A look back at last year's Halloween episode, and what can happen when we're too concerned with being right.

The Truth can be hard to see. What are we doing to help people see it better?

We all know incense smells nice, but why do we use it in our services? It's an important reminder about what God gives us, and what we offer to God.

A new study from the Pew Research Group has some interesting numbers. Do they show that Christianity is shrinking? While it's true that people are leaving the Church, we can't panic. Instead, we should use these numbers as a challenge. Our challenge is to be the bee and live Orthodoxy: to help people find God and to live the Faith everyday.

Giving thanks isn't just for Thanksgiving. As Christians, it's an important part of our daily lives. It's the way to see God even in the midst of difficult times, to receive the blessed happiness that only comes when we open ourselves to God's grace.

It's one thing to talk about why Church services and prayer are important, and another to do them. How do we start? The key is something simple, and something very easy to overlook: silence.

As we look ahead to the new Church year, we're not preparing simply to learn more about God: we're preparing to grow closer to God. And here are 6 things we can start doing right now to make the most of the year ahead as we take our first steps towards Christ and His Kingdom!

"Thoughts" are the imaginings and fantasies that can distract us from God. And they can turn into action after they enter our hearts. So how do we deal with the thoughts that bother us? Instead of fighting them, we can turn away from them.

We can learn things about almost any subject. Yet God doesn't want us to simply know things *about* Him, in an abstract way. He wants us to truly know Him and commune with Him.

We all struggle with something. We're all broken. Every Holy Thursday, we see Christ on the Cross. We come face-to-face with our own brokenness, and the way Christ joins us in our pain. He brings light out of darkness, and life out of death.

You may be the only Orthodox Christian at school or work. Fr. Andrew joins Steve to offer 4 tips to help you live as an Orthodox Christian in the world.

Feeding a hungry person doesn't "fix" hunger: that person will feel hungry again. So what's the point of helping those in need?

Do we overcome the darkness by fighting against it? Or is there an easier way?

Do we sometimes focus on what's wrong with people, instead of what's right about them?

Why do we fast? What can that teach us about food?

If we are faithful, does God reward us? Does He promise wealth and blessings? Or is true happiness so much more... Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man, joins Steve at the start of Holy Week.

Christians seem more divided than ever. Is there really such a thing as "one" Church? Does Christian unity even matter? Father Andrew Stephen Damick joins Steve to tackle these important questions!

As an Orthodox Christian, you're often the only one in the room. How do you share your faith in Christ with others? Why are you an Orthodox Christian (rather than part of some other tradition)? Father Andrew Stephen Damick joins Steve again as they share 4 basics reasons they're Orthodox Christians.

Have you ever felt pressure about getting into the right school? Getting the right job? "Vocation" is about a lot more than a job. It's about how we respond to God's call. To learn how, Steve is joined by Anna Karos: a graduate of the CrossRoad Summer Institute. crossroadinstitute.org

“It is better to pray little but often.” -Saint Theophylact of Bulgaria Struggling to say your prayers? We want to help you connect with God! Let's start the new Church year with the Y2AM Prayer Challenge. Let's build a good daily habit and stick to a daily prayer rule for the next 3 months. In this episode, we share 4 keys to help you start (and stick to) your daily prayer rule. And we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you make progress. https://mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee147

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Thanksgiving is a time to feel grateful. But that attitude of gratitude can go away as soon as we're done with the turkey. How do we keep it going? Saint Paul tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances." Because real gratitude is more than a feeling. As we see in the Parable of the Rich Fool, it starts with remembering one crucial thing. As always, we've prepared a FREE downloadable workbook to help you act on what you'll learn: mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee158

“Let us return, brethren, to ourselves...For we cannot be reconciled with God and assimilated to Him unless we first return, or rather, enter into ourselves... For the miracle consists in tearing ourselves away from the distraction and vain concerns of the world and in this way relentlessly seizing hold of the kingdom of heaven within us.” St Nikiphoros the Monk, On Watchfulness and the Guarding of the Heart, Philokalia vol. 4) What this Episode is About: A main goal of the Christian life is to keep our attention focused on Christ. We’re called to drink deeply of the Church’s wisdom so we can master our attention and see Christ at work in all things. But the internet is designed to capture that attention and focus it on things that are superficial at best or toxic at worst. Three Questions as You Watch: 1. What are the limits you’re placing on your social media use? 2. Is your life centered in real communities or artificial internet communities? 3. How does the stuff you’re watching or reading or listening to on the internet help you keep your attention on Christ?

