Podcasts about Orthodoxy

This week marked 4 years since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the start of a war that served as a wakeup call for Europe and the West. Since then, we've seen Europe take drastic steps to cut its ties to Russian gas, redrawing the region's energy map. Greece has played, and continues to play, a key role in this story. At the same time, questions remain about European security, the continued Russian threat, and whether the Trump administration can deliver a negotiated peace. Finally, the war in Ukraine also brought the world's attention to a murkier side of the Kremlin's playbook, and that's the weaponization of the Orthodox Church and its campaign to undermine the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, Charles Kupchan, Elena Lazarou, and Aristotle Papanikolaou join Thanos Davelis this week for a deep dive into how Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago has changed Europe, reshaped the region's energy map, and impacted the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Orthodoxy around the world. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we're putting the spotlight on Andreas Akaras, looking at his time on Capitol Hill and his work bringing Turkey to justice over the attack by Turkish President Erdogan's bodyguards against US protesters in Washington, DC. A little more info on our guests: Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. Elena Lazarou is the Director General of ELIAMEP and an expert specializing in EU foreign policy, global geopolitics, transatlantic relations, and security and defence issues. Amb. Geoffrey Pyatt is former US ambassador to Greece and Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources. Aristotle Papanikolaou is a Professor of Theology and the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture. He is Co-founding Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

What do silver crashes, sovereign power, Vatican banking scandals, and free cash flow have in common? In this conversation, Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson joins us to explore the moral psychology of markets and the spiritual dangers of fear-driven investing. From the 2026 silver collapse and what he calls the "Imperial Margin Call," to the collapse of the safe-haven narrative, to the deeper arithmetic behind margin-of-safety investing, this episode moves beyond headlines into first principles. This is not merely a conversation about investing; it's about anthropology, empire, illusion, and sobriety. It's about whether modern markets form disciplined stewards or anxious speculators. For more from Fr Emmanuel Lemelson, go here: https://lemelson.substack.com  Sponsor: Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

A major thank you to the Nathan for sponsoring today's stream. In this stream I dive into the life of St. David IV The builder of Georgia, and explain why he is not only the greatest monarch of Georgia, but an incredible warrior, intellectual, and Orthodox Christian. Make sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think. God Bless

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

For part 10 of 12 on “What is the Nicene Creed?” we unpack this lines:"We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church."... which can feel strange, or outright ironic, when you are in a church that doesn't get along with ... the church across the street. How can we proclaim we are ONE church when Christianity is so obviously divided? How could the church 1700 years ago claim this, when division goes back to James and John vying to sit at the right hand of Jesus when he came into glory? We bring in scholar and priest, The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bailey, to speak with us and muddle through what it means to (1) be a church in the tradition of the apostles and (2) aspire for such holy unity. The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bailey Fisher The Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer serves at Williams College as the chaplain.  She has more than 11 years of college chaplaincy experience, nearly a decade in ordained ministry and strong foundations in experiential education and social justice. Raised in the African-American Pentecostal tradition, Bailey Fischer joined the Episcopal Church as a young adult. She has a B.A. from Penn State and an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary. She is completing a dissertation in Anglican studies and U.S. Episcopal Church history at General Theological Seminary.+++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

“I had a testimony…but I didn't know God.” Hear John's raw story from LDS worthiness and good works to a born-again faith rooted in grace.A family finds meaning, structure, and visible change inside the Latter-day Saint community—until a quiet conversation about road rage and repentance opens a fault line. John Williford joins us to share how a “testimony” built on belonging and answers gave way to a born-again faith grounded in grace, Scripture, and a holy God who sees the heart. No debates, no shouting matches—just the piercing honesty of a brother who took sin seriously and the transforming relief of meeting Jesus as Lord rather than a ladder to climb.We trace John's path from cultural Mormonism to a born-again faith, moving from external worthiness to a deep grasp of sin, grace, and the identity of Jesus. The story wrestles with testimony, truth claims grounded in feelings, and how doctrine shapes life.• family's entrance into LDS and early “testimony”• sincerity and structure versus heart change• feelings as proof and the limits of experience• sin as offense before God, not just others• temple recommend culture and worthiness framing• contrasting Jesus in LDS teaching and historic Christianity• doctrinal shifts, prophets, and internet scrutiny• “proper translation” claims and scriptural authority• good works, brand, and what truly distinguishes faith• grace, new heart, and the fruit of repentanceWe walk through the early pull of LDS life: the tangible history, the warmth of community, and the confidence that every question had a tidy reply. Then we test those replies. Can feelings certify truth when two opposing testimonies collide? Does visible fruit—good works, kindness, disaster relief—prove theology, or can a system be coherent and still misname God? John contrasts an external “worthiness” culture with the biblical claim that sin is first against God, not merely a breach of social optics. That shift reframes everything: repentance replaces image management, and grace replaces a lifelong audit of merit.From there, we examine key doctrinal tensions: the nature of Jesus in LDS teaching versus historic Christianity, the move toward softer branding and strategic silence, and the common refuge of “proper translation” when Scripture cuts against the grain. We don't caricature; we let first-hand experience, primary sources, and Scripture set the terms. The result is not a checklist but a call: trade the shelf of unanswered doubts for the living Christ who invites questions, convicts the heart, and grants a new one.If this conversation challenged or encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest question about truth and grace. Your voice helps others find thoughtful, hope-filled conversations like this one.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Growing up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Orthodox Jewish community, Zalman Newfield was raised in an atmosphere of strict gender segregation, rigorous religious education, and nearly all-consuming ritual practices. Trained to be a Lubavitch emissary, he traveled around the world doing Jewish outreach to help usher in the messianic redemption. However, after exposure to the wider world, he abandoned the faith of his youth. Brooklyn Odyssey: My Journey Out of Hasidism (Temple University Press, 2026) is Newfield's poignant and hopeful memoir about exiting Orthodoxy. He recounts asserting his individuality and taking the radical step of shaving his beard. Reflective about his upbringing, Newfield is open to and curious about a world beyond Brooklyn while also maintaining his profound bond with his family and Jewish tradition. He writes candidly about his emotional, intellectual, and social experiences in and out of the Lubavitch community. From pivotal moments of devastation, including the illness and death of his younger brother and of his revered spiritual leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, to moments of joyful resolve, including the decision to pursue a doctorate and marry a non-Orthodox Jew, Newfield takes readers on his moving and impactful journey. Zalman Newfield is Associate Professor of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York and the author of Degrees of Separation: Identity Formation While Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism (Temple). Visit him online at zalmannewfield.com. Caleb Zakarin is CEO and Publisher of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/secularism

A religious programme for the Christian Orthodox community and all those interested in Orthodoxy. The programme covers spiritual discussions, readings, hymns and notices.

He was consecrated Bishop of Berea (Aleppo) in Syria, then of Antioch in 324. He took an active part in the Council of Nicea against the Arian heresy. His zeal for the Faith aroused the hatred of various heretics, who convened a council in Antioch where, by means of slanders and false witnesses, they were able to have the holy bishop deposed and exiled to Thrace, where he died a few years later.   The deposition of the Saint caused a schism in the Church of Antioch which was not healed until 414 (see St Meletius, Feb. 12). Saint John Chrysostom publicly praised Eustathius as a Martyr, and his relics were finally brought back to Antioch in 482. The Synaxarion says "The people then went in jubilation to meet him with lights and incense, and escorted him as he made a triumphal entry into his city, which thus recovered its unity in the Faith and in the veneration of this champion of Orthodoxy."

00:00 Opening02:50 Fr Symeon's Sermon21:30 Salvation isn't  heaven, or morality, it's illumination28:11 The paranoia born of living in exile37:18 Orthodoxy doesn't do philosophical apologetics, we seek illumination54:10 You can't put an onion dome on The Academy73:29 Closing & housekeeping~~~This, too, Shall Pass (Season Finale) - S7E20~~~This is the end of season 7, in which we have focused almost entirely on the journey on the way of the life of faithfulness being one which requires us to put all ideologies to the side & focus on the inner, spiritual life.~~~Scripture citations for this episode: - Gospel Reading from Sunday January 11    - Matthew 4:12-17 - Wisdom & illumination are spiritual not discursive    - Colossians 1:3-14The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion. Our hosts are Father Symeon Kees of Iowa City & James John Marks of Chicago.Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcasthttps://x.com/podcast_saintshttps://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcasthttps://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcasthttps://bsky.app/profile/xtiansaintspodcast.bsky.socialIconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these imagesPrints of all of Nick's work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.comAll music in these episodes is a production of Generative Soundshttps://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.comDistribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative SoundsCopyright 2021 - 2026

This is part 2 of 3 talks by Dr. Nathan Jacobs about the "nones", the religiously unaffiliated, a group that has grown dramatically over the past two decades. In this talk, Nathan Jacobs argues that many who leave are not rejecting God, per se, but a particular vision of God shaped by Western theological developments. Exploring themes like grace, freedom, divine goodness, fatalism, and anthropology, he contrasts key Western trajectories with the vision of the Eastern Church Fathers. The result is a compelling case that Orthodoxy does not suppress the moral and spiritual intuitions of today's seekers — it fulfills them.Watch part 1: The Modern Religious Debate Lost Its Audience: https://youtu.be/vun_XtxDt5E Contribute to the East West Lecture Series fundraiser: http://theeastwestseries.com/Do you want to watch the Becoming Truly Human documentary? Watch it along with other exclusive content on Jacobs Premium. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/Timestamps:00:00 - Coming up next01:28 - East West series02:36 - Introduction05:18 - What the nones believe10:39 - Rejecting Western Christianity14:12 - Augustine18:40 - The nature/Grace divide25:42 - Protestantism & predestination31:48 - God's will39:36 - Competing goods46:17 - Our world is spiritual59:02 - Return to talk59:51 - Man as microcosm01:01:51 - Was man made mortal or immortal?01:06:11 - Energies01:15:02 - What happens after death01:18:06 - The remedy for divine hiddenness01:24:34 - Q&A: On trusting your intuitions about God01:29:21 - Q: Anxiety of the participants01:30:58 - Q: What about Jesus?01:33:11 - Q: Discussions about the Trinity01:36:07 - Q: Using the halo in the documentary01:40:06 - Q: Do nones go to other religions?======================================All the links:The Theological Letters Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastX: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobsAcademia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobsListen and please review the podcast elsewhere:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

