Is Belief Believable? w/Dr. Christopher Kaczor | Ep. 181

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, host Michael Dauphinais is joined by Dr. Christopher Kaczor, Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, Honorary Professor of the Renewal of Catholic Life at the Word on Fire Institute, and President of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, on his recent publication Is Belief Believable? Reasoning About God from Plato and Aquinas to C.S. Lewis and Jordan Peterson (Ave Maria Press, 2025).

The discussion explores Aquinas' preambles of faith, including per se causality (illustrated through atmospheric pressure and ongoing creation), and the mysteries of revelation as God's self-disclosure, enabling intimate communion beyond rational limits.Central to the dialogue is Christianity's soteriological essence: not mere ethical guidance or societal cohesion, but salvation from sin through Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. Kaczor critiques reductions of the Gospel to moralism, emphasizing grace's role in transforming deceitful desires.

Kaczor elucidates the harmony between faith and reason, challenging the pervasive assumption—prevalent among diverse ideological perspectives—that the two are inherently opposed. Drawing from his pedagogical experience, he addresses obstacles to belief such as scientism and materialism, demonstrating how scientific inquiry presupposes immaterial realities like mathematics, which point to an infinite divine mind. Dr. Christopher Kaczor's Book from Word on Fire:

https://bookstore.wordonfire.org/pages/chris-kaczor?srsltid=AfmBOordE8M9jGBUoM0yX_3Z2p4YQQ2f5N03jx7ZJKWGsWcTR7FrZurY

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