In this episode Fr. Anthony Perkins and Fr. Gregory Jensen have a conversation about how a person's personality type (e.g. extravert vs. introvert) affects their priestly service. This conversation is followed by two codas during which they talk about life, the universe, and everything (to include the problem with doing everything on the cheap).

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Fr. Hans Jacobse (American Orthodox Institute) lament a culture that denigrates manliness and talk about how priests (and other manly men) can help boys of all ages tame their passions and become the Christian warriors they were called to be. Note: this conversation includes a frank (but not explicit) discussion about pornography.

In this episode, Fr. Anthony answers a listener's question about whether becoming a priest has been worth it; it has, but the answer is a bit more nuanced. He also offers a solution for choir directors and chanters who serve with tone-challenged priests that works much better than a tuning fork or an organ. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony Perkins interviews Rdr. David Kessler. Rdr. David is the choir director at Holy Annunciation parish in Berwick, PA and a graduate of St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary. They talk about how important good communication is between parish priests and music leaders. Enjoy the show!

A priest friend of mine likes to say, "We may not have many, but we have them all!" In this episode, I describe some the of the things that make it hard for priests and laity to see eye-to-eye and try to make the case that it really is okay not to like everything about your priests or parishes in order to love, serve, and support them. (Please note that I am NOT defending pathological or abusive parishioners and priests; we deal with those rare situations in other episodes). 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!

Fr. Anthony uses metaphors to help us understand what healthy parishes should and shouldn't look like. This is the second 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!

In this episode Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry (UOC-USA Canonist) discuss historical and pastoral variations in taking communion and make a request for charitable discernment when evangelizing (much less judging!) autocephalists in Ukraine. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory continue their discussion on personalities and the priesthood, focusing primarily on the attributes/predispositions of agreeableness and openness. Along the way they end up talking about Jung, Flannery O'Connor, and Jordan Peterson. 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!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Gregory Jensen talk about how to live with - and even love - your limitations and then begin a discussion on the sorts of things that should be part of our annual check-up. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry Linsinbigler (canonist for the UOC-USA) talk about recent blessings at the parish Fr. Harry serves (Protection of the Theotokos in Dover, FL), variations on the sacrament of confession, and the ontology of the priesthood. Listen and find out how relics and myrrh-streaming icons can help a parish's culture, what the differences are between the different prayers of absolution, and whether the priest is just a fill-in for when the bishop can't be at the parish. 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!

GGWB gave its time in this episode over to its sponsor: Anaxios Gifts! From the Tin-Foil Skufia to a book of feel-good homilies to the "Beards of Love" charity, Anaxios has it all! Tired of acrimonious debates about patriarchal show downs? So were we, so we went double-dog silly on this one. Operators are standing by; 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!

This year I (Fr. Anthony) decided to take a unit of "Clinical Pastoral Education" at a local hospital as part of my professional development. While the scheduling has been difficult, it has been well rewarded. In this episode I talk with my CPE supervisor, Mary Catherine Cole (M.Div. Candler School of Theology; Network Director of Pastoral Care and Library Services at St. Luke's University Health Network) about why CPE is so effective and how it can make help make all of us better at whatever we are called to do.

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!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with Subdeacon John (Robert) Cummings, the Manager of Staff Training and Development at Red Oak Recovery in Waynesville, PA, about opioid addiction, what works in recovery, and how the lessons of effective recovery can be re-learned and enculturated by our parishes. Along the way, they spar about the correct pronunciation of Appalachia (Fr. Anthony used the pronunciation of his ancestral homeland of northern Appalachia; Sdn. John that of his southern part), Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony interviews Met. Antony, the rector of St. Sophia's, about his path to the episcopacy, the primary challenges the Orthodox face in America, and how St. Sophia's trains priests to address those challenges. The culture at St. Sophia's is designed to help reinvigorate the sense of parish as a healthy family, with the priest as that family's spiritual father. He laments the distance that has grown between parishioners and between parishioners and their priests, but says that he has already begun to see the first fruits of St. Sophia's pastoral focus in the form of vibrant church communities led and loved by well-formed priests. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry talk about one of the Demons of Noonday: self doubt. They point out the role that participation in the Divine Liturgy can have in diagnosing and overcoming it and encourage anyone who is suffering from pernicious self doubt to spend more time with their supportive brothers in the priesthood.

