Ep. #125 – Is Catholic Faith Worth Having? w/ Dr. Stacey
Summary
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 the Catholic view? Dr. Stacey joins us to discuss these questions and more?
Guest Bio
Gregory Stacey completed his DPhil (or PhD) in Theology at Trinity College, Oxford under the supervision of Brian Leftow and William Wood. He specializes in the study of Catholic religious epistemology and metaphysics. He lives in Leeds, in the North of England, where he works as Co-ordinator for Catechesis for the Diocese of Leeds.
Topics
- What have you been working on since we last spoke about your dissertation?
- Set the scene for us. What are you seeking to accomplish in this paper on “Is Catholic Faith Worth Having?”
- What do you mean by “Catholic faith” (CF) and “Catholic analysis of faith” (CAF) as you use them in the paper?
- What is Jonathan Kvanvig’s argument against the faith being valuable and how does he support key premises?
- How might Protestant Christians respond to Kvanvig’s argument?
- What are some initial and historical Catholic responses to similar lines of thought?
- How do you respond in your section, “Catholic faith as testimonial justice”?
- Can you respond to the objections that a) you’re begging the question and b) the God of classical theism cannot be harmed by injustice?
Resources
Dr. Gregory Stacey’s personal website (NEW)
Dr. Gregory Stacey’s doctoral dissertation
The “Famous” Pints with Aquinas episode with Matt Fradd and Fr. Dominic Legge O.P. that I reference during the episode
Aquinas, Instinct, and the “Internalist” Justification of Faith by Dr. Gregory Stacey (article, 2019)
Faith and Humility by Jonathan Kvanvig (Dr. Stacey responds to some of Kvanvig’s analysis in his recent paper)
Related Episodes
Ep. #103 – Catholic Reformed Epistemology? (Part 2) w/ Dr. Stacey
Ep. #102 – Catholic Reformed Epistemology? (Part 1) w/ Dr. McNabb
Ep. #72 – Is Faith in Christ Irrational? w/ Fr. Pine O.P.
Ep. #36 – Is Faith Irrational? with Dr. Feingold
