The Age of Information: Orthodoxy & The Modern World

Ep. 91 - ’Catechesis’ w/ Buck Johnson

"Catechesis" from the Greek "κατήχησις" means "instruction/informed by word of mouth", generally "instruction." In a general sense, we all are being "instructed" every day. Whether it be through our familiar traditions, state education, TV, media, politics, etc., what we focus on (what we are informed by) leads us to who we ultimately become. When used in the tradition of Christianity, however, it is how we come to know Christ. St Justin Martyr, in First Apology, says, "As many as are persuaded and believe that what we teach and say is true, and undertake to be able to live accordingly, are instructed to pray and to entreat God with fasting, for the remission of their sins that are past, we praying and fasting with them. Then they are brought by us where there is water, and are regenerated in the same manner in which we were ourselves regenerated." In the (mostly) Protestant United States, we are generally taught to pick up a Bible and start reading. For an atheist, this might be the first step towards forming arguments against Christianity (atheists enjoy being 'against' things.) For most Western Christians, it's an introduction to Christianity that leads to a church of some sort, where your own personal biases are confirmed. When Martin Luther popularized the term "sola scriptura", he wasn't of course saying every random human can pick up the Scriptures and immediately figure it out. No, he was condeming the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and their interpretation of scripture within the realm of the Pope and the Magesterium. Luther's answer was of course that his interpretation of Holy Scripture would be the endgame. When this naturally spiralled out of control, he spent decades chastizing anyone who didn't agree with him. We might give him a pass, considering what he had access to as far as information in the early 16th century, but it's blatantly obvious how the results of this blinded view have played out in the subsequent 500 years.  The Orthodox Church, having preserved traditional Christianity from the time of the apostles, thus offers us what Luther's delusions cannot. A window into the nature of The Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit. But do we approach traditional Christianity with our own biases, and expect God to change himself to make us comfortable? Or do we have to come to understand what God wants from us, and change ourselves to fit that paradigm? Thats what the catechesis process is about. Today, the great Buck Johnson joins me to chat about his journey to this point, what he's learned and changed in his own life, and what the future may hold. Merry Christmas to you all! Christ is Risen!

Ep. 92 - ’Why Homer? An Eastern Understanding’ w/ Dr. Eirene Allen

As listeners of the show know by now, I was raised surrounded by books. The "Classics" made up the backbone of our home library, and I was enthralled with tales of Odysseus and Achilles from an early age. My father was a professor in Greek and Roman mythology, his classes routinely being the most popular at the college. I often wondered though, are we reading these stories from a perspective congruent with how the author intended? If there's one consistent theme underlying the atrocities of our modern age, it's that Western Civilization is the ultimate success of rational human beings. The culmination of history, we in the West stand as the ultimate victor over time and space, over history itself. Science reigns as the new god. The State, not eschewing but rather relishing in its symbiotic relationship with the new secular theology, finds itself in the similar position of all historic States - towering domination over anything that threatens its own survival. As the ambiguous blob of secular materialism slowly rolls along devouring everything in its gravitational field like a black hole, many of us have turned away from a "rational" view of the world to a mystical view of reality that was embraced by our ancient ancestors. How then, would we allow something as simple as the reading of ancient stories not to follow suit? How pernicious and haphazard would it be to go only halfway? Dr. Eirene Allen holds a PhD from NYU, and is the director of the Institute for Classics Education, a US-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting educators who teach Homer and ancient Greek texts in English classrooms. Her writing and research focuses on these classics, and her publications include study guides for the epics Iliad, Odyssey, and Argonautica, as well as numerous plays by Sophocles and Euripides, and the dialogues of Plato. Dr. Allen is also a cradle Greek Orthodox Christian. Today we chat about how the West views history through its own lens, and why we are missing so much in our own past when we make this mistake. https://classicseducation.com/ https://whyhomer.com/  

Ep. 93 - ’Accessing The Spiritual Realm’ w/ Macey Tomlin

Macey Tomlin joins to me to share what is, in my opinion, one of the most unique spiritual journeys to Christ I've ever heard. I'm still processing all of the information, but I know you're going to be blown away by this story! Macey was a huge part of the anarchist community for many years, but has since distanced herself to focus on her family and her ayahuasca practice. Having seen Christ, and experienced the power and overwhelming joy of the Holy Spirit, she's found herself in a place she never could have predicted. God bless!   Personal Profile - https://www.facebook.com/macey.tomlin Business Profile - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087244064622 Email - macey@divina-abuela-ayahuasca.com Telegram - https://t.me/mymedicinetribe https://divina-abuela-ayahuasca.pe/?fbclid=IwAR32ZqT2_FIKOS2THkDWKb1ogt-sH3yPQKBr5CLdCYzvRSnq1ZGwgFF7WLs

