Classical Theism Podcast

What is happiness and how can we get it? Would St. Thomas have anything to say about comparing ourselves to other people? What will not make us happy according to St. Thomas Aquinas? How can we be happy when life is difficult? Matt Fradd joins the podcast to discuss these topics and more as we look at his new book How to Be Happy: Saint Thomas' Secret to a Good Life . The Classical Theism Podcast...

Why and how did you change your mind regarding Trinitarian classical theism? What are some common mistakes you see being made in contemporary theology? How can metaphysics and Scriptural exegesis work together? What does it mean to say we can know God without comprehending him? Why is Isaiah an important book of Scripture for understanding the nature of God? Can the traditional authorship of Isaia...

Is Aquinas best described as a philosopher or theologian? What is most notable about his work as a biblical theologian? How does Aquinas understand prophetic revelation and sacra doctrina? What does it mean that Aquinas holds that the human nature of Christ acts as the instrumental cause of the communication of divine revelation and as the perfection of its reception"? Dr. Dauphinais joins us to d...

What are the divine ideas? How do they relate to creation? What should Catholics believe about the 6 days of creation? Why is it important to believe in Adam and Eve and how can belief in an original couple be harmonized with the genetic evidence? What do you discuss about the atonement in your book on creation? Dr. Matthew Levering joins us to answer these questions as we discuss his book Engagin...

What is God? What does the Catholic Church teach about the nature of God? How is such teaching supported by Sacred Scripture? Is it still tenable to hold that God is immutable given so much Old Testament language to the contrary? Dr. Elizabeth Klein joins us to tackle these topics and more as we discuss her book God: What Every Catholic Should Know . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Cat...

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...

What is knowledge? What is the view "explanationism" that Dr. Bogardus defends? How would it account for sensory, memory, or rational knowledge? Can the view explain various pieces of religious knowledge? Can Catholics know that they are saved? Dr. Tomas Bogardus joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With...

How is the Eucharist prefigured in the Old Testament? What New Testament texts support Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist? Why should we think the mass is a sacrifice? Didn't Pope Gelasius say that the substance of bread and wine do not change ? Doesn't this sacrifice re-crucify Christ or take away from the all-sufficiency of the crucifixion? Dr. Lawrence Feingold joins us to discuss these questio...

What does the Catholic Church teach about homosexuality? Why does she teach this? What are the most important distinctions we need to present in dialogues on this topic? How should you respond when someone accuses you of being hateful or bigoted? Brandon Vogt joins us to discuss these questions and more as we examine What to Say and How to Say it (Volume 2) . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to d...

How should we think of the Gospel of John compared to the Synoptic Gospels? Is there strong evidence in favor of the traditional authorship? When was the Gospel written? What are the main themes? Why is it important to study the Gospel of John as Catholics? Sal Ciresi joins us for a two-part introduction to the Gospel of John to dive into these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims...

Why believe in God and in Jesus Christ? Why listen to the Catholic Church? Doesn't the Church have too many rules? Why is the Church so strict about sex? How can people consider Catholicism if they don't agree with Church doctrine? I'm joined by Dr. Matthew Levering and Dr. Michael Dauphinais to discuss these questions and more as we look at their new book The Wisdom of the Word: Biblical Answers...

John interviews a Scripture scholar who provides an introduction to the Gospel of John (pt. 1).  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...

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...

If God is causing everything, then how can we be free? Doesn't God's universal causality make us puppets and lead to occasionalism? And wouldn't He be different if He were to cause different things? So, how can He be simple and immutable as classical theists say? Dr. W. Matthews Grant joins us to discuss these issues and more as we look at topics from his book Free Will and God's Universal Causali...

Who was Fr. James V. Schall and why is his work important? How did attorney Peter Cavallaro become interested in theology and apologetics? What benefits are there to doing apologetics in a story/dialogue format? What arguments for the existence of God are presented in his book Fragments . Peter joins the podcast to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catho...

Why did 20th-century theologians argue that God must suffer? Why do many traditional theologians think that God does not suffer? How should we understand divine impassibility in light of the Incarnation? What does it mean that God is "not really related" to creatures? Fr. Thomas Weinandy joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian id...

What did Fr. Garrigou mean by saying perfections are "formally and eminently" in God? What other distinctions do Thomists typically make when discussing the divine nature? How would Fr. Garrigou defend the principle of finality against a Humean skeptic? Dr. Matthew Minerd joins the show to discuss several essays written by Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic...

Who was Joseph Kleutgen? Why is his writing helpful for a correct understanding of Vatican I? What are the different levels of magisterial teaching as well as the different levels of assent they are owed? How should we understand the term "ordinary magisterium"? Did St. John Paul II teach infallibly when he said the priesthood was reserved for men? Dr. John Joy joins us to discuss these questions...

What are "divine attributes"? How can we divide up talk about God into three categories of "names"? What are some key principles to keep in mind about negative names? How should we think about positive names? Why is this important for Classical Theism? What are examples of relative names? Ryan Hurd joins the show again to tackle these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend...

What is the Kalam cosmological argument? How useful is it as an argument for God's existence? What is the scientific evidence in favor of the crucial premise? What are the philosophical arguments for the crucial premise? Why doesn't Jimmy think the philosophical arguments work? What philosophical view of time is most likely correct? Jimmy Akin rejoins the show to discuss these questions and more....

What is divine eternity? How can the eternal God act in time? What is the meaning of the term "egression" that some have used to describe the eternal God's action? Should classical theists commit to a particular view of time: A-theory or B-theory? Dr. Steven Duby joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With...

What are some different models of the Incarnation in philosophical theology? How can classical theism, with a strong doctrine of divine simplicity, be consistent with the Incarnation? Why are "divestitive" or "augmentative" not to be preferred? What did Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange think about this issue? Scripture says, "The Word became flesh." How can classical theists understand such language? Dr. Jam...

Do human persons survive death? What is a strong argument for the immateriality of the intellect? How does the immateriality of the intellect point to the immortality of the rational soul? How did Ross respond to various objections to his argument? What does Christopher Tomaszewski think about some recent modal collapse objections? We'll tackle those questions and more in this episode. The Classic...

What are indulgences and what are some common misconceptions people have about them? What is the foundation for the Church's doctrine of indulgences in Scripture and the early Church? How does the "nuptial covenant" play a role in understanding indulgences? How might Catholics respond to worries that indulgences are unscriptural and imply that the all-sufficient act of Christ is insufficient? Migh...

What is Papal Infallibility? What are some common misconceptions about the doctrine? Does the life and episode of Pope Honorius seriously threaten this doctrine? Didn't councils condemn Honorius as a heretic? If so, wouldn't that imply that he taught a heretical position as Pope and contradict papal infallibility? Erick Ybarra joins us to tackle these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podca...