Author: John DeRosa

What are Indulgences? What is the foundation for the Church’s doctrine of indulgences in Scripture and the early Church? How does the “nuptial covenant” play a role in understanding indulgences? How might Catholics respond to worries that indulgences are unscriptural and imply that the all-sufficient act of Christ is insufficient? Might Catholics describe indulgences in terms of “imputation”? Dr. Mary Moorman joins us to address these topics for a bonus episode.

What is Papal Infallibility and what are some common misconceptions about the doctrine? Does the life and episode of Pope Honorius seriously threaten this doctrine? Didn’t councils condemn Honorius as a heretic? If so, wouldn’t that imply that he taught a heretical position as Pope and contradict papal infallibility? Erick Ybarra joins us to tackle these questions and more.

What are some common misconceptions people have about the Enlightement? Was the Enlightement really all bad? How did the enlightenment open up new avenues for faith to flourish? Dr. Joseph Stuart joins us to discuss his new book Rethinking the Enlightenment: Faith in the Age of Reason.

What did St. Paul mean when he said men are justified by faith apart from “works of the law”? How did early Christians understand this phrase? What should we think about the differences between St. Jerome and St. Augustine on the meaning of this phrase? Is the discussion of “works of law” relevant to interpreting Romans 4 which seems to use “works” and “work” more generally? Dr. Matthew J. Thomas joins us to discuss these questions and more.

What is the nature of the Church Christ founded? What are some biblical arguments for the papacy? How do both Jewish and non-Catholic sources support a Catholic interpretation of the first-century evidence? Suan Sonna joins us to defend the Papacy as an essential element of the Church Christ founded.

What are various ethical theories philosophers discuss? What is the Frege-Geach problem and how can it be used to defend moral realism? How does Simon Blackburn’s quasi-realism aim to avoid the Frege-Geach problem? What problems does Blackburn’s account face? Joseph Beauchamp joins us to take on these questions and more.