The Reluctant Theologian Podcast

Dr. Ema Sani and I have been working on a paper on open theism and molecular biology. In today’s episode, we explore some questions about the relationship between different scientific disciplines and theology. When we take a closer look at the biological world we see a vast array of risk-management systems that anticipate genetic errors, and seek to correct them. Ema explains these biological phen...

There is a vastly complex world within your body. When we look at the molecular level, and examine your DNA and RNA, we find an intricate network of gene expression and gene regulation. Biologists have identified all sorts of weird and wonderful types of RNA within your body that regulate how your genes get expressed. But what does that mean? What is gene regulation? In today’s episode, I sit down...

Your favourite dynamic duo is back! That’s right, in today’s episode Joe Schmid and I talk about our new paper in Religious Studies called “The Aloneness Argument Against Classical Theism.” Classical theism affirms the doctrine of creation ex nihilo, which says that there is a state of affairs where God exists without the created universe. In this state of affairs, God exists all alone. Joe and I...

Today I am joined by Dr Paul Gavrilyuk from the University of St Thomas. We are looking at impassibility and the so-called Hellenization Thesis. The Hellenization thesis is often used to dismiss classical theism, but Paul argues that this thesis is not historically accurate. Paul and I chat about different schools of thought within ancient Greek philosophy in order to get a better grasp on the cla...

We have been doing this show for two years. It doesn’t feel like two years because so much has happened in that time. Ema and I are so pleased with how the show has grown, and we are really happy with the episodes that we have created. I want to say thank you to everyone who has been listening, and I greatly appreciate all of the encouraging messages that people send in. Ema and I are both very ex...

You have been sending in questions, and today Ema and I will give you some more answers. What are we talking about today? We start out with a listener question about heavy metal. Ema and I give you the gossip on the metal scene, and then chat about my pentagram shirt incident on YouTube. After that we talk about the end of spacetime, and some philosophy of physics. Finally, we consider some issues...

You have been sending in questions, and today you will get some answers. In today’s episode, Dr Ema Sani and I answer some listener questions. We look at various issues surrounding God’s perfect rationality as it relates to God’s goodness and free will. We ask if God can perform arbitrary actions, or if God must always act for a reason. After that, Ema and I look at different issues within biology...

Today I am joined by Dr Richard Rice to discuss his recent book, The Future of Open Theism . In the last episode, Richard and I discussed the history of open theism. In today’s episode, we chat about what open theism is, and the contributions it makes to a Christian systematic theology. Richard and I discuss various doctrines like creation, predestination, and providence. We reflect on the nature...

Today I am joined by Dr Richard Rice to discuss his recent book, The Future of Open Theism . In today’s episode, we chat about what open theism is, and then consider some of the history of open theism. Richard gives us some of the gossip about how the 1994 book The Openness of God came together. Then we discuss the rather, shall we say, fiery criticisms of that book. Richard explains some of his e...

Some of you listening might have trust issues. Perhaps you trust too easily, or perhaps you can’t trust anyone at all. Have you ever thought about whether or not God trusts other people? In today’s episode, I am joined by Dr. Curtis Holtzen to discuss his recent book, The God Who Trusts . We discuss open theism, human free will, the nature of trust, and the emotional life of God. We even consider...

Are you listening to this episode right now ? That might seem like a silly question. Of course you are listening to this episode right now. But some philosophers and physicists say that there is no such thing as the now or the present. Instead, they say that all moments of time exist. But this might undermine your free will. In today’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Jeff Koperski to discuss physics,...

The Bible seems to teach that God knows everything, and that God is sovereignly in control of how history unfolds. Yet the Bible also seems to teach that God does not always get what He wants. Perhaps some of God’s desires go unfulfilled. These biblical claims gives rise to different theories of God’s omniscience, foreknowledge, and providence. In today’s episode, I am joined by Dr John Peckham to...

