Think for Christ

Is God good because He follows moral rules—or is He goodness itself? All Christians confess that God is good. But what does that actually mean? In this episode, Anthony Alberino challenges the modern assumption that divine goodness is simply maximal moral perfection and show why that view leads straight into a classic philosophical dilemma. Drawing from Aristotle, Aquinas, and the classical Christian tradition, this episode argues that God’s goodness is not a moral property He possesses, but something far deeper: God is Goodness Itself. We explore: Why the modern “moral perfection” view of God collapses into an Euthyphro-style dilemmaThe classical metaphysical account of goodness as teleological, perfective, and convertible with beingWhy goodness is not primarily moral, but ontologicalHow perfection, actuality, and existence ground all goodnessWhy evil is not a thing, but a privation of due goodHow moral goodness depends on a deeper metaphysical structureWhy God must be infinitely good—not by character, but by natureHow God, as Goodness Itself, is the Final Cause and ultimate end of all desire This episode shows why, on the classical view, God cannot fail to be good—not because He conforms to a moral standard, but because being itself is good, and God is Being Itself. If you’ve ever wondered how classical theology understands goodness, perfection, evil, desire, and God’s ultimacy, this episode lays the metaphysical groundwork. Key topics & thinkers: Divine Goodness • God and Morality • Euthyphro Dilemma • Aristotle • Aquinas • Classical Theism • Metaphysics of Goodness • Act and Potency • Being and Goodness • Evil as Privation • Teleology • Final Cause • God as the Good

We live in an age of unprecedented information abundance. Knowledge is instant, unlimited, and available to everyone. And yet, confusion, fragmentation, and distrust have never been greater. In this episode, The Democratization of Information and the Crisis of Discernment, Anthony Aberino argues that information abundance without intellectual and moral formation accelerates epistemic and ethical chaos. When education is reduced to information transfer and skills training, and when digital platforms dissolve traditional epistemic hierarchies, access to information no longer leads to understanding or wisdom. This episode examines how the collapse of educational formation and the democratization of information have given rise to the internet autodidact, the erosion of institutional trust, and a culture of false confidence. Drawing on classical philosophy and the liberal arts tradition, the modern utilitarian view of education is contrasted with the classical understanding of education as the formation of the intellect and the will. This is not simply a problem of misinformation or fake news. It is a crisis of discernment. Topics include:Information abundance vs. intellectual formationThe collapse of epistemic hierarchy in the digital ageThe rise of the internet autodidactClassical educationThe Trivium, and liberal learningWhy information without formation does not liberate—but deforms Subscribe for long-form reflections on philosophy, education, and the cultural consequences of the Digital Age.

Anthony Alberino sits down with philosopher and author Pat Flynn for a rigorous and insightful discussion on one of the most important questions in Christian philosophy: How is morality grounded in God? Most Christians sense that moral truths and moral obligations are rooted in God—but how exactly? Is morality based on God’s authority, His will, or His nature? And how do we avoid the classic pitfalls of divine voluntarism, Platonism, and the Euthyphro dilemma? This conversation goes far beyond surface-level debates and presses into the metaphysics of goodness, divine simplicity, classical theism, and what it really means to say God is the Good itself.

In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most striking features of our cultural moment: the explosive rise of conspiracy thinking—and why the digital environment is the perfect greenhouse for its growth. The internet doesn’t just expose us to conspiracy theories. It disposes us toward conspiratorial thinking. From the Charlie Kirk assassination narrative to the viral success of commentators like Candice Owens, it’s clear that conspiratorial frameworks resonate powerfully in today’s networked world. But the real question is why. I argue that the structure of the digital environment itself is subtly reshaping our cognitive habits. The constant flood of chaotic, unfiltered information pressures us to seek coherence. And the most natural, efficient organizing tool we have is narrative. But when narrative begins to substitute for evidence—when coherence replaces correspondence—we fall into what I call narrativism: the intellectual vice of mistaking a compelling story for a justified explanation. In this episode, we explore: Why humans, overwhelmed by digital information overload, instinctively rely on narrative How narrativism turns conspiracy theories into cognitively “easy” explanationsWhy the internet provides endless raw material for increasingly complex, seductive conspiraciesHow algorithms reward dramatic, agent-centered content over careful reasoningWhy our feeds create the illusion of meaningful patterns that don’t actually existHow the “information superhighway” has fractured rather than unified our understanding of reality Imagine looking at the night sky with the naked eye—you can draw a few simple constellations. Now imagine looking through the Hubble Telescope. The more points of light you see, the more elaborate your constellations become. That’s the digital environment: an infinite starfield of data encouraging ever more intricate, and often illusory, explanations. This episode examines how digital technology subtly cultivates the intellectual conditions for conspiracy thinking, not just by offering access to theories but by habituating our minds toward patterns of thought that make conspiratorial narratives feel intuitive, emotionally satisfying, and rationally compelling—even when they aren’t. If you’re interested in the intersection of technology, psychology, philosophy, and culture, this is an episode worth your time. 👍 If you find this helpful, hit Like and Subscribe. 🧠 Share your thoughts below: Has digital technology changed the way you interpret information?

