Join Bobby Maddex, Jerry Minetos, and Samuel Heble as they journey to Greece to experience firsthand the monasteries, sketes, and churches of both Thessaloniki and Mount Athos. In partnership with Orthodox Tours, the three travelers—all employees of Ancient Faith Ministries—present listeners with the highs and lows of pilgrimage, as well as what they should expect on their own potential journeys to Greece and the Holy Mountain. For more information about Orthodox Tours, please visit orthodoxtours.com.

Bobby Maddex interviews Hallvard Lid and Fr. Theodor Svane of The Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Bergen, Norway, about the religious climate in Norway, the state of Orthodoxy there, and the pressing needs of their own Orthodox parish.

Bobby Maddex interviews Vladyka Alexei, the Bishop of the Orthodox Church in America serving the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, about his trip to the Alaskan village of Kwethluk to speak to the faithful there about Saintly Matushka Olga and the Church and cultural center that will be erected in her honor. To learn more about the project (as well as the film about His Grace's pilgrimage to Kwethluk) and help fund it, please visit https://odosa.org.

Bobby Maddex interviews the participants of the inaugural Ancient Faith Lampstand Institute, an introductory media training forum for Orthodox Christians aged 18-23 who are interested in learning skills in digital media and applying them to the service of the Church

Nearly four million homes and businesses in the South are without power as Helene makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida. / Associated Press

Conservative purists may hope a Trump defeat will end Trumpism, but the GOP is likely to remain ruled "by, and for reactionary business interests and social conservatives." / Vox

Regardless of any reduction in emissions, climate change will raise the sea level of Pacific Island nations by at least six inches in the next 30 years. / NASA

See also: The climate has changed many times and in many ways over the past 485 million years, but never as quickly as what's happening right now. / The Washington Post [+]

The Secret Service spent $50,000 on AI and won't say why. / 404 Media

Households in the US can now order more free Covid tests. / USPS

"No billionaires will fund work like this because there's no money in it." The Jet Propulsion Laboratory does amazing things; equally amazing is that JPL even exists. / The Washington Post [+]

With the news that OpenAI is moving to a for-profit model, its stated mission to develop artificial intelligence safely and transparently is no more. / Vox

Why is generative AI being shoehorned into every software product? Because businesses need you to keep paying for a thing, and it's a new thing to pay for. / Where's Your Ed At?

An exoskeleton company's refusal to repair a $20 battery left their customer, a man paralyzed from the waist down, unable to walk. / 404 Media

Using advanced machine learning, researchers were able to solve 100 percent of Google's CAPTCHA challenges. / Decrypt

"A real-world contrarian could not have written the piece: it was completely predictable, littered with complaints about the artist's inflated reputation and dodgy brushwork." AI cannot bring Brian Sewell back to life. / New Statesman

Eighty-five years after a misspelled plaque was installed at Poets' Corner in Westminster, the dots have finally been added to the Brontë sisters' names. / The Guardian

To unlock why Greenland sharks can live 400 years, scientists study its DNA and reveal about twice as many base pairs as in humans. / The New York Times [+]

"It was stupid, immature and amateur to keep going forward when I still had the energy to get back." How a hiker survived a month in the North Cascades without food or shelter. / Cascadia Daily News

Analyzing the evolution of baseball's perfect lineup. / The Pudding

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The White House sides with Israel's ground assault of Lebanon while much of the world calls for a ceasefire. / Al Jazeera

Meanwhile, Iran is said to be preparing to launch a ballistic-missile attack. / The Wall Street Journal [+]

A long profile of Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose new book criticizes Israel and the corrupting influence of power. "I'm sad, but I was so enraged." / New York Magazine

Things to watch for in tonight's Vance-Walz debate. / Wake Up to Politics

Helene slamming a small town in North Carolina may disrupt the global supply chain for microchips. / NPR

A nuclear plant in Michigan will be the first in US history to restart. / CNBC

Your weekly white paper: "A systematic review about similarities in dog-human dyads." / Science Direct

A fascinating survey of how religious believers are using new technologies in their daily practices. / rest of world

