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# "Grace, Predestination, and the Permission of Sin," with Dr. Taylor Patrick O'Neill - Mere Orthodoxy | Christianity, Politics, and Culture
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/grace-predestination-permission-sin-dr-taylor-patrick-oneill/
- Published: 2020-03-31T05:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-18T15:51:22.000Z
- Description: What hath St. Thomas to do with predestination? Dr. Taylor Patrick O’Neill joins Matt and Derek to discuss his recent book, Grace, Predestination, and the Permission of Sin: A Thomistic Analysis, to examine the Thomist understanding of predestination and how […]
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Caleb Wait

What hath St. Thomas to do with predestination? Dr. Taylor Patrick O’Neill joins Matt and Derek to discuss his recent book, [*Grace, Predestination, and the Permission of Sin: A Thomistic Analysis*](https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Predestination-Permission-Sin-Thomistic/dp/0813232546?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), to examine the Thomist understanding of predestination and how it compares to other protestant forms.

Note: this episode was recorded before the coronavirus spiraled in the US, hence Matt and Derek’s introductory comments; however, as the conversation turns to the doctrine of concursus and how God’s actions in history relate with human actions and natural events, it is no less pertinent.

**Timestamps:**

Intro + How close is Thomas to Calvin on predestination? \[0:00 – 9:50\]

How can we distinguish between God’s “motions” in good acts and allowance of evil acts? \[9:50 – 17:00\]

If God upholds all reality, how do we keep clear from the fact that God sustains us in our sinful motions but is not himself responsible? \[17:00 – 21:40\]

How does Thomas’s account of permission compare with a Molinist account? \[21:40 – 24:05\]

How can average folks discuss these issues without going back and mastering Aristotle and how a classical theistic view on sovereignty cashes out morally \[24:05 – 46:48\]

What is the place of Christology in these discussions, and what kind of pastoral freight might this have? + Conclusion \[46:48 – 52:38\]

**Resources mentioned:**

[*Grace, Predestination, and the Permission of Sin: A Thomistic Analysis*](https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Predestination-Permission-Sin-Thomistic/dp/0813232546?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

[*The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas*](https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-christian-philosophy-of-st-thomas-aquinas%5Ftienne-gilson%5Fedward-bullough/532678/item/476157/?mkwid=127b8FhW%7cdc&pcrid=70112888472&product=476157&plc=&pgrid=21326625792&ptaid=pla-357350159023&utm%5Fsource=google%5Fshopping&utm%5Fcontent=127b8FhW%7cdc%7cpcrid%7c70112888472%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7c%7cproduct%7c476157%7cslid%7c%7cpgrid%7c21326625792%7cptaid%7cpla-357350159023%7c&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsYb0BRCOARIsAHbLPhGg0%5FtrFrJ%5FUvrW2uI9aMqKTpMgca43JBT7NLJdp740tt3rP70J6lwaAsonEALw%5FwcB#isbn=0268008019&idiq=476157) by Étienne Gilson

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Finally, as always, follow [Derek](https://twitter.com/dzrishmawy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), [Andrew](https://twitter.com/ajwtheology?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Alastair](https://twitter.com/zugzwanged?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to [Timothy Motte](https://twitter.com/biotrom?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for his sound editing work. [And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.](http://www.noisetrade.com/thejoyeternal/a-sweet-and-bitter-providence-single?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)