“Is Receiving Ashes Against Scripture? This question opens a discussion on the intersection of faith and politics, addressing concerns about the implications of such support. Other topics include the challenge of serving both God and money, and the complexities of identity in faith, such as navigating historical claims about the papacy and exploring the differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 03:12 – Reading not doing public penance, but then we get big ashes on our heads. 09:23 – Jesus said you can't serve God and money. Is it contrary to being a christian for a Church to support a political party or movement? 18:38 – Isn't it condescending to ask the question, why aren't you Catholic? You're asking, why aren't you one of us? Wouldn't it be better to ask who raised you to be the faith you are? 40:56 – 1689 London Baptist confession of faith claims the pope is the Anti-Christ, how do I navigate that as a non-Catholic? 51:52 – I'm looking into Catholicism and Orthodoxy. What’s the Catholic response to the claim that Rome used to be orthodox before the great schism?

It is Robert Jenrick's big day out today. The newly-minted Reform ‘shadow chancellor' made his first speech this morning, where he had the chance to show what kind of chancellor he would be and – sporting a snazzy pair of specs – he had plenty of soothing words to calm the jitters of the bond markets.The top news lines from his presser was his decision to kill Reform's two-child benefit cap – Nigel Farage's big offer to Labour voters last summer – and the announcement that he he would support the independence of the OBR and the Bank of England. Is this a missed opportunity for Reform UK? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Michael Simmons and Tim Shipman. Produced by Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the future of medicine looks less like a laboratory… and more like the life of the Church? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Michael Christian Kuhn, author of Orthodoxy and the Medicine of the Future, to explore the deep connection between spiritual life and physical health. We discuss how modern society has become increasingly disembodied — separated from rhythm, stillness, fasting, and community — and how many of today's chronic health struggles may reflect that deeper fragmentation. This conversation is not about rejecting modern medicine. It's about recovering wholeness. If you're Orthodox — or simply curious about how faith shapes health — this episode will help you think more clearly about the unity of body and soul. For more from Dr Mike, go here: https://www.orthodoxhealth.com/orthodox-health-podcast  Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Another Eastern Catholic priest has become Eastern Orthodox — and it's not an isolated case. In this video, I take a closer look at why this keeps happening and explore the deeper dynamics behind these conversions. Why do some Eastern Catholics — including clergy — eventually cross over to Orthodoxy? Is it theological formation, ecclesiology, […]

Pope Leo was one of the great bastions of Orthodoxy during the time of the monophysite heresy and its offshoots. 'According to some, this Saint was born in Rome, but according to others in Tyrrenia (Tuscany), and was consecrated to the archiepiscopal throne of Rome in 440. In 448, when St Flavian, Archbishop of Constantinople [also commemorated today], summoned Eutyches, an archimandrite in Constantinople, to give account for his teaching that there was only one nature in Christ after the Incarnation, Eutyches appealed to St Leo in Rome. After St Leo had carefully examined Eutyches' teachings, he wrote an epistle to St Flavian, setting forth the Orthodox teaching of the person of Christ, and His two natures, and also counseling Flavian that, should Eutyches sincerely repent of his error, he should be received back with all good will. At the Council held in Ephesus in 449, which was presided over by Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria (and which Saint Leo, in a letter to the holy Empress Pulcheria in 451, was the first to call "The Robber Council"), Dioscorus, having military might behind him, did not allow Saint Leo's epistle to Flavian to be read, although repeatedly asked to do so; even before the Robber Council was held, Dioscorus had uncanonically received the unrepentant Eutyches back into communion. Because Saint Leo had many cares in Rome owing to the wars of Attila the Hun and other barbarians, in 451 he sent four delegates to the Fourth Ecumenical Council, where 630 Fathers gathered in Chalcedon during the reign of Marcian, to condemn the teachings of Eutyches and those who supported him. Saint Leo's epistle to Flavian was read at the Fourth Council, and was confirmed by the Holy Fathers as the Orthodox teaching on the incarnate Person of our Lord; it is also called the "Tome of Leo." The Saint wrote many works in Latin; he reposed in 461.'(Great Horologion).   St Leo is remembered for saving Rome from conquest by Attila the Hun. When Attila drew near to Rome, preparing to pillage the city, St Leo went out to him in his episcopal vestments and enjoined him to turn back. For reasons unknown to worldly historians, the pitiless Attila with all his troops abandoned their attack and returned the way they had come.

Welcome to the Inverted Orthodoxy Podcast! We're Blake, Kyle, and Doug the pastors from Living Springs, here to take you on a weekly adventure through the twists and turns of faith. Got questions? We've got answers, and sometimes more questions! Join us as we explore, celebrate, and embrace the beautiful complexities of belief. This week we tackled a lot of questions: 1. AERPastors… I know ya'll really wanted snow for the youth tobogganing that's happening on Wednesday… but I think one of you prayed WAY too hard!!! Haha 2. In our recent series on 1 Corinthians, in v24-25 of chapter 15, it refers to Jesus handing over the kingdom to God and father.  How do you read and interpret this. We refer to the kingdom of God, but does this verse refer to the Kingdo. Of Jesus, as he hasn't handed it over to the father yet? I would appreciate your thoughts on this.3. If you could gain clarity about one verse or a couple of verses which would you choose and why?4. What kind of resurrection did Lazuras experience? Did he have the same kind of body Jesus had after his resurrection?5. In school I'm learning about determinism. Compatibilism and free will. Which one do you believe according to logic, experience and scripture? Quick definitions: DeterminismThe view that every event—including human thoughts and actions—is caused by prior events and conditions, leaving no real possibility for things to happen otherwise. Free WillThe ability to make genuine choices that are not completely determined by external forces or past events. CompatibilismThe belief that determinism and free will can both be true—human choices can be determined and still count as free if they reflect a person's desires, intentions, and reasoning.6. What are your thoughts on CRISPR and genetic editing? Is it similar to other technology and tools where there is both good and bad ways to use it, or does the bad too greatly outweigh the good in this case? And furthermore is it too close to playing God, changing how our bodies are designed at a genetic level?7. I like many of the worship songs we sing in church, some are so individualistic in our pursuit of faith and Jesus. Do you see more value in some songs if we were to change the ‘I' to ‘we' and bring them into a more corporate singing/ worship expression.  My other minor question would be we talk about it as a time of signing at church and not a time of worship; would love to know the heart and rationale behind this.8. After Jesus' resurrection, we are told that we no longer have anything to fear, but how can we not fear for our unsaved loved ones?9. What is you favourite bible/Christian joke? What does a pirate say after praying? Arrr-menDo you have a question you've been wanting answered? Head on over to our website www.invertedorthodoxy.com to submit a question. You can find us on Wednesdays on Youtube, or wherever you subscribe to podcasts. To learn more about our church, you can visit www.livingspringsairdrie.com

Why is the Western theology of salvation, both Catholic and Protestant, different from Orthodoxy? Where did the Latin "treasury of merit" come from? Did Martin Luther fix it? Join the Podfathers for a direct look at a core theological difference with Orthodoxy.

A fun, energetic exchange with GI on the Crucible on a wide range of topics. Be sure and follow Crucible here: Send Superchats at any time here: https://streamlabs.com/jaydyer/tip Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnt7Iy8GlmdPwy_Tzyx93bA/join Order New Book Available here: https://jaysanalysis.com/product/esoteric-hollywood-3-sex-cults-apocalypse-in-films/ Get started with Bitcoin here: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/jaydyer/ The New Philosophy Course is here: https://marketplace.autonomyagora.com/philosophy101 Set up recurring Choq subscription with the discount code JAY60LIFE for 60% off now https://choq.com Subscribe to my site here: https://jaysanalysis.com/membership-account/membership-levels/ Follow me on R0kfin here: https://rokfin.com/jaydyer Music by Dr Evo the Producer, Jay Dyer and Amid the Ruins 1453 https://www.youtube.com/@amidtheruinsOVERHAULBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jay-sanalysis--1423846/support.

