A Disciple and a Doubter

In the 30th edition of the podcast, Kevin and Jackson investigate the first 5 chapters of Aristotle's famous Nicomachean Ethics. They discuss Aristotle's three modes of living (pleasure, politics, contemplation), and if contemplation (the highest mode of living for Aristotle), is reconcilable with Christianity.

In this latest edition of the pod, Kevin and Jackson discuss the concept of no-self, which is at the heart of the Buddhist faith, and whether or not it is reconcilable with Christian doctrine. 

The podcast is ruined! God, who is always meddling about (ugh), has annoying intervened once again and ruined yet another good thing. After all, how can A Disciple and a Doubter continue on has it has for all these months when the Doubter is now a Disciple?! Tune in to find out more...

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss one point of agreement Jackson has with the Catholic faith: confession, and one point of contention: the exclusion of other religions.  

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss the topic of Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton's 2005 paper, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) - and namely, is it enough to simply be good people, or do we need something else in order to be worthy of salvation?

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss the teaching put forth by the Catholic Church that the Eucharist contains the Real Presence of Christ, and that salvation is, at least to some extent, contingent on whether or not one accepts this. 

This week, Jackson's friend (and future famous philosopher) Emilio joins the podcast to discuss what it means for any religion, Christianity included, to be true. Is there only one true religion? Does it even matter what religion one adheres to? Does any religion capture capital 'T' Truth, or do all just contain lowercase 't' truth to greater and lesser degrees? 

In this 23rd episode of A Disciple and a Doubter, Kevin and Jackson return to Scripture after a long hiatus--and, for the first time, they discuss text a from the New Testament: St. Paul's Letter to the Romans. Martin Luther, the controversial figurehead of the Reformation, famously said that Romans, "is truly the most important piece in the New Testament," and that every Christian should not only, "know it word for word," but also, "occupy [themselves] with it everyday, as the daily bread of the soul."  But what is it, exactly, that makes Romans so essential to the Christian canon? The idea of an objective moral law? Faith alone? The radical concept of a universal faith? Kevin and Jackson try to get to the bottom of this on the latest edition of the pod--tune in!

Last episode was so thrilling, Kevin and Jackson had to continue the conversation here, in Episode 22! Tune in to find out how their discussion on free will versus fate concludes, so as to find out for yourself: am I truly, radically free, or has all of this been written since the dawn of space and time?

After a two-week hiatus, A Disciple and a Doubter is back with a BANGER 21st episode!! Kevin and Jackson discuss quite possibly the most fundamental topic in all of philosophy and theology--free will. More specifically, they debate whether or not human freedom does exist, or even can exist, based on the preconditions of the universe. BUT BE WARNED...discussing free will can be terrifying. Don't listen to this episode unless you are prepared to have any and all of your preconceived notions about human autonomy put to the test--and we're being serious. This stuff is heavy. But if you happen to be a radical seeker of truth, and want to listen in on what we think is one of the more profound conversations about free will EVER, then this is the podcast for you. We hope you enjoy.

In this episode, the disciple and the doubter discuss one of the Bible's more challenging books--the Book of Job. They seek to understand why God allows Job to suffer in the first place, and also try to make sense out of the answer God gives to Job at the end of the book, which supposedly explains why Job suffers.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson reply to a commenter on a recent videos of theirs, who laid out twelve reasons why they (they being the commenter) do not believe in God, nor see a reason to.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson once more revisit non-literal readings of the Old Testament, and how these readings can reveal a meaning far deeper than if we were to merely take the text literally. Their discussion centers around the theme of Order versus Chaos in Exodus, and how that theme manifests in the very depths of our psyche. 

In this latest edition of the podcast, Kevin and Jackson discuss Biblical literalism and non-literalism; they focus particularly on Dr. Jordan Peterson's religious thinking, and how it might inform on the tension between literalism versus non-literalism. Questions tackled include: What do we even mean when we use the word 'God'? Can anybody really be an atheist? Did the Exodus literally happen? Enjoy!

Have you ever wondered why you feel very little, if anything at all, upon receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist, despite the fact that it is said to be the literal body of Christ? Tune in to the thirteenth edition of the podcast to hear Kevin and Jackson's thoughts on both this question and others pertaining to the Eucharist, such as whether or not those who never receive this holiest of sacraments are going to hell?

One might expect that the Holy Bible, a text which is supposedly true for all of time, would explicitly condemn one of the worst evils known to man, that being slavery. And yet, not only does the Bible fail to condemn slavery, there are multiple instances in which God even provides instruction for how to properly own slaves. What are we to do with this? Does this render the Bible totally worthless and untrue? Tune in to Episode 12 (part II) to find out what Kevin and Jackson think.

In this episode, Jackson presents two ideas which seemingly call into question the Christian understanding of God. Kevin responds. Is this existence of God upheld, or does it fall apart? Listen and let us know your thoughts.

Welcome back! In this latest edition of the show, Kevin and Jackson discuss the significance of the First Commandment; namely, how we as modern people fail to live up to it, and how to correct our course.

In this continuation of last episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss whether or not the Catholic Church is God's one true church on earth. If it is, then why are billions of people--Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, and atheists alike--convinced otherwise? Listen in to find out.

Last year, the late Pope Francis stated that "all religions are a pathway to God." In this first segment of a two part mini-series, Kevin and Jackson discuss whether or not there is any validity to the Pope's assertion. They focus particularly on the question of Catholicism and Protestantism. Spoiler alert: they do NOT agree. Listen in to find out why.

In this thrilling ninth edition of A Disciple and a Doubter, Kevin and Jackson discuss hell---namely, what it might be like, whether or not it's empty, and if people willingly choose to go there.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson read and discuss the wedding at Cana (John 2); specifically, what the first of Christ's miracles has to tell us about the nature of God's love.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss the significance of Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and, last but not least, Easter Sunday.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson read Matthew Chapter 4: Jesus is Tested in the Wilderness (NIV), then discuss how each of us are called to follow in Christ's footsteps during the season of Lent, facing and defeating temptation so as to better appreciate the miracle of the resurrection.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss work v. leisure from the Christian perspective, and how that perspective can be lost--by Christians and non-Christians alike--in today's profit-driven world. The pair also discuss capitalism v. communism, and how a Christian should go about living in a society like America, that operates, economically-speaking, based on profit-maximization, rather than on Christian love.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss Genesis Chapters 2 and 3, pertaining to the creation of Adam and Eve, and their eventual fall from the Garden of Eden. The discussion centers around the question of whether the Fall was merely happenstance and tragedy, or if it was, rather, that "necessary sin of Adam which gained us so great a Redeemer." Tune in to Episode 4 to find out.

In this episode, Kevin and Jackson discuss Exodus 11, which pertains to the tenth and final plague levied against the Egyptians by God, that being the death of the firstborn. It's an uncomfortable chapter for many, even the most devout of believers, because God's actions seem, on the surface, unjust, which calls into question His apparent omni-benevolence.

Kevin and Jackson discuss what human dignity means, if such a concept can exist without the belief in God, and how modern technology -- social media in particular -- hinders our pursuit of flourishing. NOTE: mind the brief pause at 7:37 and the fluctuating audio quality. Our excuse is that we do not claim to be professional podcasters.