One of the things the Iona Institute does most is… fight. We put forward ideas in the public square, and if those ideas weren’t at least somewhat controversial or disputed there wouldn’t be a need for us to exist.

But we only hope to start conversations – what people think about religious education, or marriage promotion, or the right to life, will be largely decided by arguments and discussions between individuals.

In both kinds of dispute, public and private, knowing how to “fight well”, to generate more light than heat, to find the truth rather than talking past your opponents, is critical – and that’s the topic of Leah Libresco’s talk, “Having Better Fights About Religion”, that she gave in Dublin earlier in the week.

Leah was an atheist blogger for Patheos who converted to Catholicism a few years ago. A graduate of Yale University, she’s written for the Huffington Post, First Things, The American Connservative and elsewhere, and appeared on CNN and MSNBC. She has plenty of experience with intellectual fights, and her talk, hosted by the Irish Catholic, is essential viewing for anyone in the business of seeking the truth.

And yes, that’s me introducing her.