against each other — and even Christians are getting caught in the polarization. In this video, Brian unpacks the roots of anti-Catholic slander, the failures of radical feminism, the resentments forming among young men, and how the Christian tradition—not paganism, not secularism—offers the only real path toward healing between the sexes. Along the way, he explains why the Church has never taught that women are soulless or inferior, how Christianity historically elevated the dignity of women, and why faithful women's voices (including in Catholic media) remain important today. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

"Asking for proof of a miracle is like demanding proof of the proof; miracles are the proof." Sponsor: https://catholicmatch.com/ Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support Responding to a question by @GospelSimplicity #Miracles function as God's own verification system: events that exceed natural explanation and require no specialized knowledge to understand. #Eucharistic miracles, especially those scientifically examined and repeatedly revealing AB blood and living heart tissue, serve as external, divine endorsements of the Catholic Church's sacramental claims. They demonstrate that God accompanies #Catholic #worship with signs exactly where the Church claims #Christ is truly present. Demanding "proof of the proof" misunderstands miracles: they aren't puzzles to solve but signs meant to be witnessed, inviting humility rather than hubris.

Modesty is a virtue that sits in the mean between vanity and slovenliness, so honoring the occasion of Mass, not avoiding attention, is what actually matters. Sponsor: https://exodus90.com/brian/ Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support This video unpacks the "Would she be welcome in your church?" meme and the broader assumptions behind it. Brian challenges the stereotype that traditional Catholics are unwelcoming while progressives are inclusive, shares personal stories, and explains why modesty, decorum, and appropriate dress are moral questions rooted in virtue—not aesthetics or personal preference. Drawing from lived experience and St. Thomas Aquinas, he argues that "externals" matter because they reflect inward dispositions, especially in the context of worship. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

Interview with Fr. Casey Cole, OFM Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/support I sit down with Fr. Casey Cole to discuss his experience joining the Franciscans, renewal in the Church, accusations of infidelity/heresy, the perils of celebrity and social media, the need for the Church to offer guidance for influencers, division in the Church, and more. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

"Protestantism cannot surpass Catholicism in its claims because it depends on it for its very existence. A stream can't rise higher than its source; a derivative cannot exceed its principle." Sponsor: https://catholicmatch.com/ Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help When I first became a Christian, I wanted to find the Church Jesus actually founded. But the deeper I looked into Protestantism and Catholicism, the more one thing became clear: Protestantism has no real unity apart from its opposition to the Catholic Church. In this video, I explore why Protestantism's identity depends on Catholicism, why visible unity was central to Christ's prayer in John 17, and how the early Church's structure, sacraments, and authority leave only one credible option for anyone seeking the original Christian faith.

We're never actually evaluating the best arguments for or against God; we're evaluating the best arguments we can understand. Which says more about us than about the truth being evaluated. Sponsor: https://catholicmatch.com/Support the channel: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help Sometimes, faith isn't a conclusion we reason our way into, it's a step we dare to take when reason reaches its limits. In this episode, Brian shares a recent conversation with a viewer who's sincerely searching for truth but feels stuck between compelling arguments for and against God. Through that story, he unpacks why many of our deepest choices, including faith, can't rest on intellect alone, and why the pursuit of meaning, happiness, community, and eternal hope still make Christianity the most rational choice of all. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

Conservatives Need to Stop Prioritizing Unity Over Truth Sponsor: https://catholicmatch.com Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help The Church of England's decision to nominate a woman as Archbishop of Canterbury has sparked yet another fracture in global Anglicanism — a vivid example of how progressives often prize ideology over unity. Meanwhile, conservatives in both Church and politics repeatedly choose compromise and patience, valuing cohesion even as institutions crumble around them. In this video, Brian Holdsworth argues that conservatives must stop mistaking tolerance for virtue, recover the courage of the early Church, and push back against ideologies that destroy faith, culture, and community.

"Anything not properly ordered becomes disordered, and the Church is no exception. If we give lesser goods priority over greater ones, the effects will always reveal disorder." Sponsor: https://recusantcellars.com/ Support the channel by visiting: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help We often assume moral choices are about good versus evil—but what happens when the choice is between two goods? In this video, Brian Holdsworth explores how disordered priorities among competing goods have led to the Church's current crises—from collapsing vocations to confusion about faith and worship. By looking at the hierarchy of goods, the nature of supernatural faith, and the consequences of misplaced priorities like ecumenism and social activism, this video makes the case that the Church's renewal depends on recovering right order—beginning with faith and the liturgy. Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com

"If you blame the Latin Mass for dissent, you're necessarily claiming the Latin Mass is harmful — and that's something the Church can never say." Sponsor: https://catholicmatch.com/ Join the Community: https://brianholdsworth.ca/help When Catholic commentator Mike Lewis claimed that Traditional Latin Mass communities are "not in communion" with the wider Church, he crossed a serious line. In this video, I respond directly to his article, correcting false claims and showing why Latin Mass Catholics are among the most faithful in belief and practice.