Shows
Cutting The Gordian KnotWhat they didn’t tell you about Jacob & EsauWe have things to blow your mind this episode. I’m pulling heavily from Jewish tradition about the story of Jacob.
2023-05-121h 07Cutting The Gordian KnotPascals wager is stronger than you thinkWe read what Pascal said about his wager. We discuss whether or not you actually have to be 50-50 on something to use it. And we talk about what ways that we come to belief.
2022-10-2943 minCutting The Gordian KnotStudent loan forgiveness and the mail bagWe talk about the economic and moral implications of student loan forgiveness and how exactly money and debt work.
2022-10-2236 minCutting The Gordian KnotDr. Robert Delfino on the 5th WayDr. Delfino joins us to clarify what the 5th way really means, and answer some common questions and objections. Link to Barnes' book:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L27MSZE/. Norris Clark Quote: “The ordering of the natural properties of these elements [in the Universe] towards dynamic interaction must be constituted prior (priority of causal dependence, not necessarily temporal priority) to their actual operations of interacting, since they interact according to their (already constituted) natures. But this means that they must be ordered toward, constituted in view of, not yet existing future actions, or possible future actions. Now, on...
2022-10-191h 18Cutting The Gordian KnotEnd of the World (part 2) 666, Simon the Magician and moreWe talk about the number 666, end times economics, and much more.
2022-10-101h 06Cutting The Gordian KnotThe End of The World! (Part 1)We’re gonna be going through the cleansing at the temple as recorded in each one of the 4 gospels, talk about how that prefigures the end of the world, dive into Matthew 24, talk about the abomination that brings desolation and set the stage for so much more.
2022-10-0552 minCutting The Gordian KnotAliens (and the mailbag returns)We talk all about aliens, UFOs, alien biology, and what the theological applications would be.
2022-10-011h 32Cutting The Gordian KnotFreewill, Determinism, and HellWe survey some important thinkers, dive into some metaphysics, and answer common questions.
2022-09-241h 24Cutting The Gordian KnotWhat’s up with Moses striking the Rock?Why did Moses strike the rock twice? Why did he get in such big trouble? What does this have to do with Christ and what does it mean for today.
2022-09-1949 minCutting The Gordian KnotMonarchy vs. Aristocracy vs. DemocracyWe look at strengths and weaknesses or each system and consult Aquinas, Aristotle, Plato and Augustine. At the end I give some of my thoughts on ideal government structure.
2022-09-161h 05Cutting The Gordian KnotThe Catholic Gospel vs Faith AloneI defend the Catholic view of salvation against Faith Alone.
2022-09-1258 minCutting The Gordian KnotHow did the World get rich? Why did the Industrial revolution happen?After being so poor, for so long, why did the industrial revolution happen where and when it did? How did we get so wealthy so fast.
2022-09-081h 03Cutting The Gordian KnotGratitude Vs The Power of Positive ThinkingWe contrast what Scripture says versus what typical self-help literature would prescribe by working through the top 10 tips from the power of positive thinking.
2022-09-0234 minCutting The Gordian KnotPart 2 : Jacob Imam/Mark Barnes article on stock market investingHere is the rest of the review of their article. Don’t forget to listen to part 1.
2022-08-291h 44Cutting The Gordian KnotWhy Aquinus’s 4th Way is the BombI read a fun article on The 4th way of Thomas Aquinas that is written from a more narrative perspective and counters a number of questions, objections, and misconceptions.
2022-08-2140 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview on the Classical Theism Podcast: Defending 4th WayJohn Derosa interviews me about my favorite of the five ways of Thomas Aquinas.
2022-08-1651 minCutting The Gordian Knot12 Reasons Why Lucifer Was The Angelic Ruler of AnimalsWe are engaging in a bit of speculative Theology today! I think a very strong case could be made that Satan was in charge of governing animals.
2022-08-1334 minCutting The Gordian KnotNon-Cringy Theology of the BodyWe talk about the differences between men and women, our different modes of love, our Temptations to evil and the Scriptural basis for our complementarity.
2022-07-3039 minCutting The Gordian KnotChatting with Trent Horn about his Jacob Imam debateThis is a debrief of the points made during the debate, we both vent a bit, and we share some additional arguments.
2022-07-271h 02Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview With Ryan Mullins on Philosophy of TimeWe get into all sorts of cool philosophy of time questions. Enjoy our long and thought provoking interview.