An audio dive into Google's new niche product Notebook, which can turn a bunch of PDFs into a convincing podcast. / The New York Times [+]

See also: Barry C. Lynn on "Liberal democracy's last stand against Big Tech." / Harper's

From July, have you seen the trend of new books using multi-panel illustrations on their covers? They're called "bento books." / I Need a Book Cover

A celebrated new short story collection is about "people who just can't hang." / The New Yorker

Also, have you noticed worse service at restaurants lately? For the sake of society, that might be a good thing. / Economist Writing Every Day

See also: Britain experiences a rise in "zebra striping," where pub patrons alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer. / Semafor

Japan's smaller museums are praised for their elegance. / The Wall Street Journal [+]

Photographs of Japanese forests shimmering with fireflies. / Colossal

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Millions are without power after Hurricane Milton tears across Florida. / The Tampa Bay Times

The hurricane also tore open the Tampa Bay Rays' roof and felled a crane. / The Weather Channel, X

Photographs of Los Angeles's 400-mile network of aqueducts and hydropower plants. / Science History Institute

New Mexico works to preserve its network of ancient gravity-fed irrigation ditches. / Undark Magazine

A theory tries to explain why more Latinos are supporting Donald Trump—basically, because they're a diverse group of people with diverse interests. / The New Yorker

A round-up of under-discussed political races. / Wake Up to Politics

A few things learned from Melania Trump's new memoir. / The Cut

Fashion experts analyze outfits worn by the presidential and vice presidential candidates. / GQ

Unrelated: An analysis of the top fanfic pairings—"who gets shipped and why?" / The Pudding

Abu Dhabi overtakes Oslo to become the world's richest city in terms of assets managed by sovereign wealth funds. / Semafor

Elon Musk has long promised a fully autonomous vehicle, but don't expect him to follow through this week. / The Verge

Caitlin Dewey: Silicon Valley has—alarmingly, and increasingly—never looked more macho. / Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends

Wimbledon will replace line judges with electronic line calling next year, ending a 147-year tradition. / sky news

Rafael Nadal plans to retire next month at age 38. / Tennis & Beyond

South Korea's Han Kang receives this year's Nobel Prize in Literature "for her intense poetic prose." / The Literary Saloon

A profile of Kang from 2023: "That will be a problem when I die—I won't be able to finish all my ideas." / The Independent

Selections from Tara Booth's comics that were made to "cope with life" or "just lighten the mood." / It's Nice That

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Amid shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, Cuba's electrical grid has collapsed four times since Friday, leaving 10 million people without power. / Reuters

The presidential election is down to more than swing states; in fact, the outcome appears to rest on these 21 microcommunities. / The New York Times [+]

Elon Musk's $1 million daily sweepstakes for Pennsylvanians promising to vote Republican is "either an incentive for someone to vote or it's a reward. And either way, it violates federal law." / NPR

See also: The misery of living in a swing state during election season. / The New York Times [+]

"This key is awarded if the candidate can persuade the public that they are conscious." The real 13 keys for winning the White House. / McSweeney's

As if this year's US election wasn't already chaotic enough, the FBI has arrested a man planning an election day attack on behalf of the Islamic State. / The Guardian

Laugh about Trump's ridiculous dance party all you want, but the kitschy nostalgia is exactly in line with the world his supporters long for. / Intelligencer

In a dispatch from a prisoner, the horror of Texas's containment cages. (Content warning.) / Slate

This year's flu shot doesn't protect against a once-common influenza strain that now appears to have been eradicated through Covid distancing and masking. / NPR

In an interesting comparison of median home values and median incomes, these are the most and least exclusive communities for homebuyers in America. / The Hustle

An "unusually narrow" skyscraper—at only one apartment wide, or 22.5 meters—could be going up in downtown Dubai. / Dezeen

See also: "The Neom giga-project in Saudi Arabia is currently using one fifth of all the steel produced in the world." / AGBI

Unrelated: "it is time to commit to building the largest physically possible space telescope." / Palladium

Kurt Vonnegut once designed a board game, General Headquarters, that is finally available, some 70 years after it was originally conceived. / Open Culture

Amazon says it will be getting rid of those plastic inflatable air pillows by the end of the year, but the plastic blue-and-white mailers may be sticking around for a while. / Grist

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Wheaton College, the epicenter of Evangelical Protestantism, has just opened a Center for Early Christian Studies that will immerse students in the fields of Patristics, the Ecumenical Councils, and early Christian literature. This audio documentary, exclusive to AFR, explores the reasons for the sudden Evangelical interest in the Church Fathers, as well as the potential ramifications of this interest.

