Discover (DO NOT DELETE)

In this episode Trent shows why anyone of good will should support outlawing a common "family planning" method—surrogacy.

#1159 Outlaw This Crime Against Women and Children. Now. - Trent Horn

In this free-for-all-Friday Trent gives his review of the latest Star Wars films.
Transcript:
Trent Horn (00:00):
So a few weeks ago, I took my kids to see the Mandalorian and Grogu and I have to give you my belated review of the movie. Why? Because Mondays and Wednesdays while we talk about apologetics and theology, Friday we talk about whatever I want to talk about. It&#8217;s Free For All Friday. And today I&#8217;m just going to give you a movie review and a little bit of insight on this movie and why Star Wars seems kind of dead to me. Oh, it&#8217;s so sad because I was a Star Wars kid, ...

#1174 FFAF: My Belated Review of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” - Trent Horn

In this episode Trent talks about God and morality with atheist Danny Philtalk.
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Danny Philtalk (00:00:00):
You&#8217;re probably in the wrong YouTube video.
Jordan Peterson (00:00:02):
You&#8217;re really quite something you are.
Danny Philtalk (00:00:03):
Aren&#8217;t I? B...

#1169 Talking God and Morality with the Atheist Who Broke Jordan Peterson - Trent Horn

In this free-for-all-Friday Trent talks about the perils of debit card scams.

#1168 FFAF: Someone Tried to Steal $4,000 From Me - Trent Horn

In this episode, Trent Horn shares four simple but powerful ways to defend the divinity of Christ when talking with Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, or anyone who denies that Jesus is truly God.

#1167 My Four Favorite Ways to Prove Jesus is God - Trent Horn

Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell argues that the Christian life under grace is a journey of being reordered from within—through a formed conscience, rightly governed desires, and a humble acceptance of God’s love—so that the soul can move from vulnerability and disorder toward purity of heart, virtue, and union with Christ. This lecture was given on March 14th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events" target="_blank">thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events</a>. About the Speakers: Fr. Gabriel O’Donnell, O.P., entered the Order of Preachers in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1970. He is a professor and spiritual director at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. He previously taught at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC; St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA; and the Angelicum in Rome. He serves as the vice-postulator for the canonization of Blessed Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, and Venerable Rose Hawthorne, O.P., the foundress of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. Keywords: Apatheia, Capital Sins, Conscience, Grace, Humility, Purity Of Heart, Self-Knowledge, Thomistic Ethics, Virtue, Virtue Formation

After Death Comes Life...to the Soul in the Grace of Jesus Christ – Fr. Gabriel O'Donnell, O.P.

In this episode, Trent Horn lays out three criteria for evaluating public Christian witnesses: personal holiness, bold proclamation, and substantial reach.

#1165 Who Is the Best Christian Evangelist Today? - Trent Horn

In this episode Trent examines Redeemed Zoomers claims about Vatican II and the Jews.

#1175 Did a Gay Jew Change Catholicism? (Redeemed Zoomer Response) - Trent Horn

Fr. Brad Elliott argues that human beings are naturally social and are meant to flourish through the distinct but related societies of family, polity, and Church, with the Church uniquely ordering people to grace and the common good. This lecture was given on November 1st, 2025, at St. Albert's Priory. To make a gift this June, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod" target="_blank">https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod</a>. About the Speaker: Fr. Brad Elliott was raised in Dayton Ohio and studied Jazz percussion at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. After being raised as a Missouri Synod Lutheran he entered the Catholic Church in 2002. After moving to California, Fr. Brad became an active, performing musician, with a reputation as a highly sought after drummer on the international scene. Working in Los Angeles, CA, he performed and recorded various styles of modern music from Rock to jazz and big band. During his time in Los Angeles he performed and toured extensively with artists such as Annie Stela and Brie Larson. After ten years as a professional drum set player and feeling a call to commit himself entirely to Jesus Christ, Fr. Brad chose to leave the music industry and become a Dominican friar within Western Dominican Province. After completing theological studies, he was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on June, 22nd 2018 at St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco, CA.In 2014 Fr. Brad received an MA in philosophy from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley CA. In 2021 he received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. In 2025 he completed a Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC focusing on the role of human craft and participatory governance in the social doctrine of the Church. He is currently a professor of Moral Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California. He authored the book The Shape of the Artistic Mind published by Pontifex University Press in 2023. Keywords: Catholic Social Teaching, Church, Common Good, Cosmopolitanism, Family, Friendship, Polity, Society, Solidarity, State

The Family, the Polity, and the Church – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.