Ep. 94 - ’The Book of Revelation - Guiding To A Blessed End’ w/ Dr. Jeannie Constantinou

Eugenia Constantinou holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Studies (1980) and a Master of Arts degree in Practical Theology from the University of San Diego (1992). She received a Master of Theology degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in 1996 where she specialized in Orthodox Theology and Patristics. She also received a Master of Theology from Harvard Divinity School in 1998 where she specialized in the New Testament. She had also previously earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1985 and has been a member of the California Bar since that same year. Dr. Constantinou received her Ph.D. at Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada, in 2007, writing her doctoral dissertation on “Andrew of Caesarea and the Apocalypse in the Ancient Church of the East.” Dr. Constantinou has been teaching Biblical Studies and Early Christianity at the University of San Diego since 2002. Previously she taught New Testament at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology from 1998-1999. She has led bible studies, taught and lectured on the Bible and Orthodoxy at parishes, conferences, retreats and seminars for over thirty years. She is married to Fr. Costa, who is a Greek Orthodox priest, and is simply “Mom” to son Christopher. Today, we're diving head first into The Book of Revelation. Buckle up! AFP publications include: Thinking Orthodox and The Crucifixion of the King of Glory: The Amazing History and Sublime Mystery of the Passion . www.orthodoxspeakers.com/speakers/presvytera-jeannie-constantinou-phd.html All books available at Ancient Faith Radio and Amazon. Thinking Orthodox https://store.ancientfaith.com/thinking-orthodox/ https://store.ancientfaith.com/the-crucifixion-of-the-king-of-glory/ Dr. Jeannie  @AncientFaithMinistries  : https://www.ancientfaith.com/contributors/jeannie_constantinou#:~:text=Constantinou%20received%20her%20Ph.,of%20San%20Diego%20since%202002. Podcast: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/searchthescriptures https://www.amazon.com/Guiding-Blessed-End-Apocalypse-Commentary/dp/0813221145 https://www.amazon.com/Commentary-Apocalypse-Fathers-Church-Patristic/dp/0813228115/ref=pd_bxgy_vft_none_img_sccl_1/139-1215735-0149240?pd_rd_w=L5oqb&content-id=amzn1.sym.7f0cf323-50c6-49e3-b3f9-63546bb79c92&pf_rd_p=7f0cf323-50c6-49e3-b3f9-63546bb79c92&pf_rd_r=962NDXJDDMQC2QQ7APXV&pd_rd_wg=yW58V&pd_rd_r=37e197f1-3415-4f13-b676-4f269c8e7f56&pd_rd_i=0813228115&psc=1  

Ep. 95 - ’A Future and A Hope’ w/ Brian Stanford

Jeremiah 29 - 10:12 (ESV) “For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you." Brian Stanford joins me to share his amazing journey to Orthodox Christianity. There's a lot here to unpack, and I'm so grateful to be able to call Brian a friend. You can check him out on FB here: https://www.facebook.com/brian.stanford.16 Please SUBSCRIBE on YouTube, and continue to subscribe and share the show on your favorite audio platform :)

Ep. 96 - ’Prayer & Purpose’ w/ Father Zechariah Lynch

A few weeks ago, I posted a question on Facebook asking what came to mind when someone thought of the word "prayer." I love these anecdotal polls because they help me understand people who think differently than I do. I'm humbled and grateful for that. I asked Father Zechariah Lynch to join me to discuss what the Orthodox Christian conception of prayer is, and we discuss that as well as other training tools that us Orthodox Christians can utilize to become closer to Christ. In truth, I could have chatted with Fr. Zechariah for hours. For now, we'll leave you with this wonderful conversation, and there's so much here to pray on and unpack. You can check out Fr. Zechariah's work at inkless.pen.blog on Instagram Inklesspen.blog The Inkless Pen on Telegram Please check all of these out. Father comments routinely on current events, and how to see, experience, and react to the "spirit of this age." God Bless you all.