Dr. Brian Kemple of the Lyceum Institute joins Anthony Alberino for a discussion on digital technology and its relation to the human soul. Together they reflect philosophically on:the nature of technologythe way in which technology psychologically attunes and structures usthe prevalence of conspiratorial thinking in the digital environmentthe technologically mediated fragmentation of the human soulthe impact of artificial intelligencethe way to resist the malformation of the human soul in the digital age See related episodes here: - https://youtu.be/jM3Vm6apEPk - https://youtu.be/1GxM-MqL3og Link to the Lyceum Institute: https://lyceum.institute

In this second episode of The Dangers of the Digital Age, we reflect philosophically on how digital technology poses a profound threat to our humanity. What does it mean to be human in an age when our perceptions, desires, and attention are absorbed by screens? To illuminate this question, we turn to one of the most powerful allegories in the history of philosophy: Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” By revisiting Plato’s image through the lens of our digital condition, we uncover how the modern technological environment is not merely like Plato’s cave—it is, in many ways, its technological embodiment. In the Digital Cave, we see how: - Screens replace sunlight as our source of illumination. - Algorithms act as unseen puppeteers shaping what we perceive. - Habit and addiction become the chains that bind our wills. - Shadows—digital representations—replace real human encounters. But Plato also shows us a way out: the liberation of the soul through true education—a turning away from the glow of illusion toward the light of the real, the true, and the good.

We are all participants—willing or not—in the greatest social experiment in human history. In this inaugural episode of The Dangers of the Digital Age, we explore how the rise of the digitally networked environment has radically reshaped what it means to be human. Once a tool for information and communication, the digital world has evolved into the place where we live, move, and have our being. From social media to AI, technology has begun to form our perceptions, appetites, and even our capacity for free will. This episode traces three key phases of the Digital Age: The Information Phase (1990s–2005). The birth of the internet and desktop computing.The Social Media Phase (2005–2020). The rise of platforms, smartphones, and algorithmic governance.The AI Phase (2020–Present). The dawn of autonomous systems shaping human behavior. As philosopher Jacques Ellul warned, when technology advances without regard for the human good, “what can be done, will be done.” The question we now face is not simply how to use technology—but how to remain human in its midst.

Christian philosophers Anthony Alberino, Andrew Payne, and J. T. Bridges share their thoughts on the Charlie Kirk assassination.

What does it really mean to say that God is perfect and infinite? Too often, modern theology treats perfection simply as a value title—God as “the greatest being we can imagine.” But in the classical Christian tradition, perfection is not just a label. It is a deep metaphysical truth about God’s very being. In this episode, Anthony Alberino explores:The traditional meaning of perfection as excellence or completion of being.Why perfection is rooted in existence itself, the “act of all acts and perfection of all perfections.”The difference between relative perfection (as in creatures and angels) and - absolute perfection (found only in God).How God’s infinity is not quantitative (endless size or extension) but qualitative—the unbounded act of existence itself.Why divine perfection and infinity reveal God’s radical transcendence as the fullness of being, utterly beyond lack or limitation. Taken together, these attributes show why God is not simply the highest being among others, but Being Itself—the infinite, perfect source on which all creatures depend. For other episodes on the divine attributes see: https://youtu.be/tuUf7VCTGfMhttps://youtu.be/pQelAOAx-A8

For most of church history, Christians have confessed the doctrine of divine simplicity—the teaching that God is not composed of parts. But what does this mean, and why does it matter? In this episode, Anthony Alberino explores the profound connection between God’s simplicity and His unity. We’ll see why the classical tradition insists that God is not only without physical parts but also without metaphysical or even logical parts. Unlike creatures—composites of act and potency, essence and existence—God is utterly uncomposed. Because composed beings are dependent beings, only a God who is absolutely simple can be the uncaused, necessary, and independent source of all reality. From here, Anthony shows how divine simplicity grounds divine unity:Simplicity means that God not composed of parts and that all that is in God is God. His attributes are not distinct “parts” but are identical with His essence—and thus with each other.Unity follows because an absolutely simple being cannot, even in principle, be divided. God is not one member of a class called “deity,” but the one and only subsistent Being itself. Along the way, we’ll consider why the attributes of God—wisdom, love, justice, power—are distinct in our minds but perfectly identical in God’s essence, using the analogy of white light refracted through a prism. We’ll also see how divine simplicity marks the sharp metaphysical divide between Creator and creature, and why this doctrine has been central to Christian theology throughout the centuries. Finally, we touch on the connection between divine simplicity and the doctrine of the Trinity, and why classical theology maintains that distinction within God does not imply composition. If you’re seeking to understand why divine simplicity has been called “the bedrock of classical theism,” this episode is for you. 📺 Watch next: https://youtu.be/tuUf7VCTGfM, https://youtu.be/LeyRhQD7IWQ

