with John DeRosa
What did the First Vatican Council teach about faith and reason? How do Thomists parse the act of faith? How does the Vatican Council’s account of faith and reason fit well with Thomistic hylomorphic dualism over and against Descartes’ view? Dr. Gaven Kerr joins the podcast again to discuss these issues.
Is the Pope worth defending? What should we think of his controversial statement, “Who am I to judge?” What about the proper understanding of Amoris Laetitia? Is the “Pachamama incident” a black mark on the Francis Pontificate? Dr. Robert Fastiggi joins the show to discuss these issues.
Professor Kevin Gutzman discusses his new book The Jeffersonians. I ask him what we should think about those who want to cancel the legacy of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe due to their involvement in slavery. We also discuss the constitutionality of the Louisiana Purchase. Consider this a special bonus episode for those interested in U.S. History.
Fr. Peter Totleben discusses the differences between Thomism and Palamism, especially concerning the doctrine of Divine Simplicity. Special thanks to Jack Boczar of the CT Research Team for assisting in bringing this episode to fruition. We only scratched the surface and hope to speak with Fr. Totleben again.
Is the 4th Way of St. Thomas Aquinas still defensible today? According to Jake Buscher, yes. He explains and defends the fourth way of Aquinas in this episode. We tackle several objections along the way. Also, check out Jake’s podcast Cutting the Gordian Knot for lighthearted and informative commentary on theological, philosophical, societal, and economic topics all from a Catholic perspective.
What is the book of Isaiah about? Who really wrote it? Why do modern critical scholars hold that Isaiah definitely did not author the whole book? What should we think of the prophecy regarding Cyrus? Dr. Craig A. Carter explains the context of Isaiah and defends its traditional authorship.
Summary Jimmy Akin joins the podcast to debrief his debate with The Other Paul on the Capturing Christianity YouTube channel. He discusses the style of the debate, the arguments, and various objections. Jimmy also explains crucial mistakes made by The Other Paul in their discussion. Resources youtube.com/jimmyakin Teaching...
Who are the “Four More Witnesses” that give insight into the early Church? Why is Origen such an important figure and why are his contributions sometimes qualified? Who was Clement of Alexandria and why are his writings important? Rod Bennett joins us to discuss these topics.
How might a philosophical Thomist analyze the problem of evil? Why is evil and suffering so debilitating in the lives of many such as Rachel in the Old Testament? What should we think about the work of Fr. Brian Davies and Dr. Eleonore Stump on the problem of evil? Dr. John Knasas joins us to discuss these topics.
Is Pascal’s Wager still defensible today? Is it even possible to take Pascal’s wager if we don’t have willful control over what we believe? Supposing we can take the wager, ought we to do so? Is it rational to choose a belief for practical reasons and not merely evidential reasons? Dr. Liz Jackson joins us to discuss these topics.
