‘The Brothers Karamazov’ Helped Inspire the Catholic App Hallow

Alex Jones was using apps like Headspace and Calm to quiet his mind, but he had fallen away from his Catholic faith. Then he read The Brothers Karamazov, and everything changed. Alex, who went on to recommit himself to Christ and start Hallow, the Catholic prayer app with millions of users worldwide, believes Dostoevsky’s classic is the perfect book to read for Lent.  In this conversation, Alex explains to Shilo how the novel mirrors Christian scripture, explores Dostoevsky’s answer to the problem of evil, and shares why he chose the Silicon Valley start-up model as his unlikely but powerful way to bring millions of people back to daily prayer. Old School is proudly brought to you by the Jack Miller Center. If you believe in the importance of civic education and want to help prepare the next generation to carry on our democracy, join us at JackMillerCenter.org. Become a paid subscriber to The Free Press today to enjoy exclusive bonus episodes and reduced ads. Click here to subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices