What do Catholics believe about Scripture? Does the Catholic Church teach that the Bible is inerrant? What does it mean that the Bible is inspired? If Councils and Popes can also exercise infallibility, is there still room in Catholicism for Scripture to have a privileged role? How can we classify the different types of Bible difficulties and respond appropriately? Is the book of Tobit (and the rest of the Deuterocanon) afflicted with insuperable errors? Jimmy Akin joins us to discuss these ques...
Dec 06, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 173
What do Thomists think about issues in philosophy of mind? What is dualism? What is hylomorphism? Why think Thomistic hylomorphic dualism is true? How would a Thomistic dualist explain the interaction problem? How should a Thomistic dualist think about intentional action? Dr. Jeremy Bells joins us to discuss these topics 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...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 172
Did Vatican II lead to a widespread loss of faith and widespread liturgical abuse? What are the four main documents of Vatican II and do they contain sound teaching? Did Dei Verbum 11 restrict the traditional Catholic view of Scriptural inerrancy? What was De Lubac's position in the nature/grace debates of the 20th century? Dr. Richard Declue of the Word on Fire Institute joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in convers...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Professor Christopher Tomaszewski (Belmont Abbey College) responds to Dr. William Lane Craig and Dr. Ryan Mullins on the doctrine of divine simplicity. Recently, Craig and Mullins were hosted by Cameron Bertuzzi of Capturing Christianity. They offered various critiques against the doctrine of divine simplicity including: (1) It's unbiblical, (2) it's anti-biblical, (3) it leads to modal collapse, and (4) it leads to unacceptable agnosticism regarding God. In this commentary episode, Tomaszewski ...
Nov 15, 2021•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 171
Dr. Minerd joins the show to discuss his new book Made by God, Made for God: Catholic Morality Explained. 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...
Nov 11, 2021•1 hr 10 min
What problem has Paul Draper raised for theists when it comes to evolutionary animal suffering? How might theists respond? Why is the philosophy of mind relevant to the question? Is evolutionary animal suffering more likely given naturalism than theism? Dr. Jim Madden joins the show 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 Christian worldview: ...
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 170
Why do many Christians object that divine simplicity conflicts with the Trinity? What does divine simplicity teach? How can St. Thomas' doctrine of divine simplicity be viewed as compatible with orthodox trinitarianism? Don't the relations between the persons introduce accidents into God? Aren't all such Thomistic answers an example of special pleading? Doesn't saying the Father is identical to the divine nature introduce an irresolvable transitivity issue? Dr. James Dolezal joins us to discuss ...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 169
Dr. Matthew Barrett to write two books on the doctrine of God? How did we "drift away" from the classical doctrine of the Trinity? What does it mean that the Son is "eternally begotten" of the Father and why should Christians believe this? Why should we think the Trinitarian persons act inseparably? Dr. Matthew Barrett joins us to discuss topics in his recent book Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in c...
Oct 27, 2021•48 min
How did John Martignoni get involved in apologetics? What strategies does he recommend for ordinary Catholics in apologetics encounters? How can we discuss the Marian dogmas with Protestants who find them unnecessary? How might we approach conversations with atheists? John Martignoni joins the classical theism podcast to discuss these topics covered in his new book Blue Collar Apologetics . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of var...
Oct 25, 2021•46 min•Ep. 168
What is classical theism? Can the simple, immutable God of classical theism do any actions? And even if so, can He act intentionally? How can we account for such intentional action without contradicting divine simplicity or immutability? What did Anscombe and Davidson argue regarding intentional action? How are these accounts relevant to the questions about God? Dr. Gaven Kerr joins us to share some of his recent research on intentional action. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholi...
Oct 20, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 167
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 Check...
Oct 13, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 165
In this episode, Pat Flynn sits down with John to respond to Ben Watkins' opening statement in his debate with Trent Horn. In particular, they examine definitions of theism and naturalism, an argument from simplicity, an argument from imperfection, and an argument from modal collapse. See the timestamps below for more 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 wor...
Sep 27, 2021•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 165
Who was Jesus? What did he teach? And why is he still worth following today? How can we enter into the Gospels in good faith when they report so many miracles? How is Jesus different from other religious figures? Won’t we lose everything if we follow his teaching on love and pouring ourselves out for others? Cy Kellett 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...
Sep 20, 2021•58 min•Ep. 164
What is unique about the program at St. John's Catholic School in Beloit, Kansas? How have apologetics and theology been taught there effectively? What opportunities do Catholic teachers have to form the culture? Dr. Andrew Niewald, a Catholic high school teacher, joins the show to relate his experiences 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...
Sep 15, 2021•31 min
What is the Catholic view of faith? How might Catholics understand the idea of "imperfect" faith? Could there be such a thing as "implicit" faith? Is it possible that such an "implicit" faith could ever be salvific? How might that work? Dr. Gregory Stacey joins the show again to give his thoughts on some doctrinal and speculative areas of theology. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of the ...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 163
What is classical theism? How does it comport with the Biblical text? Don't the Scripture writers say God has emotions and passions like human beings do? What should we think when Scripture describes God changing his mind? How can we read 1 Samuel 15 in light of a classical doctrine of God? John joins Gary Michuta's show Hands on Apologetics to tackle these topics. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend thre...
