Fr. Barnabas welcomes Dan Christopulos of IOCC and Nick Chakos of Focus North America to talk about our clear mandate from the Lord to care for the poor.

Fr. Barnabas Powell welcomes the Executive Director of FOCUS North America Seraphim Danckaert to talk about the theology of caring for the poor and how it relates to our salvation.

A Roma man’s cry to God for mercy to spare his son’s life transforms his future and the future of his small town.

OM Ecuador team member Candy Arteaga shares a story that demonstrates how God leads us to Himself, even while we wait for healing.

Revivalists, in the early 1800s, such as Asa Mahan (president of Oberlin College) and evangelist Charles Finney advanced Wesley's theology. They taught "that sinners had the natural ability to believe, and that evangelistic methods could overcome their 'moral' inability through the persuasive power of the Gospel." "Finney and Mahan applied this same understanding to the Christian's growth toward spiritual maturity. To be sanctified, they insisted, required only the same kind of simple, instantaneous faith one exercised to be converted." In 1836 both men experienced what they called "baptisms of the Holy Ghost" which they believed not only freed them from committing sin but also removed their tendency toward sin. Contributing to the spread of this "Holiness" doctrine were the popular camp meeting revivals of the first half of the 1800s, the ministry of Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) (who taught that sanctification could be reached instantaneously by an act of faith) and the "Prayer Revival" of 1857-1858 (sometimes called the Third Great Awakening). There was also much unrest in Methodist circles as many felt the denomination had lost its fervor. The Wesleyan Methodist (in 1843) and the Free Methodist (in 1860) left the denomination to form the first Holiness denominations. Until the 1890s the Holiness Movement was largely a Methodist phenomenon, but as the Methodists settled more into mainstream Christianity tensions escalated into a schism which resulted in new, non-Methodist, Holiness denominations. These included the Church of God, Anderson, Indiana (1880), Church of the Nazarene (1908) and Pilgrim Holiness Church (1897). The Holiness adherents saw themselves as the true descendents of the Wesleys and practiced strict moral ethics, abstinence from worldly pleasures and amusements and a strong belief in entire sanctification (also known as the "second blessing" and the baptism of the Holy Spirit). More importantly "Holiness teaching offered 19th-century evangelicals a means of overcoming their sectarian conflicts. Doctrine might divide, but the experience of a pure heart would unite all true believers against the threats posed by religious formalism, atheism, and Roman Catholicism." This Holiness emphasis would continue to be spread throughout the 19th century by individuals and groups as diverse as the Salvation Army, Quakers, D. L. Moody, Hannah Whitall Smith, the Y.M.C.A., the Keswick Movement and Oswald Chambers. A brief explanation concerning some of those might prove helpful. ... Maturity in Christ is expected of every believer; freedom from spiritual battle with the world, the flesh and the devil is attained only in the next life. At the same time, we must be careful that we do not over react to Holiness philosophy and believe that godliness is attained through our own self-determined efforts of obedience. We are certainly called to obedience, but it is not a self-energized, self-motivated or self-obtaining obedience. It is an obedience made possible only because of the power of God in our lives. This is the consistent teaching of the New Testament, but we will direct our attention to Romans 8:12-13. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Peterson, once again, summarizes things well, "Holiness of life is not simply attained by moral effort nor even by striving to keep the law of God. It is not even a matter of 'letting go and letting God.' Practical holiness involves 'putting to death' in our lives what God has already sentenced to death on the cross ('mortification') and living out the new life given to us by the indwelling Christ. Human effort is required, but not apart from, nor distinct from the activity of God's Spirit, who subdues the flesh as we mortify it in His power, and as we set our minds upon the things of the Spirit." -- Holiness of life should be the heart-felt desire of every Christian. But that holiness is not found in either short-cuts or self effort. **It is found as we pursue righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22) laying aside the deeds of the flesh (Colossians 3:5-10) through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and as we behold the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holiness Movement was in many ways a reaction to the dead orthodoxy and lifeless spirituality that infiltrated so much of Christianity during the nineteenth-century. However, its [explicit] remedy, a second blessing [based more on human ability] resulting in the eradication of sinful tendencies and a higher life not available to the unbaptized, went beyond the teaching of Scripture. As is often the case in reactionary movements, the cure [i.e. a cultural salvation, human based rules salvation] may be as bad as the [original sin] disease.

Fr. Stephen looks at the difference between individual salvation and personal salvation and the deep importance found in the distinction.

Fr. Stephen looks at particular points within the gospel teaching that are sometimes "scandalous," that is a "rock of stumbling" for believers. He examines how important these points are and how essential for our salvation.

Fr. Stephen talks about one aspect of the Orthodox understanding of salvation by grace, and notes that a very large part of it consists in "just showing up," learning to be present to God and to accept faithfully the means of grace given to us.

Frederica discusses an article published by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware that distinguished praying that all will be saved from assuming that all will be saved.

Adult converts to Orthodoxy all have stories about their journey to the Faith. These stories are often populated with Non-Orthodox "seed planters." Fr Joseph, speaking at St Luke Church/Abilene, mentions a few such helpers.

When it comes to church work: some do, some don't. The same can be said of every stage of our life in Christ. Here's Fr John mission planting in the Pacific Northwest.

Fr. John shares from Philippians 2:12-13.

Fr. John shares from Psalm 118:65-72. "God puts people in our lives because He's trying to teach us things. When we encounter a difficult person, rather than necessarily trying to seek how we can get as far away from that person as we can, maybe we should ask ourselves, 'What is God trying to teach me?' and try to learn that lesson as quickly as we can."

Fr. John shares his homily from the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt.

