Classical Theism Podcast

What are some common misconceptions people have about the Enlightenment? Was the Enlightement really all bad? How did the enlightenment open up new avenues for faith to flourish? Dr. Joseph Stuart joins us to discuss his new book  Rethinking the Enlightenment: Faith in the Age of Reason ?

What did St. Paul mean when he said men are justified by faith apart from "works of the law"? How did early Christians understand this phrase? What should we think about the differences between St. Jerome and St. Augustine on the meaning of this phrase? Is the discussion of "works of law" relevant to interpreting Romans 4 which seems to use "works" and "work" more generally? Dr. Matthew J. Thomas...

What is the nature of the Church Christ founded? What are some biblical arguments for the papacy? How do both Jewish and non-Catholic sources support a Catholic interpretation of the first-century evidence? Suan Sonna joins us to defend the Papacy as an essential element of the Church Christ founded. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the hel...

What is divine simplicity? What are some of the motivations for it? Who are some teachers that Pat has found helpful when researching this doctrine? How can classical theists respond to common objections from 1) multiple properties, 2) modal collapse, 3) contingent knowledge, and 4) the Trinity? Pat Flynn joins us to tackle these issues and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholi...

What are some different readings of the Third Way? How can the Third Way still be defended? How can we respond to common objections against the Third Way? What did various Thomists think of the argument? Where does the De Ente reasoning come in? Karlo Broussard joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With t...

What are various ethical theories philosophers discuss? How does the Frege-Geach problem relate to moral realism? How does Simon Blackburn's quasi-realism aim to avoid the Frege-Geach problem? Moreover, what problems does Blackburn's account face? Joseph Beauchamp joins us to take on these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. Wit...

Why do pro-life advocates need philosophy? What is a simple argument pro-lifers can use to make the case against abortion? What are some of the worst arguments on both sides of the debate? How have pro-choice philosophers responded to pro-life arguments? What are the best responses to the best pro-choice case? Trent Horn joins us to discuss these topics in detail. The Classical Theism Podcast aims...

Who was Etienne Gilson and why is his work important? How did he make traditional Thomistic distinctions regarding understanding, knowledge, faith, and sacra doctrina? What did he think it meant to be a Thomist? Fr. Philip-Neri Reese O.P. joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various gues...

What was the Second Vatican Council and why is it worth defending? How should we respond to legitimate concerns people have about what happened after Vatican II? Did Vatican II change Church teaching on salvation, liturgy, other religions, or religious liberty? Do its documents contain errors? Fr. Blake Britton joins us to discuss these topics with passion and charity. The Classical Theism Podcast...

The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the Catholic Christian worldview: (1) the God of classical theism exists, (2) Jesus is our Messiah and Lord, and (3) He founded the Catholic Church. We place a strong emphasis on the first pillar, defending classical theism, drawing upon the work of Thomi...

I play several clips of my conversation with Dr. Ryan Mullins and respond with some brief commentary. In particular, I aim to clarify some of the disagreements and distinctions related to: Whether Classical Theists can or should talk about 'Cambridge properties' or 'extrinsic changes' A quote from Aquinas on how we should speak of God as "Lord" On how to understand the claim that all of God's acti...

What are models of God? What is neo-classical theism as opposed to classical theism? How should we think about the doctrine of divine simplicity? What is meant by 'modal collapse'? How might classical theists answer modal collapse objections? Dr. Ryan Mullins joins the show to discuss some of his thoughts on these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian i...

What are some of the biggest mistakes an apologist can make? How can one commit "apologetical gluttony"? What are the "deadly sins" that those engaging in apologetics most need to watch out for these days? What does Ignatius Press have coming out soon that we should check out? Mark Brumley joins us for a bonus episode to answer these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend...

How did a geneticist get so interested in writing about faith and philosophy? Why think God exists? What does science say about the matter? Why think there is a personal first cause? How might one argue for God from universals? If God is all-powerful and almighty in his universal causation, then how can we have free will? Dr. Gerard Verschuuren joins us to tackle these questions and more. The Clas...

What did Augustine and Aquinas teach about the Triune action of God? What is meant by the 'indivisible operations axiom'? How do Augustine and Aquinas employ the idea of 'appropriation'? What implications does this have for how we interpret various events in Scripture? David Moser joins us to answer these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in c...

What is apophaticism and why is it relevant to the Christian tradition? Isn't apophaticism self-contradictory since it talks about God and says we can't talk about God? How should we understand Scripture with an eye on apophaticism? What philosophical analysis can we bring to bear in our examination of apophaticism? Dr. Hewitt joins me to discuss his new book on these topics. The Classical Theism...

What is classical theism as opposed to other theistic views? How can we answer objections to simplicity, immutability, and impassibility? If God has multiple attributes, then how can he be simple? If God is absolutely simple, then how can he be a Trinity of persons? If God is immutable, how can he do anything? If God is impassible, then how can he be said to love us? What is modal collapse? The Cl...

What is the Longer Ending of Mark? What are the arguments against its authenticity? Can they be answered? What are the arguments for its authenticity? James Snapp Jr. joins us to discuss the evidence surrounding this contested passage. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the Catholic Christ...

How do you structure your course on Catholic apologetics? What arguments do you include for God's existence? How do you defend the Resurrection differently than others? What do you emphasize regarding Christ founding the Catholic Church? What else can listeners expect from the course? Jimmy Akin joins us to discuss his full-length course on Catholic apologetics. The Classical Theism Podcast aims t...

What some popular atheist slogans and how can they be answered? What dilemma does the atheist face regarding the PSR and problem of evil? How big is the tent in Catholicism when it comes to the doctrine of predestination? Should we affirm accounts defended by Fr. Domingo Banez or Jacques Maritain? Why does Pat lean toward Maritain? Why does John lean toward Banez? What are the potential problems w...

Dr. Robert Koons was a Lutheran until he converted to the Catholic faith. In this new book, he explains the important issues that eventually moved him to the Catholic faith. What does he think about the burden of proof? Sola scriptura? Justification? He joins me to discuss those details. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various...

Who was Jacques Maritain and why is he an important figure in Thomism? What did he teach on topics related to predestination? How did he understand God's 'antecedent' and 'consequent' wills differently than the traditional Thomist school? Dr. Taylor Patrick O'Neill joins us to critically examine some aspects of Maritain's thought. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian idea...

What does it mean to believe and why is it reasonable? How can we present the fundamentals of the faith to Catholic high school students? Why follow Jesus? How can we make natural law ethics compelling? Michael Gormley joins us to discuss some exciting new work he's done on these topics. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various...

Who is the atheist who read and reviewed my book? What did he like about it? What criticisms did he have of the book? What keeps him an atheist? I sit down with Dana Harper to discuss several topics related to my book One Less God Than You. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the Catholic C...

Who was Fr. Garrrigou-Lagrange and how did this set of essays come about? What is the Thomist critique of Descartes' Cogito? What does Fr. Garrigou argue in an essay on the "Empiricist Skepticism of David Hume"? How does Fr. Garrigou view apologetics as "directed by faith"? Dr. Matthew K. Minerd joins us to answer these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Chris...