What secret project has Gomer been working on? What's the relationship between apologetics and evangelization? How can we start an apologetics small group at our Church? What's missing in Catholic apologetics? What else is on Gomer's mind? Michael Gormley rejoins us on the classical theism podcast to preach Jesus Christ with unmatched enthusiasm. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the Ca...
May 13, 2020•46 min•Ep. 96
How should we categorize various Papal difficulties? How can Nicaea be considered an ecumenical council if it wasn't called by the Pope? Didn't Pope John XXII err in his teaching about the beatific vision? What does that mean for infallibility? I'm joined by Matt Sewell from the Popecast to consider these questions and more. 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 world...
May 09, 2020•40 min•Ep. 95
What did Aquinas teach about natural theology? Have some evangelical Christians misunderstood this? Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? What does Aquinas have to say that could help with that question? Why are many Catholic philosophers opposed to intelligent design? Dr. Frank Beckwith joins us to answer these questions and more as we discuss his book Never Doubt Thomas: The Catholic Aquinas as Evangelical and Protestant . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christia...
May 04, 2020•58 min•Ep. 94
Why think Jesus rose from the dead? Don't we have reason to question whether Jesus was actually buried? And why opt for a supernatural explanation when there are many naturalistic theories? Dr. Jeffrey L. Morrow joins us to answer these questions as we discuss his book on the Resurrection of Jesus. 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 classi...
Apr 27, 2020•38 min•Ep. 93
Does the doctrine of divine simplicity entail modal collapse? How can the classical theists respond to such modal collapse objections? Why is the original problem an objection for virtually all theists and not just classical theists? Steven Nemes, a doctoral student, joins us to answer these questions and discuss a very interesting paper of his.
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 92
How can Pascal's Wager possibly work if there are so many religions to choose from? Also, how is it supposed to work when multiple religions offer infinite value? Plus, isn't there a worry that choosing a religion based on value is *dishonest* and opposed to truth-seeking? Dr. Liz Jackson joins the podcast to answer these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the Catholi...
Apr 13, 2020•51 min•Ep. 91
Could the Father or Spirit have become incarnate? What is a "supposit"? What is a "human nature"? Did Christ possess the beatific vision in his human nature? What implications does this have? Dr. Timothy Pawl joins us to answer these questions and more as we discuss his book Defending Extended Conciliar Christology.
Apr 11, 2020•54 min
Why do Catholics need to return to the Old Testament? What is Marcionism and why did the Church reject it? How should we understand the book of Genesis? Chris Plance joins the show to discuss these questions and more as we discuss his forthcoming book Kingdom by Creation . 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) Jes...
Apr 06, 2020•55 min•Ep. 90
Does the Kalam Cosmological argument depend on the A-theory of time? Is it possible that it can also work on B-theory? In this episode, Curtis Metcalfe defends a version of the Kalam argument granting a B-theory of time. We also discuss some objections that have been leveled at the Kalam argument. 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 classic...
Mar 30, 2020•51 min•Ep. 89
What is the logical problem of evil? How should we think about particular, horrendous evils? Do they provide evidence against God's existence? What about natural evils like COVID-19 and animal suffering? In this episode, Dr. Josh Rasmussen joins us to talk through a whole host of philosophical considerations when it comes to the problem of evil and suffering. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pill...
Mar 23, 2020•57 min•Ep. 88
Dr. Michael Rea answers the following questions in our interview. What first got you interested in the Problem of Hiddenness and what led you to write the book? What are the two major problems of hiddenness that you aim to tackle in the book? John Schellenberg's first premise (S1) says, "If a perfectly loving God exists, then there exists a God who is always open to a personal relationship with any finite person?" What do you find problematic in this argument? What view are you inclined to adopt...
Mar 16, 2020•53 min•Ep. 87
Is Domingo Banez really a reliable interpreter of St. Thomas or does he overlay an exotic system on top of what St. Thomas actually teaches? In part two, we examine three teachings of Banez: (1) physical premotion, (2) sufficient grace and efficacious grace, and (3) sin and reprobation. Dr. O'Neill ably defends a traditional Banezian position, arguing that there is nothing in Banez that is not first (implicitly) in St. Thomas. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas ...
Mar 10, 2020•41 min
Who has the burden of proof: atheists or theists? What considerations go into answering this question? What did Anthony Flew use to argue that the burden of proof was on theists? How can we respond to Russell's teapot? What should we think about evidentialism and Reformed epistemology ? How does Pascal's wager fit into this discussion? Dr. Bogardus joins us to answer these questions. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various gu...
Mar 09, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 86
How should we understand divine action? How is causality being discussed today in science and philosophy? How should we understand the relationship between science and philosophy when it comes to causality? In light of classical theism, how should we understand things like miracles and human freedom ? Fr. Dodds OP joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pill...
Feb 23, 2020•52 min•Ep. 85
How should we understand the inspiration of Scripture? Is the Bible wholly inerrant ? What has the Church taught regarding this? How should we understand the ideas surrounding Dei Verbum 11? Dr. Lawrence Feingold joins us to answer these questions and more. 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 Messia...
