Is it really possible to make a biblical case for the doctrine of divine simplicity? How can one do so? How does simplicity relate to the biblical doctrine of God's singularity? How does simplicity relate to the biblical doctrine of God's immutability? What are some key biblical texts that can be put forward to argue for divine simplicity? Dr. Steven J. Duby joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With th...
Oct 05, 2020•48 min•Ep. 117
What is an essentially ordered causal series? Why think essentially ordered causal series must have a first member? How can we ward off common misunderstandings regarding the first, second, and third ways of St. Thomas? Does the hand-stick-stone series really terminate in God? Dr. Caleb Cohoe joins us for a bonus episode to answer those 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...
Sep 30, 2020•40 min
Why think the unmoved mover is also a personal God? How should we understand God as the creator? Why should we use "analogical predication" to speak of God and what does that mean? What is meant by saying God is not "really related" to creatures? If God exercises meticulous providence over creation, does that reduce people to puppets? Fr. Michael Dodds joins us to answer these questions and more as we discuss his new book The One Creator God . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic...
Sep 28, 2020•48 min•Ep. 116
What was the nature of the early Church? Why should we believe Christ founded the Catholic Church? Shouldn't we think of the Church as an invisible set of all believers? What about the fact that the Westminster Confession of Faith professes to hold to a visible model of the Church? Tim Staples 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 pillars of the Catholic C...
Sep 21, 2020•49 min•Ep. 115
What can Catholics learn from the letter to the Hebrews? What does it teaching about Christ? How is it relevant to our worship? How can we respond to objections from Hebrews to the mass as a sacrifice? Isn't there a glaring Bible error in Hebrews 9? Dr. Andrew Swafford 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) th...
Sep 14, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 114
Fr. Gregory Pine joins us to review some aspects of his debate with Ben Watkins on the Pints with Aquinas YouTube channel. We discuss Ben's main objections in his opening statement. Also, I provide several resources for those who want to pursue further replies to Ben's objections. 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,...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 18 min
What are the sacraments and why are they important to our lives as Catholics? What should we teach our children about baptism, confirmation, and confession? Didn't the Catholics add more sacraments than Christ originally intended? We're joined by Eric Robinson for answers to these questions as we discuss his new book on the sacraments. 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 Chri...
Sep 09, 2020•27 min
How should Catholic evangelize? What does good evangelization look like? What do we actually say? What if we're worried about being stumped by questions or getting into an awkward encounter? Fr. Thomas Cavanaugh joins us to answer these questions and more as we look at his book How To Win Friends for Christ One Conversation at a Time . 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 Chri...
Sep 07, 2020•54 min•Ep. 113
What is textual criticism? Should Christians be concerned that there are hundreds of thousands of variants within the New Testament manuscript copies we possess? Are John 7:53 - 8:11 and Mark 16:9-20 inspired Scripture? What should we make of the claims that John 7:53-8:11 isn't found in any of the earliest or best manuscripts? Or the idea that it "floats around" and is found in other places of John or Luke? James Snapp Jr. joins us for an exciting bonus episode to answer these questions and mor...
Sep 02, 2020•1 hr 44 min
Who are some of the most important thinkers of the past when it comes to arguing for God's existence? Should we use the term "proofs" when describing arguments for God? How does Jesus' Resurrection fit into Catholic apologetics? How did neo-scholastic and nouvelle theologie writers differ in their approach to the Resurrection? What can they learn from each other? Dr. Matthew Levering joins us to tackle these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas...
Aug 31, 2020•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 112
Pat Flynn joins the podcast again to present his 5-step argument for God's existence. In his new eBook How to Think About God , he lays out a philosophical case for the God of classical theism. In this episode, he explains several steps of his argument and defends it against objections. 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 e...
Aug 24, 2020•57 min•Ep. 111
Who was Fr. Herbert McCabe? Which teachers has the most profound influence on him? What did he emphasize when it came to philosophy and natural theology? What did he think about God and evil? Where should one begin when reading his work? Dr. Franco Manni joins me to answer these questions and more as we discuss his new book Herbert McCabe: Recollecting a Fragmented Legacy . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I de...
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 110
Where does St. Thomas teach about the Trinity? What is the distinction between dogmatics and systematics when it comes to theology? Why is the so-called psychological analogy the highest analogy for St. Thomas? What Scripture does St. Thomas cite in his discussions of the Trinity? Ryan Hurd joins us to answer these questions and more in a bonus episode. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of...
Aug 12, 2020•50 min
Are there any successful philosophical arguments against the infinite past? St. Thomas Aquinas did not think so. Nonetheless, several contemporary philosophers have produced new paradoxes and arguments of which Aquinas was not aware. In this episode, Wade Tisthammer presents his "Eternal Society Paradox." 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...
