What did early Christians think about the Scriptures? In this episode, I reflect upon a comment left in class by my former instructor, the late Manlio Simonetti, who stated that in the early church, the Scriptures enjoyed a primacy of place in Christian conversations about the Life Questions. I discuss how Christians viewed the Scriptures from the first to third centuries, especially in light of the ongoing conversations about the true nature of Scripture and the canon of Scripture...

Why is counterargument important for discerning the truth? In this episode, we talk about the importance of critically evaluating not only the ideas of others, but also one’s own ideas. We encourage our audience to examine the various media they consume and ask themselves if the presenters of those media have made an honest attempt to provide the best counter arguments to their position. The willingness of someone to subject their information to self-critique is extremely important because it...

What did medieval theologians think about a diversity of theological ideas on the eve of the Reformation? In this episode, we will explore the phenomenon of theological pluralism on the eve of the Reformation...Instead of solving theological diversity and pluralism, Luther’s sola scriptura has created an uncontrollable pluralism within Christianity such that it is virtually impossible to reach a consensus on some of the most important theological and moral questions that face Christian...

In the recent past, certain US and Canadian lay Catholics have taken to criticizing Pope Francis. Among their various and numerous criticisms, they often insert a personal testimony about their initial reaction to his election. They note that when they first saw him step out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, they immediately experienced some uncertainty...Join us this week as we continue to explore the Gnostic character of recent criticisms of Pope Francis.

In this bonus episode we explore one of the key components for the study of Church history, namely, context. Context supplies one of the most significant considerations when studying any document, especially those written long ago. Context will allow students of history to develop a more accurate sense of what occurred long ago.

There are strong parallels in the ways current Catholic critics are evaluating the words and deeds of Pope Francis to the way earlier scholarship on the papacy evaluated the words and deeds of his predecessors. Neither group has shown itself committed to an even-handed approach, a consideration of counter-evidence or a willingness to nuance their evaluations. Join us this week as we talk about the parallels in the ways current Catholic opponents of Francis and earlier scholarship...

What did early Christians of the greater church think about the relationship between Scripture, tradition and the authority the church. In this episode, we argue that early Christians of the greater church believed that apostolic session was the glue connecting the early post-apostolic church to the apostles and ultimately to Christ. The teaching of apostolic succession states that the authority the apostles passes down to their legitimately appointed successors in the very churches they...

Ambrose of Milan played a very important role in Augustine’s conversion. When Augustine met Ambrose, he was in a difficult position: he was no longer intellectually committed to Manicheism but neither had he overcome some of the major philosophical and theological challenges which the movement had posed to him. After listening to a sermon of Ambrose, however, Augustine began to reconsider his disregard for the Catholic faith. Augustine encountered in Ambrose a very eloquent and learned Bishop...

How does one discern good from poor quality materials online or in printed materials? In this episode, we talk about the important roles that the gatekeepers, that is, acquisitions editors, play in ensuring the high-quality the materials they publish. We contrast the rigor of the peer review process, which can last from several months to well over a year, with the on-demand nature of online materials. In light of this fact, we encourage our audience to think very carefully about any...

Who was St. Cardinal Robert Bellarmine? In this episode, we take a look at the life and work of Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) who was arguably the most learned Catholic theologian and apologist of the sixteenth century. In this mobile edition we talk about the definite impact that Robert Bellarmine had on Protestant-Catholic conversations about the vexing questions of the early modern era, namely, the authority of the pope, the sufficiency of Scripture and the question of justification.