Christian Themes: What We've Learned from Bishop Robert Barron at the Good News Conference
- Good News Conference
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
Since the very first Good News Conference, Bishop Robert Barron has been a guiding light, and a large part of what makes our annual event so special. With each new theme that inspires our conference, Bishop Barron’s engaging sermons continue to ignite spiritual passion in Christians and Catholics.
We highlighted our key takeaways from his past four keynote speeches, following the themes of joy, beauty, witness and mercy.
2021: Joy
After the COVID-19 pandemic put life on pause, many of us were left feeling spiritually dry; We were doing our Bible studies at home, worship over zoom— some of us may have even abandoned mass altogether.
The 2021 Good News Conference brought us back into a communal worship space, and there, Bishop Barron urged us to once again embrace joy by trusting in God. His first keynote speech, “Trust and Give”, taught us that true joy isn’t about picture-perfect moments, but rather about trusting in God and giving back even when it’s hard.
He points out that in hard times, giving can often lead to unexpected fulfillment, and opening our hearts to others can help us to rekindle our connection to our own faith. In that, we find joy that doesn’t fade.
When we look back on that first speech from Bishop Barron, we remember how helping others can bring us true joy, and appreciate the opportunity to have communal worship.
2022: Beauty
Throughout Christian and Catholic history, beauty has been a pillar of our culture and religion. Colorful stained glass windows, towering Cathedral arches, famous iconography- all of this imagery draws people into our faith, and continues to be a big part of the representation of the Church.
At the 2022 Good News Conference, Bishop Robert Barron encouraged us to embrace this beauty. During his keynote speech, he identified it as a powerful evangelizing tool, recognizing the importance of scripture, art, and literature in gently guiding people toward the pathway to Truth.
During his keynote speech, Bishop Barron reflected on his time as a student in France, and the fear of being a young kid in a new country. He remembered the day he arrived in Paris- how he overcame his jetlag and walked to the Sistine Chapel. When he arrived, he stared at the massive stained glass artwork for half an hour, just marveling at its beauty. Beauty that had stopped people in their tracks for centuries; Beauty that had converted people to the Christian faith, and would continue to inspire him on his journey toward priesthood.
In 2022, we paid homage to the beauty of our faith— from delicate rosaries to colorful stained glass sunbeams scattered along the floor of the Sistine Chapel. Art, liturgy, and sacred music can act as steady steps toward the Divine, and Bishop Barron encouraged us to use these tools to spark conversations about Faith.
2023: Witness
In 2023, our conference theme was Witness. Here, Bishop Barron discussed authenticity in Faith, and how we can take our Christian beliefs beyond the church and into our daily lives.
In his keynote speech, Bishop Barron referenced early Christians; They witnessed something amazing, and didn't just believe it- they made a conscious choice to embody their Faith and become living testimonies of Jesus with courage, love and integrity.
Bishop Barron said we can be active witnesses in our daily lives by feeding the hungry, giving water to thirsty people, and clothing the homeless. He encouraged the audience to volunteer at clothing shelters and soup kitchens, to forgive wrongs and guide lost people toward the light of Faith.
He also emphasized the importance of respecting where people are in their spiritual journeys, to listen and remain rooted in courage.
2024: Mercy
In a world where our worth is often measured in likes, metrics, or performance reviews, Bishop Barron tells us that God’s mercy is unconditional, and doesn’t operate on a performance-based system.
Bishop Barron allowed us to ponder this in 2024, when Mercy was the theme of our annual conference. His message was that Mercy precedes love in our faith. He used bible references to demonstrate this point, including the story of Simon the Pharisee and the woman who anoints Jesus’s feet. He also referenced how Jesus healed people who were suffering, even if they had not repented.
Bishop Barron's keynote speech touched the hearts of many Christians at the conference last year as he repeated this quote from Saint John of the Cross:
“Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.”
As Christians and Catholics, we are urged to uphold uphold Jesus’s message of radical mercy to support one another and to find spiritual peace and renewal.
Hope: Our 2025 Christian Conference Theme
As our theme of this year's conference, we are looking forward with hope – hope that it brings you peace, hope that you leave feeling closer to God, and hope that we will once again be inspired by an unforgettable talk from Bishop Robert Barron!
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