Classical Theism Podcast

What do Catholics believe about Scripture? Does the Catholic Church teach that the Bible is inerrant? What does it mean that the Bible is inspired? If Councils and Popes can also exercise infallibility, is there still room in Catholicism for Scripture to have a privileged role? How can we classify the different types of Bible difficulties and respond appropriately? Is the book of Tobit (and the re...

What do Thomists think about issues in philosophy of mind? What is dualism? What is hylomorphism? Why think Thomistic hylomorphic dualism is true? How would a Thomistic dualist explain the interaction problem? How should a Thomistic dualist think about intentional action? Dr. Jeremy Bells joins us to discuss these topics and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian idea...

Did Vatican II lead to a widespread loss of faith and widespread liturgical abuse? What are the four main documents of Vatican II and do they contain sound teaching? Did Dei Verbum 11 restrict the traditional Catholic view of Scriptural inerrancy? What was De Lubac's position in the nature/grace debates of the 20th century? Dr. Richard Declue of the Word on Fire Institute joins us to discuss these...

Professor Christopher Tomaszewski (Belmont Abbey College) responds to Dr. William Lane Craig and Dr. Ryan Mullins on the doctrine of divine simplicity. Recently, Craig and Mullins were hosted by Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity. They offered various critiques against the doctrine of divine simplicity including: (1) It's unbiblical, (2) it's anti-biblical, (3) it leads to modal collapse,...

Dr. Minerd joins the show to discuss his new book  Made by God, Made for God: Catholic Morality Explained.  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...

What problem has Paul Draper raised for theists when it comes to evolutionary animal suffering? How might theists respond? Why is the philosophy of mind relevant to the question? Is evolutionary animal suffering more likely given naturalism than theism? Dr. Jim Madden joins the show to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in convers...

Why do many Christians object that divine simplicity conflicts with the Trinity? What does divine simplicity teach? How can St. Thomas' doctrine of divine simplicity be viewed as compatible with orthodox trinitarianism? Don't the relations between the persons introduce accidents into God? Aren't all such Thomistic answers an example of special pleading? Doesn't saying the Father is identical to th...

Dr. Matthew Barrett to write two books on the doctrine of God? How did we "drift away" from the classical doctrine of the Trinity? What does it mean that the Son is "eternally begotten" of the Father and why should Christians believe this? Why should we think the Trinitarian persons act inseparably? Dr. Matthew Barrett joins us to discuss topics in his recent book Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated...

How did John Martignoni get involved in apologetics? What strategies does he recommend for ordinary Catholics in apologetics encounters? How can we discuss the Marian dogmas with Protestants who find them unnecessary? How might we approach conversations with atheists? John Martignoni joins the classical theism podcast to discuss these topics covered in his new book Blue Collar Apologetics . The Cl...

What is classical theism? Can the simple, immutable God of classical theism do any actions? And even if so, can He act intentionally? How can we account for such intentional action without contradicting divine simplicity or immutability? What did Anscombe and Davidson argue regarding intentional action? How are these accounts relevant to the questions about God? Dr. Gaven Kerr joins us to share so...

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...

In this episode, Pat Flynn sits down with John to respond to Ben Watkins' opening statement in his debate with Trent Horn. In particular, they examine definitions of theism and naturalism, an argument from simplicity, an argument from imperfection, and an argument from modal collapse. See the timestamps below for more details. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in...

Who was Jesus? What did he teach? And why is he still worth following today? How can we enter into the Gospels in good faith when they report so many miracles? How is Jesus different from other religious figures? Won't we lose everything if we follow his teaching on love and pouring ourselves out for others? Cy Kellett joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims...

What is unique about the program at St. John's Catholic School in Beloit, Kansas? How have apologetics and theology been taught there effectively? What opportunities do Catholic teachers have to form the culture? Dr. Andrew Niewald, a Catholic high school teacher, joins the show to relate his experiences on these topics. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conve...

What is the Catholic view of faith? How might Catholics understand the idea of "imperfect" faith? Could there be such a thing as "implicit" faith? Is it possible that such an "implicit" faith could ever be salvific? How might that work? Dr. Gregory Stacey joins the show again to give his thoughts on some doctrinal and speculative areas of theology. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catho...

What is classical theism? How does it comport with the Biblical text? Don't the Scripture writers say God has emotions and passions like human beings do? What should we think when Scripture describes God changing his mind? How can we read 1 Samuel 15 in light of a classical doctrine of God? John joins Gary Michuta's show Hands on Apologetics to tackle these topics. The Classical Theism Podcast aim...

What is faith? How did St. Thomas Aquinas understand supernatural faith? Is the Thomistic view of faith compatible with movements of doubt? How did Pope Benedict XVI conceive of faith? Is his view consistent with that of Aquinas? Dr. Matthew Ramage joins us to discuss these issues. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests...

What is an embryo and what happens when identical twins are formed? Does the metaphysics of twinning call into question the view that embryos are human beings? How should we understand the mathematics and metaphysics of twinning? Dr. Richard Playford joins us to tackle these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of v...

Does the God of classical theism have properties? Does he have attributes? Can we make conceptual distinctions about the simple God? How should we understand the notion of 'rigid designation' and its relevance to the modal collapse debate? What is Dr. Ryan Mullins' latest proposed modal collapse objection? How does Christopher Tomaszewski respond to it? In this Commentary bonus episode, I'm joined...

What are the differences between philosophical physics and modern physics? What's the difference between metaphysics and physics? How should we understand St. Thomas' First Way? Is it a physical or metaphysical demonstration? What are the key premises and how are they defended? How can Aquinas leap to God as the conclusion of his First Way? Dr. Michael Sirilla joins us to discuss these issues and...

What do Catholics believe about the atonement? Why does it matter that some guy died 2000 years ago? How can we distinguish Catholic views from Reformed protestant views of the atonement? How might we understand Leviticus 16, Isaiah 53, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:3, and 1 Peter 2:24 in light of the Catholic view? Michael Gormley joins us to tackle these issues head-on. The Classical Theism Podca...

What were the problems with the doctrine of analogy that others raised after Aquinas? How did different Thomistics respond to these problems? How might Thomists respond to professor Thomas Williams' challenge that analogy reduces to univocity or unintelligibility? Dr. Domenic D'Ettore joins me to discuss these topics and more as we look at his book Analogy After Aquinas . The Classical Theism Podc...

This is an interview from inside ClaritasU . Who is God? What are some common mistakes Catholics make when talking about God? How can we distinguish classical theism from other kinds of theism? What are some tips or strategies you would give to Catholics for improving their conversations about God? Brandon Vogt and I sit down to discuss these questions. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend...

What is the doctrine of analogy? What are the different kinds of analogy? Why is analogy especially important for theologians? Does analogy reduce to univocity or intelligibility? Dr. Joseph Trabbic joins us to discuss these topics. 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...

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...