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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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

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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

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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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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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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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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

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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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The Lord's Prayer is a centerpiece of the Christian tradition. Most Christians have memorized it and many pray it daily. But the very familiarity of the Lord's Prayer can mask its depth.

In this video, I'm going to take you through the Lord's Prayer line-by-line, looking at what St. Augustine, St. Cyprian, Tertullian, and Origen have to say about this prayer which they believed contained the entire gospel.

Book mentioned: https://amzn.to/3LjsK7N
Augustine's Sermon: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/160307.htm
Bible/Church Fathers Resource: https://churchwritings.com

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Read my writings: https://austinsuggs.substack.com
Church History in a Year Reading Guide: https://shop.gospelsimplicity.com/products/church-history-in-a-year-a-reading-guide-through-2-000-years

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In this interview, I'm joined by Dr. Nathan Jacobs, a philosopher, theologian, and filmmaker, to discuss the core differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, tracing the roots of divergences in thinking between the East and West.

His channel:  @TheNathanJacobsPodcast
His course: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/the-east-west-series
His Substack: https://theologicalletters.com/

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In this interview I'm joined by Dr. Michael Peppard, Professor of New Testament, Early Christian Studies, Religion and Public Life at Fordham University, to discuss his new book, How Catholics Encounter the Bible. 

Over the course of the interview, we talk about why Catholics don't read the Bible the way Protestants do, the interplay of liturgy and Scripture, and what's great, and not so great, about the Catholic lectionary. 

Dr. Peppard's book: https://amzn.to/4jkPmBp
Dr. Peppard's other writings: https://www.michaelpeppard.com/

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/

*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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