How do you describe the distinction between human beings and animals? Is it the soul or is it something else altogether?

Fr. Tom continues his series on Darwin and Christianity with some musings on God and Creation.

What are some of the misunderstandings and misgivings about miracles, and how does that relate to natural science and Christian theology?

As Fr. Tom gets close to the end of his series on Darwin and Christianity, he reflects on the terms and concepts of nature and super-nature.

This is the next-to-last episode in the Darwin series.

In this final installment in his Darwin and Christianity series, Fr. Tom Hopko compares the task and method of natural science with the task and method of Christian theology.

Everyone at one time or another has been fearful. But how do we deal with unhealthy anxiety and fear? Fr. Tom looks at this problem in light of Holy Scripture.

Fr. Thomas Hopko reflects on one of the twelve great feasts of the Church.

Today, Fr. Thomas Hopko reflects on the nature of our thoughts and emotions in this fallen world.

Fr. Tom begins a series of talks on the role of bishops in the Church and their relationships to each other, to the priests, the deacons, and to us. He begins by identifying what is common to all of us in creation. Please also listen to a special encouragement at the very beginning of today's episode.

In the second in his series on bishops, Fr. Tom reflects on the New Testament and early Church formulations of the offices and functions of clergy.

Fr. Tom received a number of emails about his talks on reading the Bible and the various translations. Several listeners asked about the scandalous nature of the Old Testament with stories of murder, slaughter, multiple wives, concubines, etc. So today, Fr. Tom begins a short series of talks to deal with this subject.

What are we to make of the moral behavior of many of the heroes of the Old Testament like David, Solomon, Abraham, Lot, and others? Fr. Tom helps us deal with these figures in the proper way and according to God's ultimate plan.

Fr. Tom looks at the lies and deception that are replete in the Old Testament stories and how God worked with sinful human beings to accomplish His purposes.

In his continuing series on the Bible, Fr. Tom addresses the problem of God's violence against people and the war and violence that is prevalent in general in the Old Testament.

As we enter the New Year, Fr. Tom is thinking about the end of the world or "age." Don't miss this powerful and prophetic talk!

In this next episode of the series on Bishops, Fr. Tom reflects on 4th century Bishops, Monks, Martyrs, and Saints.

Fr. Tom reflects on the icons associated with Pentecost and the Trinity.

To what lengths will a true saint go to defend pure doctrine? Fr. Tom tells the incredible story of St. Maximus and St. Martin.

How does Orthodoxy view the gifts of the Holy Spirit and in particilar the phenomenon of speaking in tongues? Fr. Thomas Hopko explores the New Testament teaching on the charismatic gifts.

On this 10th Anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Fr. Tom Hopko looks at the problem of evil and how we are to understand it as Christians.

As Christians, how do we explain tragedy, earthquakes, floods, and evil? Fr. Tom takes an in depth look at the nature of God's dealing with the world through His Son, Jesus Christ.

On November 30, we celebrated the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle. On that day, Fr. Tom reflected on this great apostle as well as some of the legends that surround him. In particular, he talks about the dubious history of Andrew's alledged founding of the Church in Constantinople.

In Psalm 118 (119 in the Hebrew text), every verse references the commandments or precepts of God. As Christians, how are we to look at God's commandments in the light of Christ and His "New Commandment?"

Fr. Tom reflects on the very important 10th Century (the 900's) and the conversion of Prince Vladimir.

St. Paul's letter to the Romans is critical to understanding the Gospel of Christ. In this episode, Fr. Thomas gives us a helpful overview of this letter and its central theme.

Fr. Tom continues through the 11th and now into the 12th Century where the Crusades were launched and the spread of Islam increased.

After listening to an AFR Commentary by Fr. Lawrence Farley and a sermon by Fr. Andrew Damick, Fr. Thomas offers some additional and personal thoughts on the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. We also encourage you to listen to the comments by Fr. Tom Soroka.

Fr. Tom now turns his attention to the late 12th to early 14th centuries to talk about the Church in Serbia and Bulgaria and their relationship with Constantinople.

Following his recent podcast on the virtue as well as the pitfalls of zeal, Fr. Thomas talks about where our zeal should be focused. He uses a 19th century book entitled The Arena by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov to help us understand.

After a season of elections, an inauguration, the State of the Union address, as well as social and political unrest, Fr. Thomas Hopko explores an ancient Christian perspective on the rights identified in the Declaration of Independence.

In this episode, Fr. Tom talks about how we should view the practice of medicine and medication from an Orthodox Christian perspective.

Fr. Thomas gets down to basics with this episode by saying everything the ancient Christian Church believes about the world, society, nature, sex, humanity, and everything else comes down to its view of God and death.

From Constantinople we go to the Church in Kiev and Rus from the 10th to the 13th Centuries.

The 16th Century was pivotal for the Orthodox Church in Russia which is during the reign of Ivan the Terrible and also the period when the Russian Church was given autocephaly.

Fr. Thomas Hopko calls the Reformation one of the most impactful periods of Church history on Orthodoxy. Learn about how the Orthodox were influenced by Roman Catholic and Protestant thinking.

Fr. Tom talks about what happened in the 17th Century, when Orthodoxy in both Constantinople and Ukraine were influenced by non Orthodox thinking.

Fr. Thomas talks about the writings of Archbishop François Fénelon, a Roman Catholic writer from the 17th century. Fr. Tom was particularly taken with Fénelon's spiritual writings surrounding Lent.

Last time, Fr. Tom talked about the Ottoman Empire and its demise. Today he reflects on the impact of Turkish rule on Orthodox clergy and laity.

In this second episode, Jeannie explores how the Fathers of the Church viewed Scripture and what that should mean to us today when we open the pages of the Bible.

Pres. Jeannie continues her analysis of how we study the Scriptures through the lens of the Fathers.

How does the Orthodox view of the Fathers of the Church differ from the Roman Catholic view? What about St. Augustine? What is his role in the Orthodox Church as it relates to the study of the Bible? These questions and many more are addressed in this week's episode.

Today, Jeannie begins a significant study of the trials and crucifixion of Jesus leading up to Holy Week. This is part 1.

Pres. Jeannie continues her teaching on the Trials and Crucifixion of Jesus with today's episode divided into two parts for easier download. This is the first part with the second part above.

And this is the second half of part two on the Trials and Crucifixion of Jesus.

How are we to understand words like "inspired" and "inerrant" when it comes to the Holy Scriptures?

Jeannie continues her discussion about the inspiration and veracity of the Bible.

Today, Jeannie talks about the many and various translations and versions of the Bible

As Jeannie continues her intro to the Bible lessons, she helps us understand biblical interpretation and the school of Alexandria.

Jeannie continues looking at the influence of Alexandria and in particular Origen on the early interpretation of Scripture.