Daily Defense Podcast

Apologist and author Jimmy Akin explores the concept of practical and evidential reasons in decision-making. He discusses the example of fleeing danger and the balance between confidence and ability. Belief without evidence is irrational, but not all reasons are evidential.

Jimmy Akin, an expert in Catholic apologetics, discusses the authority of the Magisterium and its limitations in interpreting scripture and tradition. He clarifies misconceptions about its power and explores the reliance on Scripture and Tradition by Catholics, debunking claims of 'solo magisterio'.

Jimmy Akin, expert on the moral dimension of legislation, debunks the claim that legislating morality is inherently wrong. Law and morality are inherently connected, as laws reflect values and ordering of human affairs.

Expert Jimmy Akin discusses the limits of science as the ultimate guide to truth. He explores how science is unable to explain matters such as love and morality, as well as the effects of imposing scientific tests on personal relationships.

Jimmy Akin, a theologian and apologist, discusses the Assumption of Mary from a Catholic perspective. He explains that while this belief isn't explicitly stated in the Bible, Catholic theology does not rely solely on scripture. Akin highlights the importance of understanding how theology is approached before engaging in discussions about topics like the Assumption of Mary, which depend on apostolic Tradition. He provides three points supporting the belief in her assumption.

DAY 331 CHALLENGE “If God really exists and wants us to know him, why doesn’t he make his existence more obvious to us?” DEFENSE This is a subcase of the problem of evil—specifically, why God would allow us to have less knowledge of him than we would prefer to have. Its solutions fall along the same lines as other aspects of the problem of evil. God could make it undeniably obvious that he exists, and it is commonly understood he will do so in the next life, paralleling the way he will vanquish evil in the next life in general. Why God remains partially hidden in this life is a myste...

DAY 330 CHALLENGE “Jesus can’t be God if he said, ‘The Father is greater than I’ (John 14:28).” DEFENSE The divinity of Christ is consistent with Jesus’ statement. Jesus has the same nature as his Father: They are both divine, both God. This does not mean that the Son doesn’t hold a lesser place in other respects. To consider a human analogy, both a father and a son are equal in nature, but the father ranks higher in the relationships within the family. Further, if he sends his son on a mission, the son has a lower place with respect to the mission: He is the one sent, not the sender. ...

DAY 329 CHALLENGE “If God wants us to know him, and if the Bible is his word, why isn’t it clearer?” DEFENSE Several answers may be given. First, much of the Bible is quite clear, including many of its main teachings (e.g., there is one God, who created the world, and who loves man enough to send his Son to die on a cross so we might be saved from our sins). So is the main sequence of events it narrates. For the most part, it tends to be the subsidiary points that are less clear. Second, the Bible was written in a certain period of time and in a certain culture. It therefore reflects...

DAY 328 CHALLENGE “The pope is a sinful man who makes mistakes. Therefore, he can’t be infallible.” DEFENSE The premise of this challenge is true; the conclusion is false. The pope is a sinful man, but this does not lead to the conclusion that he can’t be infallible. Sinlessness—sometimes called impeccability—operates in a different sphere than infallibility does. Sinlessness is a quality pertaining to the moral order: It means not making a mistake in the sphere of one’s own moral behavior. Infallibility is a quality pertaining to the doctrinal order: It deals with not making a mistake...

DAY 327 CHALLENGE “Matthew contradicts the other Gospels when he says that Jesus used two animals during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It also, absurdly, says he rode both at once.” DEFENSE There is no contradiction, and he didn’t ride both at once. When two things are involved in an encounter, the evangelists frequently simplify their recounting of the event by mentioning only one (see Day 37). This is within the level of descriptive approximation one expects (see Day 258). Here Matthew gives the fuller account by mentioning both animals (Matt. 21:2), while the others simplify b...