Sed Contra: A Podcast of Catholic Theology

Dr. Alan Fimister joins Fr. Dylan Schrader to talk about Catholic teaching on religious liberty before and at Vatican II.

Do We Have to Assent to Non-Infallible Church Teaching? What are the different ways in which the Church teaches? Are they all infallible? Why does matter have to be the principle of individuation? What do the mystical theologians mean by the phrase "quasi-experimental" contemplation? How should we judge the morality of new and emerging medical technologies like therapeutic brain implants and augmented perception? Do the guys like Halloween? Join us for these questions and more!

Dr. Matthew Kuhner and Dr. Edmund Lazzari join Dr. Matthew Vander Vennet to discuss Blessed Fulton Sheen's philosophy, theology, life, and contributions to the Catholic Church in the United States and beyond.

Do You Need to Confess Even After an Act of Perfect Contrition? How does Catholic theology understand savantism? Is this a good or a privation of a good? How do different Catholics views on grace and free will shape prayer and devotion?

Join us for these questions and more.

Fr Charles A M Robinson, FI and Dr. Joey Belleza join Fr. Dylan Schrader to discuss St. Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan theological tradition in honor of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis's death.

We know that Mary never sinned, but was she able to do so? What's the use of studying theology? Can't the unlearned know just as much about God? How ought a Catholic to explain the Church's teaching on IVF? Join us for these questions and more!

We're back after an unintended summer hiatus! Should AI be used for sacred art? If the Incarnation begins at the Annunciation, why is Christmas the more important liturgical day? If receiving the Eucharist removes venial sins, is it wrong to go to confession immediately after receiving (if one is not aware of having sinned mortally)? Is it acceptable for a Catholic to work for a military defense contractor? Join us for these questions and more!

Dr. Matthew Minerd and Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi join Fr. Dylan Schrader to discuss private revelations, including their relationship to public revelation, what level of assent they require, and some speculative questions.

The Most Rev. Fredrik Hansen, Bishop of Oslo and a canon lawyer, joins Fr. Dylan Schrader to discuss the role of bishops in the Catholic Church. What is the college of bishops? How are bishops chosen? How do bishops relate to the pope? and more in this special episode of Sed Contra!

Fr. Dylan Schrader and Dr. Joey Belleza discuss sacraments as signs, including how they work, how the Church analyzes the parts of the sacramental sign, pastoral issues, and the question of "Ecclesia supplet."

Could there be divinely-inspired texts that didn't make it into the canon of Sacred Scripture? Could the Church amend the sacraments in order to evangelize extra-terrestrials? Does Down Syndrome remain in heaven? Why would God create a soul that He foreknows will end up in hell? Join us for these questions and more!

Last year's Corpus Christi episode: https://sed-contra-a-podcast-of-catholic-theology.simplecast.com/episodes/corpus-christi

Is it possible for animals to go to heaven? Is chewing gum for pleasure a sin? Do habitual grave sins count as mortal sin? Join us for these questions and more!

Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi, Dr. Kevin Clarke, and Dr. Jane Peters discuss an overlooked work of St. Thomas Aquinas: His Catena Aurea. This commentary on the Gospels is a "golden chain" of patristic citations worked into a single commentary on the Gospels. How does St. Thomas handle when the Fathers he quotes disagree? How does the Catena relate to St. Thomas' other works and the study of his thought? Listen and find out!

Does God know what Panda Express Orange Chicken tastes like? Does changing a baby's diaper during consecration mean that you have not fulfilled your Sunday obligation? Why have recent popes seemed to condemn war so often? Does Catholicism require pascifism? Join us for these questions and more!

• Podcast on Maritain, De Koninck, and personalism with Drs. O'Neill and Matthew Minerd.

Is there a special promise on Divine Mercy Sunday that you can get remission of the temporal punishment due to sin without the typical requirements for an indulgence? Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi and Fr. Dylan Schrader dig into this question and discuss the nature of indulgences, sin, punishment, and God's abundant mercy.

It would be an understatement to say that the teaching of the Church that extra Ecclesia nulla salus is controversial. Especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, whether or not non-Catholics could be saved was hotly debated. To address this question, Aaron Debusschere and Fr. Ambrose Dobrozsi dive into the nature of salvation in the history of the Church's theology, looking especially to St. Augustine. Salvation is radically communal, consisting in membership in the Body of Christ which is the Church.

Are there any good arguments for sedevacantism? Why is fasting so important, and how does it relate to the gift of final perseverance? How can you encourage your husband to take a more active interest in the Faith? How do we overcome sloth? Join us for these questions and more!

Why isn't the ritual of pedelavium or foot washing considered a sacrament? Could the Church discover a new sacrament? What is the best method for interpreting Scripture today? Does the historical-critical method have a place? Join us for these questions and more!