An Evangelical Protestant rock festival that serves as a hotbed for Eastern Orthodoxy? That’s exactly what Bobby Maddex found last July at the Cornerstone Music Festival in Bushnell, Illinois. In this audio documentary, exclusive to Ancient Faith Radio, Bobby explores the uniqueness of Cornerstone—what it is about those who attend and play at the festival that makes them so receptive to Orthodox Christianity.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick journeys into the hollers of central Appalachia and encounters one of the least-known forms of American Protestant religion, exploring their faith, their music and one of their churches, through the eyes of an Orthodox priest raised in that tradition.

Fr. David Bozeman, Fr. James Bozeman, and Fr. Christopher Foley discuss their experience as members of the band Luxury and introduce the new documentary about that experience. The entire band suffered through an accident in the early Nineties that led to their conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy. Here is the trailer for the documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y4jIPn96Ig.

Part one of a four-part documentary called "Transformation: Same-Sex Attraction Through the Lens of Orthodox Christianity." In this first episode, we meet four individuals who are faithful, obedient Orthodox Christians in terms of celibacy, but are attracted to members of the same sex. What are their stories, struggles, and disappointments? How have they been received in the Orthodox Church? And what do they want the Church to know about that struggle? Resource: Christian Faith and Same Sex Attraction by Fr. Thomas Hopko

Part four of our four-part documentary, "Transformation: Same Sex Attraction Through The Lens Of Orthodox Christianity." In this episode, we will hear a call to listen, to engage, to show patience, and extend the benefit of the doubt wherever we can—especially our young people who are asking tough questions and deserve to be heard. Resource: Christian Faith and Same Sex Attraction by Fr. Thomas Hopko

Most of us know about the so-called Great Schism, which tragically divided the Christian Church between East and West in 1054. But there was an earlier division in the 5th century, following the Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon in 451, which clarified how Jesus is both God and Man. Charges of heresy were brought, anathemas were proclaimed, and communion was broken. Which Churches did not accept the decision of the Council and the subsequent three Councils that followed? Today they are known as the Oriental Orthodox Churches, including the Coptic, Armenian, Syrian, Malankara, Eritrean, and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches. What specifically separates us theologically? Are there reasons to hope that we are closer to these believers than we thought? What efforts have been made to better understand each other in recent decades? On this special edition of Ancient Faith Today Live, Fr. Tom Soroka and John Maddex examine the causes of our division and consider what any path to unity might involve. Panelists include: Bishop (Dr.) Daniel (Findikyan) Dr. Peter Bouteneff Christine Chaillot Dr. David Ford Dr. Emmanuel Gergis Dr. Chad Hatfield Dr. Michael Ibrahim Rev. Dr. Joseph Lucas Dr. Sam Noble Rev Dr. Timothy Thomas

Join Bobby Maddex, Jerry Minetos, and Samuel Heble as they journey to Greece to experience firsthand the monasteries, sketes, and churches of both Thessaloniki and Mount Athos. In partnership with Orthodox Tours, the three travelers—all employees of Ancient Faith Ministries—present listeners with the highs and lows of pilgrimage, as well as what they should expect on their own potential journeys to Greece and the Holy Mountain. For more information about Orthodox Tours, please visit orthodoxtours.com.