In contemporary debates, there are competing conceptions of God’s nature. But what does the Bible have to say about the doctrine of God? In today’s episode, I am joined by Dr John Peckham to discuss his new book, The Divine Attributes . We start by looking at the classical conception of God, and ask if it has any biblical warrant. John argues that classical theism conflicts the biblical portrayal...

Have you ever thought about saying no to God? For some of you, the idea of saying no to God probably makes you feel uncomfortable. For others who are a bit more rebellious, you are probably quite happy to tell God what is on your mind. In today’s episode, I am joined by Matthew Korpman to discuss his recent book, Saying No to God . Matthew is a PhD student in New Testament studies at the Universit...

If you were listening to the last episode, you heard a conversation with Dr Josh Farris and Dr Mark Hamilton. We were talking about the Christian doctrine of the atonement. We looked at some of the basics of the doctrine, and then turned our attention to specific theories. Josh and Mark offered a critique of the penal substitution theory of atonement in the last episode. In today’s episode, we con...

Today I am joined by Dr Josh Farris and Dr Mark Hamilton. We are talking about the Christian doctrine of the atonement. Christian theology claims that something about the death of Jesus Christ accomplished something on our behalf. But what exactly did Jesus do on our behalf? Different theories of atonement give different answers to this question. In today’s episode, Josh and Mark walk us through s...

Today I continue my conversation with Dr. Kimberly Kroll. We are talking about the Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Christian theology claims that the Holy Spirit indwells believers, but it is not always clear what that means. In the last episode, we discussed some of the key claims of the doctrine, and explored some different models of indwelling that have been developed by William Alston....

Today I am joined by Dr. Kimberly Kroll. We are talking about the Christian doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Christian theology claims that the Holy Spirit indwells believers, but the history of Christian thought has not made it clear what that actually means. Kim recently finished her PhD dissertation at the University of St Andrews on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In today’s episode, we will di...

Today I am joined by Dr. Scott Williams from the University of North Carolina. We are talking about a new book he edited called Disability in Medieval Christian Philosophy and Theology . Scott gives us an overview of the book, and some of the motivations for putting together this volume. Then we chat about a series of questions related to personhood and disability. What are some different concepti...

In today’s episode, Dr. Ema Sani and I finish the chat about my brand new book God and Emotion through Cambridge University Press. In this episode, we discuss the final chapter of the book, which covers passibility and the problem of creepy emotions. Given omnisubjectivity, God feels everything that you feel. Do you really want God feeling absolutely everything that you feel? That might be kind of...

In today’s episode, Dr. Ema Sani and I continue the chat about my brand new book God and Emotion through Cambridge University Press. In this episode, we discuss chapters 4 and 5 of the book, which covers the divine emotions of love and wrath. Ema and I ask a series of questions and consider several objections to both impassibility and passibility. We look at objections which say that the God of cl...

In today’s episode, Dr. Ema Sani and I continue the chat about my brand new book God and Emotion through Cambridge University Press. In this episode, we discuss chapters 2 and 3 of the book, which covers classical theism and neoclassical theism. We get into all sorts of material that didn’t get into the book, so you will definitely want to hear this. Ema and I discuss the general idea of models of...

In today’s episode, Dr. Ema Sani and I chat about my brand new book God and Emotion through Cambridge University Press. In this episode, we discuss the first two chapters of the book, which cover the history of the debate over impassibility, and an introduction to the philosophy of emotions. In the next three episodes, we discuss the arguments of the remaining chapters.  Credits: Host: R.T. M...

On a very special episode of The Reluctant Theologian Podcast, I share some different stories that compelled me to write my new book, "God and Emotion." In future episodes, I will go through some of the arguments of the book, but in this episode I explain how deeply personal this topic is to everyone. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the Universit...

Aseity is one of those words that theologians love to throw around, but what does it mean? Is aseity the same thing as necessary existence? And what are the reasons for thinking that an a se being exists? In today’s episode, I sit down with Chad McIntosh to discuss the doctrine of aseity in all its glorious detail. We get into the principle of sufficient reason and cosmological arguments. We also...