2022-07-131h 45Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview with John Boyle: How to read Scripture like the Church FathersWe have a wonderful conversation exploring the 4 causes of Scripture, Authorial intent, and how to read Scripture like the Fathers did.
2022-07-1158 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Dr. Ross Cameron about Spotlight TheoryWe had a super cool chat all about philosophy of time.
2022-07-011h 062022-06-2703 minCutting The Gordian KnotWell, It’s About TimeNo really, this episode is all about Time. Philosophy of Time! I go through a number of different theories, objections and answers to each, and at the end I give my theory of time.
2022-06-2459 minCutting The Gordian KnotPart 1: A review of an economic article by Jacob Imam and Mark BarnesYou get to hear my comments as I read this article for the first time.
2022-06-2053 minCutting The Gordian KnotWho is St. Augustine?This is the first part in what will have to be a multipart series about my favorite theologian in the Catholic tradition: Saint Augustine
2022-06-1728 minCutting The Gordian KnotA Catholic Approach to Patent RegulationDo patents help or harm innovation? What’s the role of private property in promoting the common good? And what are some tweaks we can make to the current patent system that would make it better.
2022-06-1339 minCutting The Gordian KnotCatholicism versus Calvinism: How much of TULIP is right?We give a a rundown of TULIP and find a lot of common ground.
2022-06-1059 minCutting The Gordian KnotScriptural Exegesis: Noah’s ArkWe read the story of Noah’s ark and contrast it with the season of Pentecost.
2022-06-0648 minCutting The Gordian KnotWhat to do about “Pride Month”We give practical tips, explore the differences between the true religion and the secular one, read from the catechism, and discuss LGBTQ issues.
2022-06-0349 minCutting The Gordian KnotAll About Gun ViolenceI lay out some solutions, talk about how best to deal with the discussion in general, critique other suggestions that have been made, and ramble on a bunch about guns.
2022-05-301h 18Cutting The Gordian KnotTaxes: Economics and MoralityWe’ll talk about the moral and economic implications of various types of taxes and I will describe my ideal tax system.
2022-05-271h 26Cutting The Gordian KnotRevenge!Is revenge ever okay? What does scripture say? What does Aquinas say? What does Augustine say? Listen and find out all this and more.
2022-05-2356 minCutting The Gordian KnotChatting With Pat FlynnWe have a wide ranging conversation that covers everything from the PSR to the finitude of the past, the De Ente to Intelligent design.
2022-05-202h 02Cutting The Gordian KnotReading the Story of Joseph in GenesisI give a little bit of commentary along the way. But if you’re like me it’s probably been a while since you’ve read the story and that’s a shame because it’s one of the best in the Old Testament.
2022-05-171h 03Cutting The Gordian KnotInflation: 7 SolutionsHere I give a lot of economic background about monetary policy in general, comment on the actions of the federal reserve, explain how currency comes into existence, offer seven solutions to inflation, and even give some investment advice.
2022-05-1357 minCutting The Gordian KnotDefending “Big T” Tradition and the Church’s teaching authorityI take more of a conceptual approach to the topic, comparing Tradition to Form and Scripture to Matter. As always email me at thegordianknot101@gmail.com with questions, comments, hate mail of anything else.
2022-05-0941 minCutting The Gordian KnotScriptural Exegesis: The Tower of BabelWe read through this passage and unpack what it means. If you have a passage that you would like me to address email me at thegordianknot101@gmail.com
2022-05-0633 minCutting The Gordian KnotAnnihilationism: 4 Philosophical ObjectionsAnnihilationism is a strong view, Catholics need to take it seriously and be prepared to make strong counter-arguments.
2022-05-0244 minCutting The Gordian KnotEducation savings accountsI share a little bit of my lobbying materials. I encourage you to advocate for education savings accounts in your state as well.
2022-04-2938 minCutting The Gordian KnotNew Argument For a Finite PastThis one is short but fun. If you are interested in this topic, I have an interview with Wade Tishammer on his argument in a earlier episode.
2022-04-2519 minCutting The Gordian KnotUsury! Usury! Half The Sin It Used To BeThe Church changed its teaching on charging interest. Morality didn’t change, Scripture didn’t change, tradition didn’t change, reason didn’t change, but, the economic system did. The Church responded correctly. I’ll explain what Usury actually is and why it’s rare today.
2022-04-2238 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Rabbi Tovia SingerRabbi Tovia and I had a wonderful discussion covering lots of questions, dispelling common misunderstandings, and defending the Historicity of the Exodus and other vital events in our Faith.
