with John DeRosa
How can we know when a Pope has spoken infallibly? What are the conditions that must be met? Did Pope Leo XIII speak infallibly in Providentissimus Deus? Did the Pope speak infallibly in Humanae Vitae or Evangelium Vitae? What should we make of the “manifestly evident” criterion in canon law? Dr. John Joy returns to the show to discuss these topics.
Is the Kalam cosmological argument sound? In particular, is there a successful philosophical argument for the finitude of the past? Jordan Carstensen (grad student at Holy Apostles College) argues in the affirmative. Jimmy Akin, who affirms the scientific evidence supporting the Kalam, argues that philosophical arguments for a finite past do not work. This episode consists of a dialogue between Jimmy and Jordan, moderated by John.
Pat Flynn and I discuss the life and legacy of Dr. Kevin Vost (1961 – 2023). We mention the aspects of his character and his work that drew us to him. Pat shares a few personal stories, and John explains Dr. Vost’s morning routine before writing.
Why should we think the Gospels contain truthful testimony? What markers in the Gospels point to their authenticity? Why do undesigned coincidences support Gospel reliability? How do the Gospels give Christians evidential and devotional value regarding the person of Christ? Dr. Lydia McGrew joins the show again to discuss these topics.
What are you really? What is a person? How can reason and science shed light on these questions? How can persons originate? Dr. Josh Rasmussen joins us to discuss his new book-length investigation into these topics.
What is the “Pentateuch” and why is it called that? What are the traditional views vs. modern views of the authorship of the Pentateuch? Could Moses truly be the primary author? What evidence has been offered for the Documentary Hypothesis? Why isn’t the Documentary Hypothesis compelling? What evidence points toward traditional chronology and authorship? Dr. John Bergsma joins us to discuss these topics.
What are persons? Why are persons “irreducible” and what does that mean? Can we argue from human persons to the existence of God? What was the De Auxilius debate and where does Dr. Mark Spencer come down on that in his book? We discuss these topics and more.
Why are there so many Catholic Bible translations? How did the Catholic ESV come about? What is an “essentially literal” translation and why is it important? What debate occurred in the 20th century about gender-inclusive language in Bible translation? Dr. Mark Giszczak joins the show to discuss these topics and more.
What is metaphysics? How does a Thomist approach God’s existence? Can one prove God’s existence using the real distinction between essences and their acts of existence? How does Dr. Kerr respond to several objections including the issue of existential inertia? We tackle these topics and more in the episode.
Were Adam and Eve REAL? Are science and faith in major tension on this topic? How are young people especially affected by this question? We explore this question and lay out a solution proposed by Dr. Kenneth Kemp.