Fr. John Mark Solitario argues that Mary's role in the spiritual life is necessary because she uniquely forms disciples into Christ's life through her graces as new Eve, spiritual mother, and intercessor who draws us to her Son. This lecture was given on March 20th, 2026, at Vanderbilt University. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events" target="_blank">thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events</a>. About the Speakers: Fr. John Mark Solitario is from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in West Springfield, MA and the eldest of four children. After attending Catholic schools through high school, he earned his bachelor of arts from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. Desiring to contribute to Catholic education, he was admitted to the PACT (Providence Alliance of Catholic Teachers) Program at Providence College where he completed a Masters of Education and taught high school in Lowell, MA for two years. He credits his growth in the Catholic Faith and inspiration to live it fully to outstanding teachers and role models, among them not a few Dominicans—priests, sisters, and lay. “From the time I met the Order, I aspired to the Dominican ideal of contemplation followed by a generous sharing of the fruits of that encounter with God. I have found this ideal realized and sustained within the fraternal life of the Province of St. Joseph.” Keywords: Annunciation, Four Causes, Grace, Holy Spirit, Mary, New Eve, Spiritual Life, Spiritual Motherhood, Thomistic, Union With Christ

Mary's Necessary Role in the Spiritual Life – Fr. John Mark Solitario, O.P.

In this episode, Trent Horn responds to Ryan from NeedGod.net, who argues that the Catholic view of salvation contradicts Paul’s teaching that we are saved “by grace through faith” and “not of works.”
See episode on confession: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5UG90KTs-U&amp;t=1s&amp;pp=ygUWZGViYXRpbmcgb24gY29uZmVzc2lvbg%3D%3D 
See Taco Talks interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JffE2lkBkSs&amp;t=61s&amp;pp=ygUVdGFjbyB0YWxrcyB0cmVudCBob3Ju 
See episode on Ephesians 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMWbvTy-43k&amp;pp=ygUocHJvdGVzdGFudGlzbXMgbW9zdCBtaXNtdXNlZCBiaWJsZSB2ZXJzZQ%3D%3D 
See ...

#1163 Answering NeedGod.Net’s Criticism of Me - Trent Horn

Dr. Edmund Lazzari explains how Christ’s divinity and humanity make the sacraments, grace, confession, purgatory, and the communion of saints all part of one living mystical body in which every Christian is united to every other in Jesus. This lecture was given on February 11th, 2026, at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To make a gift this June, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod" target="_blank">https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod</a>. About the Speaker: Edmund Lazzari is Teaching Fellow in the Department of Catholic Studies at Duquesne University. Dr. Lazzari is also a member of the Aquinas and 'the Arabs' International Working Group and affiliated faculty of the Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law. A former Basselin Fellow, he earned an ecclesiastical licentiate degree in philosophy from the Catholic University of America, as well as a doctorate in systematic theology and ethics from Marquette University. He has previously taught philosophy and theology at Mount St. Mary's University, Marquette University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other universities not starting with the letter "M." Dr. Lazzari has published on a wide variety of topics in theology, such as theology and science, the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, Catholic-Muslim dialogue, liturgical theology, machine learning/AI, Catholic ethics, and extraterrestrial intelligence. He is the author of two books: Why Nature Matters: Unlocking Catholic Doctrine through Commonsense Philosophy (2022) and Miracles in Said Nursi and Thomas Aquinas (Routledge, 2024). Keywords: Baptism, Confession, Communion of Saints, Grace, Mystical Body of Christ, Purgatory, Sacraments, Sanctifying Grace, Suffering, Union with Christ

The Mystical Body of Christ: What Does Jesus Have to Do with Me? – Dr. Edmund Lazzari

In this episode Trent replies to Wes Huff's recent video on why he's not Catholic.

#1166 My Response to Wes Huff’s Case Against Catholicism - Trent Horn

Joe Grabowski presents Chesterton’s philosophy as a disciplined recovery of wonder, arguing that reality is not exhausted by habit, utility, or material explanation but should be seen with childlike astonishment and gratitude. This lecture was given on March 30th, 2026, at the University of Kansas. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events" target="_blank">thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events</a>. About the Speakers: Joe Grabowski is the Vice-President of Evangelization for the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. He formerly served as executive director for the International Organization for the Family and the World Congress of Families. Joe has a B.A. in philosophy from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook, and an M.A. in English from Marquette University. Joe’s byline, writing on the subjects of traditional marriage and the family, as well as on Catholic Social Teaching and the legacies of Chesterton and Belloc, has appeared in The Catholic Herald, Our Sunday Visitor, The Stream, Gilbert Magazine, Ethika Politika, The Distributist Review, and elsewhere. He has been interviewed in local and national media as an expert on marriage and family public policy and on G.K. Chesterton and Distributism. He serves on the Board of Advisors of the American Solidarity Party. Joe lives outside Philadelphia, an avid book collector (and occasional reader) and weekly pub quiz enthusiast. Keywords: Astonishment, Beauty, Chesterton, Conversion, Gratitude, Imagination, Meaning, Wonder, World, Youth

