To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age - Hardcover

"Robert Barron and John Allen are two men at the peak of their great skills: Bishop Barron, the most compelling English-speaking Catholic evangelist of our time; John Allen, the finest Catholic journalist and biographer. Together they've created a must-read portrait of a man and his ministry on fire with the love of God. This book is a joy to experience -- not just for the elegance of the writing, nor even its absorbing insights into Bishop Barron the man, but even more for the encounter with truth, beauty and goodness woven throughout its pages."--Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia, and author of Strangers in a Strange Land

"Bishop Robert Barron is truly a shepherd after God's own heart, proclaiming the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith, and leading souls to the knowledge and love of Christ. He makes Scripture come alive. He calls attention to the seeds of the Word that surround us in creation and culture. And he answers the contemporary challenges of secularism and the new atheism with clarity and charity. John Allen has provided a privileged glimpse into the mind and heart of a true master of evangelization." -- Scott Hahn, author of The Lamb's Supper

"Bishop Robert Barron is the most accomplished evangelist and catechist in the Catholic Church today. Everyone eager to help make Catholicism a "Church permanently in mission" should read this stimulating conversation. Everyone." - George Weigel, author of Witness to Hope and The End and the Beginning

"In their new book Bishop Barron and John Allen enthusiastically detail the beauty and depth of the Catholic faith and offer a glimpse at the captivating mission of a shepherd who literally goes to ends of the earth to share the greatest story ever told in ways it has never been told before." - Teresa Tomeo, author of Intimate Graces

"Two of the greatest minds in the modern Church have come together to create a desperately needed book. It's an essential read for today's believer as well as anyone interested in understanding why the Catholic Church is important to so many people." - Jennifer Fulwiler, author of Something Other Than God

The highly anticipated follow-up to Bishop Robert Barron's hugely successful Catholicism: A Journey to the Faith


As secularism gains influence, and increasing numbers see religion as dull and backward, Robert Barron wants to illuminate how beautiful, intelligent, and relevant the Catholic faith is.

In this compelling new book—drawn from conversations with and narrated by award-winning Vatican journalist John L. Allen, Jr.—Barron, founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, proclaims in vivid language the goodness and truth of the Catholic tradition. Through Barron’s smart, practical, artistic, and theological observations as well as personal anecdotes—from engaging atheists on YouTube to discussing his days as a young diehard baseball fan from Chicago—To Light a Fire on the Earth covers prodigious ground.

Touching on everything from Jesus to prayer, science, movies, atheism, the spiritual life, the fate of Church in modern times, beauty, art, and social media, Barron reveals why the Church matters today and how Catholics can intelligently engage a skeptical world.