The Theology Pugcast

In this show, Tom addresses a listeners question with reflections from past shows as well as recent insights. Tom looks at various realities, forces, and trends that have led culture to the present moment of sweeping madness. Chris and Glenn penetrate the topic with perspicacity and wisdom. René Girard shows up in the conversation, adding a fascinating gloss to the topic.

Glenn introduces concepts from medieval epistemology (i.e. the branch of philosophy dealing with knowledge and truth) and how these got challenged in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, particularly through the recovery of the ideas of the ancient Greek skeptic Pyrrho. After a foray into Descartes, who tried to answer Pyrrho, we look at Blaise Pascal, the father of probability theory. Pascal used a barometer to short-circuit Pyrrho’s approach and in the process laid the foundation for a new approach to knowledge based on probability. This new epistemology has shaped thinking in the West ever since and largely created the modern world.

Little by little, the notes and reflections of J. R. R. Tolkien have been published posthumously by his son, Christopher. Among the many volumes is the Tenth Volume in The History of Middle-Earth, entitled Morgoth's Ring. The book contains many of Tolkien's reflections on the nature of evil, mortality, and the eschatology of Middle-Earth. Among the gems is the publication of the conversation between Finrod (an Elf-Lord, the Eldar) and Andreth (a wise-woman from among the Edain--aka men). The Pugsters enjoy a free-range conversation that not only touches on the nature of evil in Middle-Earth, but also reaches our own--primary--world.

This week the Pugsters are joined by Jonathan Edwards scholar Dr. Christian Cuthbert to discuss his research at Yale on the preaching of Jonathan Edwards on the subject of warfare. In the 18th century the Connecticut River Valley was on the frontier. It wasn't unusual for Native American warrior bands to attack colonial villages--add to this the rival claims of the French and English powers in the New World and war wasn't merely a matter of debate regarding the justness of a conflict half-way around the world--it was a matter of survival, and the conflict could be 20 miles away--or right next store. The discussion is illuminating--and in some ways surprising. This is new ground in Edwards studies and Dr. Cuthbert is right at the forefront of it.

Tom introduces two contrasting cultures by talking about the Gospel and its role in shaping a culture of life. He then draws off of Benjamin Wiker's book 'Architects of the Culture of Death'. The leads into one of the core figures discussed in the book, the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and his contribution to nihilism and pessimism. Chris and Glenn add substantive insights and reflections throughout the discussion.

Glenn, our intrepid historian, takes us back to the twelfth century to show how a new worldview developed that shaped how we study the natural world (i.e. what we call “science” but they called “natural philosophy” or “natural theology”) and changed the aesthetics of the era, leading both to early empiricism and to realism in art. Chris and Tom move the conversation into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the undoing of the medieval ideas Glenn had explained. The nineteenth century saw the rise of modern science that changed how we think about both the material world and knowledge, which resulted not only in materialistic worldviews that denied meaning in the world but also led to a deconstruction of art and a rejection of beauty.

When the legacy of Charles Darwin is considered discussion generally focuses on the his account of human origins and whether or not evolution is a "blind watchmaker". But Darwin's influence has bled over into ethics, politics, philosophy, and other facets of human culture. Today the Pugsters discuss his broader legacy and how that influence can be resisted. As an added bonus, Chris recommends Thomas Hooker Brewing Company! https://hookerbeer.com/

In today’s show the Pugsters explore Christianity’s relationship with Classical Culture and Tom explains the impact of von Harnack’s incorrect thesis, which placed the two in opposition. The guys then explore contemporary examples of the problematic application of von Harnack in theology and the Christian life.

Glenn introduces us to the medieval distinction between the Via Positiva, an approach to thinking about God that emphasizes the things we can affirm about God, and the Via Negativa, an approach that focuses on the limitations of finite creatures to understand the infinite Creator. In general, Western Christianity has put more emphasis on the Via Positiva, also known as Kataphatic theology, while Eastern Orthodox Christianity has emphasized the Via Negativa, or Apophatic theology. Chris points out that the Via Negativa is necessary to prevent us from falling into idolatry by thinking we’ve got God all worked out. Tom brings in the transcendence of God, leading into a discussion of God’s holiness and what that means. The guys also discuss different approaches to spirituality based on a grid with Apophatic and Kataphatic on the horizontal axis, and Mind and Heart on the vertical.

While many apologists for the Christian faith have focused on defending the intellectual integrity of Christianity's factual claims, for example historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, over the last 100 years opponents of the faith have criticized the moral legacy of the faith. One of the most potent has been that Christianity has contributed to the degradation of the ecosystem. Perhaps the most significant article published in the last 50 years or so has been Lynn White, Jr.'s The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis from the March 10, 1967 edition of the journal, Science. Today the Pugsters respond to White's article and, hopefully refute his charges, and set the record straight. Here's a link to the article: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/155/3767/1203