I play several clips of my conversation with Dr. Ryan Mullins and respond with some brief commentary. In particular, I aim to clarify some of the disagreements and distinctions related to: Whether Classical Theists can or should talk about 'Cambridge properties' or 'extrinsic changes' A quote from Aquinas on how we should speak of God as "Lord" On how to understand the claim that all of God's actions are identical to his one divine act with Nemes' causal/effectual distinction How we might affirm...
Feb 03, 2021•41 min
What are models of God? What is neo-classical theism as opposed to classical theism? How should we think about the doctrine of divine simplicity? What is meant by 'modal collapse'? How might classical theists answer modal collapse objections? Dr. Ryan Mullins joins the show to discuss some of his thoughts on 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 Christ...
Feb 02, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 135
What are some of the biggest mistakes an apologist can make? How can one commit "apologetical gluttony"? What are the "deadly sins" that those engaging in apologetics most need to watch out for these days? What does Ignatius Press have coming out soon that we should check out? Mark Brumley joins us for a bonus episode 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...
Jan 27, 2021•55 min
How did a geneticist get so interested in writing about faith and philosophy? Why think God exists? What does science say about the matter? Why think there is a personal first cause? How might one argue for God from universals? If God is all-powerful and almighty in his universal causation, then how can we have free will? Dr. Gerard Verschuuren joins us to tackle these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of vario...
Jan 25, 2021•46 min•Ep. 134
What did Augustine and Aquinas teach about the Triune action of God? What is meant by the 'indivisible operations axiom'? How do Augustine and Aquinas employ the idea of 'appropriation'? What implications does this have for how we interpret various events in Scripture? David Moser 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 world...
Jan 20, 2021•44 min
What is apophaticism and why is it relevant to the Christian tradition? Isn't apophaticism self-contradictory since it talks about God and says we can't talk about God? How should we understand Scripture with an eye on apophaticism? What philosophical analysis can we bring to bear in our examination of apophaticism? Dr. Hewitt joins me to discuss his new book on these topics. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I ...
Jan 18, 2021•53 min•Ep. 133
What is classical theism as opposed to other theistic views? How can we answer objections to simplicity, immutability, and impassibility? If God has multiple attributes, then how can he be simple? If God is absolutely simple, then how can he be a Trinity of persons? If God is immutable, how can he do anything? If God is impassible, then how can he be said to love us? What is modal collapse? The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of var...
Jan 11, 2021•38 min•Ep. 132
What is the Longer Ending of Mark? What are the arguments against its authenticity? Can they be answered? What are the arguments for its authenticity? James Snapp Jr. joins us to discuss the evidence surrounding this contested passage. 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...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 33 min
How do you structure your course on Catholic apologetics? What arguments do you include for God's existence? How do you defend the Resurrection differently than others? What do you emphasize regarding Christ founding the Catholic Church? What else can listeners expect from the course? Jimmy Akin joins us to discuss his full-length course on Catholic apologetics. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three p...
Jan 04, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 131
What some popular atheist slogans and how can they be answered? What dilemma does the atheist face regarding the PSR and problem of evil? How big is the tent in Catholicism when it comes to the doctrine of predestination? Should we affirm accounts defended by Fr. Domingo Banez or Jacques Maritain? Why does Pat lean toward Maritain? Why does John lean toward Banez? What are the potential problems with the different views? In this New Year's eve edition of Office Hours , Pat and John discuss these...
Dec 31, 2020•2 hr 25 min
Dr. Robert Koons was a Lutheran until he converted to the Catholic faith. In this new book, he explains the important issues that eventually moved him to the Catholic faith. What does he think about the burden of proof? Sola scriptura? Justification? He joins me to discuss those details. 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 ...
Dec 28, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 130
Who was Jacques Maritain and why is he an important figure in Thomism? What did he teach on topics related to predestination? How did he understand God's 'antecedent' and 'consequent' wills differently than the traditional Thomist school? Dr. Taylor Patrick O'Neill joins us to critically examine some aspects of Maritain's thought. 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...
Dec 23, 2020•58 min
What does it mean to believe and why is it reasonable? How can we present the fundamentals of the faith to Catholic high school students? Why follow Jesus? How can we make natural law ethics compelling? Michael Gormley joins us to discuss some exciting new work he's done on 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 of classical theism ...
Dec 21, 2020•35 min•Ep. 129
Who is the atheist who read and reviewed my book? What did he like about it? What criticisms did he have of the book? What keeps him an atheist? I sit down with Dana Harper to discuss several topics related to my book One Less God Than You. 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 (...
Dec 20, 2020•45 min
Who was Fr. Garrrigou-Lagrange and how did this set of essays come about? What is the Thomist critique of Descartes' Cogito? What does Fr. Garrigou argue in an essay on the "Empiricist Skepticism of David Hume"? How does Fr. Garrigou view apologetics as "directed by faith"? Dr. Matthew K. Minerd 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 ...
Dec 15, 2020•59 min•Ep. 128
What place do animals have in God's creation? Might some animals be redeemed? Why have some theologians moved beyond the traditional Thomistic framework? Can these newer answers help with the problem of evil and suffering? Fr. Christopher Steck S.J. joins the podcast to discuss these questions and more as we take a look at his book All God's Animals. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of th...
