Catholic Bishop Robert Barron is hard to put into a conceptual box. As a man of faith who has dedicated his life to the Church, he is also passionate about the world of ideas, rigorous thinking, and a relentless pursuit of learning and growth.

After so many centuries of debate, it’s easy to conclude that the question of God’s existence is settled. Each of us, through some combination of our upbringing and personal experience, draws a conclusion about whether to believe in God or not (however we define this concept). It’s not a matter of reason or evidence, it’s a matter of faith.

Bishop Barron insists that these assumptions are mistaken. Some of the best arguments against God’s existence—whether articulated in the ancient book of Job, the medieval philosophy of Thomas Aquinas, or the Russian literature of Fyodor Dostoevsky—come from religious believers themselves. 

If this internal tension is present in the minds of some of the world’s most profound thinkers, then perhaps we shouldn’t draw swift conclusions, wherever we find ourselves presently. Bishop Barron urges us to let go of our childish notions of God and embark on a much bigger journey, employing all our mental faculties.

This post draws upon a series of videos produced by The Well, a publication and video channel produced by the John Templeton Foundation and BigThink.