Feb 17, 2020•59 min•Ep. 84
How can the Catholic Church teach X when the Bible says otherwise? Karlo Broussard joins us to discuss his new book, Meeting the Protestant Challenge , which aims to meet 50 challenges of this sort. We discuss Acts 15, the canon of Scripture, as well as graven images and statues. How can the Catholic Church teach X when the Bible says otherwise? Karlo Broussard joins us to discuss his new book, Meeting the Protestant Challenge , which aims to meet 50 challenges of this sort. We discuss Acts 15, ...
Feb 10, 2020•44 min•Ep. 83
According to classical theists, God lacks passions. That means he is *not* passionately in love with us. Why would one hold to such a position? How does one get around the passion-soaked language of the Old and New Testaments? Is there any scriptural warrant for the view that God is impassible? Dr. Dolezal joins us for an invigorating discussion of these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I de...
Feb 03, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 82
What are some of the best arguments for God's existence? Dr. Robert Koons just taught an entire graduate seminar on natural theology and joins us for the recap. In this episode, we discuss cosmological arguments, Augustinian-style arguments, and epistemological arguments. Along the way, I press Dr. Koons with various objections, and he gives some great replies. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pi...
Jan 27, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 81
How does Pascal's Wager work? Should people find it persuasive or is it merely an attempt at evangelistic manipulation? How does one answer the "Many God's" objection and the intellectual dishonesty objections? Dr. Michael Rota updates the wager and argues that it succeeds in motivating commitment to a devout Christian life. Also, I share a clip from the Capturing Christianity podcast where Dr. Rota explains how to respond to the multiverse objection to fine-tuning. The Classical Theism Podcast ...
Jan 20, 2020•55 min•Ep. 80
Does modern science contradict the historicity of Adam and Eve? What scientific stands in tension with the biblical narrative? Dr. Joshua Swamidass joins the show to discuss his fascinating new book: The Genealogical Adam and Eve. After the show, I lay out some options and implications for Catholic Christians and pose some questions that can hopefully lead to further discussion. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests,...
Jan 13, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 79
Are there any arguments for divine simplicity that don't depend on Aristotelian or neo-platonic metaphysical principles? Chance Juliano answers in the affirmative. In this episode, he walks us through the argument in his master's thesis that creation ex nihilo requires divine simplicity. 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 ...
Jan 06, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 78
What do Catholics believe about the Papacy? Who was Pope Liberius and why doesn't his historical situation threaten the doctrine of papal infallibility? Who was Pope Honorius and why doesn't his historical situation disprove the doctrine of papal infallibility? Matthew Sewell joins us to tackle two objections to the papacy and explain these historical episodes. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pi...
Dec 31, 2019•36 min
Jimmy joins us to tackle some deep questions related to the Bible. First, I confront Jimmy with what the New American Bible has to say about traditional Gospel authorship. Second, we look at some responses to Catholic arguments about the canon from two Reformed theologians. Third, we consider two famous textual variants: the pericope adulterae and longer ending of Mark. Finally, I ask Jimmy a listener question. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation....
Dec 30, 2019•52 min•Ep. 77
What is meant by man and woman ? What are the traditional definitions? How are various people looking to redefine them? What should we make about the sex/gender distinction? What important philosophical points should we make in discussions about gender issues? Dr. Tomas Bogardus has authored some recent papers on the subject and joins us to answer these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I def...
Dec 26, 2019•57 min
What is physics? How does it differ from metaphysics? What is quantum field theory and how does it jive with Aristotelian concepts? What are virtual particles and do they disprove the principle of causality? Dr. Nigel Cundy joins the podcast to discuss those questions and more as it related to his enormous book: What is Physics? A Defence of Classical Theism.
Dec 23, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 76
I sat down with K. Albert Little of the Cordial Catholic podcast to discuss Answering Atheist Slogans. We chat about arguments for God, science, and the problem of evil.
Dec 16, 2019•56 min•Ep. 75
What is logic? How does one engage in philosophical questioning? How do questions of physics relate to metaphysics? How should we understand causality in light of Hume's objections? How should we understand the human person in light of recent neuroscience? Dr. Brian Kemple joins the podcast to give his take on these questions and discuss his book: Introduction to Philosophical Principles: Logic, Physics, and the Human Person .
Dec 09, 2019•49 min•Ep. 74
When were the books of the Old Testament written? How did the New Testament come to be compiled? How should we date the Gospels? What was the role of Tradition and the Church when it came to the Bible? Jimmy Akin joins us to answer these questions and more as he discusses his new work The Bible is a Catholic Book . 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) ...
Dec 02, 2019•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 73
Nov 25, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Why take Jesus seriously when there are so many religious figures one could follow? What specific prophecies did Jesus actually fulfill and how do we know this wasn't just forged? Also, if Jesus is so great then why didn't he condemn slavery? Catholic evangelist Michael Gormley joins us to tackle these questions on the podcast. 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 wo...
Nov 17, 2019•48 min•Ep. 71
