Ben (our resident Catholic) discusses the seven books of the Deuterocanon (or Apocrypha), what they are, and why they are included in the Catholic Old Testament canon. N.B. While Ratio Christi at Texas A&M does not officially take a position on the canonical status of these books and many Protestants reject them, they nevertheless are […]

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OT Controversy 9: Why is the Catholic Old Testament Bigger?

We turn to the question of ancient Israelite religion. While we usually think of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as the big three monotheistic religions, is the historical reality more complicated than that? Psalm 82 takes centre stage in a discussion of the unseen spiritual realm. Fall 2020 Confronting Old Testament Controversy Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGoSdaqy-TUJKEiqldweabraAo7odmY1C

OT Controversy 8: Were the Ancient Israelites Polytheists?

We conclude our discussion on the question of Israelite origins by tackling the ethical objection to the Hebrew invasion of Canaan. Did God command genocide? How does Jesus influence our interpretation of these unnerving accounts? Fall 2020 Confronting Old Testament Controversy Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGoSdaqy-TUJKEiqldweabraAo7odmY1C

OT Controversy 7: Did God Command Canaanite Genocide?

The question of Israelite origins remains one of the hottest debates amongst ancient historians. Did a massive Hebrew invasion force wipe out the Canaanites in the 15th/13th century B.C.? Is the entire military career of Joshua invented from thin air? Building off of the previous discussion of the exodus, we proceed into the murky waters […]

OT Controversy 6: Did the Israelites Conquer Canaan?

The Hebrew exodus from Egypt is the founding event both in Israel’s history as a people and the redemptive history of Christian faith. But, is there any evidence such an event occurred? We discuss the archaeological background, the major options for dates (early, late, and more), as well as different theories about the exodus. Fall […]

OT Controversy 5: Did the Exodus Really Happen?

We conclude our discussion on Genesis, creation, and evolution by addressing the controversy over the historical Adam & Eve. First, we outline the biblical data concerning Eve & Adam. Next, we survey the scientific data related to human origins. Lastly, we wrap up by integrating different interpretations of Eve & Adam with various theological systems. […]

OT Controversy 4: Does Genetic Evidence Contradict Adam & Eve?

Zach and Andrew casually chat about some loose threads from the Genesis and science meeting. They clear up some confusion about stellar parallax, discuss additional interpretations of the days of Genesis, and expand on the intelligent design movement.

Addendum to “Does Genesis Contradict Science?”

We continue addressing the controversy on Genesis, creation, and evolution. In this episode, we focus on the scientific questions of (i) the age of the earth, (ii) common ancestry, and (iii) how life diversified. Next time, we will hone in on the question of Adam & Eve. View the slides and Fall 2020 Confronting Old Testament […]

OT Controversy 3: Does Genesis Contradict Science?

Confronting Old Testament Controversy 2: We begin our discussion on creation, evolution, and Genesis by addressing the controversy over the genre of Genesis 1-11, aka the “Primeval History”. Andrew surveys the relevant literary categories and the debate over literalism, metaphor, and history.

OT Controversy 2: How Should We Read Genesis 1-11?

Confronting Old Testament Controversy 1: Zach discusses the text of the Old Testament (Tanakh) including the primary text types; the Septuagint, the Masoretic text as well as the most important manuscripts, including codex Leningradensis as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran. Next Zach discusses textual transmission and the questions of editorial activity […]

OT Controversy 1: How did we get the Old Testament?

Despite being the majority of the Bible, the Old Testament remains a difficult and sometime perplexing corpus of writing. With ancient laws, long histories, and confusing prophecies, we are often left wondering…what do we do with the Old Testament? We kick off our Fall 2020 semester with guest speaker Dr. Micah Green to address the […]

What Do We Do With the Old Testament? w/ Dr. Micah Green

In this audio from the vault, Jace leads a conversation about what St. Paul meant by justification and how that influences our view of sin and Christs’s wo Subscribe to the Think Theism podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or thinktheism.org Disclaimer: Think Theism is an independent podcast produced in association with Ratio Christi TAMU. The opinions, perspectives, and beliefs expressed in individual episodes […]

Paul, Justification, and Sin: a Ratio Christi Roundtable

Zach and Andrew interview Dr. Joshua Swamidass about his new book The Genealogical Adam & Eve which aims to show that a literal Adam & Eve is fully compatible with the contemporary evolutionary account of human origins. Video of the interview: https://youtu.be/HKZxPXiF9rA Resources mentioned during or relevant to the episode “The Genealogical Adam & Eve” […]

The Genealogical Adam & Eve – an interview w/ Dr. Joshua Swamidass

Part 2 of our interview with Dr. Joshua Swamidass. We discuss some of the particulars of why neo-Darwinianism is no longer the reigning paradigm in contemporary evolutionary biology. Swamidass argues that the deficiencies intelligent design theorists point to have been acknowledged (and addressed) as early as the 1960s. In particular, “Haldane’s dilemma” which was proposed […]

Interview w/ Dr. Joshua Swamidass (Part 2)

Part 1 of our interview with Dr. Joshua Swamidass. We discuss Dr. Swamidass’s journey from young-earth creationism to “affirming evolutionary science”. We also address the role evolution has played in some high profile deconversions from Christianity. Stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3 of our interview where we discuss the particulars of intelligent design […]

Interview w/ Dr. Joshua Swamidass (Part 1)

Belief in God does not have to be based on blind faith. Think Theism explores the rational basis for Christianity as well as the intellectual life of Christian students and faculty at Texas A&M University. For more information, check out thinktheism.org

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