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 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
The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas by Étienne Gilson
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Finally, as always, follow Derek, Andrew, and Alastair for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to Timothy Motte 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.