This episode includes three homilies on the theology of kindness, given 7/28/2019, 8/11/2019, and 8/4/2019. The first was given the day after Dn. Richard Jendras, Fr. Anthony's replacement at Pokrova in Allentown, was ordained; the second was given the Sunday after the mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso; the third was given on his last Sunday in Pokrova. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony reads the fifth chapter of St. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. The translation is by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A., (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church Volume IX, edited by Philip Schaffer, D.D., LL.D.), lightly edited to take out some of the archaicisms (and maybe add a modern word or two). Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony reads the second chapter of St. John Chrysostom's On the Priesthood. The translation is by Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A., (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church Volume IX, edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D.), lightly edited to take out some of the archaicisms (the mispronunciations are all Fr. Anthony, though!). 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!

Listen as Fr. Anthony talks with Dn. Nicholas Denysenko, the Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair at Valparaiso University, about his 2018 book The People's Faith; the liturgy of the faithful in Orthodoxy. Among other things, they discuss why it is important to listen to - and not just teach - the people and what can be learned when we do so (hint: it's more than an opportunity to figure out how to improve our catechesis). Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony and Dn. Michael Abrahamson talk about gardening and the difference between transactional love (loving to be liked, respected, etc.) and loving without reservation. This is a recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream. Enjoy the show!

Today, Fr. Anthony talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, about the difference between isolation and solitude, how to cultivate transcendent introspection, the difference between pastoring and controlling, and the challenge of baptizing authoritarian tendencies. This is a recording of Fr. Anthony's livestream. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, to get some advice on the role of the priest/pastor in crazy times. It's a difficult conversation, but it's important for us to have trusted friends in our lives who will tell us things we don't want to hear. Fr. Gregory is wise, experienced, and courageous enough to say things that will satisfy precisely no one. Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with Dylan Pahman (Research Fellow, Acton Institute) about what we can learn about virtue and markets playing Magic the Gathering. Then, after lamenting the lack of economic literacy among some theologians and clergy, Dylan addresses some of the major objections some Christians have with markets, liberal democracy, and international trade. He makes the case that they will not automatically cultivate virtue, but can be compatible with Orthodoxy. You can read the works referenced at acton.academia.edu/DylanPahman.

Listen to find out which of the many conspiracies is occupying space in Fr. Anthony's fool head. Without it, he argues that the other problems (e.g. injustice, riots, elections, presidential narcissism) would have been handled as normal rather than extra-ordinary problems. We should have seen it coming! From his YouTube Livestream of 1/16/2021.

One of the challenges of our present spiritual situation is that our society has settled for something less than truth. This affects the quality of our opinions, policies, and judgments and undermines our ability to live and spread the Gospel. An indicator of the seriousness of this is our growing inability to listen to, learn from, and love people who think differently than we do. In this presentation, I frame the situation as a problem of discernment, compare scientific and Orthodox methods of knowing, and describe how polarization keeps us from using either well. I conclude with a discussion of the critical role diversity plays in discerning truth, and how the Gospel can transform the (Babelic) divisions that deafen us to the truth into a (Pentecostal) harmony that proclaims and celebrates it. Emulating the academic forum the paper was written for (the 2020 Institute for Studies in Eastern Theology), Dn. Timothy Kelleher then offers his thoughts on the presentation and subject. Enjoy the show!

Jesus Christ said; “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28​-30) In this retreat, given for the Ukrainian Orthodox League via Zoom on 2/27/2021, Fr. Anthony describes the way the past year has polarized us and how we and our parishes can heal and become the peacemakers the world needs. A video of the presentation is available at Fr. Anthony Perkins YouTube channel. Enjoy!

