The Reluctant Theologian Podcast

Open theism is a provocative model of God that has captured the attention of various philosophers and theologians from different religious traditions. The view has garnered different criticisms, such as the recent book edited by Ben Arbour called, Philosophical Essays Against Open Theism. In today’s episode, I develop some of Ben Arbour’s objections to open theism, and I have the one and only Dale Tuggy here to offer his replies. Dale and I articulate and analyse several of Arbour’s objections to open theism based on perfect being theology, omniscience, and scripture. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium for Advanced Studies. Guest: Dale Tuggy (PhD, Brown University) is a published author, active podcaster, and all around amazing scholar. Check out Dale's show at https://trinities.org/blog/.  Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com https://www.patreon.com/user?u=66431474 https://ko-fi.com/rtmullins

Today I am joined by one of my colleagues at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Dr. Christine Daigle. We are asking the question, “What is human nature?” What does it mean to be human? There are different views within philosophy such humanism and the more recent view called transhumanism. But Christine wants to push for a position called posthumanism. In today’s episode, we break down the differences between humanism, transhumanism, and posthumanism in order to get a better understanding of what we are as human beings. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium for Advanced Studies. Guest: Christine Daigle (PhD, University of Montreal) is director of research at the University of Helsinki's Collegium for Advanced Studies.  Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com https://www.patreon.com/user?u=66431474 https://ko-fi.com/rtmullins

A clinical psychologist, a philosopher, and a theologian walk into a room. There is no punchline there because I am not telling a joke. Instead, I am describing today’s episode. We get into all sorts of fascinating topics today. We look at clinical psychosis, and how to interpret various passages of the Bible that talk about demon possession. Then we consider how our interpretations of scripture impact the way the Church treats those with mental health issues. We also consider the metaphysics of demon possession, and how to tell the difference between a religious experience and a psychotic one. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium for Advanced Studies. Guest: Ragy Girgis (MD, University of Pittsburgh) is associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University. Check out his book, On Satan, Demons, and Psychiatry.  Guest: Tasia Scrutton (PhD, University of Durham) is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Leeds. Check out her book, Christianity and Depression.  Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com https://www.patreon.com/user?u=66431474 https://ko-fi.com/rtmullins

Dr. Ema Sani and I have been working on a paper on open theism and molecular biology. In today’s episode, we explore some questions about the relationship between different scientific disciplines and theology. When we take a closer look at the biological world we see a vast array of risk-management systems that anticipate genetic errors, and seek to correct them. Ema explains these biological phenomena for us, and then we discuss how this can help the open theist develop her understanding of the God-world relationship. Is the God of open theism too risky? Stick around and find out. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium for Advanced Studies. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

There is a vastly complex world within your body. When we look at the molecular level, and examine your DNA and RNA, we find an intricate network of gene expression and gene regulation. Biologists have identified all sorts of weird and wonderful types of RNA within your body that regulate how your genes get expressed. But what does that mean? What is gene regulation? In today’s episode, I sit down with Dr. Ross Cordiner from Aarhus University to explore the wild world of genetics. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Ross Cordiner (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is a research fellow in molecular biology and genetics at Aarhus University. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

Your favourite dynamic duo is back! That’s right, in today’s episode Joe Schmid and I talk about our new paper in Religious Studies called “The Aloneness Argument Against Classical Theism.” Classical theism affirms the doctrine of creation ex nihilo, which says that there is a state of affairs where God exists without the created universe. In this state of affairs, God exists all alone. Joe and I identify some different problems that this causes for classical theism. We take you through the argument step by step, and then consider some objections to the argument. Afterwards, I bring back the ever popular popcorn round. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium  for Advanced Studies. Guest: Joe Schmid is a philosophy student at Purdue University. Check out his show, The Majesty of Reason. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

Today I am joined by Dr Paul Gavrilyuk from the University of St Thomas. We are looking at impassibility and the so-called Hellenization Thesis. The Hellenization thesis is often used to dismiss classical theism, but Paul argues that this thesis is not historically accurate. Paul and I chat about different schools of thought within ancient Greek philosophy in order to get a better grasp on the classical Christian understanding of divine impassibility. We consider the emotional life of the classical God, and then discuss the relevance for the doctrine of the incarnation. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium  for Advanced Studies. Guest: Paul Gavrilyuk (PhD, Southern Methodist University) is the Aquinas Chair of theology and philosophy at the Univeristy of St Thomas. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

We have been doing this show for two years. It doesn’t feel like two years because so much has happened in that time. Ema and I are so pleased with how the show has grown, and we are really happy with the episodes that we have created. I want to say thank you to everyone who has been listening, and I greatly appreciate all of the encouraging messages that people send in. Ema and I are both very excited to continue providing you with great content on theology, philosophy, and science. What we talk about in today’s episode is a bit of what the future of the podcast will look like. We also discuss the value of interreligious dialogue and philosophy of religion. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium  for Advanced Studies. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

You have been sending in questions, and today Ema and I will give you some more answers. What are we talking about today? We start out with a listener question about heavy metal. Ema and I give you the gossip on the metal scene, and then chat about my pentagram shirt incident on YouTube. After that we talk about the end of spacetime, and some philosophy of physics. Finally, we consider some issues related to spacetime and panentheism. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium  for Advanced Studies. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions Intermission music by Make Them Suffer, "Widower."  rtmullins.com

You have been sending in questions, and today you will get some answers. In today’s episode, Dr Ema Sani and I answer some listener questions. We look at various issues surrounding God’s perfect rationality as it relates to God’s goodness and free will. We ask if God can perform arbitrary actions, or if God must always act for a reason. After that, Ema and I look at different issues within biology, and the projects that she is currently working on. Then we discuss the relationship between science and theology. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a senior research fellow at the University of Helsinki's Collegium  for Advanced Studies. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com