Daily Defense Podcast

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#306 Evolution and Faith - Jimmy Akin Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

DAY 306 CHALLENGE “Faith and science are fundamentally opposed, as illustrated by Christians’ opposition to the theory of evolution.” DEFENSE The Catholic Church doesn’t have a problem with evolution. Some Christians have read the early chapters of Genesis in a way that would preclude evolution, but the Church recognizes these chapters as using significant symbolism (see Days 90 and 290). The statement God created man from the dust of the ground is understood as an affirmation that “the human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical ...

#305 Referring to the Deuterocanonicals - Jimmy Akin Nov 01, 2023

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DAY 305 CHALLENGE “If Jesus and the New Testament authors thought the deuterocanonical books were part of the canon, why doesn’t the Bible refer to them?” DEFENSE They do refer to them. The New Testament contains multiple allusions to the Deuterocanonicals. It does not contain clear quotations from them—or from many protocanonical books of the Old Testament (see Day 288)—but it does contain clear allusions. One of Jesus’ most famous teachings is that God’s willingness to forgive us is linked to our willingness to forgive others. This is expressed, for example, in the Lord’s Prayer: “A...

#304 God Hates Shrimp? - Jimmy Akin Oct 31, 2023

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DAY 304 CHALLENGE “The book of Leviticus condemns homosexuality (Lev. 18:22), but it also condemns eating shrimp since they don’t have fins and scales (cf. Lev. 11:9–12). If we aren’t obliged to follow it when it comes to the latter, why should we follow it when it comes to the former?” DEFENSE Homosexuality is contrary to human nature; shrimp-eating is not. The Law of Moses (Gen.-Deut.) contains a variety of types of laws. Some, such as the prohibitions on murder, are based directly on human nature and apply to all cultures in all of history. Other laws, such as the observance of the ...

#303 The Church’s Infallibility - Jimmy Akin Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

DAY 303 CHALLENGE “Why should I think the Church can teach infallibly?” DEFENSE Reflection on Christ’s teaching reveals why. Christ did not reserve teaching authority to himself but established a teaching authority (Latin, magisterium) in his Church (see Day 281). This authority was originally vested in Peter and the apostles, and when they passed from the scene it was inherited by their successors, the pope, and the bishops (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2, 2 Tim. 2:2; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3:3:1; CCC 861–62). Christ willed his Church to endure to the end of the world (Matt. 16:18), and teachin...

#302 Mortal Sin - Jimmy Akin Oct 29, 2023

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DAY 302 CHALLENGE “There is no such thing as mortal sin.” DEFENSE The concept of mortal sin is clearly taught in Scripture. First, the language of the doctrine is drawn from Scripture itself: “If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrong-doing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal” (1 John 5:16–17). The phrase here translated “mortal” (Greek, pros thanaton) literally means “unto death.” It can be underst...

#301 The Church: Visible or Invisible? - Jimmy Akin Oct 28, 2023

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DAY 301 CHALLENGE “Catholics are wrong to believe that Christ’s Church is a visible, hierarchical institution; it is the invisible union of all believers.” DEFENSE This does not fit the scriptural data. First, if Jesus wished to found an “invisible” Church, he wouldn’t have instituted baptism. As the Christian equivalent of circumcision (Col. 2:11–12), baptism is the Christian initiation ritual. It thus gives the Church an identifiable membership. Second, if Jesus didn’t wish to found a hierarchical Church, he wouldn’t have established a hierarchy. Yet he did. He appointed lead...

#300 The Dating of Mark - Jimmy Akin Oct 27, 2023

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DAY 300 CHALLENGE “Mark’s Gospel isn’t reliable. It was written long after the events, and by a non-eyewitness.” DEFENSE Mark was written within living memory of the events it records, and it’s based on eyewitness testimony. We elsewhere deal with the fact that Mark wasn’t an eyewitness (see Day 44). Biographies are written all the time by people who aren’t eye- witnesses, and Mark was in an especially good position as a biographer because he based his Gospel on the testimony of an eyewitness: Peter. Thus the first-century figure John the Presbyter stated: Mark, having become the inter...

#299 The Timing of Christmas - Jimmy Akin Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

DAY 299 CHALLENGE “Christians are wrong to celebrate Christmas on December 25. Jesus could not have been born then—it would have been too cold for the shepherds to keep their flocks outdoors (Luke 2:8).” DEFENSE There are several problems with this challenge. First, the Catholic Church celebrates Jesus’ birth on December 25, but this is a matter of custom rather than doctrine. It is not Church teaching that this is when Jesus was born (note that the matter isn’t even mentioned in the Catechism). Second, although most Christians today celebrate Christ’s birth on December 25, this was ...

#298 Many Religions - Jimmy Akin Oct 25, 2023

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DAY 298 CHALLENGE “When you look at all the different religions in world history, the odds of yours being the right one are low. We should conclude that religious truth, even if it exists, is unknowable.” DEFENSE This overlooks both the way religious views are structured and the role that evidence plays. Consider a parallel: Throughout history there have been many scientific theories about the way the world works, but they contradict one another and can’t all be true. The odds of a single theory being correct are thus low and we should conclude that, if scientific truth exists, it is u...

#297 Peter in Rome - Jimmy Akin Oct 24, 2023

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DAY 297 CHALLENGE “The pope cannot be the successor of Peter as the bishop of Rome. Peter was never even in Rome.” DEFENSE The evidence indicates that Peter was in Rome at the end of his career, and that he was martyred there, along with Paul, around A.D. 67. In 1 Peter 5:13, Peter writes, “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark.” This is commonly understood as a greeting on behalf of the church in Rome to the churches to whom Peter was writing (1 Pet. 1:1). The term “Babylon” is understood as a code word for Rome, based on the fac...

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