Dec 07, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 127
What problems of evil have been proposed that focus on animal suffering? How might a Thomistic theist respond to these arguments? If faced with the apparently gratuitous suffering of a fawn trapped and burning to death in a forest fire, how might you respond in 60 seconds or less? Dr. B. Kyle Keltz joins us to tackle these questions and more as we explore his recent book Thomism and the Problem of Animal Suffering . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversa...
Nov 30, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 126
What is "Catholic faith" and why is it valuable? How can Catholics respond to the objection that traditional accounts of faith are not consistent with faith being valuable? How might Protestant Christians respond? Is there a way to argue faith is intrinsically valuable on a Catholic view? Dr. Stacey 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 Cath...
Nov 23, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 125
What is an abductive argument as opposed to an inductive one? How can one make an abductive cosmological argument for the existence of God? Does this argument lead us to believe the cause of the universe is personal ? How would the proponent of this argument respond to several objections? Paulo Juarez 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 o...
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 2 min
What is 'faith' according to St. Thomas Aquinas? What makes it rational to have faith? What illustrations might we use to think about faith as an act of personal trust? Does faith include belief? Did Mother Theresa have faith throughout her life? Fr. James Brent O.P. joins us for a deep dive into 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 worldvie...
Nov 16, 2020•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 124
What is meant by 'divine simplicity' in Thomas Aquinas and those before him? How do we come to affirm the doctrine of divine simplicity? Why is that a different process than that by which we come to affirm the Trinity? How is the Trinity compatible with a doctrine of divine simplicity? Ryan Hurd joins us to tackle these questions and more from a Thomistic Perspective. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend t...
Nov 11, 2020•1 hr 3 min
Was the Reformation a mistake? That's the essential question and topic of this conversation with Dr. Matthew Levering who wrote a book on the topic. We discuss the nature of biblical reasoning from Catholic and non-Catholic perspectives as well as differences between Catholics and Protestants on the issue of justification. 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 worldvi...
Nov 09, 2020•53 min•Ep. 123
What is the tradivox project of reviving old catechisms? Why look to old catechisms when we already have the modern catechism of the Catholic Church? Who could benefit from this? For instance, could this work be useful to local parishes? Aaron Seng, the founder of Tradivox Inc. joins us to answer these questions and more. Aaron Seng is the founder and President of Tradivox Inc . Tradivox is an effort to recover the catechetical tradition of the Church. Also, Aaron's team comprises an internation...
Nov 05, 2020•32 min
What is philosophy and why is it important? How do faith and reason relate to each other? How can we think about worldviews? What is a human person? Fr. Robert McTeigue joins me to discuss these questions and more on a bonus episode. Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J., is a member of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. He has lectured worldwide on philosophy and theology. A member of the National Ethics Committee of the Catholic Medical Association, he is host and producer of the radio show Th...
Nov 04, 2020•33 min
Is Purgatory a true Christian doctrine? What is the Scriptural evidence for Purgatory? Is there support for aspects of Purgatory in other religious traditions? What did the early Church teach about Purgatory? Doesn't a typical Catholic argument for Purgatory commit a logical fallacy? Karlo Broussard joins us to answer these questions and more. Karlo Broussard is a staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers. He travels the country giving talks on apologetics, the Bible, theology, and philos...
Nov 02, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 122
Does Divine Simplicity entail a modal collapse? What is the difference principle and why is it relevant? Can the God of classical theism make intentional choices? And what about the hypothesis of existential inertia? Are there any reasons to think existential inertia is false? Steven Nemes rejoins the show 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 Catho...
Oct 28, 2020•57 min
How should classical theists think about divine knowledge? How can God have knowledge of diverse subjects if he is absolutely simple? Doesn't God's knowledge change when changes occur in the world? Wouldn't God still have contingent knowledge if he only existed alone? Christopher Tomaszewski joins the podcast again to explain how classical theists might understand divine knowing and defend the account against objections. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in con...
Oct 26, 2020•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 121
What is the doctrine of the Incarnation? How does Aquinas discuss the doctrine? How is the Incarnation compatible with classical theist doctrines of simplicity, immutability, and impassability? Dr. Michael Gorman 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 Catholic Christian worldview: (1) the God of classical theism exists, (2) Jesus is o...
Oct 21, 2020•54 min•Ep. 120
Is divine simplicity a philosophical or revealed doctrine? How should we understand question 3 of the Summa? Why think God is not composed of matter and form or essence and existence? What do classical theists mean when they say God is not in a genus? How does real essentialism differ from modal essentialism? Dr. Gaven Kerr joins the show to tackle these topics and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defen...
Oct 19, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 119
How did Plotinus argue for absolute divine simplicity? What is Plato's criterion? Why must the fundamental being be absolutely simple and not just somewhat simple or relatively simple? How does Phil Corkum's analysis help respond to a worry about divine simplicity? What do complex theists have in common with pantheists? What does Scotus say about divine simplicity and why is his proposal unhelpful for complex theists? Dr. Caleb Cohoe rejoins the show to answer these questions and discuss two int...
Oct 12, 2020•55 min•Ep. 118