Dr. Daniel Fanous (Taught by God: Making Sense of the Difficult Sayings of Jesus) is Kevin's guest and he addresses the "difficult" sayings and parables of our Lord in the gospels based on his extensive study of the Torah, Mishnah, and the religious and cultural environment of first-century Palestinian Judaism and early Christianity.

One of the most challenging and important jobs a parent has is to talk to their children about sexuality in a way that incorporates the various spheres of life – biological, emotional, relational, social, and spiritual. In this episode of Ancient Faith Today, host Kevin Allen speaks with Dr. John T. Chirban, author of How to Talk With Your Kids About Sex, about ways to prepare for this most important parental responsibility.

Guest: Veronica Hughes, author of The Pearl of Great Price: The Spiritual Journey of a New Age Seeker to the Light of Christ and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Kyriacos Markides, Professor of Sociology (Univ. of Maine) and best-selling author of The Mountain of Silence, Gifts of the Desert, and his just-released Inner River, speaks about his journey from materialism to the world of shamans and back to the "mystical" Orthodox Christian faith of his youth.

Fr. Wilbur Ellsworth discusses with host Kevin Allen the challenges and opportunities of presenting Orthodoxy as plausible to non-Orthodox visitors and inquirers. Fr. Wilbur is a former Baptist pastor of a large influential church in Wheaton, IL, but now a priest in the Orthodox Church.

Guest: The V. Rev. Jon Braun, ex-Campus Crusade for Christ Regional Director and former leader of the Evangelical Orthodox Church.

We welcome back Kevin Allen to AFR with his inaugural come back podcast which is part 1 of an interview with Fr. Josiah Trenham. They discuss his new book Rock and Sand - An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and their Teaching, published by New Rome Press. This interview is also available in video format from Patristic Nectar Films.

In this episode of Ancient Faith Today, Kevin speaks with his guest Father Michael Varlamos about the historic march of His Eminence Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Church on March 15, 1965, with Dr Martin Luther King in Selma, Alabama, and the Orthodox Christian teachings on racism, ethnic separatism and racial profiling.

In part 2 of his interview with Fr. Josiah Trenham, Kevin Allen gets specific on some of the modern day expressions of Reformed teaching and how it differs from the Orthodox Church. Fr. Josiah authored the book Rock and Sand: An Orthodox Appraisal of the Protestant Reformers and Their Theology. Click here to view the video version of this interview.

One of the great evils of all times is slavery and in this time human trafficking. Unknown to many an Antiochian Orthodox Christian has dedicated his life to educating the public and ending this evil practice. In this episode host Kevin Allen speaks about human trafficking with Tony Nassif Jr, the President of the Cedars Cultural and Educational Foundation. He also produces national Preventing Abuse Conferences which focuses on preventing human trafficking and child abduction.

In this touching two-hour remembrance, Kevin Allen welcomes three friends who knew Fr. Thomas Hopko as a friend, a colleague, and a priest. You'll also hear tributes from his listeners from all around the world. Our thanks to Dr. Al Rossi, Dr. Peter Bouteneff, and Mother Christophora for sharing on the program.

Intel was once unrivalled as the world's chip maker. Now it's fallen behind its rivals.

Tech Life creates a fake podcast using an AI tool from Google. Plus, political deepfakes.

As a Christian you should expect to be mocked or to be the object of disgust but the Lord will heal you. You'll not be the first to be ridiculed!

Both Herod and Apostle Paul attempted to kill Christ Jesus. We often do also!

The Colossians became very proud of the new and smart teaching they had and the Lepers became overwhelmed by the health they suddenly enjoyed. Both groups forgot to give thanks except the heretic Samaritan and St.Paul whom the Colossians were trying to ignore!

Half way! Keep on taking up you Cross and following. Third Sunday in Lent. At this stage we can begin to get tired. Mark's Gospel encourages you to keep on taking up your Cross and following Christ. Be encouraged!

But with God all things are possible—including selling, getting rid of, or putting to one side, all that prevents you following the Saviour.

Take a forensic look at yourself as we come towards Great Lent. Luke 18: 9-14

The Man born blind didn't know much but what he did know he shared.

The Lord shines into the place of greatest darkness.

Cracking the rocks - opening the tomb! The Resurrection.