At the very heart of classical theism stands the doctrine of Divine Aseity—the truth that God exists a se, “from Himself.” Unlike all created beings who are contingent, dependent, and derived, God alone is self-existent, self-sufficient, and uncaused. He is the ultimate explanation of His own being, the First Cause, and the ground of all reality. In this video, Anthony Alberino explores the rich meaning of divine aseity—both its negative aspect (God’s ontological independence: uncreated, uncaused, underived) and its positive aspect (God as pure actuality, the ultimate reality upon which all else depends). We’ll examine:Why divine aseity means God is a necessary being that cannot fail to exist.The common misunderstanding behind the skeptic’s question, “What caused God?” - Why God is the explanation of His own existence (not His own cause).Aquinas’ profound insight that God is not composed of act and potency but is Pure Act, whose very essence is existence—I AM WHO I AM. By unpacking this doctrine, we see why God is not just another being among beings, but Being Itself Subsisting—the transcendent source of all that is. If you want to go deeper into classical Christian theology and understand how divine aseity illuminates the uniqueness of God’s nature, this teaching is for you.

In this episode, Anthony Alberino and Andrew Payne critically interact with one of the most popular and philosophically sophisticated attempts to reconcile God’s sovereignty with human libertarian freedom: Molinism. We’ve already considered the Thomistic “Dual Sources” view with Dr. Matthews Grant, and in the last episode we examined Open Theism. Now, we look at Molinism — a view originating with the 16th-century Jesuit Luis de Molina and defended today by leading philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, and Thomas Flint. Molinism hinges on the idea of middle knowledge: God’s knowledge of what any possible free creature would do in any possible circumstance. By appealing to middle knowledge, Molinists argue that God can sovereignly order the world while preserving genuine human freedom. In this discussion, we:Explain Molina’s distinction between natural knowledge, middle knowledge, and free knowledge.Show how middle knowledge is supposed to secure both meticulous providence and libertarian free will.Explore why Molinism has been attractive to many theologians and philosophers, particularly within Arminian circles.Critically engage key challenges to Molinism, including the grounding objection, the tension with libertarian freedom, and problems related to divine aseity, simplicity, and sovereignty.Compare Molinism with both Open Theism and classical theism to see whether it truly resolves the tension between divine providence and human agency. Does Molinism succeed where other views fail? Or does it compromise God’s ultimacy and the very nature of freedom? Join us as we unpack and critically examine this influential theological model.

In this in-depth conversation, Anthony Alberino and Andrew Payne tackle a theological proposal that has gained traction among some evangelicals: Open Theism. This view seeks to solve the long-debated tension between divine sovereignty and human freedom by rethinking the nature of God and especially his relationship to time and his knowledge of future free acts. Anthony and Andrew first explain the core claims of Open Theism, including its approach to divine foreknowledge and human choice. They then offer an extended critique, exploring its biblical, philosophical, and doctrinal implications—and why they believe it ultimately fails to provide a faithful solution to the sovereignty–freedom puzzle. Topics covered in this video: What is Open Theism? Why some evangelicals are attracted to itHow it addresses the tension between God’s sovereignty and human freedom Key philosophical, theological, and biblical objectionsWhy Anthony and Andrew believe a better solution exists If you’ve ever wrestled with how God’s sovereignty works alongside genuine human choices, or if you’ve encountered Open Theism and want to understand it critically, this conversation is for you.

When it comes to the question of divine and human agency, the prevailing view among Christian theologians and philosophers (not to mention Christian laypeople) is that it is zero sum game. In other words, the more agency God exercises over the human will, the less agency the human has. It seems like we have to make a choice here. We have to either choose to uphold God’s universal causality and diminish human freedom or choose to uphold human freedom and diminish God’s causality. But, in his book Free Will and God’s Universal Causality, Dr. W. Matthews Grant denies that such a choice has to be made. Dr. Grant argues that by embracing a Dual Sources Account, we can resolve the conflict between human freedom divine causality without diminishing either. In this episode of Think for Christ, Dr. W. Matthews Grant joins Anthony Alberino to talk about divine causation and human freedom and the Dual Sources Account. Amazon link to Dr. Grant's book: https://www.amazon.com/Free-Will-Gods-Universal-Causality/dp/1350203653/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LU8U1F0F33LA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yPOEXNqMWQnSZ0anoQnRHA.9BVmBQGe7yInHlYeBwTy1HwtgZGKH8ZaTyRuBDJVxLE&dib_tag=se&keywords=free+will+and+god%27s+universal+causality&qid=1754063323&sprefix=free+will+and+God%27s+univeral%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1 Link to the paper mentioned in the episode: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11406-024-00790-w