Tired of endless denominations and “best” interpretations? Ethan left the Church of Christ after tracing history, worship, and unity back to Orthodoxy. Hear the turning points, the schisms, and his family's conversion. Listen now—what would convince you?What if the problem isn't that people disagree with the Bible, but that we cut the Bible loose from the Church that received it? Ethan Brackin grew up in the Church of Christ, where “Bible alone” shaped belief, worship, and identity. He takes us inside the Restoration Movement—why it rejected creeds, how it tried to rebuild “New Testament Christianity,” and how, within decades, it fractured into institutional and non-institutional camps. The result was a string of verse battles without a stable referee, a culture that prized sincerity but struggled to hold doctrine together, and a worship life that felt increasingly thin.We trace Ethan's path from the Church of Christ to Orthodoxy, mapping the fractures of solo scriptura and the discovery of a living tradition. A family's first visit to Divine Liturgy becomes the hinge that moves study into conviction and conviction into catechumenate.• restoration movement origins and the “Bible alone” claim• rejection of creeds and loss of church history• early schisms and institutional vs non-institutional split• college retreat and the shallows of verse battles• first encounter with Orthodox worship and chant• global unity of faith, fasting, and liturgy• reading the Fathers and naming the Nicene faith• parents visit liturgy and become catechumens• humility, patience, and seeking truth as a habitThe turning point wasn't a debate; it was beauty. A single Orthodox hymn led Ethan into church history, patristic sources, and the living shape of ancient worship. He and his wife spent months reading, praying, and quietly testing claims. What they found was not a clever system, but a continuous life: one Creed, one Eucharistic pattern, one fasting rhythm, echoed across languages and continents. That visible catholicity reframed authority—Scripture in the Church, illuminated by the Fathers, confirmed in council, and embodied in the Divine Liturgy.The story takes an unexpected twist when Ethan's parents ask to attend liturgy. One service became hours of questions and weeks of study, culminating in a confession that surprised even them: the Orthodox Church is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Along the way, we explore why solo scriptura breeds fragmentation, how the early Restoration leaders related to the Trinity, and what real unity looks like when it is lived rather than asserted. If you've felt the ache of endless denominations or the fatigue of constant doctrinal drift, this conversation offers a clear path forward: come and see, read the Fathers, and let beauty lead you to truth.If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who's wrestling with authority and unity, and leave a review to help more seekers find their way.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

As we are in our three-week preparation for Great Lent, we are reminded that, in Orthodoxy, Lent is known as the Springtime of the Soul. For one, Lent occurs as Winter passes and we enter into Spring. But it is also known as the Springtime of the soul because everything that we see happen in nature, as it comes out of its lesser existence of being dormant and begins to live and bloom, is precisely what our Lord desires for the soul of His beloved children. Today, we discuss this transformation and focus on the importance of the condition of the soil of our soul as this spiritual Springtime sets upon us.

For part 9 of 12 on “What is the Nicene Creed?” we unpack these lines:"We believe in the Holy Spirit,The Lord, the Giver of Life,Who proceeds from the Father and the Son,With the Father and the Son S/He is worshipped and glorified;S/He has spoken through the Prophets."The Holy Spirit is probably God's most misunderstood person of the Trinity ... and yet, the one who is our Advocate, guide, Wisdom, and companion. So we spend a little time understanding where She fits in the big picture of Christianity, how we might discern between what is anxiety and the voice of God within us, and what exactly is the "Filioque" and the Great Schism debate about. +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

"I'm Not the Arbiter of Orthodoxy" Breaking down Elder Gilbert's interview with Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune. Elder Gilbert answers the toughest questions on doctrine, polarization, and temple recommends. Is Orthodoxy Now "Controversial"? Doctrine, Culture War, and the New Apostle The media narrative around Elder Clarke Gilbert — and what he actually said. Same-Sex Marriage, Temple Recommends, and the Covenant Path Elder Gilbert's clear answers — without backing away from doctrine. Polarization in the Church — What Elder Gilbert Got Right Why your political identity cannot outrank your covenant identity. The Media vs. Orthodoxy Why defending doctrine is now labeled "doubling down." Is Following the Commandments "Conservative"? Elder Gilbert responds to critics calling him a doctrinal watchdog. Therapeutic Jesus vs. the Real Gospel Elder Gilbert on turning to Christ — not just affirmation, but transformation. Youngest Apostle Since Bednar — Why It Matters What Elder Gilbert's calling signals for the future of the Church. Temple Recommends & Same-Sex Marriage — The Question Everyone's Asking Is the Church "Doubling Down" on Orthodoxy? Or is it simply holding the line on eternal doctrine? Elder Gilbert, C.S. Lewis, and the danger of political primacy. Inside Elder Gilbert's revealing sit-down with Peggy Fletcher Stack. Cwic Media Website: http://www.cwicmedia.com

Who do you think you are? Not the mask you wear on a good day, not the collapse you fear on a bad one—but the person whose thoughts shape feelings, whose feelings drive actions, and whose actions can be changed by a wiser rhythm. We trace a clear line from identity to behavior and show why life isn't as random as it feels: see yourself one way, and the pattern follows; shift the lens, and healing becomes possible.Join Jeremy Jeremiah, Mario Andrew, and Cloud of Witnesses special guests Father Deacon Anthony, an ordained deacon in the Antiochian Orthodox Church, and associate marriage and family therapist, Jacob Sadan (https://jacobsadan.com/) in this frank and inspiring discussion of sin.We explore how identity shapes feelings and actions, why guilt heals while shame condemns, and how the church's ordered practices offer a reliable path from chaos to wholeness. Stories from Scripture, honest talk on pride and despair, and a call to stillness make the way forward clear and practical.• identity as the lens that drives emotion and behavior• order in Scripture and the church as a healing system• fasting as meaning-filled practice tied to memory and love• Peter's guilt vs Judas's shame as a map for repentance• pride hiding inside despair and perfectionism• rhythm and stillness re-regulating a dysregulated life• engineered emotion contrasted with prayerful quiet• objectivity through tradition and the witness of saints• shame withering in light and communityWe unpack the difference between guilt and shame through the stories of Peter and Judas. Guilt invites repair and repentance; shame condemns the self and hides in the dark. Along the way, we confront the hidden pride that fuels despair—“backwards pride” that says we should have been above failure—and we offer a kinder, truer stance: you are not uniquely good or uniquely bad. You are human, loved, and in need of a system that helps you grow.That system has roots. From order in Scripture to the structure of worship, fasting, and community, the church provides reliable practices that re-regulate a restless heart. We contrast engineered emotion with drawn-out stillness, arguing that while loud rooms can stir real feelings, quiet prayer forms real people. Listening becomes a two-way relationship where we stop only asking and start hearing the “small voice” that clarifies who God is and who we are.Finally, we make the case for objectivity in the spiritual life. Tradition and the witness of saints give us a mirror that doesn't flatter but frees, helping us see our true place on the path without shame or pretense. When light replaces secrecy, shame shrinks, and habits of love take root. If this conversation helps you swap chaos for rhythm, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the line that stayed with you—what truth do you want to keep in the light?Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Theodora was the wife of Emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast, but secretly revered the icons, and protected others who did, until the emperor's death. Upon his death, she quickly restored veneration of icons to churches throughout the empire, the event celebrated on the upcoming Sunday of Orthodoxy, the first Sunday of the Great Fast. She ruled wisely as regent for the young emperor Michael for fifteen years: she is said to have initiated the mission of Sts Cyril and Methodios to the Slavs. Before Michael III reached his majority, he was prevailed upon by Bardas, Theodora's brother, to depose her and send her to a monastery, where she finished her life in peace and holiness.   When Constantinople fell, her incorrupt relics were taken to Corfu along with those of St Spyridon. They are still venerated there.   There is a much-debated story that, when Theophilus was dying, the Empress, moved by compassion for him, brought an icon of the Mother of God out of hiding and laid it on his face; and that Theophilus, coming to himself, kissed the holy icon and confessed the true Faith before giving up his soul. Other accounts say that the Emperor died in heresy. It seems possible that the holy Empress circulated the story to ensure that her departed husband would be remembered in the Church's prayers.

Welcome back to the Let's be friends podcast with us today is Father Paul Truebenbach. Father Paul is the presiding priest of St. Peter and Paul's Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. You may know Father Paul from his popular YouTube channel, where he discusses life-changing Orthodox books, the lives of the Saints, and shares his 15 part Catechism series. In our episode today we discuss "the good struggle." Struggle is an essential part of the true Christian life. If we truly are to pick up our cross and follow Christ, we should expect trials and tribulations—the hard part? Being able to count them all as joy.Watch video on YouTubeSummaryIn this engaging conversation, Father Paul Truebenbach shares his journey to Orthodoxy, the significance of suffering, and the role of demons in spiritual warfare. He emphasizes the importance of struggle in faith, the necessity of humility, and the transformative power of grace. Through personal testimonies and insights, the discussion explores the depth of Orthodox Christianity and the call to experience God beyond mere intellectual understanding. In this enlightening conversation, Fr. Paul Truebenbach and Kara Mosher explore the intersection of mental health, spirituality, and the Orthodox faith. They discuss how to transform personal struggles, such as anxiety and depression, into opportunities for prayer and compassion. The conversation delves into the complexities of the human person, the importance of humility and obedience, and the dangers of over-medication in modern society. They also touch on the role of psychedelics in spiritual experiences, emphasizing the need for discernment and the ultimate pursuit of a relationship with Christ.Find Father Paul Truebenbach:YoutubeSaints Peter & Paul Orthodox ChurchLife Changing Orthodox BooksCatechismWant more? Let's be friends. Join the Friendship Membership.Want to read my memoir, Here Comes Trouble? It's available now. Order your copy.

