
Creedal
Zac Crippen discusses Catholic theology (and culture through the lens of Catholic theology) with guests from all over the world.
Latest episodes

Aug 12, 2024 • 58min
"Popcorn with the Pope": Andrew Petiprin's new book on the Vatican Film List
In this conversation, Zac and Andrew discuss Andrew's book (co-written with David Paul Baird and Rev. Michael Ward) entitled 'Popcorn with the Pope.' We delve into specific films on the list, such as 'Au Revoir Les Enfants' and 'Babette's Feast', discussing various themes and ideas from each. Relatedly, we also discuss concerns about the impact of AI on the arts--both from labor and creative perspectives.
Buy the book here: https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/products/popcorn-with-the-pope?gclid=Cj0KCQjwn9y1BhC2ARIsAG5IY-6mWrryeuTxWChVGh8EYliN2em43I0skHdYAQs7o0bh_a4XlMUeKLYaArEoEALw_wcB
00:00 Introduction and Background
05:26 The Vatican Film List and Popcorn with the Pope
17:10 Exploring 'Au Revoir Les Enfants'
24:08 Uncovering the Themes of 'Babette's Feast'
27:50 Babette's Feast and the Vatican Film List
36:09 The Impact of AI on the Entertainment Industry
39:19 The Need to Protect Human Creativity and Dignity
45:10 Protecting Workers' Rights and Copyrights
48:28 The Threat of Cultural and Economic Devastation by AI
50:49 Using the Differentiation from AI as an Evangelism Tool

Jul 22, 2024 • 1h 9min
Crossover episode: Larry Chapp and Zac Crippen
Today on the show Zac teams up with longtime guest Larry Chapp to talk about why young people are leaving the Church.
It's a great conversation, and to follow more of Larry's work, head to gaudiumetspes22.com.

Jul 9, 2024 • 56min
AI: Failing to Understand Reality w/Alex Fogassy
In this conversation, Zac and Alex discuss the limitations of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on human flourishing. They explore the role of intuition and embodiment in human understanding, and explore a Christian account of the development of understanding via the Sacraments. They also delve into the concept of emergent consciousness and the challenges of reducing the human mind to a material substrate or a product thereof.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:16 Misconceptions and Challenges of AGI
13:51 The Flawed Computational Theory of Mind
21:23 The Unfounded Idea of a Singularity
25:38 The Limitations of Large Language Models
32:04 Intuition and Embodiment in Human Understanding
33:55 The Sacraments and Embodied Experience
37:35 The Importance of Personhood in AI
46:28 The Dangers of Outsourcing Jobs to Robots
53:19 The Cultural and Societal Implications of AI
55:44 For next time: AI in Warfare? Ethical Concerns and Responsible Decision-Making
Books Discussed:
Hubert Dreyfuss: What Computers [Still] Can't Do--https://a.co/d/016fuh7L
Nick Bostrom: "A Letter from Utopia"--https://nickbostrom.com/utopia
Iain McGilchrist: The Master and His Emissary--https://a.co/d/03LzycwX

Apr 6, 2024 • 36min
The Six: A Newsletter; plus Dominique Venner, Andrew Huberman, and a Debate
Explore the hero archetype in Christianity and the significance of faith, resilience, and suffering in character development. Learn about Dominique Venner's views on Christianity and the influence of Andrew Huberman in neuroscience. Get ready for an exciting conference with diverse speakers and early bird registration.

Mar 3, 2024 • 1h 5min
Technoreligion, Hot Pockets, and Barbershops: What a Week w/Andrew Petiprin
The guest, Andrew Petiprin, and Zac discuss secularization in technology, its implications on society, and the concept of technology as a dominant religion. They also explore bizarre news stories, societal structures in catastrophic events, and recommend 'Popcorn with the Pope' and a Navalny documentary.