In this video, Anthony Alberino presents a basic argument against the idea that machines—no matter how advanced—can actually think or possess understanding. Drawing from philosopher Edward Feser's 2024 book Immortal Souls: A Treatise on Human Nature, Alberino examines why understanding the nature of a computer is the key to seeing why Artificial Intelligence can only ever simulate or mimic human intelligence.

In recent years, an old and largely discarded view of Christ’s atonement has been quietly resurfacing on the internet. Known historically as the Ransom Theory (or the Ransom from Satan Theory) this idea suggests that Jesus died as a payment to Satan in order to free humanity from his grasp. According to this view, as a result of Adam's sin, Satan was given legal and rightful authority over the lost souls of humans. Since Satan had rightful claim, God could not simply exercise his power over him and instead offered the soul of Christ in exchange for the those in captivity to Satan. In this video, Anthony Alberino traces the emergence of the Ransom Theory from its early roots in the Church Fathers to its imaginative retelling in modern times by C.S. Lewis in his The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Alberino then a biblical critique of the view and makes the case that the Ransom Theory should remain a relic of the past. What you'll learn: What the Ransom Theory is and where it came fromWhy it fails as a biblically faithful theory of the atonementHow Christ and the New Testament writers understood the atonementThe real meaning of the words ransom and redemption as deployed in the New Testament 🔔 Subscribe for more theological and philosophical analysis, biblical teaching, and cultural critique.

In this compelling conversation, James Dolezal returns to Think for Christ with Anthony Alberino to explore the classical doctrine of the Trinity. For centuries, divine simplicity was considered essential to maintaining a truly monotheistic understanding of the Christian God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But in modern Protestant theology, the neglect of this doctrine has led to confusion and, in many cases, a drift toward tri-theism. Dr. Dolezal explains why recovering the classical view—especially as articulated by Thomas Aquinas—is critical for upholding both the unity of God and the real distinction of the Persons within the Trinity. Together, they unpack the errors of social trinitarianism and make the case for a return to principled, historic Christian theology. 🔔 Subscribe for more discussions on Christian doctrine, philosophy, and theology. 📖 Topics covered: What is divine simplicity and why is it so important to uphold? Why is divine simplicity necessary to maintain a principled monotheism? How has the doctrine of simplicity regulated formulations of the Trinity historically? Does social trinitarianism tend toward tri-theism? How does Aquinas formulate a doctrine of the Trinity that upholds divine simplicity and the real distinction among the Persons?

Is the universe bereft of meaning, goodness, and purpose? Has modern science revealed to us our ultimate cosmic insignificance? According to the intellectual vision of cosmological nihilism, the answer to these questions is yes. What is the nature of this view? What motivates it? And how has it come to form the background image of Western society? Philosopher Dr. Brian Kemple joins Anthony Alberino to talk about the bleak specter of cosmological nihilism and the need for a true philosophical turn to regain our metaphysical sanity and to reorient our intellectual vision so that we can once again behold the cosmic order and our place within it. Link to the Lyceum Institute: https://lyceum.institute Link to REALITY Journal: https://realityjournal.org Link to purchase Brian's book Introduction to Philosophical Principles: https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Philosophical-Principles-Physics-Person/dp/B0B92H8ZWN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1H927YZY69XRB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.L76oOvaRuff6LZl6gYpj_a2-1b4_KLTiGVv28Eii-z8.97IXMcaGQUycrDyQwcefez-gbTOnl8Pf7pGj_jRp4OQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=introduction+to+philosophical+principles%2C+kemple&qid=1751135840&sprefix=introduction+to+philosophical+principles%2C+kemple%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-1

What does it mean to say that God is without passions? Why does it matter? In this thought-provoking episode of Think for Christ, Dr. James Dolezal joins Anthony Alberino to explore the vital doctrine of divine impassibility. Together, they dive deep into questions like: Does God feel emotions the way we do? Can He truly understand human suffering if He doesn’t experience it? Dr. Dolezal brings clear, biblical, and philosophical insight to these challenging topics. Don't miss this engaging conversation on why denying passions in God is essential to a proper understanding of His nature.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, evolutionary biologist and podcaster Bret Weinstein explains why he does not believe in God. In the is episode, Anthony Alberino critically analyzes Weinstein's case for atheism. Alberino argues that given Weinstein's guiding principle for getting at the truth, he ought to embrace theism and not atheism.