A major thank you to the audience for sponsoring today's stream. In this stream I dive into the life of Tsar Nicholas II, Rasputin, and clarify the truth surrounding Russia's last Tsar. Make sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think. God Bless

For part 8 of 12 on “What is the Nicene Creed?” we unpack these lines:he ascended into heaven            and is seated at the right hand of the Father He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,        and his kingdom will have no end.Ok so Jesus was born (Christmas), lived and did ministry and healed and taught and stuff, then was killed (Good Friday), and rose again (Easter) before he ... ascended into heaven. It's a big deal, but probably the most confusing part of his story on earth? So we called our most-listened to guest, our brilliant friend, the Rev. (future-Dr.!) Kelli Joyce, to unpack this for us. (Her previous episode with us, "What is Confession?" remains our #1 episode ever!) The Rev. Kelli Joyce is an Episcopal priest and a PhD student at Vanderbilt University.More of her work is here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAcZY-jo5lEhttps://www.christiancentury.org/contributor/kelli-joyce +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Your Church Should Be Older Than Your Mom | Orthodoxy Preserves While Protestants Still Cannot Agree.A restless teenager collides with the Jesus People and catches fire for Christ—but the fire has no hearth. Years later, after Anglican ordination and years of pastoral ministry on the Canadian prairie, Fr. Lawrence Farley (https://nootherfoundation.ca/) names the ache many believers feel today: Scripture untethered from apostolic Tradition slowly dissolves into preferences, platforms, and personality-driven faith. What followed was costly and clarifying—laying down his orders, entering the Orthodox Church, moving a young family with almost nothing, and helping plant a mission that had to fight for every soul. Along the way he discovered the priest's true work is fatherhood: gathering a family at the altar, preaching Christ, serving the sacraments, and learning to wash feet when it hurts.Together we take up the questions filling comment sections and pews alike. Why did streams of Protestantism drift toward liberalization? How did separating the Bible from the Church that preserved it fracture Christian unity? What does it mean to “live on Catholic capital,” and why do new conservative movements keep splintering from older ones? Fr. Lawrence traces a line from Reformation fault lines to the Jesus People's wide tent, showing how experience without shared confession leaves believers unmoored. Against that churn, he explains why Orthodoxy's ancient worship, coherent doctrine, and living tradition are quietly drawing young men, families, and weary pilgrims across the West.But this isn't nostalgia or culture-war comfort. “Come because we're anti-woke, stay because of Jesus,” he insists. Canons and rules matter only if they serve repentance and the healing of the heart; otherwise we trade chaos for a new Phariseeism. Fr. Lawrence offers bracing counsel on vocation—if you can be happy doing anything else, do it—and describes pastoral life as a slow crucifixion that somehow becomes a wellspring of joy. He points listeners to accessible resources for evangelicals exploring Orthodoxy, deep dives into the Psalms, a forthcoming book on suffering through Lamentations, and his weekly blog, No Other Foundation.If you're searching for a faith that's older than trends and sturdy enough for modern storms, this conversation offers clarity, challenge, and hope. Subscribe, share with a friend who's restless, and leave a review telling us where you're seeing ancient tradition bring new life today.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

I believe the book of Revelation is intentionally shaped by the rhythm of the seven Jewish feasts, with deep echoes of the Exodus and Israels wilderness journey woven throughout its visions. We have already seen how this works in chapter 1, where the imagery echoes Passover. Passover marked Israels deliverance from slavery through the blood of a substituteand in Revelation 1:1216, that substitute is revealed in all His risen glory. Jesus stands among His churches as the victorious Lamb who was slain and now lives forever. Because of His sacrifice, the Christian belongs to God. If you have been redeemed by Almighty God through His Son, what is there to fear? Jesus Himself answers that question: Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades (Rev. 1:1718). Our confidence is not rooted in our circumstances, but in the One who has conquered death itself. As we move into Revelation 23 and read the seven letters to the churches, the dominant echo is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which immediately followed Passover. This feast called Gods redeemed people to live holy lives, set apart for Him (Lev. 11:4445; 1 Pet. 1:1617). Israel removed all leaven from their homes as a visible reminder that they belonged to the Lord and were no longer to live under the old patterns of corruption. That same call still comes to us today: You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:1920). Each of the seven churches faced real and pressing challenges in their own dayand what they struggled with are many of the same things we struggle with today, just dressed differently. While we will look at each church individually, here is a brief snapshot of what we will encounter: The church in Ephesus had lost its first love. The church in Smyrna was about to suffer tribulation for ten days. The church in Pergamum struggled with faithfulness to sound doctrine. The church in Thyatira tolerated a false teacher within the congregation. The church in Sardis was spiritually lethargic and nearly dead. The church in Philadelphia faithfully clung to the word of God. The church in Laodicea was lukewarm and missionally useless. In every one of these churches, there was the danger of leavensin quietly working its way through the house. And the call of Christ was to remove it: through renewed love for Jesus and for one another, faithful endurance in suffering, a commitment to truth, intolerance for evil, vigilance against spiritual apathy, unflinching obedience to Christ, and a wholehearted devotion to the mission of God. About forty years before Revelation was written, Paul wrote about Gods expectation for His church: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2). Revelation 1 is about the One who makes our salvation possible. Revelation 2-3 addresses the kind of people He calls us to be. So, when we come to Revelation 4, we encounter the One on the throne who is holy, holy, holy! The City of Ephesus When the gospel came to Ephesus, it was a wealthy and influential trading city, best known for the Temple of Artemis (also called Diana), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The citys economy, culture, and moral life centered on the worship of this goddess. Artemis worship was deeply sexualized and demonic, marked by ritual immorality and idolatry (1 Cor. 10:20). Ephesus was a place where spiritual darkness was not hiddenit was celebrated, institutionalized, and profitable. Into this city, the gospel came with unmistakable power, as it always does in Gods timing and in His way. What we read in the epistle to the Romans was experienced in Ephesus: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes... (Rom. 1:16). When the apostle Paul preached Christ in Ephesus, lives were transformed, and the worship of Artemis was directly challenged. So disruptive was the gospel that those who profited from idolatry feared economic collapse, admitting that Paul had persuaded many that gods made with hands are not gods at all (Acts 19:26). Paul spent over two years there, and in this spiritually hostile environment, God birthed a faithful churchthe same church later addressed by Christ Himself in Revelation 2. What makes Jesus words to Ephesus so sobering is not the citys darkness but the fact that a church born in such devotion, perseverance, and truth would later be warned: You have abandoned the love you had at first (2:4). So what happened? To answer that question, we need to first recognize the many things Jesus praises the church for. What the Ephesian Church Was Doing Right The Ephesian church was commended for many things by Jesus such as their toil, patient endurance, and intolerance for evil. Heraclitus, a native of Ephesus and philosopher, spoke with open contempt of his citys moral corruptionso severe that later writers summarized his viewby saying no one could live in Ephesus without weeping.1 The fact that the church was able to endure for forty years in a city known for its sexual promiscuity and demonized idolatrous worship, while holding on to biblical orthodoxy, is staggering! Because of their orthodoxy and fidelity to the Word of God, the church was intolerant of evil, refused to ignore false teachers, and shared Jesuss hatred of the Nicolaitans. Forty years earlier, Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears (Acts. 20:29-31). This is what the church did well, and Jesus praised them for it. Now, notice what Jesus does not say to the church in Ephesus. He does not say they were being too orthodox. He does not say they were too truthful, or that their intolerance of evil, false teachers, and the works of the Nicolaitans was too extreme. Jesus does not tell the church to dial it back but instead celebrates these as examples of what they were doing well. What the church did well was refusing to yield to the pressures from their city to conform. Before we look at what the church got wrong, we need to address who the Nicolaitans were and why Jesus hated their teaching. From what we know, the Nicolaitans were a heretical Christian sect associated with the teaching of Balaam (Rev. 2:14-15). They taught that the grace of God permitted freedom to engage in the kinds of things their pagan neighbors enjoyed, such as sexual immorality and full participation in pagan temple feasts. Why? Because grace covered it all. We will come back to Balaam when we look at the church in Pergamum, but for now what you need to know is that Balaam is known for his false teaching that served to seduce the men of Israel to engage in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab that also resulted in the worship of their gods in place of obedience and worship of Yahweh (see Num. 25). The Nicolaitans did not deny Jesus, they just reinterpreted what obedience to Jesus really meant, in that you could both be loyal to Jesus and actively pursue and participate in the kinds of things the Word of God commands the people of God to flee from. The Ephesian church was rightfully commended for their hatred and intolerance of the works of the Nicolaitans because Jesus shares their hatred for the same reasons. Listen carefully. Jesus does not merely disagree with teachings of the Nicolaitans He hates them. He hates any belief that suggests a person can remain loyal to Him while willfully embracing the very sins He died to free us from. The cross was not a license to make peace with sin; it was Gods declaration of war against it. To claim Christ while pursuing what nailed Him to the tree is not freedomit is self-deception. Christ did not die to make sin safe, but to make His people holy. 1 Richard D. Phillips, Revelation, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: PR Publishing, 2017), 91. What the Ephesian Church Got Wrong So what was it that the church in Ephesus lost? Well, we know it wasnt the churchs orthodoxy. It was the love they had at first. What love did they have at first? I believe the love the church lost was a combination of their love for Jesus and others. I believe this because of what the apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the Ephesians and what Jesus said the church needed to do to regain the love they had lost. First, lets look at Jesus criticism in verses 4-5, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. The way back to regain what they had lost was to first remember where they had fallen or had lost sight of their love, then to repent by doing the works they had done at first. What were the works they had done at first? We are given a few clues in Ephesians about the church from what Paul says at the beginning and the end of his epistle to the Ephesians. 1st Clue: For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers... (Eph. 1:15-16) 2nd Clue: Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. (Eph. 6:24) I believe that the love the Ephesian church lost had to do with the love they had for Jesus and for one another. The New Living Translation captures this in their translation of Revelation 2:4, But I have this complaint against you. You dont love me or each other as you did at first! When a group of religious leaders asked Jesus to identify the most important commandment, His response was clear: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:3739). Genuine love for God leads to love for othersyou cannot claim to love God while refusing to love those who bear His image. As our love for God grows, it overflows into love for those around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you find this hard to accept, consider the words of the apostle John: If someone says, I love God, but hates his brother, that person is a liar; for anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). I believe the Ephesian church, first known for their faith in Jesus and their incorruptible love for Him, became the catalyst that fostered in them a love for one another, which they were known for in the early days of the churchs existence. Their love infused their faith in Jesus, and their love for all the saints was the cocktail God used to push back evil and transform lives! What Revelation 2:1-4 teaches us is that Jesus wants our obedience, but He also wants our hearts! In fact, if Jesus has your heart, He will have your obedience. Conclusion I believe the Ephesian church is listed first among the seven churches because of the danger we face when what we believe and what we do are no longer tethered to a living love for Jesus and His people. Listen carefully. Rather than criticizing the Ephesian church for its zeal for the truth of Gods Word, Jesus praised them for it. Orthodoxy is essential to the spiritual health of both Christians and the church as a whole. When believers abandon orthodoxy, spirituality does not become freer or deeperit becomes hollow and lifeless. So do their churches. But love keeps orthodoxy from hardening into something Jesus also hated. When truth is severed from love, orthodoxy collapses into legalism. And legalism is not holiness; it is a corruption of orthopraxyright living. Christian, we are called to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. Scripture commands us: As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy (1 Pet. 1:1416). But the way we pursue holiness is not through cold precision or moral superiority. It is through the kind of love the Ephesian church once hadand then lost. This is the first of seven ways Christ calls His people to cleanse His house of leaven. What is that love? Scripture defines it plainly: Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth Love never ends (1 Cor. 13:48). This is the love Jesus spoke of that must be true of His followers: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35). We live in a nation deeply fracturedso fractured that many believe we are in a cold civil war. Civil conversation between the left and the right is nearly impossible. But it must not be that way in the church Jesus redeemed from the world. Our love for Christ must overflow into genuine love for one anotherstrong enough to allow disagreement without division, conviction without contempt, and truth without hatred. Let me take this one step further. If you love the Jesus who died to ransom people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, then you must be liberated from the partisan blindness that grips both the left and the right. Christian, you belong to another kingdom. Your allegiance is not to a political ideology but to King Jesus. Please hear me: the world will not see, hear, or receive the gospel from the left or the rightbut only from Jesus Christ Himself. By Gods design, His gospel is not entrusted to government but to His church. The mess in the White House, ournation, and the world is evidence that what people need is the One who makes the Gospel the Gospelnamely, Jesus! If you cannot see thatif you cannot believe that while still calling yourself a Christianthen you are in danger of the very thing that threatened the church in Ephesus. You have lost your first love. So I leave you with the same words Jesus spoke to them: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

