Next Monday, October 1st, we’ll be opening the doors of the brand new Word on Fire Institute. This online institute exists to form individuals to become better evangelists. We will do this through the ethos of Bishop Barron and Word on Fire by offering specialized training through a digital platform that guides members through each course and also offers lifetime access to all content as more courses are added.
These courses will feature Bishop Barron and other WOFI Fellows on numerous topics like theology, philosophy, practical evangelization, psychology, sociology, apologetics, and many others.
Have you ever wanted to take a course on the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar from Bishop Robert Barron?
Have you ever wished you could learn from a Tolkien scholar like Holly Ordway about how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were so effective at communicating Christian truth through the imagination?
Or maybe you’d love to take a collegiate-level course on Sacred Scripture from a Notre Dame scholar?
This is your chance.
These courses will feature top-notch filming and numerous additive elements to best help you understand the material. From extensive study guides, to suggested books, to live sessions and forum discussions with the Fellows, each course will lead members through the materials by the best means available. Members will also have the opportunity to interact with one another through an extensive forum where they can chat about each course.
If you’re confused about the material in a lesson, you will have the opportunity to chat with the Institute staff and Fellows, as well as one another. We’ll also have other discussions about evangelical successes and failures, discussing what might’ve gone wrong, or how we might be able to take what we’re learning and apply it to our evangelization efforts. We’ll also be chatting about what books we’re reading, whether the latest Coen brothers film is up to snuff, and asking one another for specific prayer intentions.
One of our great hopes is to see these communities grow into face-to-face groups of people in major cities, connecting with one another in person and collectively participating in training and retreats as the Institute grows.
Some of you might be worried that the material is too high level or might take up too much time each week. Well, there are many opportunities to further your formation, but a member can become more informed intellectually and spiritually for a minimum of twenty minutes a week. That’s it! If you feel you can’t devote too much time, realize that we have structured the WOFI so that in just twenty minutes per week you can receive the crux of the material to think through and take into your prayer life.
Ultimately, the first major step of realizing Bishop Barron’s idea of a movement is to establish a place of collective formation, training, and community online. With a staff of passionate leaders and a community of like-minded disciples, we can work towards the mission of evangelization together.
See you inside the Institute on October 1st!