What is the new vatican document on AI? How does it distinguish artificial intelligence from human intelligence? How good are the AI's getting? How should teachers think about AI in the classroom? Mike Schramm, a Catholic high school teacher and father of 7, joins the show 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 worldview: (1) the God ...
Jun 27, 2025•53 min
Dr. Samuel G. Parkison joins the show to discuss his recent book Gaze Upon God which provides exposition and defense of the beatific vision. He defines the doctrine and walks us through several important Scriptures to expound it. I also ask Dr. Parkison how the blessed can be truly happy in Heaven if loved ones end up in Hell. _____________ 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...
Jun 26, 2025•48 min•Ep. 282
Dr. Brett Weinstein had a recent conversation on The Tucker Carlson Show. Weinstein explained why he thinks there's probably not a creator. Pat Flynn joins the show as we respond to Weinstein's comments and explain where we think he goes wrong. 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, a...
Jun 01, 2025•53 min•Ep. 281
What is the logical problem of evil? What are "layers of reality"? How can classical theists provide a unique response to the logical problem of evil based on "layers of reality"? Dr. Daniel Vecchio and Pat Flynn join the show to discuss a recent paper of theirs on this topic. 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)...
May 26, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 280
What is marriage? What does the Bible teach about its nature? Is the Old Testament at odds with the Christian conception of marriage as covenantal union between one man and one woman? After all, polygamy is frequently spoken about in the ages of the patriarchs. How should we think about Ephesians 5 which says wives should submit to their husbands? Dr. John Bergsma joins the show again to discuss these topics and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conver...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 279
Sometimes skeptics allege that in the place where accurate testimony is most needed, i.e. the Resurrection of Jesus, we find the most blatant discrepancies and hopeless contradictions. But are they correct? Dr. Lydia McGrew joins us to defend the credibility and integrity of the accounts of the Resurrection against the charge of contradiction. - - - - - The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of...
Apr 14, 2025•59 min•Ep. 278
What is mind? What is the intellect? Are there any other animals, besides human beings, that plausibly have an intellect? Why think the mechanistic world picture is wrong-headed? How can we argue for the soul's immortality without appealing to divine revelation? Dr. Edward Feser joins us to discuss his new book Immortal Souls which addresses these issues and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three...
Mar 29, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 277
BONUS EPISODE: This is a round-up recording of previous episodes on Old Testament Reliability and Mosaic Authorship. I interview Dr. Jeff Morrow and Dr. John Bergsma who provide a number of fascinating insights on the Pentateuch. - - - - - - 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 ...
Feb 23, 2025•2 hr 53 min
Check out the HUGE Xmas/New Year's giveaway: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support and vote for the books you want included. Listen to two BIG episodes with Dr. James Dolezal on Trinitarian Simplicity and Divine Impassibility.
Dec 16, 2024•2 hr 19 min
This is a MEGA re-release episode with our 2 interviews with Dr. Edward Feser. The first comes from 2019 on his book Five Proofs of the Existence of God and the second from 2024 on What is Classical Theism. 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....
Nov 25, 2024•2 hr 8 min
Professor Sal Ciresi continues to walk us through important tools and ideas to keep in mind when studying the Gospels. 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 upo...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 276
Dr. Matthew K. Minerd joins us to discuss the history of Thomism and its major players. He also provides several important resources for those who want to dive deeper into this topic.
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 275
What is the paranormal? What is parapsychology? Do these fields have any relevance for Christian apologetics? Jimmy Akin joins us to discuss these questions in detail. 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 firs...
Sep 29, 2024•59 min•Ep. 274
How can we study the Gospels well? Sal Ciresi shares with us some wisdom and insight from his decades spent studying God's word.
Sep 17, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 273
What is the doctrine of divine immutability? Why think it's true? What are some of the most pressing philosophical objections against the doctrine? How can they be answered? Dr. Karlo Broussard joins the show to discuss his doctoral dissertation on these topics. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 272
We discuss Dr. Ben Shaw's new book Trustworthy: Thirteen Arguments for New Testament Reliability. 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 Thomist...
Aug 12, 2024•47 min•Ep. 271
What is meant by the Incarnation ? What is meant by the hypostatic union ? How can the God of classical theism become Incarnate if He is immutable? What does it mean to say that the Son of God died? How can we answer two analytic objections to the Trinity and Incarnation? Dr. Tim Pawl joins the show again to discuss these topics. Want to be a part of these Live Q & A sessions? Join the Community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 270
Fr. Cajetan Cuddy joins the show to introduce Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's major two-volume work on apologetics. He wrote the introduction to this magnificent work, recently translated by Dr. Matthew Minerd. In this episode, Fr. Cuddy explains why someone who denies *just one* article of faith, even if he believes 99% of the other articles, does not have supernatural faith. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support...