Ep. 97 - ’The Reality of Spiritual Warfare’ w/ Father Turbo Qualls

"Spiritual Warfare" is a term that gets thrown around like a frisbee. But early on, years ago, we were hitting on how it's real, how it's important, and how it affects you whether you believe in it or not.  Father Turbo Qualls joins me to share his expertise on spiritual warfare, how we approach it with a holistic perspective in Orthodox Christianity, and what we can do when it turns into actual material warfare. We also spend a few minutes hitting on theology, philosophy, pyschology, and even remind atheists how dumb their arguments (or lack thereof) are. The hour FLEW by for me, and even Father suggested that we all listen to this episode a couple of times. I can't thank him enough for being so humble as to share his very limited time with me, and with you all, and we are blessed for his perspective and holiness. https://stmaryofegypt.net/ Baptismal Robes!! - https://stmaryofegypt.net/sisterhood/robes/ Patristic Faith - https://www.patristicfaith.com/our-team/fr-turbo-qualls/ The Royal Path - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOMeoGBrIRqOZYL_vqhYt-Q   More to come in the future! Have a very blessed Lent!

Ep. 98 - ’Theology Has Real World Consequences! Essence, Energies, Revelation, and Truth.’

Today we give an energic primer on some basic theological and philosophical principles and paradigms, as we look to flesh these out more in the future. My friend Anthony joins and shares his conversion story as he came to Orthodox Christianity. We discuss the real world consequences of what many people in the modern age see as semantic non-sequiturs. I tried to keep this as accessible as I could, because I know there are listeners and viewers with varying degrees of knowledge and experience, and we want to be as inclusive and understanding of all of that. However, we're not here on this channel to spew trite platitudes and talking points. We're here to be honest with everyone and provide a path to Truth. This channel exists almost entirely to provide information. We never criticize what it is in the heart of any individual human being, but rather we critique ideas and systems. It may be the case that you, personally, adhere to one or many of these ideas and systems. That in NO way means that I or anyone else knows what is in your heart or what your intentions are. We need to break free of these dialectics and understand systems =/= individual beliefs. There are many Christians, and even non-Christians who may and do hold beliefs contrary to my own, but actually end up being more Holy and Christian than I am. Again, understanding this, we understand that is in SPITE of the systems, paradigms, and ideas, and I can respect that as well as continue to flesh out those systems, paradigms, and ideas. Ultimately, if anyone feels compelled to inquire about Orthodox Christianity, they should visit or contact a local Orthodox Church, and speak with the priest. I am not qualified to, nor do I either care or intend to, provide personal spiritual advice. Hopefully you will find these conversations illuminating, informational, as well as entertaining. Thanks be to God.

Ep. 99 - ’Paradise & Utopia - The Age of Paradise - Pt. 1’ - Joined by Buck Johnson from Counterflow

Buck Johnson joins me in this first part of a multi-part series exploring "Paradise & Utopia - The Rise & Fall of What the West Once Was" by Fr. John Strickland. Paradise & Utopia is a four part anthology on the history of Christendom from Pentecost to today. In this first book, subtitled "The Age of Paradise - Christendom from Pentecost to The First Millenium," Fr. Strickland covers 1000 years of Church history in 281 pages, a feat that's as daunting as it is amazing. In this first part of our discussion on the first book, we look at the death and resurrection of Christ, the early Apostolic Church, and we discuss some tenants of Orthodox Christianity that are crucial in laying the groundwork for why the West has become what we see today. You can purchase this book (and Father's other books) through Fr. John's website here: https://johnstrickland.org/ As always you can check Buck Johnson out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0RyQTjGxMeNGlfAFgeLS_A Remember to like, subscribe, and share!!

Ep. 100 - ’Pentecostalism, Methodism, and Anglicanism’ w/ Br. Daniel Klawitter

Brother Daniel Klawitter, a deacon in the Anglican tradition, joins to me discuss his evolution and journey through different stages of Protestantism, as well as his appreciation for Orthodox Christianity. This is such a great talk! We get pretty deep into different traditions here, and I'm so appreciative for Daniel to take the time to chat. He is a lovely human with a wealth of information. Here are some links to his content and published books: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666759518/where-sunday-used-to-be/?fbclid=IwAR3biGmp7Hhc50TJciGbv9gSn7rNdWA7_gK6pBrq0SpcihuXKC9jX2OKChk https://poetdanielklawitter.wordpress.com/?fbclid=IwAR3wxUIGsCdM5Sjk3q6MmhITUL80Wbpe5D0SUC5AhgIfoBadyBrUa57UsdM And we also touch briefly on something I've never heard of, "Radical Orthodoxy" which is just Orthodoxy for people who've never heard of Orthodoxy, made more complicated for no reason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRemJU5mTPc