Gospel Simplicity Podcast

In this interview I'm joined by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser to discuss how our Christian spirituality changes with age, and what we need most in our final years of life.  Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., is President-Emeritus of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio Texas, where he remains a full-time faculty member and Professor of Spirituality. In 1982, he began writing a column “In Exile” which i...

In this episode, I'm joined in-person by Casey Chalk, author of  The Obscurity of Scripture,  to discuss the topic of perspicuity. Along the way, we examine what the doctrine means, how much it covers, and whether the Catholic paradigm works better.  Get the book:  stpaulcenter.com/obscurityofscripture Want to support the channel? Here's how! Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimpl...

In this interview, I'm joined by Dr. Barnabas Aspray, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at St. Mary's Seminary, to discuss his recent book, On the Significance of Religion for Immigration Policy. Over the course of the topic, we touch on Christian Nationalism, Catholic Social Teaching, and why Christians today disagree on the topic of immigration.  Read Dr. Aspray's Book fo...

In this interview I'm joined by Dr. Myles Werntz to discuss the nature of the church with special attention given to some of the significant developments in ecclesiology that occurred during the 20th century. We touch on Vatican 2, the World Council of Churches, the rise of Pentecostalism, and much more. Furthermore, we pay special attention to methodology, noticing how our methodological sta...

In this interview, I'm joined by Colleen Dulle, Vatican Correspondent for America Magazine, to discuss how reporting on Catholic Scandals affected her faith. Over the course of the interview, we discuss the finances behind canonization, the treatment of nuns at the Vatican, and, of course, the sex abuse crisis.  Colleen's Book: Struck Down, Not Destroyed: https://amzn.to/4nzAb7O Inside t...

In this interview, I'm joined by Andrew Likoudis, editor of the new volume,  Faith in Crisis , which deals with the ongoing questions of submission to the pope and the magisterium in the Catholic Church. We discuss when (if at all), a Catholic can disagree with the pope, and how that can be done. Along the way, we dive into questions about the death penalty, freedom of conscience, Vatican 2,...

The Great Western Schism is one of the most fascinating and dramatic stories in the history of the church. And yet, many people have never heard of it. This is a story of saints against saints, councils against popes, and rival popes vying for power. For skeptics, it's proof the emperor has no clothes. For committed Catholics, it's a reminder that the church has been through far worse in...

In this interview, I'm joined by Dr. James Kelly to discuss the Catholic Reformation. We cover why "Catholic Reformation" is a better name than "Counter Reformation," the Council of Trent, the spread of Catholicism during colonialism, and the impact of the Catholic Reformation on daily life.  Dr. James Kelly is Associate Professor in the History of Catholicism in the Depar...

In this interview, Dr. Joshua Sijuwade returns to the channel, but this time from a different church. About a year ago, he and I discussed his a priori argument for the papacy. This time, he's sharing what ultimately led him to change his mind on the papacy and become Orthodox. The conversation focuses on the structure of the church, and whether Catholics or Orthodox have retained the church...

In this interview, I'm joined by Dr. Ian Christopher Levy to discuss freedom of conscience in medieval Catholic theology. We pay special attention to how this medieval theology showed up in the trial of Jan Hus, the Great Western Schism, and the condemnation of Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms.  Dr. Ian Christopher Levy (Ph. D. Marquette University) is Professor of Historical theology at Pr...

Vatican 1 represents a pivotal moment in the life of the Catholic Church. It was there that Papal Infallibility was proclaimed as dogma, and the Christian world is still feeling the reverberations of that declaration.  And yet, even for most well-informed Christians, this is all they know about the council. But the full story reveals much more. Yes, Vatican 1 declared papal infallibility as dogma,...

In this interview, I'm joined by Dr. Beth Felker Jones, Professor of Theology at Northern Seminary, to discuss her recent book, Why I am Protestant, which is part of IVP's ecumenical dialogue series, including Dr. Matthew Levering's corresponding book, Why I am Roman Catholic. Dr. Jones shares her reasons for being Protestant, including some arguments that I think will be brand new...