Fr. John Whiteford uses Psalm 66 to instill the importance of sharing our light with the world.

Fr. John Whiteford gives a homily from Psalm 3:1-8 about our salvation through God.

Join Michael as he discusses the deep theological truths of simple hospitality and how it directly relates to our salvation.

Jesus Christ: The Only Path to Salvation (w/ Fr. Seraphim Aldea)

Fr. Andrew continues his series on St. Ignatius with a study of his view what it means to be a Christian.

This is the second half of part 2 in Fr. Andrew's series on St. Ignatius.

On the occasion of the first feast of the newly-canonized St. Paisios the Athonite, Fr. Andrew discusses the saint's advice on praying free of distractions.

Commenting on the epistle reading for the Feast of the Archangels, Fr. Andrew discusses how we can follow Christ, the 'Leader of our Salvation.'

On this Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt, Fr. Andrew's seventh meditation on the theme of 'Who is God?' talks about how many people miss what our salvation really is—God Himself.

Discussing the relationship between faith and works in Ephesians 2, Fr. Andrew talks about how salvation is paradoxically both a free gift and also requires great effort.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick meditates on one of the best-loved verses of the Bible, looking at it in the context of the full secret conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus.

Fr. Nicholas Belcher, Dean of Students at Hellenic College Holy Cross and assistant priest at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in West Roxbury, MA, leads a College Conference East workshop, discussing cultural conceptions of salvation and the beginning of the Orthodox perspective.

Fr. Cyprian Sas of All Saints (GOA) in Peoria, IL, leads College Conference Midwest's final session on the process of salvation, discussing how other faiths might view salvation and how we might speak to those faiths.

So what does it mean "There is no salvation outside of the Church?" Matthew explores that in this week's episode.

Fr. Joseph was with Fr John Salem and the good folks at St Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Church, Oklahoma City, the fourth week of Lent. Here's a short excerpt from the two-day retreat.

This week, Fr Joseph gets real: "The thing about Confession is that it is natural. That is, it is Real. Almost everything else we do with our sin is false and unnatural. We punish ourselves, justify our actions, and hide. Yet, in Confession -- in opening ourselves to God the Light -- we expose the hypocrisy of our double life. In truth, we've been living a lie. Without Confession, Absolution, and Reconciliation we live a lie before God and Man as if it were Reality. In reality, no one is fooled -- not our neighbor, not ourselves. And, let's be real, certainly not God."

In honor of Parenting Month at Ancient Faith, Raising Saints is flipping it around: instead of talking about how adults can feed the faith of children, we're considering the impact this process has on the parents, and the many ways in which raising saints can transform one into a saint.

"Those in the monastic life have spiritual fathers and mothers to help them in obtaining humility. We in the world have the very life in the world itself to humble us. "

Fr. Philip LeMasters introduces the significance of the Sunday of Orthodoxy and the restoration of the Holy Icons.

At Theophany, we celebrate that no dimension of our life or world is intrinsically profane or cut off from sharing in the holiness of God. All things, physical and spiritual, visible and invisible, are called to participate in the divine glory that our Lord has brought to the world, to become even now signs of the coming fullness of God’s Kingdom.

The One Who trampled down death by death purely out of love for His suffering children will never abandon us. If He can make someone like St. Mary of Egypt radiant with the divine glory through the desert, then there is hope for us all.

Those who weep like the widow of Nain today should take heart. The Savior has conquered death and shares His great victory with those Who respond to Him with humble faith and repentance. He has made every day of our lives “the day of salvation.”

It is easy to fall into despair before our own personal problems, the challenges faced by loved ones, and the brokenness of our society and world. It is tempting to refuse to accept that we remain responsible for offering ourselves to Christ as best we can for healing and transformation in holiness, regardless of what is going on in our lives, families, or world

Edith Humphrey begins a new series on the eight resurrectional (dismissal) hymns to the Theotokos, beginning with the one in tone three appointed for this week. Help is found in interpreting the mysteries of this hymn from the prophet Jeremiah, from the early chapters of Genesis, and from Isaiah’s vision of the heavenly throne-room.

108. Noah and the Ark of Salvation from the Old Testament Stories for Children series by Mother Melania (Conciliar Press Ministries, 2009)

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos invites us to consider the reality of our sin and our need for repentance.

Hierotheos Vlachos of Nafpaktos said, "The job of the Church is to make relics." The phenomenon of relics is not merely a human sentimental reaction to the past, but it is a real evidence of our salvation in Christ in whom "the fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 1:19, 2:9). The consequences of the incarnation go beyond a juridical declaration of innocence, they are evidence of the eternal destiny of the human being. In this program Steve and Bill begin to delve into the theology of the Church regarding our union with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

In Part 8 of the series we discuss the foundations of a "sacramental world view" based on the dogmas of the Incarnation and Trinity. How does God relate to creation and thus to the human being through the Incarnation and how does this manifest itself in the sacramental life of the Church?

In the ninth part of the series on forming an Orthodox world view, Steve and Bill continue the discussion of the sacramental world view in light of the Incarnation and Trinity.

In response to Rob Bell's controversial book Love Wins, Steve ventures into the world of video and gives a short summary of the difference between the mainstream Protestant view of salvation and an Orthodox view. Listen to the short audio introduction below, then watch the video.

I am sometimes asked if an Orthodox Christian can have an assurance that he or she will be saved. The question usually comes from my converts from Evangelicalism. They were previously taught that when one is saved, one is given the assurance that they are saved and this assurance offers a real and constant source of comfort. They ask me, “Were we misled? Can an Orthodox Christian have the same assurance of salvation?”

At the beginning of the Dormition Fast, Fr. Apostolos shares about the role of the Theotokos in our salvation.