Fr. Tom Soroka and John Maddex will dive into the topic of Universalism and speak with Orthodox panelists who fall into one of three categories: Confident Universalists, Hopeful Universalists, and those who say Universalism was condemned as a heresy. We read in Scripture that God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). But we also read that It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There are those who claim that, since Christ died for all, we can be assured that all will indeed be saved and not face eternal condemnation. This is called “universalism” or “apocatastasis.” Was this teaching condemned by the Church? Who among the Church Fathers embraced universal salvation?

Fr. Pat explains that the teaching given by Christ is inseparable from the salvation given by Christ.

Fr. Pat gave this sermon in Waynesburg, PA, at the funeral of beloved friend Nancy (Katherine) Thompson who fell asleep in the Lord on August 2, 2011.

Fr. Pat explains the importance of hearing the word of God, putting on Christ, and having common sense.

Fr. Pat again addresses the "transcendentals," this time explaining how the Incarnation is the manifestation of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Fr. Pat examines the story of Christ calling his first disciples under three aspects.

Fr. Pat discusses St. Paul's warnings regarding the influence of evil forces in Corinth.

Fr. Pat discusses three Old Testament saints that are particularly important in preparation for Christ.

Fr. Pat reflects on three points related to the Prodigal Son.

Fr. Pat discusses Sts. Peter and Paul and their relationship to the Orthodox Church.

Fr. Pat compares Peter attempting to walk on water to what Holy Scripture tells us of the Patriarch Jacob.

Fr. Pat discusses the social structure, the moral imperatives, and the discerning moral light of discipleship.

Fr. Pat reflects on liberation from darkness, the way of the Cross, and the inner Christ.

Fr. Pat discusses three periods of biblical history related to the Nativity.

Human beings are complex; grace is time insensitive; and we are coworkers with God.

How the Church moved from unbelief to belief is an immense mystery.

Fr. Pat discusses the longest dialogue in the Bible between Jesus and another person.

Fr. Pat reflects on the story of the man born blind.

Fr. Pat discusses three points related to the Feast of All Saints.

Fr. Pat discusses Peter walking on the water.

Fr. Pat speaks on the Gospel of the Final Judgment, and what it teaches us about Christ.

Baptism and the Chalice represent the sacramental initiation into a new identity founded on union with Christ; thus the two questions Jesus put to the sons of Zebedee are for us today as well.

If Christ really is risen from the dead, we have the basis for the renewal of everything. Fr. Pat considers this in his Paschal homily.

In this homily from Pentecost Sunday, Fr. Pat looks at three benefits given by the Holy Spirit to the people of God: proclaiming God as our Father, parsing the Scriptures correctly, and praying.

On the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Fr. Pat offers reflections about the Mother of Our Lord: her presence in the early church, earliest references to her in the Scriptures, and about the Marian quality of the people of God.

The parable of the Publican and the Pharisee teaches us much about prayer. Father Pat looks at three things: the meaning of the temple, the issue of repeated prayer, and authenticity when speaking with God.

In this homily based upon the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8, Fr. Pat teaches us about the qualities of the heart, its enemies, and our example of one with a patient heart.

The Christian lives an upright moral life not because of conformity with some commandment, and not by way of modeling himself on some external model, but because he does not want to depart from Christ.

Three Second-Temple Prophets who were among those who prepared the world for the coming of the Messiah have much to teach us about how to keep the Lord uppermost in our hearts and lives.

Fr. Pat preaches on putting to death our passions, as St. Paul admonishes us to do in Colossians 3:4-11.

Because in creation man was modeled on the deliberating mind of God, he has a capacity for conscience. The Samaritan Woman escaped the condemnation of her conscience because she permitted her heart to receive the mercy of God in Christ.

What does Biblical repentance look like? Is it saying, "I made a mistake" or "I take full responsibility"? Is it looking at one's moral failure and being disgusted? Fr. Pat gives us a third response, as exemplified by the Prodigal Son.

In the encounter in Mark 2, the paralytic encounters the One in whom the presence and power of God is revealed; the One from Whom no secrets are hid, Who pardons all our iniquities and heals all our diseases.

In this homily from Palm Sunday, Fr. Pat fortifies us on our journey with three points about the Cross: two negative and one positive.