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.

"But whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant"- Matthew 20:26 The All-Stars series continues with guest Athena Vlamis, a senior at Kennesaw State University and Georgia District Student Leader for OCF. In this podcast, Tasya and Athena talk about Athena's leadership role in a new Pan-Orthodox initiative, the Connect Conference. The college seniors also discuss servant leadership, using our talents for the glory of God, the role of young adults in the church, the foundation OCF has laid in their lives, the importance of living as an Orthodox in day-to-day life, and more.

How can we see and share love on a college campus? Hear as OCF Student Leadership Board members share their thoughts about love. Danielle brings it all together with a discussion of "the disciple whom Jesus loved", the holy Apostle and Evangelist John.

In this episode, Danielle speaks about St. Morwenna with Laura Jansson, contributor to the book Seven Holy Women. They discuss the significance of prayer, vulnerability, and struggle within the faith, and how we can apply lessons from St. Morwenna's life to our own Orthodox journey.

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

In his first podcast, Fr. John reflects on his midnight vigil outside a prison in Tennessee.

Fr. John Oliver reflects on the role evil and suffering plays in drawing us closer to God.

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.

The Great Commission just doesn't apply to us, right?

Fr. Joseph speaks from hot and muggy Houston about the theology of elevators. Going up?

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 this episode Fr. Anthony interviews Bill Marianes, a gifted evangelist and lawyer (don't hold that against him; or at least pray for him because of it). Bill argues that the best way to bring energy and growth to our parishes is to reorganize ourselves around ministries and transform members into disciples, apostles, and ministry leaders. Bill has shared this vision with several dioceses and is currently working with the UOC-USA to implement it through their strategic planning process. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony ones again shares the idea of the pattern of the Logos as the mechanism of evangelism. This is the first part of a talk he gave at the 2018 Lenten Retreat in Bethlehem PA hosted by the Ukrainian Orthodox League (UOC-USA) and The American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese of North America. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Anthony Perkins and Subdeacon and Evangelist Adam Roberts talk about the Western Rite and whether it is capable of becoming an organic expression of a uniquely American Orthodoxy. You can see the films that we talk about at orthodoxwest.com. Enjoy the show!

Priests don't just serve their parishes, they serve their communities. In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks about a couple of the things that came up recently for him in Allentown, PA. He also talks about how the advice "not to forget where you came from" means different things to different people (and how that is something to celebrate). Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony interviews Fr. John Peck (http://frjohnpeck.com) about the joys and challenges of North American missionary work and ways that those called to it can get themselves and their families ready for it and the many challenges it - and life - can bring. We talk about the need to get out of debt and how important it is to have an awesome, loving, and mutually supportive relationship with your wife. Enjoy the show!

This conversation with Bill Black, OCMC Missionary to Kenya, was recorded during the International Orthodox Theological Association conference in Iasi, Romania (9-12 January 2019). Bill gave a talk on this subject at the conference and was gracious enough to take time away from the sessions to talk about it for the podcast. Enjoy the show!

In this interview, Fr. Anthony and Dn. Michael Abrahamson talk about the relationship between a healthy parish culture, worship done well (to the glory of God), and evangelism. Along the way, they talk about funerals, the organic development of local worship melodies, and the simple joy of shared service. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Theophan (St. Job of Pochaiv parish in Los Alamos, NM) makes a case for treating others the way we would have them treat us, giving evidence that being patient and kind is a good and healthy way to live and spread the the Gospel. Enjoy the show!

Despite our intention and our ability to justify our words, our witness has been damaged by our response to this crisis. We run the very real risk of strengthening the misperception that Orthodoxy is at odds with science. This episode grew out of the result of several long discussions Fr. Anthony had with believers who had been hurt and driven away by claims that are, in the language they know, illogical and dangerous. Fr. Anthony makes the case that we need to learn the language our audience speaks so that we can teach them the Gospel in way they will understand. You can find the article this episode is based on at orthoanalytika.org. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony next to his back porch in Hartwell, Georgia, as he talks with scientist, theologian, professor, Associate Dean, and evangelist, Gayle Woloschak, PhD, DMin (Northwestern University) about COVID, vaccines, and discernment. This is a recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Dn. Timothy Kelleher about his roles on Independence Day and Star Trek: The Next Generation (he was also on Voyager and Enterprise) and how good storytelling is always evangelical. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, about how NOT to elicit repentance during confession, some of the differences between confession, interrogation, and therapy, and why love and trust are foundational to the process of reconciliation. Enjoy the show!

