Episode 8: Who is Allowed to be Orthodox?

Click here to download!

In this episode, taking their lead from the themes of the previous episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect on how different people and ideas are included in and excluded from the Orthodox community.

Topics discussed include:

• The nature of community
• Experiences of inclusion and exclusion
• What criteria are (or are not) used as the basis for including or excluding someone from the church community

Episode 7: Authority in the Church

Click here to download!

In this episode, taking their lead from the themes of the previous episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect on the nature and exercise of authority in the Orthodox Church.

Topics discussed include:

• The nature of priestly and episcopal authority
• The ways that authority is embodied and enacted by the clergy and the laity
• The history of church hierarchy and structure
• Roles of the ordained and the non-ordained
• Ways that ministry can be extended beyond the purview of one person, the parish priest

Passing On

The following books, blogs, podcasts, and articles were used in preparing this episode. Please check them out for more information and discussion on the subjects we dove into today!

• “Reflections on the Wise Words of Cartman,” by Dr. David Dunn
• “Grace and the Inverted Pyramid,” by Fr. Stephen Freeman
• “The Inverted Pyramid,” by Abbot Tryphon
• “Power and Pity,” by Fr. Josiah Trenham
• “Causing Our Savior to Marvel,” by Fr. Josiah Trenham
• “Shared Ministry and Divine Grace: Restoring the Diaconate in Orthodoxy,” by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Denysenko
• “Women Deacons in Africa; not in America,” by Carrie Frederick Frost
• Thinking Through Faith: New Perspectives from Orthodox Christian Scholars, ed. Aristotle Papanikolaou and Elizabeth Prodromou
• Religious Knowledge, Authority, and Charisma: Islamic and Jewish Perspectives, ed. Ephrat and Hatina
• The Bible Made Impossible, by Christian Smith
• Fraudulent Authority, by Wade Burleson

Tune in next time to hear Lydia and Kevin discuss the book and recent film of The Shack!

Episode 6: Small Gods

Click here to download!

In this episode, Lydia and Kevin reflect on the novel Small Gods, by the late Sir Terry Pratchett.

Topics discussed include:

• Religious certainty and delusion
• The ways belief works (or doesn’t work)
• How can we know anything about God?

Passing On

The following books and articles were used in preparing this episode. Please check them out for more information and discussion on the subjects we dove into today!

• The novel itself, Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
• The Folklore of Discworld: Legends, Myths, and Customs from the Discworld with Helpful Hints from Planet Earth, by Terry Pratchett and Jaqueline Simpson
• The Terry Pratchett website
• “Alzheimer’s leads atheist Terry Pratchett to appreciate God,” by Robert Watts
• “Imaginary Worlds, Real Stories,” by Terry Pratchett, in Folklore 111:2

Tune in next time to hear Lydia and Kevin discuss the nature of authority!