Aug 10, 2020•35 min•Ep. 109
What is apophaticism? Why is it important for Christians? Is God a person? Why have some classical theists said that God is not a person? Dr. Simon Hewitt joins us to answer those questions and discuss some of his own work on these subjects. 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 ...
Aug 03, 2020•43 min•Ep. 108
The "Bad Apologist" joins us to discuss a contingency argument for God's existence. After that, we discuss the burden of proof debate and how it relates to conversations about atheism/theism. He also shares with us where to find a lesser-known argument for God that St. Thomas defended. 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 ex...
Jul 29, 2020•34 min
Who was Fr. Barry Miller? What is the main thrust of his argument from existence to God? How does he understand the doctrine of divine simplicity? Dr. Elmar Kremer 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 Messiah and Lord, and (3) He founded the Catholic Churc...
Jul 27, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 107
Why is Tradition important when it comes to understanding Scripture? What does it mean that the lexical approach is not ecclesiological neutral? How can we trust apostolic tradition when Irenaeus said Jesus was 50+ years old when he died? Dr. Bryan Cross joins us to answer these questions and more as we discuss Tradition, lexicons, and paradigms. 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...
Jul 20, 2020•41 min•Ep. 106
What is the nature of the Church Christ founded? What evidence is there that Peter was the first Pope? Why should Christians believe in the Papacy? Joe Heschmeyer joins us to answer these questions and more as we discuss his new book Pope Peter - Defending the Church's Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis . 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)...
Jul 13, 2020•51 min•Ep. 105
Are science and religion at war? Have they been at war since Darwin developed his evolutionary theory? Can one still hold to an original couple (Adam and Eve) in light of recent genetic evidence? Dr. Kenneth Kemp joins us to tackle 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...
Jul 06, 2020•53 min•Ep. 104
Who was the Dominican Domingo Banez? What were some of his important contributions? Where did he treat the doctrine of divine simplicity? Why should Christians hold to simplicity when it's not set down in Scripture? Ryan Hurd, who enjoys reading Banez in Latin, joins us to share some important thoughts 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...
Jul 03, 2020•43 min
What is Reformed epistemology? Is it compatible with Catholicism? Can specifically Catholic belief be rational apart from arguments? Dr. Gregory Stacey joins us to discuss his doctoral dissertation where he aims to situate a type of Reformed epistemology within Catholicism. He calls it "Counter-Reformed epistemology" (CRE). In this interview, he provides details behind his model and defends it against several objections. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in con...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 103
Can belief in God be rational apart from arguments? What is Reformed epistemology? Do studies in cognitive science provide a defeater for religious belief? Is Reformed epistemology compatible with Catholicism? Is what Vatican I teaches authoritatively in tension with Reformed epistemology? Dr. Tyler McNabb 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 th...
Jun 22, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 102
This is part 2 of a roundtable discussion with Pat Flynn and Eric Robinson. You can check out Pat Flynn's podcast "The Pat Flynn Show" and Eric Robinson's podcast "Polycarp's Paradigm" for more of their great content. 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 Catho...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 50 min
What is the logical problem of the Trinity? Does divine simplicity create an additional problem for Trinitarianism? Some have argued that far from creating an extra problem, divine simplicity is actually entailed by the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. Christopher Tomaszewski joins us to present an argument to that effect. We discuss his argument and several related issues. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I d...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 101
What are the historical and theological bases for the doctrine of divine simplicity? How do Trinitarian affirmations relate to divine simplicity? What are the highlights of Aquinas' presentation of the doctrine of divine simplicity? How can God be both triune and absolutely simple? Does the doctrine of the Holy Trinity have any application to our lives as believers? Fr. Thomas Joseph White O.P. joins me to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Chr...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 100
How can we have more effective conversations about our Catholic faith? What are some important points to remember about trusting the gospels? What should Catholics remember when discussing transgenderism ? Brandon Vogt joins us to answer these questions as we discuss his brand new book What to Say and How to Say It . 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...
Jun 01, 2020•52 min•Ep. 99
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 Thomistic philosopher Dr. Edward Feser and many others. John DeRosa www.classicaltheism.com/support...
May 29, 2020•1 hr 20 min
What are divine ideas? How should we understand Aquinas' talk of the multiplicity of divine ideas? How does that jive with the doctrine of divine simplicity? What would Aquinas think of an Augustinian-style proof? Dr. Gregory T. Doolan joins the show 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 ex...
May 25, 2020•49 min•Ep. 98
Dr. Anderson outlines and defends an argument for God from logic. First, he argues that the laws of logic are necessary truths that really exist. Next, he proceeds to the conclusion that the laws of logic imply the existence of a necessarily existing mind i.e. God. He also answers objections related to nominalism and 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 Chri...
May 18, 2020•54 min•Ep. 97