Astonished at the World: G. K. Chesterton's Philosophy of Wonder – Joe Grabowski

Dr. Nathaniel Peters argues that Thomas Aquinas teaches marriage is the greatest friendship, uniting spouses in a sacramental bond ordered to mutual virtue, children’s generation and formation, and sharing in God’s fatherhood and Christ's priesthood. This lecture was given on March 19th, 2026, at Universidad Panamericana. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events" target="_blank">thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events</a>. About the Speakers: Nathaniel Peters is the Director of the Morningside Institute. He received his B.A. from Swarthmore College, his M.T.S. from the University of Notre Dame, and his Ph.D. from Boston College. He has published article on many topics on religion and public life, and his first book, The Trinitarian Dimensions of Cistercian Eucharistic Theology, is forthcoming from Catholic University of America Press. Keywords: Aquinas, Chastity, Children, Fatherhood, Friendship, Marriage, Priesthood, Sacrament, Self-Gift, Virtue

How to Marry Your Best Friend: Thomas Aquinas on Friendship, Marriage, and Children – Dr. Nathaniel Peters

In this free-for-all-Friday Trent explores cases of people who claimed to live for years inside of prolonged dreams.

#1164 FFAF: Living 7 Years in a 3 Week Dream - Trent Horn

In this episode Trent chats with Michael Jones of Inspiring Philosophy about atheism and Islam.

#1157 Answering Secularism and Islam (with Inspiring Philosophy) - Trent Horn

Fr. Jordan Schmidt says that vocation is a grace-filled cooperation with God’s kingdom, where renewed discernment helps us choose our way of life and embrace suffering with Christ for the salvation of ourselves and others. This lecture was given on March 28th, 2026, at Dominican House of Studies. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events" target="_blank">thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events</a>. About the Speakers: Fr. Jordan Schmidt graduated with a BA in English and Philosophy from St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN in 2002.&nbsp; He entered the Order of Preachers in 2005 and after completing his theological studies (STL and Mdiv), he was ordained a priest in 2012. Fr. Jordan initially served as associate pastor of St Mary’s parish in New Haven, CT,&nbsp; and subsequently returned to the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC to pursue doctoral studies at CUA, ultimately earning his PhD in biblical studies in 2018.&nbsp; He is currently an assistant professor of Sacred Scripture at the PFIC where he teaches various Old Testament courses, including survey courses on the Pentateuch, Prophets, and Wisdom literature as well as seminar courses on biblical inspiration, eschatology and apocalyptic literature, theological history, and creation theology. Keywords: Adoption, Body of Christ, Discernment, Grace, Kingdom of God, Renewal, Suffering, Wisdom

Receiving a Share of God's Kingdom: Vocation and Christian Life according to St. Paul – Fr. Jordan Schmidt, O.P.

In this episode Trent sits down with Protestant professor of apologetics Sean McDowell to discuss his family's apologetic legacy and Sean's work on the martyrdom of the apostles.

#1162 OG Apologetics and Apostolic Martyrdom (with Sean McDowell) - Trent Horn

In this free-for-all-Friday Trent talks about new glasses that treat myopia and his own experience with spectacles.
Trent Horn (00:00):
I finally got glasses. I was trying to go my whole life without having glasses and I basically still do, but I decided to get them. I&#8217;ve joined the world of glasses wearers. Well, I&#8217;m not fully joining it. I live in it at work and then I retreat from that world when I leave. And so I just wanted to talk about that today. Welcome to the Council of Trent. Mondays and Wednesdays we talk apologetics and theology, but Friday, well, we talk about whateve...

#1171 FFAF: I Finally Got Glasses - Trent Horn

In this free-for-all-Friday Trent touches base with listeners and shares a story about the worst grocery store you could ever visit.
Trent Horn (00:00):
It is Free For All Friday. Welcome to the Council of Trent podcast. It&#8217;s been a while. It&#8217;s been a minute. I don&#8217;t know what happened. I&#8217;ve just had a lot going on. I feel like I have not done a traditional free for all Friday in a bit. I was in a little bit of a slump. I&#8217;m not sure these things just happen. I think I&#8217;ve had a lot of personal things going on and a lot of things also at work going on. And I t...