The Father Who Does Not ControlA Homily on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son St. Luke 15:11-31 In the parable of the Prodigal Son, our attention is often drawn to the repentance of the younger son or to the resentment of the elder. But before we look at either son, we must first look carefully at the father. What stands out immediately is not simply the father's mercy at the end, but the way he loves throughout the story. The father gives an astonishing amount of freedom to his sons—but his love is not passive, negligent, or withdrawn. It is neither controlling nor indifferent. It is something more demanding than either. When the younger son demands his inheritance, the father does not argue. He does not threaten. He does not bargain. He does not attempt to manage the future. He divides his living and lets the son go. This is not ignorance. This is not indifference. This is love that refuses to become domination. As Nikolai Velimirović reminds us, the father in this parable gives far more than justice requires. When the son demands what is "his," justice would permit the father to give him nothing at all—for apart from what his father gives, the son possesses nothing but dust. Yet the father gives him more than dust. He gives him life and breath, conscience and understanding. He leaves within him a spark that can still recognize hunger, remember the father's house, and find the road home. As St. Nikolai says, he gives this "not out of justice, but out of mercy," preserving within the son a light that may yet be rekindled—even in the far country. Freedom is permitted, but grace is not withdrawn. And this unsettles us—because we know the danger the young son will face. And so does the father. Freedom Is the Risk the Father Takes—But Not the Whole of His Love The father does not need to be warned about what lies ahead. He knows the far country and all its terrible temptations. He has watched his son grow. He knows his immaturity as well as his great potential. He knows that his son will probably fail. He knows that his son will probably be hurt. And still, he lets him go. The younger son leaves because he is free. The elder son stays because he is free. And the father loves both sons without controlling either. But this does not mean the father is hands-off. The father does not manage his son's choices—but he does shape the conditions in which those choices will be understood. He does not eliminate consequences—but he ensures that consequences can teach rather than annihilate. He does not chase his son—but he preserves the meaning of home. A human parent is often tempted to intervene constantly—to explain, threaten, restrain, or negotiate—motivated by what the parent calls "love." This father does something harder. He does not protect his son from failure. Instead, he protects the possibility of return. The Far Country and the Formation of Repentance The son's freedom leads him exactly where freedom so often leads when it is exercised without  wisdom: [it leads] to waste, hunger, and despair. He spends what he has been given. He discovers that independence cannot sustain life. He finds himself reduced to feeding swine, longing even for their food. This is not accidental. The far country is real and so are its dangers. Freedom has weight. Choices have consequences.  The younger son suffers. Yet even here, something remains alive within him; the memory of his home and of real love. The spark the father put into him through years of his strong example and sacrificial love has not gone out. He remembers the house. He remembers bread. He remembers that it would be better to be a doorman in the house of his father than live in the palaces of the far country – much less among its swine. And so, at last, he comes to himself. This is the risk the father was willing to take—not merely rebellion, but suffering—so that wisdom could be learned rather than imposed; so that the movement from willfulness to self-control would not be coerced; so that repentance would be real, and not merely compliance; so that the son's growth into authentic manhood would be genuine. Love, here, does not manage outcomes. It prepares for, cultivates, and then, Lord willing, blesses the return. The Father Runs: Love That Restores Without Controlling When the son returns, the father does something no respectable patriarch would ever do. He runs. He does not wait on the porch. He does not demand explanations. He does not require proof of sincerity. He runs, falls upon the son's neck, and kisses him. The son begins his confession, but the father will not let him finish. The father does not allow him to negotiate his way back as a servant. He never seems tempted to belittle him or his bad choices.  The repentance is already there.  And so He restores him fully—as a son. The robe is placed on him. The ring is given. The shoes are fastened. The feast is prepared. This is not manipulation. This is resurrection. The father does not restore the son cautiously, with conditions and safeguards. He restores him completely—because love that controls repentance would threaten to undo and replace repentance itself. Restoration, however, is not the end of the son's story. It is the beginning of his real formation. The father does not restore his son so that nothing will be asked of him. He restores him so that, once again, he can live as a son—within the life of the house, under the same roof, nourished at the same table, finally able to follow his father's example. From this point forward, the son's life will be shaped not by fear or regret, but by gratitude. Not by apathy or micromanagement, but by participation. Not by rules imposed from outside, but by imitation from within. He will learn patience by living with a patient father. He will learn generosity by breaking bread at a generous table. He will learn mercy by watching mercy given freely—now to him, and later, perhaps, through him. This is how ascetical formation truly works in the Kingdom: not as control imposed after repentance, but as the means to a more beautiful life shared after restoration. The father does not need to stand over his son. He only needs to remain who he has always been. And now his younger son is finally ready to benefit from his father's witness and from his love. When Righteousness Becomes Control How about the elder son?  He never left the house—but did he ever really live there?  Like his younger brother, he never entered into the beauty his father had cultivated there. He hears the music. He sees the celebration. And he refuses to go in. His obedience has quietly become a claim. "I have served." "I have obeyed." "You owe me." This is the righteousness that keeps accounts. This is the righteousness that resents mercy. This is the righteousness that expects goodness to produce predictable results. For us, and for the people in our lives. And here the parable turns toward us. Because this temptation is painfully familiar. We want to make sure the people we love turn out "right." We want holiness to guarantee outcomes. We want obedience to function as insurance. So we pray harder. We structure more tightly. We supervise more closely. And when things still fall apart, we grow angry—at our children, at others, sometimes even at God. But righteousness that must control outcomes does not build the father's house. It builds Babel. The House That Is More Than a House Only now are we ready to see what has been before us all along. This father is not merely a father. This house is not merely a house. The father in this parable is God. And his house is the Kingdom as it must be lived on earth. The Kingdom is not sustained by manipulation. But neither is it sustained by abandonment. It is sustained by trust, order, beauty, memory, mercy—and freedom. God does not save by coercion. He saves by allowing Himself to be rejected—and by transforming that rejection into something glorious.  The cross becomes the path back to our heart's true home. The father does not chase his son into the far country. He does something harder. He keeps the house intact. He keeps bread on the table. He keeps the feast ready. He keeps himself open. The Measure of Love The measure of love is not how well we control the lives of those we love. But neither is it based on how easily we detach ourselves from them. The measure of love is whether we build and sustain a culture that forms people who know how to come home. The father risks heartbreak rather than violate freedom. Christ offers salvation through the Cross rather than coercing obedience. The Spirit works quietly, patiently, without domination—yet never without presence. That is the Kingdom. That is Orthodoxy lived rightly. That is the home we are called to build. And when the son appears on the horizon—still filthy, still broken, still free—the father runs. To Him be all glory, honor, and worship.  Amen.  