2022-04-1855 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Vanessa Forsblad on Apologetics in the UniversityVanessa has a YouTube channel, “ That one Catholic girl” on this episode she shares her story and some of her experiences defending the Faith in an environment that is anything but amenable to her convictions.
2022-04-151h 10Cutting The Gordian KnotWhy Distributism must be stopped!I know it’s cool and trendy in Catholic circles to consider Distributism as an alternative to the Free-Market. But that’s a bad idea and here’s why.
2022-04-1144 minCutting The Gordian KnotHoly WeekI’m talking about Holy Week this week in RCIA. I figured I would share the talk with you on this podcast.
2022-04-081h 33Cutting The Gordian KnotIncome Inequality: Why the Marxist Hordes are Wrong AgainThis is a fun and data rich episode where are you may learn some new stuff about the state of income inequality, the way wages are set, and how the gender pay gap is laughably bogus
2022-04-0435 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Bruce Killian On Why Christ Had to Rise in 3 Days (and a ton of other cool stuff)This is a long chat that covers all sorts of things in Scripture. Ever wonder where the wood of the cross came from? What was the actually timeline for Holy Week? Listen and find out
2022-04-011h 31Cutting The Gordian KnotThe Marxist vs Christian approach to HistoryThis is part two on Marxism. The first part was on Marxist philosophy and what’s wrong with that. Here we talk about what’s wrong with Marxist history and hit a few questions in the mail bag.
2022-03-2838 minCutting The Gordian KnotIt’s Lent: Should we be giving money to homeless people?I share a couple stories of my interactions with homeless people where some went well and some went poorly and I try to give some practical tips of what you can do.
2022-03-2528 minCutting The Gordian KnotTop 10 Reasons to be a ChristianThe third in a series of top 10 episodes. I hope you find this one helpful. Towards the end we also read an article about the messianic age. I hope you enjoy that too.
2022-03-211h 14Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview With John Derosa on ApologeticsJohn and I talk about his book “One less god than you” Where he gives answers to a number of popular atheist slogans.
2022-03-1841 minCutting The Gordian KnotScriptural Exegesis: John 8 The Woman Caught in Adultery.We also talked about a little known Eucharistic passage, and we hit the Mailbag!
2022-03-1435 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview With Wade Tisthammer on The Eternal Society ParadoxThis is my Favorite argument for the finitude of the past. We deal with every objection we can can think of.
2022-03-1155 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Fr. Gregory Pine on PrudenceIn this hilarious and informative episode Fr. Gregory Pine tells us about his forthcoming book on prudence.
2022-03-0745 minCutting The Gordian KnotWhat’s Wrong with Marxist Philosophy?Today’s episode is a whirlwind tour of issues in Marxist and Hegelian philosophy. Plus, we hit a few mailbag questions!
2022-03-0434 minCutting The Gordian KnotDebrief of Jacob Imam Episode and Why Distributism is WrongThe Interview with Jacob has become the most popular episode. I have gotten a ton of feedback and need to address a few points.
2022-02-281h 07Cutting The Gordian KnotTop 10 Reasons to be a TheistThis is a whirlwind tour of at least 10 reasons to reject atheism and believe in God. Enjoy! (And ignore the awkward editing break in the middle of the Kalam argument…..technology…)
2022-02-251h 21Cutting The Gordian KnotThree languages of politics: How our life together went wrongWe read an article from the site, say hello to our growing Japanese listenership and hit the Mailbag hard!
2022-02-2147 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Noelle Mering on her book “Awake not Woke”We discuss various strains of thought which influence progressive ideology, note the profoundly religious nature of the woke movement, and talk about what to do about it.
2022-02-181h 03Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Pat Flynn on The Problem of EvilThis was a great conversation that addresses why the presence of evil is actually more of an argument For God than against him. We discussed various theodicies and answer a few objections along the way.
2022-02-141h 18Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Decon Dillon Bruce on Christ’s decent into HellWhat happened with his soul? His body? His Divinity? What where the other members of the Trinity up too, and what and where is Hell anyway? Have a listen.
2022-02-1155 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Trent Horn on Free-Markets, Socialism, & Why Catholics Ought to Care About EconomicsTrent and I discuss what is wrong with Socialism and Distributism, what is right with the Free-Markets and Why Catholics ought to care. Also, we present some ideas that would make the world a better place.
2022-02-071h 09Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Paul Fahey on The Magisterium and Capital PunishmentPaul’s recent article compares various hermeneutics and suggests a path for understanding Church doctrinal development. We discuss capital punishment as an example.
