In this encore presentation of The Illumined Heart, hear the story of John Maddex who, along with his wife Tonya, found the Orthodox Church after nearly 40 years in Evangelical Christian radio.

In this final program of the series on the Divine Liturgy we discuss the dismissal prayers after communion. These are more than just a formality as they express the summation of all that we have experienced for the past hour or more: God is the lover of mankind. But the Christian's experience of the Eucharist does not end with the final doxology or the Liturgy. In many parishes there are "post communion prayers" that are read as the people come for the closing blessing and antidoron from the priest. These express in prayer the Orthodox experience of the Eucharist and its meaning to us as we commune and "go forth in peace."

In part three on this series on the end times Steve and Bill discuss the Father's ancient wisdom of being silent on things that are difficult to interpret in the Bible then go on to discuss difficult topics about the end times. In this program they discuss the Rapture, dispensationalism and the place of the Church in God's plan of salvation, and Christian Zionism, all hinges on the door of many Protestant end time theories. They summarize how the Creed addresses all of these interpretations.

We continue the series of interviews with Fr. Jonah Paffhausen. In this program Fr. Jonah discusses monasticism as a response to the Gospel. While monasticism is a specific calling, there is also a foundation of universal principles that all Christians are called to. Steve and Fr. Jonah also discuss the process of becoming a monk, some of the pitfalls of monasticism and some common misconceptions about monks and monasteries.

What accounts for the differences between the Eastern and Western churches? Many things of course, but primarily the development in the West - through those such as Anselm and Aquinas - of an emphasis on human reason and intellect in the pursuit of theological understanding. Returning briefly to our discussion of Rome and the Eastern Church, we contrast rationalism with the Eastern tradition that bows to the Mystery of the Incomprehensible, that proclaims that "theologians" are pure in heart through love of God (the eastern Church grants the title of Theologian to only three Saints in all of Church History), and we begin to see how steeped our modern culture and we ourselves are in scholastic thinking.

In the tenth and final program in the series on "Developing an Orthodox World View" Steve and Bill discuss the notion of "sola sacraments." Often we hear that the Orthodox (and other liturgical Churches) believe that all that is necessary is to show up on Sunday and take communion in order to be saved. In this program we look at the relationship of the sacramental life to the rest of our Christian walk in Christ. This is also the first program recorded in the "Basement Catacomb Studio."

Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Paul Meyendorff, the Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology and the editor of the St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly journal, about a 2012 conference on Orthodox ecclesiology and nationalism that took place at the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, the papers from which have just been published in St. Vladimir's Theological Quarterly.

One of the most important theologians working in the Orthodox Church today, Dr. Elizabeth Theokritoff recently lectured at St. Vladimir's Seminary on theological images describing human personhood and our role in creation.

For his last class on Evangelism, Fr. Chad Hatfield, the Chancellor of St. Vladimir’s Seminary, hosted three priests for a panel responding to questions raised by the Seminarians. The three priests were Fr. John Parker from Mt. Pleasant, SC. and Chairman of the Dept of Evangelism of the OCA, Fr. Michael Elias, pastor of St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church, Brooklyn, NY, and Fr. Michael Sorial, pastor of St. Anianas Coptic Orthodox Church, Princeton, NJ. All three are SVOTS grads.

St. Vladimir’s Seminary celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA)’s autocephaly Thursday, January 30, 2020. A full-day of events included three workshops on the topic of autocephaly. In the second, “Autocephaly & Evangelism," Archpriest John Parker, dean of Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, delivered a passionate call to action and reminder that "autocephaly is an inner evangelism in reminding all Orthodox Christians that in Christ Jews and Greeks, Turks and Cretans, Romanians, Latinos, Africans, Asians all find true motherland in the nave and at the chalice."

Saint Vladimir’s Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield discusses Orthodox evangelism, drawing from his experience as a missionary in South Africa and Orthodox mission planter in the United States, to an audience at NLA University College in Bergen, Norway. The talk, delivered on December 5, 2019, was organized in part by St. Vladimir's Alumnus Fr. Theodor Svane (’15) and the parish Fr. Theodore serves, Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Mission Parish, in Bergen.

You'd think by now that people would figure out that what is hip, cool and relevant today will elicit LOL's on YouTube 30 years from now. What does this mean for Orthodox Christians, cultural relevance and evangelism?

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, tells the story of a man who would have given up hope if not for his remembrance of the bells at the mission.

Nikolai, a counselor at St. John the Compassionate Mission, discusses Great Lent and the Early Morning Breakfast Program at the mission.

Fr. Roberto shares that there is little that we can do to solve the world's problems, yet that little is perhaps the most important thing in the world.

Fr. Lawrence Farley comments on a discussion that takes place each year during Holy Week.

There is today in the Orthodox Church a cult of personality—or, more precisely, of personalities, in the plural. That is, there are a number of men, mostly monastics and wearing the badge of “elder” who have set themselves up as judges and arbiters of Orthodox praxis. Most of the hubbub is over matters of ecumenism. Drawing upon the Fathers (often ripped from their historical context) these men declare that outside the Orthodox Church there is little or no grace and salvation. Accordingly, everyone who comes to Orthodoxy from another Christian confession must—not should, but must—be received by baptism, so that those who were received by chrismation must “correct” this “error” and be again baptized.

One would not have guessed that the question of whether to receive a person into the Orthodox Church by baptism and chrismation or by chrismation alone would be a hot issue given the history of reception into the Church. Both methods have been widely used in the ancient and recent past and continue to be used in the present.

A wise man once said "what we believe always remains intellectually possible, and never becomes intellectually compulsive. I have an idea," he said, "that when this ceases to be so, the world will be ending."

The work of the prophet Haggai is short and easy to miss; it is a mere two chapters in our Bibles sandwiched in between the books of Zephaniah and Zechariah. If you are flipping quickly through the final pages of the Old Testament he easy to miss. After ploughing through longer works such as those of Isaiah (66 chapters), Jeremiah (52 chapters, plus 5 more chapters of Lamentations), and Ezekiel (48 chapters), Haggai looks positively puny in comparison

This is lesson three in Fr. Apostolos' series on Divine Worship; this installment addressing the historical development of the Small Entrance and the significance of the Readings in view of the centrality of Holy Scripture in the lives of Christian believers.

Fr. Apostolos Hill gives a brief historical review of the excavation of Golgotha and the history of the Precious Cross of Christ, then an examination of the challenge of understanding the Cross in our own time.

What should we do when thoughts come? The Psalms will help wash your heart of the distractions and you will reach the point where you can pray better.

In Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we find the Master Teacher deftly bringing her to faith in Him. Fr Thomas relates this gospel message to the imperative of sharing our own story of faith in Christ with those who are thirsting for God.

Using the stories of the healing of the woman with the flow of blood and the raising of Jairus's daughter, Fr Thomas points out that the only answer to the empty promises of the world and its false philosophies is faith in Christ. (Lk 8:41-56)

On the Pre-Lenten Sunday of the Final Judgment, Fr Thomas speaks out against the false teachings of universalism, millenarianism, and the doubted return of Christ.

When we struggle with hopelessness and disbelief, we can turn to the world and the nihilism it espouses - or, we can turn to Christ in faithfulness for comfort and true hope. We must always ask ourselves, "what do I actually believe about God?"