This episode explores the background of the Czar reduced to tears after the Battle of Austerlitz. Many readers know little of the ruler Nicholas Rostov and countless officers were so devoted to.Over the last few years, you may have watched Ridley Scott's film “Napoleon.” I argue that the casting of Alexandr embraces a view of the filmmaker that aligns with the perception the fictional Nicholas held.  Edouard Philipponnat as Alexandr was the standout in the film and embraced a youthful exuberance. Handsome and dashing, Scott captured the energy that Tolstoy depicts.  Should you view a portrait of Alexandr, however, you will not see the equivalent of an Edourd or Brad Pitt. You will discover something that fits of Alexander Pushkin's description of Alexandr of being a “Balding Dandy.” Pushkin was exiled by Alexandr for anti-Czarist sentiments.Napoleon even wrote Josephine in 1807: “I am satisfied with Alexander and he ought to be satisfied with me. If he were a woman, I think I would make him my mistress.” Historically, the opposite may have been true.  Alexandr may have taken up an affair with Josephine and assuredly did so with numerous beautiful and intelligent woman of the aristocracy.More Importantly, Alexandr has a fascinating background which contributes to turning him into the lamenting Sovereign at Austerlitz.Alexander's grandfather was Peter III, who was born in northern German speaking lands and was also, for a time, the presumptive heir for the throne of Sweden. Peter served as Czar for only six months before his wife, Catherine, plotted to overthrew him in 1762. Catherine was Germanic royalty who converted to Orthodoxy upon her marriage. Catherine moved quickly against her husband, who she regarded as lacking sense and maturity. She also considered him a drunk.  Nevertheless, some German historians find Peter to be cultured and open-minded. Peter did have an openness to adapting European technology and placed the sciences on a prestigious level. After the coup, Peter was held in a prison and likely strangled.  The official account was that the cause was a stroke or bowel obstruction. Catherine then ruled as regent for her son Paul, but never gave up any authority when Paul became of-age, around 1772. Catherine alleged, in memoirs and conversation, that Paul was sired by one of her lovers, which would mean Alexandr was not of any so-called Royal blood.  Nevertheless, she took notable efforts to educate Paul's two sons, Alexandr and Konstantin.When Catherine died in 1796, Paul assumed leadership and met a similar end as Peter after a five year reign. Paul shares a complex reputation and was quite notably influenced by his love of Prussia, especially their military.  Paul was most assuredly strangled in 1801.  This second murder of a Czar within 40 years is what brought Alexandr (then 23) to the throne.As referenced, Catherine dedicated time to instruct Alexandr and his brother Konstantin. She would relay the importance of the French Revolution and read to them the Declaration of the Rights of Man. More consequentially, Catherine assigned Alexandr a Swiss tutor, Frédéric-César de La Harpe, to teach Enlightenment ideals. For generations, aristocratic households were commonly hiring French and Swiss educators. Peter the Great had a Swiss soldier and advisor, François Lefort, instruct him on how to follow the path of Europe.Alexandr took to his Swiss tutor and had a keen mind toward European ways. As soon as he became Czar, he put aspects of his education into practice, including creating an intellectual inner circle. Early on, this close group planned various reforms such as easing censorship and planning for a Constitution of the type sprouting around Europe.There was a recognition that serfs were the agricultural and military backbone – but this system would eventually have to change. Alexandr desired phase out serfdom but it didn't end until 1861. Alexandr went as far as issuing a voluntary decree - noting landowners could free their serfs and give them land if they desired. He understood what could and could not be done.Reports are that Alexandr considered himself to be inspired – something of a Chosen One. He felt it was ordained that he would prevail at the pivotal battle at Austerlitz, which he chose to be present at. The all-encompassing loss caused him to become utterly devastated.

All the Episodes of the Heidelcast Subscribe to the Heidelcast! Browse the Heidelshop! On X @Heidelcast On Insta & Facebook @Heidelcast Subscribe in Apple Podcast Subscribe directly via RSS Call The Heidelphone via Voice Memo On Your Phone The Heidelcast is available wherever podcasts are found including Spotify. Call or text the Heidelphone anytime at (760) 618-1563. Leave a message or email us a voice memo from your phone and we may use it in a future podcast. Record it and email it to heidelcast@heidelblog.net. If you benefit from the Heidelcast please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts so that others can find it. Please do not forget to make the coffer clink (see the donate button below). SHOW NOTES How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The Heidelberg Catechism The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Commentary (Lexham Academic) Recovering the Reformed Confession (P&R Publishing, 2008) Why I Am A Christian What Must A Christian Believe? Heidelblog Contributors Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to: Heidelberg Reformation Association 1637 E. Valley Parkway #391 Escondido CA 92027 USA The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization  

Zurvanism is a lesser-known feature of ancient Zoroastrianism that centers on Zurvan, the god of infinite time, and the cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. In this video, we explore the origins, beliefs, and historical influence of Zurvanism, what it is and isn't, and why it matters for understanding ancient Persian religion and dualism.Check out Soul Roots:https://www.youtube.com/@UCX0IxGB0xYS5kV3IX-KbBPQ Find me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recommended Reading:Boyce, Mary (1957). "Some Reflections on Zurvanism". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London , 1957, Vol. 19, No. 2 (1957), pp. 304-316. Cambridge University Press.Boyce, Mary (2000). "Zoroastrians: Their Their Religious Beliefs and Practices". Routledge; 2nd edition.Boyce, Mary (1996). "On the Orthodoxy of Sasanian Zoroastrianism". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1996, Vol. 59, No. 1 (1996), pp. 11-28. Cambridge University Press.Boyce, Mary (1990). "Some Some Further Reflections on Zurvanism". Iranica Varia: Papers in Honor of Professor Ehsan Yarshater. Brill. Dahlén, Ashk (transl.) (2023). "Zarathustra: Sånger". h:ström.Humbach, Helmut & Pallan Ichaporia (transl.) (1994). "The Heritage of Zarathushtra: A New Translation of His Gathas. Universitatsverlag Winter. Moazami, Mahnaz (ed.) (2016). "Zoroastrianism: A collection of Articles from the Encyclopedia Iranica". ENCYCLOPAEDIA IRANICA FOUNDATION. 2 Volumes.Rose, Jenny (2019). "Zoroastrianism: An Introduction". I.B. Tauris Introduction to Religions. Bloomsbury Academic.Strausberg, Michael; & Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina (ed.) (2015). "The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism". Wiley-Blackwell. Zaehner, R.C. (1955). "Zurvan: A Zoroastrian Dilemma". Oxford.https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvanism/https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zurvan-deity/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In November 2025, Rod Dreher published an essay in the Free Press, based on an earlier Substack post he'd written, about anti-Semitism on the American right. Dreher had just returned from Washington, where he'd spent several days speaking with young conservatives working in think tanks and in government. What he discovered was that a significant portion of young men on the right, perhaps as many as 30 or 40 percent, expressed sympathy for Nick Fuentes, the white-supremacist podcaster who denies the Holocaust and openly attacks Jewish institutions and Jewish people. The trigger for Dreher's reporting was an interview of Fuentes in late October by another media personality, Tucker Carlson. Having watched that interview, Dreher witnessed what he called a Rubicon-crossing moment: the most influential conservative media figure in America giving a remarkably soft platform to someone who has praised Hitler and has made all manner of psychotic claims about the Jewish people. Dreher had considered Carlson a friend. That friendship ended when he called him out over the Fuentes interview. Dreher's voice is particularly important because he speaks from deep within the world of American Christian conservatism. He is the author of The Benedict Option, a defining text for thinking about Christian cultural withdrawal, published in 2017. He has also written extensively about his own conversion to Orthodoxy, and has spent much of his career reporting on the institutional health of American Christianity. So when he sounds an alarm, as he does in this conversation with Mosaic's editor Jonathan Silver, about anti-Semitism spreading among young Christian conservatives, Jews should listen. This conversation was recorded in December, with Dreher in Budapest, where he now lives. This episode of the Tikvah Podcast is generously sponsored by Ilya Shapiro, constitutional scholar at the Manhattan Institute. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of the Tikvah Podcast, we invite you to join the Tikvah Ideas Circle. Visit tikvah.org/circle to learn more and join.

Fr. Thomas responds to an address by Vassa Larin about the term 'Orthodox." Larin claims that misuse of basic terms like "orthodoxy," "church," and "canonicity" are causing distortion of the Faith and require further clarification. What does she mean by "reclaiming" and "clarifying" these terms?

"It's Complicated" is our series at Fusion Christian Church on relationships. Everyone knows our relationships are messy, but not everyone knows how to navigate them. This series will provide godly, biblical principles for keeping your relationships much less complicated! In Part 2, Joel Pierce (our worship director) talks about how to have a godly influence on the people around you.Influence is wasted if it does not point to Christ.We can influence people in many ways, but unless we point to Christ we are wasting our time. People might remember you fondly for telling good jokes and being a fun person, but these things are temporary. By pointing people to Christ in all we do we can have an impact on their eternity, not just their present.Give God the Glory.In leadership, as in all things, we must learn to give God the glory. Any time you attempt to influence people, you are attempting leadership, even if you have no official position. By giving God glory, we not only recognize our creator, but we help keep ourselves out of the spotlight. in that way, giving God glory is really about keeping ourselves humble. If you desire influence in order to make yourself look better, you have the wrong attitude. Glorifying God instead maintains a humble attitude.Start Small.If you're trying to have a positive impact on others, it's important to focus on the people around you first. Stop worrying about the people who are not in your sphere of influence and focus on the people who are. If you are faithful with the few people God has placed around you, God will reward your diligence and increase your influence according to your abilities.Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy.Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy refer to right teaching and right practice, respectively. When you combine them, they encapsulate what we believe and how we live out that belief. If we can maintain those two things effectively, then we are on our way to setting a right example in our lives. God calls all Christians to set an example for those around us. If we can keep our doctrine and practice sound, then we will encourage those around us through our example. 