Jul 15, 2024•37 min•Ep. 269
What has Dr. Michael Sirilla been up to? Why are these two volumes On Divine Revelation so important? What are the motives of credibility? What is their role for believers? What are some different distinctions Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange makes when setting out the motives of credibility? Dr. Michael Sirilla rejoins the show 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 Cathol...
Jul 01, 2024•57 min•Ep. 268
What is causation? How does divine causation differ from creaturely causality? What are some ways people view divine causality that you reject? Why do you emphasize an "extrinsic model" of God's causality? Dr. W. Matthews Grant joins the show to discuss these topics and takes live listener questions on even more topics. Join the Community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Jun 24, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 267
What is classical theism? What is sacred scripture? Is it possible to interpret Scripture without a particular metaphysics or particular philosophical assumptions? Is the God described in the Bible compatible with the classical theist conception of God? Dr. Gaven Kerr joins the show to tackle these topics (and more!). Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 266
What is the doctrine of Divine Simplicity? What are Dr. Gavin Ortlund's thoughts on his recent exchange with Dr. Ryan Mullins on the topic? Is God really related to creatures or not? Why is Divine Simplicity such an important doctrine? Pat Flynn and John DeRosa sit down with Gavin Ortlund to debrief his recent exchange and examine Divine Simplicity from a philosophical perspective. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 265
What is the biblical book of Wisdom all about? Who wrote it? Is? Why is this an important book for philosophically interested Catholic Christians? Why is wisdom spoken about as female in various parts of the book? How does Wisdom point us to Jesus Christ? Dr. Mark Giszczak joins the show to discuss his new commentary on the book of Wisdom. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
May 11, 2024•36 min•Ep. 264
This is a debrief of Jimmy Akin's two recent debates with Reformed Baptist James White. The first debate was on sola scriptura and the second debate was on how one has peace with God. In this debrief, we look at the following topics: Jimmy’s debate attire: What were your debate goals? Jimmy’s debate preparation How did you plan for cross-ex? Why did you use slides for rebuttals? Is sola scriptura the default position? The charge of overloading Weak response gish gallop Why avoid some common apol...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 59 min
What is salvation? What is justification? Where should we start in explaining the Catholic viewpoint on these topics to others? How does the Catholic view of justification differ from other major Protestant conceptions? Can Catholics coherently interpret Romans 4? Should we think of justification as a legal declaration? Dr. Michael Dauphinais joins us to discuss these topics. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Apr 29, 2024•58 min•Ep. 263
Why bother to make technical distinctions in how we speak about God? How does St. Thomas Aquinas categorize the ways of speaking about God? Is it true that according to Aquinas, God is only Lord and Creator in our minds and not in reality? How should we understand the notion that in God there are no real relations to creatures? Ryan M. Hurd joins the show to sort through these topics. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 262
Who was Christopher Dawson? What made him such an important Catholic intellectual in the 20th century? What was the main focus of his work? How is his work relevant for those doing apologetics? Dr. Joseph T. Stuart joins the show to discuss these topics. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Apr 08, 2024•45 min•Ep. 261
Is atheism a simpler theory than theism? What are the strongest arguments for God's existence? Is apologetics a hopeless enterprise because motivated reasoning and confirmation bias are inherently involved? Where does the Incarnation and Trinity fit into our apologetics project? How can we answer the problem of divine hiddenness? Fr. Thomas Joseph White O.P. joins the show again to examine these topics. Join our community: https://www.classicaltheism.com/support
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 260
Many critics say the Old Testament is unreliable because it contains (i) empirical claims that have been scientifically falsified, (ii) historical claims that are entirely unsubstantiated, (iii) and moral claims that are eminently repugnant. To the contrary, Dr. John Bergsma holds that the Old Testament is highly reliable and defensible as God's inspired Word. He joins us to tackle these topics. We also take questions from a live audience. If you want to ask a question during the next Live Q &am...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 259
What is the doctrine of divine simplicity (DDS)? What's in Dr. Tomaszewski's new book about the topic? How does DDS play a role in ultimate explanation? What is the relation between DDS and revealed theology? What should we think about the intentional collapse objection? Dr. Christopher Tomaszewski joins us to discuss these topics and take some live questions from the supporting audience. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of vario...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 258
