Fr. Joseph Allen

In the second lecture on Living by Trust, Fr. Joe delves into the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac—a story that reveals how we must undergo human experience and risk to come to real trust in God, and that to live by trust in God does not remove pain and human struggle. Centuries later, another Only Son was offered up: the Isaac story is one of radical trust in God, but the parallel story of Christ on the Cross is God’s new covenant with us - through which we are shown that we can trust Him

In this first lecture of the series Living by Trust, Fr Joe introduces the subject of trust, and why faith, and trust in God, are one and the same. He reviews where Western society is in terms of how it understands faith; how it arrived at this understanding; and how Orthodox Christianity responds. He concludes with a story from the life of Abraham, demonstrating not only how Abraham’s trust in God was reckoned to him as righteousness, but how God “cut” a covenant with Abraham, swearing by His own divinity to keep His promise.

In this lecture, Fr. Joseph discusses the Old Testament story of Job, renowned for his patience and

hope in God. The lecture was the last in the Profiles in Faith series, which Fr. Joe delivered at St. Anthony

Church circa 1987. It is perhaps the most relevant of his lectures for a world in crisis.

Fr. Joseph delivers a lecture on the very human “Doomsday Prophet” Jeremiah. Jeremiah’s story, as

Fr. Joe explains, reminds us all - clergy and laity alike - that our engagement with God is measured in

terms of fidelity, not “success.” Fr. Joe presented the lecture in 1987 at St. Anthony’s Church as part of

his Profiles in Faith series.

In this lecture, Fr. Joseph relates the dramatic story of Esther, Queen of Persia, an Old Testament

heroine whose bravery in the face of death saves the Hebrews from destruction. Fr. Joe presented the

lecture at St. Anthony’s Church in 1987 as part of his Profiles in Faith series.

In this two-part lecture, Fr. Joseph Allen discusses two key prophets of the Old Testament whose

stories are inseparable: Elijah and Elisha. Part two is focused on Elijah’s disciple Elisha, whose own story

of faith, Fr. Joe explains, begins when God presents the young man with the free choice of whether or

not to pick up the mantle of his departed master. Fr. Joe delivered the lecture in the late 1980s at St.

Anthony’s Church as part of his Lenten series, Profiles in Faith.

In this two-part lecture, Fr. Joseph Allen discusses two key prophets of the Old Testament whose

stories are inseparable: Elijah and Elisha. Part one focuses on the “radical” Prophet Elijah. As Fr. Joe

reveals through the story of Elijah, although God may present Himself in the spectacular, stories of faith

are more often found in quieter moments of personal crisis.

In this lecture, Fr. Joseph explains King David as the Old Testament’s great “Renaissance Man” and,

more importantly, a “man after God’s own heart.” The lecture was one of those Fr. Joe delivered as part

of his Profiles in Faith series at St. Anthony Church circa 1987.

Fr. Joseph presents the story of Deborah, a one-of-a-kind biblical leader and the Old Testament’s

answer to Joan of Arc, in this lecture. Fr. Joe delivered the lecture at St. Anthony’s Church circa 1987 as

part of his Profiles in Faith series.

Fr. Joseph in this lecture speaks about Joshua, the military genius who conquered Canaan but never

forgot—despite his prowess—who he was as the humble servant of God. Fr. Joe delivered the lecture in

the late 1980s at St. Anthony’s Church as part of his Profiles in Faith series.