This episode of Stories of Hope offers a heartfelt glimpse into a love story that began in Mexico through shared mission work. Boone and Anna reflect on the past year of their lives—one marked by service, growth, and a deepening commitment to one another. Brought together while building homes and serving alongside Project Mexico, their relationship was shaped and strengthened through daily life on mission. As they prepare to step into their next chapter, Boone and Anna share how faith, service, and community laid the foundation for both their work and their life together. This episode is a celebration of vocation, love, and the unexpected ways mission work can transform lives.

This video is a clip of my stream "Kabbalah & the Reformation: The Esoteric Roots of Protestant Thought (Sponsored Stream)" If you would like to watch the entire stream please click the following link. https://youtube.com/live/qVSU-i3shw4

What if the ache you feel on Sunday isn't a lack of passion, but a hunger for roots? Tony Nektarios Vasquez joins us to share how a Pentecostal upbringing, a non-denominational season, and eventually a Calvinist-leaning church plant still left him asking where the first 1,500 years fit in. His story is not a theory lesson—it's a family saga: a praying father discovering the Desert Fathers, a brother slipping out to Vespers, a wife and children encountering reverence for the first time, and a co-pastor who realized that history, Scripture, and worship belong together.We trace Tony's path from Pentecostal roots and a non-denominational church plant to a sober look at church history, liturgy, and apostolic succession. Family doubts, online study, and the beauty of Vespers turn hesitation into conviction as Scripture and tradition align.• questioning charismatic altar practices and emotionalism• moving from Reformers to the first 1,500 years• parish visits to St James and first Vespers• answers on icons, relics, and intercession from Scripture• liturgy as continuity with Old Testament worship• apostolic succession and the promise that the Church endures• closing a young church to enter Orthodoxy• finding healing and stability in the sacramentsWe walk through the uncomfortable questions most avoid. Are altar manifestations genuine or coached? Does sola fide stand when held beside James and the early Church? How do relics, icons, and the intercession of the saints square with the Bible? Tony takes us inside St. James Orthodox Church in Modesto, where incense and chant weren't novelty, but a doorway to Christ-centered prayer. He shares the moment his daughter said the hymns made her want to cry, the way Revelation reframed prayer as a communion of heaven and earth, and how apostolic succession answered the authority problem that haunted his independent church.This conversation is a guided tour from system to story, from proof texts to a living tradition. We touch on the continuity between Old Testament worship and the Divine Liturgy, the claim that the Church Christ founded never paused or rebooted, and the quiet courage it took to close a young church for a faith that felt both ancient and alive. If you've wondered where the dots connect—Scripture, history, and sacrament—this is an honest map drawn in real time.If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more thoughtful journeys into the ancient faith, and leave a review to help others find the show. Your questions and stories shape future episodes—drop them in the comments and say hello to Tony.Questions about Orthodoxy? Please check out our friends at Ghost of Byzantium Discord server: https://discord.gg/JDJDQw6tdhPlease prayerfully consider supporting Cloud of Witnesses: https://www.patreon.com/c/CloudofWitnessesFind Cloud of Witnesses on Instagram, X.com, Facebook, and TikTok.Please leave a comment with your thoughts!

Why do some people feel their shelf of unanswered questions eventually breaks? In this Y Religion episode, Professor Jared Halverson discusses his article "Broken Shelves or Continuing Revelation? Extending the Shelf Life of Faith" and reframes the idea of a faith shelf into three shelves—revelation past, present, and future. He explains how remembering God's past mercies, engaging in current spiritual learning, and patiently awaiting future revelation can strengthen faith and prevent spiritual stagnation. Through scripture, storytelling, and years of working with students in faith crises, Dr. Halverson offers a shelf-by-shelf process for extending the shelf life of our faith. Publications: "Broken Shelves or Continuing Revelation? Extending the Shelf Life of Faith," Religious Educator, 25.3 (2024) "Just War and the Causes of Christ," in This Great and Lasting War: Studies in Alma 45–63, Religious Studies Center (2025) "'Covering the Seers': Antivisionary Skepticism in the Days of Joseph Smith," in Joseph Smith as a Visionary: Heavenly Manifestations in the Latter Days, Religious Studies Center (2025) "The Way, the Truth, and the Way to Truth: harmony in Pursuit of Orthodoxy," in I Glory in My Jesus: Understanding Christ in the Book of Mormon, Religious Studies Center (2023) Click here to learn more about Jared Halverson

The daughter of a prominent Roman family, she was given in marriage despite her reluctance, but was widowed after less than a year. Following the example of the prophetess Anna, she dedicated her widowhood to God and turned her fine house in Rome into a monastery, living there in strict asceticism.   “When the Church was riven by controversies about the doctrines of Origen, Saint Marcella kept silent for a while but, deciding at length to take up the cause of Orthodoxy, and maintaining a sweet and gentle manner in the exchanges, she succeeded in confounding the arguments of the heretics.” (Ormylia Synaxarion)   When the Goths invaded and pillaged Rome in 410 they broke into her house. Marcella received them calmly, but when they demanded money she answered that no one as poorly clothed as she was could be expected to have any money. At this the invaders beat her mercilessly despite her great age. She bore their blows without complaint, asking only that they spare her spiritual daughter Principia. Struck to the heart by her response, the barbarians took her and her disciple to the Church of St Paul, where she reposed two days later.

