What’s the deal with Holy Saturday? Is it a time of doubt and awkward waiting? The Areopagites reference a Christianity Today article about Holy Saturday to talk about what’s going on and how disconnection from tradition and scripture lead to psychologizing Biblical texts.
What myths are holding up the roofs of society? Our sense of religiosity? What happens when those pillars get knocked out and the roof caves in? The Areopagites discuss all this and give some updates of their last few months' adventures.
The Areopagites take a look back on their 2024, giving lightning reviews of (among other things) books they've read, movies they've seen, places they've been, and songs that are tugging at their hearts.
What hath Taylor Swift to do with Ganesh and the two-party American political system? The Areopagites take on some (metaphorical) idolatries of our time -- political, ecclesial, and cultural.
The Areopagites welcome Fr. Stephen De Young to talk about the foundations of the Reformation in a now centuries-old misreading of St. Paul and how his new book 'Saint Paul the Pharisee' aims to bring us back to the apostle’s original context. Get the book here: https://store.ancientfaith.com/saint-paul-the-pharisee-jewish-apostle-to-all-nations/
A lot has happened since our last episode, and we’re going to tell you all of it. Okay, some of it. But it will be the good stuff.
Richard Rohlin joins the Areopagites again to talk about the remarkable news that Southern Baptists are considering adopting the Nicene Creed. How can that even be possible within Baptist history and tradition? Richard takes us on a whirlwind tour of the Baptist tradition, including the infamous Trail of Blood.
The Areopagites welcome Fr. Brandon LeTourneau, an Anglican priest at a parish in California, to talk about the role of beauty in worship: What does beauty accomplish? Is it a hindrance or aid? How does one beautify worship spaces with the resources one has on hand? What is the specific character of the beauty of Christian art?
How are people meeting Christ? What part can apologetics play? Is it always necessary? Is a non-intellectual conversion an honest one? The Areopagites are once again joined by Richard Rohlin, and together they wrestle with these questions and more.
The Areopagites talk about Lenten devotional practices, especially focusing on non-liturgical traditions that adopt practices from liturgical traditions. How does that work, and how does it transform those practices when they are re-contextualized?
Dr. Cyril Gary Jenkins makes his triumphant return to the Areopagus, and this time he’s got a book. The Areopagites chat with him about his newly-published “A Perilous Realm: Confronting Dragons, Angels, and Saints in the Ordering of the Soul.”
The Areopagites do their year-in-review episode, discussing things they’ve accomplished, books they’ve read, places they’ve been, people they’ve lost and things they’ve learned.
The Areopagites take email and voice questions from listeners, discussing issues such as whether social media is worth using, how to talk to Evangelical friends about Orthodox services, the true nature of schism, and the rotating Guamanian pope statue.
Podcaster and musician Jim Lovelady of Serge (formerly World Harvest Mission) joins the Areopagites to talk about his pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain as well as the work he does with missionaries and pastors.
Fr. Andrew and Pastor Mike talk about their two very different experiences this summer as Fr. Andrew details his return to Lithuania and Pastor Mike walks through his father’s passing.
The Areopagites welcome Fr. Christopher Rowe, the Assistant Director of Development for the Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), talking about the foreign missionary work of the Orthodox Church as well as Christian mission in general – why, how, and how not to do foreign and local evangelism.
Discussing the confusing, conflicting definitions in play for “ecumenism,” the Areopagites talk about ecumenical history, what the Church Fathers say about relations with other Christians, and finally reveal their own true feelings about the Pan-Heresy of Ecumenism.
The Areopagites talk about the good side of church leadership, basing their discussion on the enthronement speech of Metropolitan Saba, the new leader of the North American Antiochian Archdiocese. Jack Chick and Joel Osteen also make appearances.
The Areopagites greet each other (and you) with the resurrection of Christ and then delight in commenting on incoherent and heretical takes on the feast.
In February 2023, tens of thousands participated in a religious revival at Asbury University in Kentucky. What is the context of the Asbury revival? How can people outside the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition understand the Asbury revival? Can revival outside our boundaries even be a real thing? The Areopagites welcome Fr. Symeon Kees, an Orthodox priest from Appalachia with a Wesleyan background who studied at Asbury Theological Seminary – right across the street from the university.
Are in men in crisis? How did that happen? What does authentic men’s ministry look like? What are good and bad ways to do it? What does all this have to do with priesthood? The Areopagites welcome Michael Baclig, president of the Antiochian Men of the Diocese of Miami and the Southeast, to talk about ministry to men. Meanwhile, Fr. Andrew fills us in on wacky Lithuanian pre-Lenten rituals.
The Areopagites embark on an epic journey into the strange, millenarian world of Jack Chick.
Christian Gonzalez and Steven Christoforou show up for one last Pop Culture Coffee Hour crossover with the Areopagus. They talk about the origins of PCCH, what they hoped to accomplish when they started in 2015, and how they feel about its 200 episodes. They and the Areopagites also share the stories they’re into lately in a bald-faced attempt by the Areopagites to commandeer all 13 of PCCH’s listeners.
The Areopagites host Anglican priest Fr. Wesley Walker to talk about how he sees the problems of deconstructionist Exvangelicalism, to talk disenchantment in the Evangelical world within which he was raised, and to share Raleigh in-jokes, but not before Fr. Andrew reveals his weird hobby of researching episcopi vagantes – and how they seem to be following him.
The Areopagites hone in on revivalism – its origins, how it functions, how it distorts church and culture, and how it’s made its way into nearly every facet of American life – bracketing the episode with clips from a couple of their favorite films.
For their fifth anniversary, the Areopagites do a self-indulgent retrospective episode, looking back at their five years of making the second-greatest podcast in existence. Fr. Andrew tells about his upcoming big pilgrimage, Pastor Mike reveals his Lenten secrets, both struggle to remember how this all started, and they do an MST3King of the first five minutes of the Areopagus. Fr. Andrew reveals the ur-podcast of Fr. Stephen De Young, and Pastor Mike tries not to cry. This retrospective does no...
Steven Christoforou joins the Areopagites in the Emmaus studio to do a post mortem on 2021. Now that it’s in the past even for the Old Calendarists, what did these three guys learn about life and ministry over the past year? And what judgy things can they say to each other about those lessons? Pastor Michael tries not to cry.
Author and podcaster Dr. Nicole Roccas of AFR's Time Eternal podcast joins the Areopagites to return to the Christianity Today podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which wrapped up this month. They give their assessment of the podcast, asking why it was valuable and why it got millions of downloads, including bringing to bear Nicole's newly-acquired trauma-informed training. She repeatedly surprises the Areopagites with her wit, Fr. Andrew reminisces about radio dramas from his childhood, and...
The Areopagites welcome Fr. Patrick Cardine and Dr. Cyril Jenkins to discuss the phenomenon of Anti-Westernism in Orthodox discourse and writings. What is it? Is the standard polemic against “The West” damaging to our faith and evangelistic witness? If so, how? And what would a proper approach to the Western Christian past and present look like?
The Areopagites go full Q&A, addressing questions on parenting and prayer, finding spiritual profit from authors outside your tradition, how life changes when becoming Orthodox, singleness, keeping sane in the midst of Internet travails, profiting from criticism, what it means that the Orthodox Church is the “true church,” and what exactly is in their coffee cups.
