In this interview, I'm joined by Kevin Fernandez of  ⁨@SinceAD33⁩ for a friendly discussion about the current state of the sola scriptura debate to see if there are ways in which Protestants and Catholics can productively move the conversation forward. And part of moving forward, we find, is looking backwards, retrieving the best of the past for fruitful discussion in the present.

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00:00 - Where we're at
05:06 - Learning from the Past
11:19 - The Real Differences
17:12 - Infallibility
25:15 - The Role of the Magisterium
34:14 - Is this Getting Too Complicated?
44:13 - The Trouble with Contradictions
55:21 - How to Debate Well
01:05:11 - Going Deeper

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In this interview, I'm joined by Fr. James Dominic Rooney O.P. to discuss the role of infallibility and dogma in Christianity based upon his book, Whoever Hears You Hears Me? In essence, Fr. JD argues that all Christians--not just Catholics--need some form of infallibility to make their theological systems work.

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4sISAC9

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Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity...
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com

About the Guest: Fr. James Dominic Rooney is an assistant professor of philosophy at Hong Kong Baptist University whose work is primarily in metaphysics, medieval philosophy, Chinese philosophy (程朱理学), and philosophy of religion. 

He is also a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Albert the Great (Chicago, IL) and a Catholic priest.

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In this interview, I'm joined once again by my good friend, Dr. Barnabas Aspray. This time, we're picking up a conversation we've been having for sometime offline about whether liberal Protestantism is the most consistent form of Protestantism. In other words, does the Reformation naturally lead to Liberal Protestantism?

Note, when we talk about Liberal Protestantism, we're not talking about the hot button issues of the 21st century, but more so the academics of the 19th and 20th century who rejected or rethought fundamental categories of Christian orthodoxy.

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4sISAC9

Get access to my book club, show notes, ad-free episodes and more:  https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity

Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity
Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com

About the Guest: Barnabas Aspray (PhD, Cambridge) is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore, USA. He is the author of Ricœur at the Limits of Philosophy (CUP, 2022) and On the Significance of Religion for Immigration Policy  (Routledge, 2025). He is a columnist for Seen & Unseen magazine and host of Faith at the Frontiers podcast.

Barney's Podcast: https://faithatthefrontiers.com/

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In this interview, I'm joined by Dr. Dylan Pahman to discuss Orthodox Social Teaching. To that end, we discuss the practicalities of implementing St. Basil's ethics of wealth and poverty, how Christians should think about economics, why capitalism hasn't been all bad, and what Orthodox emphasis on asceticism can contribute to Catholic and Protestant social teaching.

Pre-order my novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4udUiwJ

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Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity 
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Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/

About the Guest: Dylan Pahman, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Acton Institute and founder and president of the St. Nicholas Cabasilas Institute. He is author of The Kingdom of God and the Common Good (Ancient Faith, 2025) and Foundations of a Free & Virtuous Society (Acton, 2017). With John Pinheiro, he is also coeditor of The Christian Roots of American Liberty (Acton, forthcoming in 2026), a sourcebook charting the prehistory of American founding principles through the ancient, medieval, and early modern worlds.

Get the book: https://amzn.to/4sF8Dku
Learn more: https://cabasilasinstitute.org/

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In this interview I'm joined by Deacon Nicholas Kotar to discuss Russian fairytales, the elements of good fiction, why fantasy has lost its way, and how the stories we tell shape our cultures.

Pre-Order my debut novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4aF9bze

Want to support the channel? Here's how!
Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity 
Make a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/gospelsimplicity
Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/

Nicholas Kotar is a deacon in the Orthodox Church, an author of epic fantasy inspired by Russian fairy tales, a writing instructor and speaker, and a freelance translator from Russian to English. Learn more about his work: https://nicholaskotar.com/

*Links in the description may be affiliate links, in which I receive a small commission when people use those links to make a purchase.