In this pair of talks, Fr. Anthony examines why discernment so often fails in the Church—not because of bad faith or lack of intelligence, but because discernment is a matter of formation before it is a matter of decision. Drawing on insights from intelligence analysis, psychology, and Orthodox anthropology, he shows how authority, moral seriousness, and modern systems of manipulation quietly exploit predictable habits of perception, producing confidence without clarity. True discernment, he argues, is neither technical nor private, but ecclesial: formed through humility, ascetic practice, and participation in the Church's communal rhythms, where judgment matures over time through accountability, repentance, and shared life in Christ. --- Talk One: Why Discernment Fails Expertise, Authority, Manipulation, and the Formation of Perception Fr. Anthony Perkins Introduction Brothers, I want to begin today not with Scripture or a Father of the Church, but with a warning—from someone who spent his life studying failure in complex systems. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, in The Black Swan, writes this: "You cannot ignore self-delusion. The problem with experts is that they do not know what they do not know. Lack of knowledge and delusion about the quality of your knowledge come together—the same process that makes you know less also makes you satisfied with your knowledge." (pause) Taleb is talking about intelligence analysts, economists, and technical experts—people who are trained, credentialed, experienced, and entrusted with judgment under uncertainty. But if, just for a moment, you change one word in your mind—from expert to priest—the danger becomes uncomfortably familiar. We wear cassocks instead of suits, but the temptation is the same. Not arrogance. Not bad intentions. But unintentional self-delusion born of taking our calling to serve well seriously. A Necessary Pastoral Safeguard Before we go any further, I want to be very clear—because this matters. Taleb is not accusing experts of pride. He is not describing a moral failure. He is describing what happens to the human mind under complexity. And clergy live permanently in complex systems: human souls suffering families conflicted parishes incomplete information real consequences The danger is not that we don't care. The danger is that experience can quietly convince us that we are seeing clearly—especially when we are not. A Lesson from Intelligence Work When I worked in military intelligence, there was a saying—half joking, half deadly serious: The most dangerous person in the world is an intelligence analyst in a suit. At first, that sounds like gallows humor. But it isn't. The danger wasn't that analysts were malicious. The danger was that analysts don't just possess information—they interpret reality for others. And here's where psychology matters. Robert Cialdini has shown that one of the strongest and most reliable human biases is deference to authority. People are far more likely to accept judgments when they come from someone who looks like an authority—someone in a suit, a lab coat, or standing behind an official desk. Jonathan Haidt adds something crucial: people formed in conservative moral cultures—cultures that value order, continuity, and tradition—are especially inclined to defer to legitimate authority. That's not a flaw. It's one of the strengths of such cultures. It's one of the strengths of our Orthodox culture. But it carries a cost. Because when authority speaks, critical perception often relaxes. And when authority speaks with confidence, coherence, and moral seriousness, people don't just listen. They trust.  And they trust in a way that they, like us - the ones who guide them - feel connected with the truth and the Source of all truth. But in our fallenness our sense of certainty may be driven by something other than a noetic connection with the deeper ontological of truth.  Scripture about the devil appearing as angel of light (2 Cor 11:14-15) and wolves going around in sheep's clothing (Mat 7:15) are not just designed to keep us from trusting everyone who offers to speak a good work; a spiritual meaning is that our own thoughts can be deceptive, appearing as angelic and meek but lacking true virtue. All of this, combined with the seriousness of our calling, should reinforce our commitment to pastor humbly and patiently, erring on the side of gentleness … and trusting in the iterative process of repentance to bring discernment and healing to those we serve. From Suit to Cassock In intelligence work, the suit mattered. In science, it's the lab coat. In the Church, it's the cassock. When a priest speaks—especially confidently, decisively, and with moral gravity—people don't just hear an opinion. They receive guidance. And that means any blind spot—any overconfidence, any unexamined habit of thought—does not remain private. It spreads. Why This Is Dangerous (and Why It Is Not an Accusation) This is where Taleb's insight comes sharply back into focus. The most dangerous situation is not ignorance. It is: incomplete knowledge combined with confidence amplified by authority received by people disposed to trust Taleb is not accusing experts of arrogance. Cialdini is not accusing people of gullibility. Haidt is not accusing conservative cultures of naïveté. They are describing how human beings actually function. And clergy live precisely at the intersection of all three forces: complexity authority moral trust Which means discernment failures in the Church are rarely loud or obvious. They are usually calm, confident, sincere—and despite this, still wrong.  And unfortunately, still dangerous. We are susceptible to the same temptations as everyone else.  In order to serve well, we  need to cultivate a combination of humility and confidence:  confidence because we are called and trained to do this work; humility because we are not experts in everything, are still incompletely formed, and the problems in our communities and in this world are incredibly complex. Another Lesson from Intelligence: this time, counterintelligence The challenge of being right all the time is not just that we can't know everything, but that there are powers of the earth and what I call the marketers of the air that are trying to manipulate us.  And, alas, not matter how serious or smart or well-educated we are, we are still vulnerable to their wiles. During the Cold War, American intelligence analysts and operatives were taught to keep everything they could about themselves private.  This was because we knew that the spy agencies of the Soviet Union were actively collecting information – what we called dossiers - on everyone they could so that they could develop and exploit opportunities to use us. The Soviets didn't need to convert us. They didn't need to convince us. They needed: our habits our reactions our trusted assumptions our unguarded patterns Their dossiers were less about facts than they were about about leverage.  And it worked.  My first assignment in the Army was as an interrogator.  It was a similar deal there.  The work of getting information out of someone gets a lot easier when you have information about them, about their histories, about their fears, about their motivations. And here's the unavoidable turn. Today, advertisers, platforms, and political actors possess dossiers that would have made Cold War intelligence officers and interrogators weep with envy. They know: what angers us what comforts us what affirms us when we are tired when we are lonely what makes us feel righteous And clergy are NOT exempt from their data collection or their use of that data. In fact, we may be especially vulnerable, because we are tempted to mistake moral seriousness for immunity. And advertisers, platforms, and political actors with all their algorithms do not do this alone.  The fallen powers of the air have been studying us and our weakness even longer than Facebook.  More committed men than us – here I think of St. Silouon when he was young – have fallen victim to their machinations.  And now they have more allies and useful idiots working with them than ever. Porn addiction and religious polarization – even within Orthodoxy – show that these allies (BIG DATA and the DEMONS) are having their desired effect. Discernment Is Not Being Bypassed—It Is Being Used Here is the hard truth. Most modern manipulation does not bypass discernment. It uses malformed discernment. It works because: our instincts are trained elsewhere our attention is fragmented our emotional reactions are predictable our confidence exceeds our perception This is not a technology problem. It is not a political problem. It is a formation problem. Psychological Bias Is Not a Moral Failure At this point, I could list all the biases that set us up for failure: confirmation bias availability bias motivated reasoning affect heuristics But that would miss the deeper point. Biases are not bugs. They are features of an untrained mind. And the Church has never believed that the mind heals itself through information alone. Which brings us to the Orthodox diagnosis. Discernment Is Formational, Not Technical In the Orthodox tradition, discernment is not a technique for making decisions. It is the fruit of a formed person. And that formation involves the whole human being and all three parts of the human mind: the gut, the brain, and the heart. The Gut / The Passions This is the fastest part of the mind.  In our default state, it is the real decision-maker. It reacts. It protects. It simplifies. It is trained by repetition, not arguments. If this part of the mind is shaped by: urgency outrage novelty exhaustion Then discernment will always feel obvious—and often be wrong. Orthopraxis trains our gut through the repetition of godly habits: fasting silence patience submission to the deeper rhythms The Brain/Intellect This is where narratives are built. Where reasons are assembled. Where Scripture and Fathers are cited. In our default state, it justifies the decisions and instincts of the gut. It is vulnerable not to ignorance, but to selectivity. This is where proof-texting lives. This is where outliers become weapons. This is where cleverness masquerades as wisdom. And here St. Paul gives us a crucial criterion: "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up." (1 Cor 10:23) The danger is not that clergy cannot justify what they do. We have big brains and have learned a lot of words. Wecan justify almost anything. The danger is mistaking justifiability for discernment. Orthopraxis here looks like: immersion rather than scanning repetition rather than novelty mastering the middle of the bell curve of tradition rather than its extremes making the perfect words of our worship, prayer books, and Bibles the main texts that we rely on to know what is beautiful, good, and true The Heart / The Nous The nous cannot be controlled. It cannot be optimized. It cannot be forced. It is healed, opened, and attenuated only by grace. In our default setting, our connection with God through the nous is narrow or closed, and we are prone to mistaking the movements of our passions – often called our conscience – for revelation and divine inspiration. Orthopraxis here is simple, but takes time to gain traction: the quieting of the gut and of the brain immersion in worship immersion in prayer time spent in silent awe of God The Quiet Conclusion of Talk One So here is the point I want to leave you with now: Discernment is not something we do when the need to make a decision appears. It is a facility we are developing long before the decision arrives. Taleb helps us see the danger. Intelligence work helps us see the mechanics. Orthodox praxis shows us the cure. But none of this happens alone. Which brings us to the second talk— because discernment is not merely personal. It is ecclesial.   Talk Two: Discernment Is Ecclesial Communion, Authority, and the Social Formation of Perception Introduction Brothers, Earlier, I spoke about why discernment fails. Not because priests are careless. Not because we lack sincerity. Not because we haven't read enough. But because discernment is formational, and formation always happens somewhere—whether we are paying attention or not. Now I want to take the next step. If discernment is not merely a personal skill, then the question becomes unavoidable: Where does discernment actually happen? And the Church's answer has always been the same. Not in isolation. Not in private certainty. But in communion. The Myth of the Independent Discerner Earlier we spoke about discernment as formation—about how perception is trained long before decisions appear. Now I want to push that insight one step further. Because even if a person is well-formed, the Church has never believed that discernment belongs to individual insight alone. And here it is helpful—perhaps unexpectedly—to look at how knowledge actually works in the modern world. A Brief Detour: How We Actually Know Things Some people imagine the scientific method as the triumph of the lone genius. But that is not how science works. Individual scientists propose hypotheses. They run experiments. They notice patterns. But no discovery becomes knowledge until it is: tested by others challenged by peers replicated over time corrected when necessary When science works, it only does so when individual insight is embedded within a community of accountability. Without that community, science collapses into speculation, ideology, or manipulation.  We have seen that very thing happen right before our eyes.  I still hope that the system can be reformed.  But it can't without individual and systematic repentance.  I hope that happens. The Ecclesial Parallel Even at its best, the scientific community is a pale shadow of The Church and its system of both individual and communal discernment. Individual Christians—clergy included—receive insights, intuitions, and perceptions. But those perceptions only become discernment when they are tested: liturgically pastorally communally over time This is why discernment in the Church is never merely private, even when it feels personal. We know this about the Ecumenical Councils, but it needs to be built into the way we live our lives and govern our parishes. Why the Independent Discerner Is a Myth Isolation does not produce wisdom. It produces clarity without the possibility of correction. And clarity without correction feels an awful lot like discernment—especially to the one experiencing it. And surrounding ourselves with people who always agree with us is not better than isolation.  We saw how that affected science when came to the climate and COVID; we can't be so proud as to think we aren't susceptible to the same sort of self-rightous group-think. Authority Does Not Cancel Accountability Earlier we spoke about authority and trust. That deference is part of the deeper harmony. But it creates an asymmetry: the more people trust us, the less likely they are to correct us. All of us need to develop relationships with people who both think differently than we do and whom we can trust to correct us in love and in a way that we can hear.  Ideally this council of advisors includes our wives, confessors, and a cohort of brother priests. Discernment Does Not Reside in a Brain Discernment does not primarily reside in an individual mind. It resides in a body. The Church does not possess discernment as a technique. The Church is the place where discernment occurs. Clergy as Hosts of Discernment When it comes to leadership, clergy are not just decision-makers and teachers. We are witnesses, hosts, and facilitators of discernment. We shape environments. We normalize rhythms. We form what should be said—and what should not. Who are we to have such control?  No one.  We do it in the Name of the one who deserves such power, this must be done humbly and sacrificially – and by sacrificially, I don't just mean the sacrifice of our time but of our ego and sometimes even the sacrifice of our justifiable preferences and opinions.  To paraphrase St. Paul once again, all things may be justifiable, but not all things are useful.  And in another place he makes the same point, saying; "though I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love" it's all just just noise.  And the world doesn't need more noise: it needs signal.  I believe that the fact that we are not smart enough or consistent enough to get everything right all the time is a feature, not a bug.  The people we serve need to see us make mistakes; not so they can see that we are only human (that's pretty obvious), but so that we can truly witness to them what discernment and repentance look like. We shouldn't make a lot of mistakes, and we should certainly avoid making the same one twice, but a zero-defect culture is a cult, not a community.  And cults are neither healthy nor sustainable. The Liturgical Ecology of Discernment Discernment is not trained by intensity. It is trained by ecology.  By immersion into the communal rhythms of orthopraxis. By: developing a relationship with a spiritual father repetition over novelty calendar over urgency fasting over reaction worship over commentary stability over constant motion accepting and sharing the spirit and not just the letter of the guidance given to us by our bishops The Quiet Conclusion of Talk Two The Church does not promise us freedom from error. She promises us a way of life in which error can be healed. Discernment is not a tool for avoiding mistakes. It is a way of learning how to dwell truthfully with God and one another. And that dwelling—like Eden, like the Temple, like the Church itself—is always shared.  

SEGMENT 15: MUSK, CARLSON, AND VANCE DIVERGE FROM REPUBLICAN ORTHODOXY Guest: Peter Berkowitz Berkowitz discusses Michael Doran's Tablet article examining three Trump celebrities—Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, and Vice President J.D. Vance—whose views diverge from traditional Republican policies. Musk favors government subsidies and China partnership, Carlson platforms hate speakers, and Vance promotes isolationism over American global leadership.UNDATED BRUSSELS