Steve begins a four part series on "Capital Punishment". In Part One he chronicles his work with emotionally disturbed children and the beginning of his shift from radical pacifism to a reconsideration of the death penalty.

In the second part of the series Steve discusses the Flood as the dividing line in human history in regard to the meaning of death, fear and capital punishment. Did the Mosaic Law abrogate the covenant with Noah? What do the atheist and the Christian have in common in regard to capital punishment?

In Part 3 of the series, Steve begins a discussion of the Church and State. How do we view Judaism as a theocracy? Is Jesus anti-death penalty? What is the purpose of civil authority? Is the State constrained to function on the level of the Gospel and should it?

What are the pitfalls of a "Christian State"? Can or should the State govern according to the Gospel? Can "forgiveness of enemies" be a valid principle of civil order? What do the Fathers of the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches say about the relationship of Church and State in regard to civil order and capital punishment?

This week Steve discusses the woman taken in adultery, would Jesus "flip the switch" on the electric chair, and should evildoers be given life in prison in hopes that they will eventually repent?

Is the death penalty really a deterrent? Is there a need to kill evildoers if we can keep society safe through the prison systems? Is punishment a primitive concept not fit for modern enlightened society?

In the final podcast in the capital punishment series Steve discusses punishment, retribution and hell in light of "God is love". Can Christians legitimately believe in retributive punishment and a loving God? And finally, what is the responsibility of Christians to those on death row?

Why does God allow imperfect and fallen human beings make life and death decisions? Have Christians permitted the atheists to define our doctrines? Who has a greater problem justifying being against the death penalty, the Christian or the atheist? What does iconography have to do with the death penalty? All this and more...

Fr. Evan welcomes His Grace Bishop Athanasios of Kenya to join him and even answer some of the listener questions.

Fr. Evan Armatas welcomes Bishop John Abdallah of the Antiochian Archdiocese to talk about pastoral counseling, the OCAMPR Conference, and several questions from the audience. Included were questions about the Western Rite and Halloween.

Lines were jammed as Fr. Evan and his guest co-host Fr. Michael Tishel took calls with questions on sharing the Orthodox faith without arguing, Mary the God-bearer, Phyletism, and much more.

Fr. Evan Armatas welcomes guest co-hosts Dr. Timothy Patitsas from Holy Cross Hellenic College and Thomaida Hudanish from the Metropolis of San Fransisco Mission and Evangelism Ministry. to take listener questions but also to talk about the Beauty First Films project. If listeners would like to subscribe to the Beauty First Films email news list, here is the link: https://mailchi.mp/37d8ba4d0802/beautyfirstfilms Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautyfirstfilms/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyfirstfilms/

Naomi tells about her relationship with an older friend at the mission, and how it relates to living the Orthodox way of life.

Frank (or Isaac, in the Church), a regular member of the community, passed away suddenly near the end of March. A mixup with his phone provided the community with the chance to learn of his passing, and opened the door for his daughter to share her grief with others who also loved her father.

As we enter the Dormition fast, Martha reflects on her summer, motherhood, and our Most Holy Theotokos.

Martha looks back on 2011, remembering the many relationships she built through food.

the appeals court ruled that, despite being a nonprofit and no evidence of market harm, its implementation of Controlled Digital Lending isn't fair use #

very sad to hear this but I'm grateful for their effort, and loved having them at XOXO to talk about their weird and special community #

The Pudding's deep analysis of 10 years of fanfic ships on AO3 #

The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel's clearheaded "endorsement of democracy, solving problems, and Kamala Harris" #

research and short essays about cultural loss and the critical importance of preservation and access #

the BBS goes read-only on Friday, replaced by Substack comments, and the community is not happy #

he has an extraordinary memory, reliving the stories behind a beautifully simple song #

Aardman Animation worked with Patrick McHale and the original voice cast for an elaborate stop-motion tribute #

the incredible web-based Mac/NeXT system emulator somehow keeps getting better #

How the concept of punishment in the world to come was understood at the time of Christ.

In the baptismal prayer in which the priest blesses the baptismal water, there is a line that baptism will bestow upon the candidate the loosing of bonds, the remission of sins, the illumination of the soul and “the gift of adoption to sonship”. The phrase “adoption of sonship” is a reference to the words of St. Paul, who used the word to describe our salvation in Christ in Ephesians 1:5. There he sums up our salvation by saying that God “predestined us to adoption to sonship [Greek υίοθεσία/ uiothesia] through Jesus Christ to Himself”. Given that this adoption to sonship serves to encapsulate and summarize our entire salvation, we must pay it closer attention and to what it all means.

Fr. Apostolos outlines the basic stewardship principles from 2 Corinthians 8.

Fr. Apostolos speaks about the importance of attending and participating in the divine services. "No matter how many theological books we read or classes we attend, the treasure of Holy Orthodoxy can only be revealed in and through the medium of divine worship."

Fr. Apostolos shares from 2 Corinthians 6 about the importance of finding the right context for our life in Christ. "Come out and be separate...."

Fr. Apostolos talks about feeding ourselves spiritually, not only physically."Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Fr. Apostolos talks about the true worship of God, "This week, as we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord of glory into the Temple, may we be reminded that we come into this holy place not in a state of mere passive observance, but in one of active, noetic worship of the One who alone deserves all glory, honor, and worship: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now until the ages of ages."

Fr. Apostolos introduces a miniseries of sermons about the spiritual depths of Divine Worship and starts by explaining the word leitourgia.

Fr. Apostolos addresses the Sacrament of Kingdom invoked at the opening of the Divine Liturgy followed by a treatment of "Peace" as the precondition for prayer.

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 continues the series on Divine Worship, discussing the beginning of the Synaxis of the Faithful and of the prayers leading up to the Great Entrance.

Fr. Apostolos continues the homily series on Divine Worship, addressing the Sacrament of Offering and the potential that exists to redeem our work-a-day lives through the offering up to God of a portion of our labors, in this case the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

Fr. Apostolos examines John Chapter 6 and the Holy Eucharist in the Epiklesis and how that, unlike our Western counterparts, we Orthodox leave off trying to explain the mysteries to the satisfaction of our intellectual curiosity, content to accept the words of our Lord as plainly stated (and thrice repeated!) in the Gospels. A brief review of the Epiklesis in the liturgy ensues.

Fr. Apostolos concludes the miniseries of sermons about the Divine Liturgy. He encourages the faithful to work through their understanding about the intricacies of the Liturgy in the laboratory of corporate prayer in the Church.

Fr. Apostolos Hill discusses the role of confession in maintaining a healthy spiritual life.