Fr Anthony and Fr. Gabriel Rochelle overcome myriad technical problems to talk about the confluence of poetry, story, and proclamation that take place in the Divine Liturgy (and life). Enjoy the show!

In this episode, Fr. Anthony talks with the COVID-stricken Fr. Harry Linsinbigler about parish life and the implications of recent survey results from Gallup (on further declines in American church membership) and Pew (on American religion and the COVID). Enjoy the show!

Dru Johnson is an associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City, director of the Center for Hebraic Thought , editor at The Biblical Mind, host of the The Biblical Mind podcast, and co-host of the OnScript Podcast. Before that, he was a high-school dropout, skinhead, punk rock drummer, combat veteran, IT supervisor, and pastor. Dru is an ordained minister and accomplished academic, with several articles and books, to include Biblical Philosophy – A Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments, Biblical Knowing: A Scriptural Epistemology of Error, Epistemology and Biblical Theology: from the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel, and my favorites, Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments, and Knowledge by Ritual: A Biblical Prolegomenon to Sacramental Theology.

In this interview, Fr. Anthony and Dn Nicholas talk about the rhythms of Lent and how a gentle asceticism may cultivate more lasting changes than the most stringent fasting and an over-packed liturgical calendar. Along the way, Dn Nicholas shares wisdom on how this same general approach builds a lasting and self-propagating harmony (even among tenors who often sing flat). We hope you enjoy this calm and gentle conversation. Enjoy the show!

You may recognize Dn Timothy Kelleher from his appearances in NCIS, Independence Day, Thirteen Days and other movies and shows, but he has also published many thoughtful essays in First Things, Church Life Journal, and now the National Review (among others). In this episode, he and Fr. Anthony talk about Dn. Timothy's two most recent essays; "Memories of a Staten Island Childhood" and "A Nation of Sinners." You can read these essays and others at timkelleher.org. 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!

Join Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry as they talk about how artificially romanticizing the Golden Age of the Councils contributes to the polarization of our communities, how politics are the new idolatry, and why it is so easy to anathematize heretics over vaccines and masks. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD and Fr. Anthony Perkins talk about Orthodox sexuality, chastity, celibacy, and abstinence. Along the way they also discuss the negative effects the culture wars have had on Orthodox pastoral care. They hope to make this part of a series. Warning: it's hard to talk about this euphemistically. Some graphic terms were used. Enjoy the show!

Join Fr. Anthony and Amon Sul co-host Richard Rohlin as Richard shares his origin story (the spider bite was a bilingual household!), some thoughts on kata, and his love of language. This edition serves as a warmup for their upcoming conversation on the need to get the stories of ourselves, our nation, and the cosmos right. Enjoy the show!

After sharing three commentaries on the Prologue of St. John, Fr. Anthony talks about the pattern of sound and how it works to perfect us and our community in Christ. This was first shared via Fr. Anthony's "My Fool Head" YouTube livestream on 04 December 2021. The Jonathan Pageau interview he couldn't remember was with Samuel Andreyev; "Patterns and Meaning in Music". Enjoy the show!

Fr. Anthony continues his discussion with Fr. Robert Holet, author of "The First and Finest: Orthodox Christian Stewardship as Sacred Offering" about mission work, this time focusing on the need to organize and routinize the work of the parish intentionally and well (so that grace can grow). Enjoy the show!

Elissa addresses the little church of the family unit, reminding us that learning to live the Faith shouldn't stop during the summer.

Elissa details what she and her parish learned when FOCUS North America's Youth Equipped to Serve (YES) came to visit Austin, Texas.

Elissa reminds us that we are temples of God, meant to light up and become a lamp for the world.

Elissa discusses Orthodox marriage and parenting, focusing particularly on how both involve dying to self.

Why does it matter that our God came down to earth and took on flesh? Elissa discusses using the Jesse Tree and other means to teach our children about the Feast of the Nativity.

Elissa's co-author, Caleb Shoemaker, joins her for a conversation about their new book, Blueprints for the Little Church: Creating an Orthodox Home, discussing the challenges and benefits of bringing an Orthodox rhythm to the family.