Sep 08, 2021•51 min
What is faith? How did St. Thomas Aquinas understand supernatural faith? Is the Thomistic view of faith compatible with movements of doubt? How did Pope Benedict XVI conceive of faith? Is his view consistent with that of Aquinas? Dr. Matthew Ramage joins us to discuss these issues. 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 06, 2021•52 min•Ep. 162
What is an embryo and what happens when identical twins are formed? Does the metaphysics of twinning call into question the view that embryos are human beings? How should we understand the mathematics and metaphysics of twinning? Dr. Richard Playford 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 ...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Does the God of classical theism have properties? Does he have attributes? Can we make conceptual distinctions about the simple God? How should we understand the notion of 'rigid designation' and its relevance to the modal collapse debate? What is Dr. Ryan Mullins' latest proposed modal collapse objection? How does Christopher Tomaszewski respond to it? In this Commentary bonus episode, I'm joined by Professor Christopher Tomaszewski to discuss these questions. The Classical Theism Podcast aims ...
Aug 31, 2021•2 hr 14 min
What are the differences between philosophical physics and modern physics? What's the difference between metaphysics and physics? How should we understand St. Thomas' First Way? Is it a physical or metaphysical demonstration? What are the key premises and how are they defended? How can Aquinas leap to God as the conclusion of his First Way? Dr. Michael Sirilla joins us to discuss these issues and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 161
What do Catholics believe about the atonement? Why does it matter that some guy died 2000 years ago? How can we distinguish Catholic views from Reformed protestant views of the atonement? How might we understand Leviticus 16, Isaiah 53, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:3, and 1 Peter 2:24 in light of the Catholic view? Michael Gormley joins us to tackle these issues head-on. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defen...
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 160
What were the problems with the doctrine of analogy that others raised after Aquinas? How did different Thomistics respond to these problems? How might Thomists respond to professor Thomas Williams' challenge that analogy reduces to univocity or unintelligibility? Dr. Domenic D'Ettore joins me to discuss these topics and more as we look at his book Analogy After Aquinas . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defe...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 159
This is an interview from inside ClaritasU . Who is God? What are some common mistakes Catholics make when talking about God? How can we distinguish classical theism from other kinds of theism? What are some tips or strategies you would give to Catholics for improving their conversations about God? Brandon Vogt and I sit down to discuss these questions. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of...
Aug 11, 2021•44 min
What is the doctrine of analogy? What are the different kinds of analogy? Why is analogy especially important for theologians? Does analogy reduce to univocity or intelligibility? Dr. Joseph Trabbic joins us 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 of classical theism exists, (2) Jesus is our Messiah and Lord, and (3) He fo...
Aug 09, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 158
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. How did Dr. Turner become acquainted with Fr. Her...
Aug 02, 2021•50 min•Ep. 157
What is happiness and how can we get it? Would St. Thomas have anything to say about comparing ourselves to other people? What will not make us happy according to St. Thomas Aquinas? How can we be happy when life is difficult? Matt Fradd joins the podcast to discuss these topics and more as we look at his new book How to Be Happy: Saint Thomas' Secret to a Good Life . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend t...
Jul 28, 2021•32 min
Why and how did you change your mind regarding Trinitarian classical theism? What are some common mistakes you see being made in contemporary theology? How can metaphysics and Scriptural exegesis work together? What does it mean to say we can know God without comprehending him? Why is Isaiah an important book of Scripture for understanding the nature of God? Can the traditional authorship of Isaiah still be defended? Dr. Craig A. Carter joins us to discuss these topics and more as we consider hi...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Is Aquinas best described as a philosopher or theologian? What is most notable about his work as a biblical theologian? How does Aquinas understand prophetic revelation and sacra doctrina? What does it mean that Aquinas holds that the human nature of Christ acts as the instrumental cause of the communication of divine revelation and as the perfection of its reception”? Dr. Dauphinais joins us to discuss these questions and more. The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian idea...
Jul 22, 2021•1 hr 1 min
What are the divine ideas? How do they relate to creation? What should Catholics believe about the 6 days of creation? Why is it important to believe in Adam and Eve and how can belief in an original couple be harmonized with the genetic evidence? What do you discuss about the atonement in your book on creation? Dr. Matthew Levering joins us to answer these questions as we discuss his book Engaging the Doctrine of Creation . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 155
What is God? What does the Catholic Church teach about the nature of God? How is such teaching supported by Sacred Scripture? Is it still tenable to hold that God is immutable given so much Old Testament language to the contrary? Dr. Elizabeth Klein joins us to tackle these topics and more as we discuss her book God: What Every Catholic Should Know . The Classical Theism Podcast aims to defend Catholic Christian ideas in conversation. With the help of various guests, I defend three pillars of th...
Jul 12, 2021•39 min•Ep. 154