Recently, I visited Church of the Nativity, a cutting-edge Catholic megachurch outside of Baltimore, MD. After I posted the video, the team at Nativity reached out to me and asked if I wanted to learn more about the story of the church and their philosophy. I was thrilled. So, a few weeks ago, I sat down with Tom Corcoran, one of the people behind turning this dying church into one of the fastest...

In this interview, I'm joined by Fr. Ben Crosby, an Episcopal priest and Ph. D. student at McGill university, to discuss the 39 articles, Anglican theology, and how to restore the Episcopal Church to its theological roots. Along the way, Fr. Ben shares the fascinating story of how liberals and conservatives have both opposed the 39 articles, whether "via media" is a good way to desc...

In this interview, I discuss ethics, beauty, and Orthodoxy with Dr. Timothy Patitsas. In doing so, we get to what he sees as the heart of the divide between the Christian East and the Christian West. It's a wide-ranging discussion that had me on the edge of my seat.  Want to support the channel? Here's how! Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity   Make a one-time donation: ht...

n this interview, I'm joined by Dr. Andy Messmer to discuss the Spanish Reformation--which, if you're anything like me, you might have never heard about.  In our wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Messmer shares some of the key figures and ideas that came out of the Spanish Reformation as well as why it ultimately failed to take hold. To understand that, we dive into the Spanish Inquisition as...

In this video I'm joined by Pastor Joshua Schooping to discuss the story of why he joined the Orthodox Church and why he ultimately left Eastern Orthodoxy to become a Lutheran pastor.  In this course of the interview, we tackle questions about the consistency of Eastern Orthodox teaching, penal substitutionary atonement, the state of Orthodoxy in America, and why Lutheranism presented the mos...

Ever since Pew Research put out its Religious Landscape Study, people have been making claims about Christianity making a comeback. Within this, three claims in particular have stood out on the internet:  1. Young people are getting more religious. 2. Young men are becoming more religious. 3. People are flocking to traditional churches.  In this video, we put all those claims to the test as Pew Re...

In this video I'm joined by Javier Perdomo, a former Baptist pastor who became Lutheran and now creates videos about Protestantism on YouTube with special attention given to stories of people who chose traditional Protestantism over Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. You can check out his channel here:  youtube.com/@javierperd2604   Javier's Substack: https://substack.com/@javierpe...

Support the channel: Patreon: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity PayPal: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity In this conversation, Dr. Jordan Daniel Wood discusses the intersection of St. Maximus the Confessor's thought and the concept of universalism. He explores how Maximus's understanding of creation as incarnation challenges traditional views of time and the nature of the incarnatio...

Support the channel: Patreon: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity PayPal: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity In this conversation, Dr. James Prothro discusses the significance of confession in Catholic theology, emphasizing its biblical foundations and the necessity of addressing post-baptismal sin. He explores the relationship between sin, justification, and transformation, highlighting the impo...

In this conversation, Dr. Shane Owens discusses the enduring appeal of Augustine's 'Confessions,' exploring its literary, philosophical, and theological significance. He emphasizes the role of scripture, the nature of sin, and the importance of community and friendship in Augustine's journey. The dialogue also highlights the influence of Monica, Augustine's mother, and the...

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Tim Perry to discuss his new book, When Politics Becomes Heresy.  Before you fire off your hot takes in the comment section, the goal of this video is not to call out any individual politicians or to campaign for any given issues (not that there's anything inherently wrong in either of those things, mind you). Rather, in his book, Perry offers an intere...

In this video, I'm joined by Sean Luke, whom I will now refer to as the best apologist for Protestantism you didn't know about (until today). In this discussion, we focus primarily on the arguments for Anglicanism, but in doing so, we touch on some of the key reasons to stay Protestant, even when you might really feel the pull to Rome. Topics include sola apostolica as an alternative to...

In this video, I'm joined by Jimmy Akin, Catholic Answers Apologist and author, to discuss my argument for sola scriptura. Leading up to this dialogue, I published a video defending sola scriptura as a theological principle, and Jimmy posted a response. Rather than getting into an endless round of rebuttals, we decided to sit down for a dialogue. My video:    • My Thoughts on Sola Scriptura:...