Elissa recounts her week at Camp St. Sava, the official Orthodox summer camp of the Serbian Orthodox Church's Western American Diocese.

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.

Inspired by the Serbian Orthodox custom of Krsna Slava, Elissa suggests that American convert families consider adopting a feast day for their Little Churches!

Enjoying a spiritual mountain top? Walking in a spiritual valley? Fr. Michael talks about to even out the ups and downs of Christian life.

Too often we say that we love the sinner but hate the sin; however in practice, I don’t think the sinners can tell the difference. May God help us to care for the bodily needs and to lovingly honour our neighbours, especially those we disagree with, and let us strive in appropriate measure to be diligent in our life of prayer and in our ascetic disciplines so that even without a word we may influence our neighbour to turn from what is evil to what is beautiful.

"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. "

Our assurance must be in God Himself. Our assurance cannot be in being right, for we are human. Yes, being right is important, and we should strive for orthodoxy (ortho is Greek for ‘right’). We are the Orthodox Church, after all. However, we are also human. We are limited, do not know everything and are easily deceived. Our trust has to be in God, not in man.

One of the problems with vainglory, according to St. Isaac the Syrian, is that “it hands that person over to” either fornication or pride. But before we can talk about how vainglory hands one over to either fornication or pride, we need to understand what vainglory is. Nowadays the word vain means to have a high opinion of oneself, but that is not what it originally meant, nor what it means in the Bible or in the hymnology of the Church. This is why many English-speaking Orthodox Christians have no idea what vainglory means.

Listen to a fascinating and instructive word study on the word "servant" and how it is applied to Jesus in both the Old and New Testaments.

What was the nature and purpose of the death of Christ as depicted in the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah? Get your Orthodox Study Bible out and follow along as Fr. Thomas teaches us verse by verse.

The girls discuss the Broadway-to-Silver-Screen musical, Dear Evan Hansen. They touch on themes such as the role of social media in trying to be authentic, the complexity of the human person, and the need for community in support.

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.

It is easy for people to fall prey to the passions of fear, worry, and anger in response to the great challenges that our nation and world face today, as well as to those we encounter in our families and in other areas of our lives. In such circumstances, we must not ignore the importance of one of the most basic virtues necessary for human flourishing, namely, gratitude.

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

Fr. John explains how the Church cultivated a higher level of sexual dignity and explores how Christendom served to elevate women in Roman society.

Fr. John introduces the principle of heavenly orientation and then explores actual forms of art, beginning with iconography.

Having related the fall of Byzantium to the Turks, Fr. John now begins a reflection on the only remaining Orthodox state in eastern Christendom, Muscovite Russia. In this introductory anecdote he tells of an event in the history of this "Third Rome" that signaled the coming decline of ecclesio-political symphony, and with it the experience of paradise.

In a world which feasts and frenzies on the bad news and misfortunes of others, Fr. John Parker encourages us to keep ever before us the truly and eternal Good News: that Jesus Christ became man and took on flesh for the salvation of the world.

Today Fr. John Parker reads a letter from a lady he met who was effectively using cyber technology to evangelize.

Fr. John leads a discussion at a Diocese of the South (OCA) luncheon where attendees share their experiences.

In this episode, Fr John Parker discusses the difference between ‘worship evangelism’ and ‘worship as evangelism’, and encourages us to offer to God the most beautiful worship of which we are capable, and to ‘get out of the way’ for visitors—so that they can encounter God.

In this episode, Fr. John interviews Fr. Sergius Halvorsen, professor of Homiletics and Rhetoric at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Fr. Sergius discusses the vital link between solid preaching and evangelization.