2022-02-041h 14Cutting The Gordian KnotListener Questions: Geocentrism, Celibacy, Female Priests, Anglican’s, The Garden of Eden and more.There was so much to address in a listener email that I decided to do an entire episode on topics that were brought up. Feel free to email me at thegordianknot101@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, or hate mail you would like to send me.
2022-01-311h 12Cutting The Gordian KnotTop 10 Reasons You Should Become CatholicThis is aimed primarily at our protestant brothers and sisters. Email me if you’re interested in a top 10 reasons for theism episode. If I get 3 emails, I will do that one too.
2022-01-281h 10Cutting The Gordian KnotScrupulosity, The Unforgivable Sin, and Skipping Mass for The SnifflesThis episode is exactly what it says on the tin. I cover these three topics. Additionally, give a little bit more detail about why this podcast is named what it is and why I cover the topics that I do.
2022-01-2426 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Jacob Imam on Catholic EconomicsJacob and I have many economic disagreements, but here we seek to find some common ground and understand each other’s perspectives.
2022-01-211h 52Cutting The Gordian KnotInterview with Pat Flynn: Faith, Fitness, Philosophy, and Everything ElseWe cover a broad range of topics. In addition to the regular interview, you get to hear Pat and I continue to converse after the episode.
2022-01-192h 10Cutting The Gordian KnotTransgenderism: A Christian PerspectiveWe talk about Marx, Hegel, Gnosticism and other roots of transgender ideology.
2022-01-1748 minCutting The Gordian KnotUniversal Healthcare and HSA’sI think universal healthcare is a terrible idea. I propose some much better ideas instead.
2022-01-1436 minCutting The Gordian KnotBonus: Announcing Special Guests and Opening the Mailbag.I have more exciting guests coming on the podcast! Mailbag questions include baking tips, drinking wine, the monarchy, and marine tube worms.
2022-01-1236 minCutting The Gordian KnotDebate: Was it Immoral for the US to have dropped the Atomic Bombs on JapanI debate a vicious and snarling Interlocutor…..Myself. I hope you keep an open mind and learn more about both sides of the debate. Email me if you think you could add good points to either side at thegordianknot101@gmail.com
2022-01-1046 minCutting The Gordian KnotWhy Should I Listen to You? A Guide to Testimonial EvidenceIn this episode we discuss different ways of determining whether or not testimonial evidence should be relied upon. We comment on the Trent Horn versus Matt Dillahunty debate and answer questions about whether soccer is communist, whether our excess should be given to the poor, And even whether or not to put a wing on your Honda Civic
2022-01-0747 minCutting The Gordian KnotBonus Episode: Reddit QuestionsWe answer a ton of questions from Reddit covering everything from Mary to Saint Patrick, Satan to Judaism and more.
2022-01-0547 minCutting The Gordian KnotThink Again: Why Your Faith Needs ReasonWe defend the importance of Reason against Christians that denigrate it, bust some myths, and answer some questions.
2022-01-0345 minCutting The Gordian KnotFaith: A Brief DefenseWe talk a little bit about Faith and we open the Mailbag to answer questions about Oreos, what gender is better a driving, interior decorating tips and more.
2021-12-2837 minCutting The Gordian KnotA Scriptural Tour of Catholic Marian DoctrinesReading from an article on my site that was originally a letter to my non-Catholic grandmother explaining doctrines of Mary from a scriptural perspective; this should be a great overview particularly for protestants on what Catholics believe and why. And just in time for Christmas!
2021-12-2448 minCutting The Gordian KnotCON Laws & Interview DebriefWe talk about how removing the government monopolies in healthcare will make patients better off. We also answer some of your questions and comments pertaining to the recent interview episode with Paul Fahey. Of course, the mail bag is opened at the end of the episode.
2021-12-2045 minCutting The Gordian KnotInterview: Paul Fahey on Property Rights, Catholic Social Teaching, and our Duty to the PoorPaul Fahey is the co-founder of “Where Peter is”, He is a speaker, retreat leader, catechist, and blogs at “Pope Francis Generation”. We have a great conversation in this, our podcast’s first interview episode.
2021-12-1757 minCutting The Gordian KnotBonus Episode: PWA Eucharist debate comments, Universalism, and Price Gouging.We cover a bunch of fun topics today. The beginning of the episode covers some of my thoughts on the recent Pints With Aquinas debate on the Eucharist. Then we hit the other two topics more briefly and announce a special guest coming on the next episode.