Feb 23, 2024 • 34min
The Big Game's Commercials: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Today we're breaking down five Super Bowl commercials, including one that Zac describes as "the worst commercial I have ever seen."
Kia EV9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU7BJc96lI4
Microsoft Copilot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaCVSUbYpVc&ab_channel=Microsoft
Temu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Od0aOse1wc&ab_channel=Temu
He Gets Us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BqlDQ-Ppo&ab_channel=HeGetsUs
Dove Body Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0D5MU6_0n0&ab_channel=DoveUS

Jan 8, 2024 • 1h 4min
Fiducia Supplicans: An Exercise in "Knavish Imbecility" with Larry Chapp
My conversation with Dr. Larry Chapp today discusses the recent teaching edict of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: Fiducia Supplicans. The document attempts to clarify the pastoral meaning of blessings, particularly in relation to "irregular unions," but falls short on several fronts. We discuss some of our issues with the document, including theological incoherence, the invention of straw man positions, and the potential for misinterpretation. We also explore the implications of divorcing pastoral practice from truth, and the need for love to be grounded in truth.
Included in the discussion: clericalism, masked homophobia, incrementalism and the law of gradualism, responses from bishops conferences around the world, synodality and non-synodal approaches, comparisons to Humanae Vitae (ha!), the subseuqent press release, the endurance of the Church, support for LGBT Catholics, and much more.
Episode Links:
Fiducia Supplicans
The subsequent press release
The Pillar's rollup of reactions
Eden Invitation
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:49 What is Fiducia Supplicans?
02:09 Authority of the Document
05:24 Perceptions and Reactions
08:19 Invention of a Middle Position
10:08 Theological Incoherence
11:34 Blessing Individuals vs. Relationships
13:02 Train Wreck of Pastoral Approach
14:28 Spin and Misinterpretation
15:28 Pastoral Disaster
20:21 Theology of Blessings
21:42 Tenuous Foundations
22:17 Solution in Search of a Problem
23:15 Incoherence and Contradictions
26:04 Masked Homophobia
27:33 Divorcing Pastoral Practice from Truth
31:16 Theological Stupidity
35:43 Ecclesiastical Free-for-All
38:26 Divorcing Love from Truth
40:54 The Church as an Idol
44:04 Incrementalism and the Law of Gradualism
45:00 Responses from Bishops Conferences
46:50 Synodality and Non-Synodal Approaches
50:13 Comparisons to Humanae Vitae
52:46 The Press Release and African Bishops
57:43 Racism and Synodality
58:06 The Church's Endurance and Hillaire Belloc
58:19 Support for LGBT Catholics
01:01:28 Pope Francis and Pastoral Mistakes
01:03:06 Proclaiming the Truth

Dec 24, 2023 • 15min
E143 A Christmas Homily from St. John Chrysostom
The host discusses personal reasons for the lack of production and teases exciting projects. The significance of Jesus as the image of God is explored. Arguments for God's existence and the future of the podcast are discussed. St. John Chrysostom's Nativity Sermon is read, emphasizing the miraculous nature of Jesus' birth.

Aug 14, 2023 • 1h 1min
E142 Baptism is good, BAPism is bad: What a Week w/Andrew Petiprin
Today on the show we tackle our usual "misinformation" segment before diving into "BAPism" the absurd ideology espoused by followers of a mysterious internet persona known as "Bronze Age Pervert." Using Graeme Wood's latest article as a starting point, we discuss the ideology and a few of its grievous errors before articulating the beginning of an alternative.
Grame Wood's article: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/09/bronze-age-pervert-costin-alamariu/674762/
Also mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvG44mwPsbk&ab_channel=TheEuropeanConservative

Jul 17, 2023 • 1h 6min
E141 Conversion, Writing, and Dumbphones w/Tsh Oxenreider
Today on the show, Tsh Oxenreider joins me to talk about literature, the craft of writing, converting to Catholicism, switching to dumbphones, and more.
Discussed on the show:
Tsh's Substack: https://thecommon.place/
Tsh's website: https://www.tshoxenreider.com/
Tsh's new book: https://a.co/d/0s1bJey (coming Aug 29, 2023)
Tsh's previous appearance on Vernacular: https://open.spotify.com/episode/59S7pO9aVjFYDXJPE8G776?si=mGcPkUD-QuWXcom6yuMrwA
Wisephone: https://techless.com/
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