Dr. William Vallicella discusses his relation to the Roman Catholic faith of his youth, his idea of what philosophy is all about, the concept of God, the utility of meditation, blogging, and his views on faith and reason.
Can a Calvinist consistently believe that humans have what philosophers call “libertarian” freedom? In his Deviant Calvinism, Dr. Crisp suggests that a Calvinist can, although he doesn’t himself believe in libertarian freedom. And what about universalism?
In his 2014 book Deviant Calvinism, Dr. Oliver Crisp explores the boundaries of Reformed theology by way of various historical theologians.
I explain my view that arguments from truth are a greater threat to human freedom than are arguments from foreknowledge, and I argue against the all-false view about statements about future events that (as of now) may or may not occur.
If all and only people whom God eternally and unconditionally chooses are saved, then why aren’t all people saved? In this episode I interact with Dr. John Piper’s answer, which focuses on Romans 9:22-23
The Social Trinity may be more social than you thought. In this episode I talk with trinities contributor Mr. Chad McIntosh about his new twist on a “social” Trinity theory – that not only are there three divine persons or selves, but in another but related sense, the Trinity is a person, what he calls a functional person.
In this episode we meet new trinities contributor Mr. Chad McIntosh, a PhD student in Philosophy at Cornell University. We discuss his interest in the Trinity, the Trinity as a “holy mystery,” the concept person, why thinking about this issue is important, William Lane Craig’s Cerberus analogy, and whether the Trinity is found in the Bible or only in later tradition
How does Justin argue from Genesis that even when the world was created, there were two Lords?
When it came to christology, what did Justin Martyr consider essential, as in, you’re not a Christian unless you believe it? The answers may surprise you. In this episode we explore the christology of Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho.
Has anyone ever seen God himself? The Bible seems to both affirm and deny this. In Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho, Justin claims that the “God” seen in any Old Testament theophany was not the one God, the Creator (i.e. the Father)…
What did the famous Justin Martyr teach about Proverbs 8, and why?
Do our earliest surviving post-New-Testament writings interpret Proverbs 8 as being about the pre-human Jesus?
“The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.” Is this famous passage in Proverbs 8 about the pre-human Jesus?
In my view, the fourth has been the most misunderstood gospel.
In this episode we hear Mr. James Lee (PhD student in Philosophy at Syracuse University) present his paper “His Ways (of Being) Are Not Our Ways” at the Society of Christian Philosophers meeting on November 8, 2014 at Niagara University.
A presentation by Dr. Harriet Baber at the 2014 SCP meeting at Niagara University.
Is it a sin to celebrate Christmas, because Christmas is pagan in origin? In this episode I discuss this disputed question, and what I believe the apostle Paul would have to say about this ongoing dispute between Christians.
“Before Abraham, I am.” What did Jesus, or the author of the fourth gospel, mean here? In this episode we hear how some ancient authors interpreted John 8:58, including the famous North African bishop Augustine of Hippo.
John Duns Scotus (d. 1308), nicknamed by tradition “the Subtle Doctor,” was one of the most important medieval Christian philosophers, and was notorious for the difficulty of his thought. In this episode, we hear a specialist in medieval philosophy give a conference presentation on Scotus’s views on identity (sameness) and distinction (difference). Nowadays most philosophers and logicians recognize qualitative sameness (aka similarity), which comes in degrees,… Read More »podcast 65 – Dr. Joshua Blander on John Duns Scotus on Identity and Distinction
St. Anselm was the Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, and an important medieval Christian philosopher. He defined the concept of God as “that than which no greater can be thought.” Using this concept, he argues that there must actually be such a being; this is his famous “ontological” argument for God’s existence. And he also deduces that this being must be eternal, and omnipotent (etc.)… Read More »podcast 64 – Dr. Mark C. Murphy on Anselmianism about God