2021-12-1545 minCutting The Gordian KnotImmigration: The Market SolutionHere I lay out a fun and exciting plan to revamp our currently ridiculous immigration scheme here in the US. The mailbag includes questions on beans, wild pigs and rainbow flags.
2021-12-1342 minCutting The Gordian KnotAn Underrated Argument for God: Aquinas’s 4th WayThis is my favorite of the famous 5 ways. There are objections and answers at the end of the article I read from and I include a brief run down of a bonus argument also in the Platonic vein.
2021-12-1139 minCutting The Gordian KnotBonus Q/A Episode: Weight loss, Priest abuse scandal, Casserole dishes, Revenge and more.We hit a variety of questions in this episode, happy listening!
2021-12-0839 minCutting The Gordian KnotAbortion: What if You Were Wrong?I very much hope that people from the pro-choice perspective listen to this episode with an open mind. However, if you already are pro-life, I hope this gives you some tools and training to make a persuasive case to others, I think it will.
2021-12-061h 09Cutting The Gordian KnotThe Eucharist Part 3: Philosophy, Tradition, and ObjectionsHere we cover lots of questions and objections, the philosophy of transubstantiation (in brief), some quotes from early church fathers, a bit of Jewish tradition, and we do a lightning rundown of the arguments that we covered in the three episodes.
2021-12-031h 04Cutting The Gordian KnotThe Eucharist Part 2: The New TestamentHere we cover the famous John 6 passage but we also spend substantial time in Matthew and 1st Corinthians.
2021-11-2938 minCutting The Gordian KnotThe Eucharist Part 1: The Old TestamentThe Eucharist is foreshadowed and prefigured heavily in the Old Testament. We will be diving into many passages, prophecies, visions, and historical happenings all found far before the typical apologetic passages like John 6.
2021-11-261h 04Cutting The Gordian KnotThe Natural LawThe natural law and virtue ethics are shockingly boring. I try to make them still shocking, but less boring. Question and answer segments include: How to pick a great wine, what killed the dinosaurs? Should men take bubble baths? and how to feel the love of God.
2021-11-2239 minCutting The Gordian Knot6ish Economic MisconceptionsIs profit exploitative? Is capitalism un-Christian? Are Landlords evil? And is Cheesecake actually a pie? All this is answered and more!
2021-11-2051 minCutting The Gordian KnotWhy the Hell?Wondering about Hell? Listen to this episode. You may walk away understanding that it’s far more fair and fitting than you assumed before.
2021-11-1926 minCutting The Gordian Knot10 Tips to get working outThese are the precise tips that helped me work out for the past couple years. I am sure they will help you too.
2021-11-1924 minCutting The Gordian KnotEvil Sucks: Why is it Here?Not every possible permutation of the problem of evil can be covered. But I take a pretty good work at most all of them In this episode.
2021-11-1844 minCutting The Gordian KnotSell your Organs, Save a LifeI know it sounds crazy but we need a legal market for the sale of human organs. This donation system is causing massive amounts of human suffering and economic waste. We know how to fix shortages it’s called a market.
2021-11-1719 minCutting The Gordian KnotLying: Can it Ever be Done?Here we will examine the famous scenario of Nazis at your door. Do you lie to them? I contend you absolutely should lie to them, even to the point of your pants bursting into flames!
2021-11-1720 minCutting The Gordian KnotSt Thomas Aquinas presentationSplit into three parts with the second part having two parts the presentation covers biographical information about Saint Thomas Aquinas, philosophical concepts you need to know / his famous 5ways, and finally A bit of theology. Enjoy!
2021-11-171h 54Cutting The Gordian KnotPurgatory: It’s Good News…..No really!Here we outline a few defenses from scripture for the doctrine of purgatory and seek to give a balanced view of the doctrine.
2021-11-1626 minCutting The Gordian KnotThe Death Penalty: How could a Christian Not Support it?I look at four different passages of scripture relating to capital punishment. I make the case that it’s actually a good thing, not bad, not morally neutral, but good! I know this one will be controversial, I have a question and objection section at the end.
2021-11-1629 minCutting The Gordian KnotThe Fig: The Fruit of The FallThere a strong evidence that the fig is the guilty fruit. Don’t believe me? Listen and find out.
2021-11-1610 minCutting The Gordian KnotStart here: What is this podcast?Why on earth is there another podcast? We will answer this and many other wonderful questions in episode 0!
2021-11-1603 min