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In this interview I'm joined by Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, to discuss his new book Training the Tongue. Over the course of this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about Lent, AI, Humor, Fraternal Correction, and, naturally, Harry Potter.

Pre-Order my debut novel, The Long Road to Holy Island: https://amzn.to/4aF9bze

Want to support the channel? Here's how!
Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity
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Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/

About Fr. Gregory Pine, OP: Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., is an Assistant Professor of Dogmatic and Moral Theology at the Dominican House of Studies and the Assistant Director of the Thomistic Institute. He was ordained a priest in 2016 and holds a doctorate from the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He is the author of several books including Prudence, Your Eucharistic Identity, and Training the Tongue. He is a regular contributor to several podcasts including Godsplaining and Catholic Classics.

Fr. Gregory's Book: https://stpaulcenter.com/trainingthetongue

Find Fr. Gregory on Social Media:  ⁨@StPaulCenter⁩    ⁨@Godsplaining⁩     ⁨@ThomisticInstitute⁩ @Emmaus Road Publishing @DominicanFriars

*Links in the description may be affiliate links, in which I receive a small commission when people use those links to make a purchase.

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In this interview I'm joined by the Reverend Dr. Thomas Plant to discuss the relationship between Christianity and Platonism, as well as how Platonism might serve as a bridge for inter-religious dialogue.

The Rev'd Dr Thomas Plant (Fr. Thomas) was installed and licensed as Rector on Monday 12 May 2025 following four years as a university chaplain in Tokyo. He has previously served in Lichfield Cathedral School, St Michael's Camden Town and St Peter's Berkhamsted. A theologian and classicist, he has published in the fields of Christian Platonism and Buddhist-Christian dialogue. He holds a 2nd dan black belt in Aikido and enjoys playing blues piano and the Japanese shakuhachi flute. He is also a sci-fi, fantasy and real ale fan.

Read the Book: https://amzn.to/3Olrdz0

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Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity 
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Book a meeting: https://calendly.com/gospelsimplicity/meet-with-austin
Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/

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In this interview I'm joined by Dr. Ryan Burge (aka, Graphs about Religion) to discuss the state of religion in America. We cover claims of a Gen Z revival, the decline of mainline Protestantism, and what the data tells us about polarization.

Read the Book: https://amzn.to/3ZrUpqn

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Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/

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In this interview I'm joined by Dr. Stephen Haynes to discuss the life, thought, and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. We pay special attention to the way he has been co-opted by radically different groups, each seeking to draw on portions of his thought to justify their own ends. 

Stephen R. Haynes holds a Ph.D. in Religion and Literature from Emory University, the M. Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary, an M. A. from Florida State University, and a B. A. from Vanderbilt University. Professor Haynes has been at Rhodes since 1989 and offers courses on the Holocaust, the Bible and its reception, mass incarceration, and religion and addiction. 

Read the Book: The Battle for Bonhoeffer: https://amzn.to/46mHAkU

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Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com/

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I've spent the last seven years learning about Catholicism, and I like to think I've learned a bit along the way. However, there are more topics to research than there is time in the day, and, inevitably, a host of secondary and tertiary issues have come up that confused me but I haven't had the time to properly research.

So, in this episode, I sat down with Catholic Answers apologist and author Joe Heschmeyer to talk about these topics and see if he could help me make sense of them.

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out Joe's channel:  @shamelesspopery

Want to support the channel? Here's how!
Give monthly: https://patreon.com/gospelsimplicity 
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*Links in the description may be affiliate links, in which I receive a small commission when people use those links to make a purchase.

00:00 Intro
01:01 The Brown Scapular
13:42 Plenary Indulgences
29:55 Mortal Sin
52:13 Jesuits
54:50 Catholic Social Teaching
01:00:39 Natural Family Planning
01:13:56 Eucharistic Miracles
01:19:57 Female Deacons
01:21:41 Mass Stipends
01:24:54 Is Catholicism Good News?

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