We return to Aquinas and the nature of grace in this interview with Jacob W. Wood. Dr. Wood is the author of To Stir a Restless Heart with Catholic University Press (2019) which was just released in paperback. Among many topics, we touch on what it means to bring Aristotelian philosophy into conversation with Christian theology. We have been having a continual conversation about philosophical influences in Christian thought and Dr. Wood warns against an overly simplistic understanding of these influences.

Dr. Houck talks with us about original sin, original justice, and how St. Thomas can help us think through these critical doctrines. His book Aquinas, Original Sin, and the Challenge of Evolution (Cambridge University Press) is the definitive treatment of the topic in addition to incorporating conversations on evolution. Dr. Houck discusses the univocity of language, why original sin is a humane doctrine, and much more.

We are pleased to welcome our friend and historical theologian, Dr. Ben Heidgerken. Dr. Heidgerken recently published Salvation through Temptation: Maximus the Confessor and Thomas Aquinas on Christ's Victory over the Devil with Catholic University Press. We discuss his work, comparing the Western emphasis on grace in anthropology and salvation to the Eastern with writings of Maximus the Confessor. We hope yo uwill enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Thanks for listening!