#1160 FFAF: The Grocery Store That Became a Biohazard (and a check in) - Trent Horn

In this episode Trent debates Ryan at NeedGod.net on the question of whether Christians can lose their salvation.

#1179 DEBATE: Can a Christian Lose Salvation? (with NeedGod.net) - Trent Horn

Sr. Mary Madeline Todd argues that Christ calls us not merely to survive but to thrive, and that “life to the full” comes through meaning, suffering united to love, disciplined commitment, wonder, prayer, and sacramental life. This lecture was given on March 27th, 2026, at University of South Alabama. For more information on upcoming events, visit us at <a href="https://thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events" target="_blank">thomisticinstitute.org/upcoming-events</a>. About the Speakers: Sister Mary Madeline Todd, O.P., a Dominican Sister of the Congregation of Saint Cecilia, has spent over three decades joyfully living consecrated life and sharing the teaching ministry of Christ. After completing a master’s degree in English at the University of Memphis and in theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Sister was blessed to study in Rome, earning her doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. Sister Mary Madeline speaks and writes on spiritual and moral theology. She currently teaches theology at Aquinas College in Nashville, where she finds joy in helping the next generation discover the liberating freedom of who they are in Christ. Keywords: Acedia, Beauty, Boredom, Eucharist, Fatigue, Fullness of Life, Meaning, Prayer, Suffering, Wonder

Life to the Full: Are You Surviving or Thriving? – Sr. Mary Madeline Todd, O.P.

Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P. explores how the Catholic tradition understands ownership as a moral relation that binds persons together rather than isolating them, and why that matters for families, society, and human flourishing. This lecture was given on February 4th, 2026, at Stanford University. To make a gift this June, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod" target="_blank">https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod</a>. About the Speaker: Fr. Brad Elliott was raised in Dayton Ohio and studied Jazz percussion at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. After being raised as a Missouri Synod Lutheran he entered the Catholic Church in 2002. After moving to California, Fr. Brad became an active, performing musician, with a reputation as a highly sought after drummer on the international scene. Working in Los Angeles, CA, he performed and recorded various styles of modern music from Rock to jazz and big band. During his time in Los Angeles he performed and toured extensively with artists such as Annie Stela and Brie Larson. After ten years as a professional drum set player and feeling a call to commit himself entirely to Jesus Christ, Fr. Brad chose to leave the music industry and become a Dominican friar within Western Dominican Province. After completing theological studies, he was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ on June, 22nd 2018 at St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco, CA.In 2014 Fr. Brad received an MA in philosophy from the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley CA. In 2021 he received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. In 2025 he completed a Doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC focusing on the role of human craft and participatory governance in the social doctrine of the Church. He is currently a professor of Moral Theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California. He authored the book The Shape of the Artistic Mind published by Pontifex University Press in 2023. Keywords: Common Good, Law, Private Property, Political Friendship, Rule of Law, Rational Dominion, Relative Dominion, Social Trust, Universal Destination of Goods, Virtue

Private Property and the Universal Destination of Goods: How a Right to Private Possessions Serves the Common Good – Fr. Brad Elliott, O.P.

Prof. James Felak shows how John Paul II used the saints in his pilgrimages to communist Poland to challenge atheistic rule, strengthen Catholic identity, and encourage resistance and hope. This lecture was given on October 31st, 2025, at St. Albert's Priory. To make a gift this June, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod" target="_blank">https://truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod</a>. About the Speakers: James Felak is a Professor of History and current holder of the Newman Center Term Professorship in Catholic Christianity at the University of Washington.&nbsp; He specializes in Catholicism in East Central Europe and has authored two books on Catholic politics in Slovakia, and a book on Pope John Paul II and his visits to his native Poland during and after Communist rule there.&nbsp; This latter work is based on hundreds of pages of papal speeches and sermons, and the records of the Communist government and secret police as they monitored the Pope during his visits.&nbsp; Besides courses on modern Europe, Felak teaches “The History of Christianity” and “Catholic Classics in Historical Context.”&nbsp; The latter course covers the major Catholic writers and thinkers from St. Augustine and St. Benedict through G. K. Chesterton and Flannery O’Connor.&nbsp; Felak is from southwestern Pennsylvania, received his doctorate from Indiana University, and has resided in Seattle since 1989. Keywords: Catholic Identity, Communion Of Saints, Communist Poland, John Paul II, Maximilian Kolbe, Polish History, Saint Stanislaus, Saint Wojciech, Sacred Space, Solidarity Movement