Why would a philosopher become Orthodox?

In this deeply personal episode, Nathan Jacobs shares the story of his journey from a Lutheran upbringing, through philosophy, skepticism, art, and years of intellectual searching, to discovering the Eastern Church Fathers and ultimately embracing Eastern Orthodoxy.

This is not simply a conversion story—it is an account of how questions about truth, God, beauty, morality, and the nature of reality led to the Orthodox Church. Along the way, Nathan reflects on his spiritual awakening, his study of philosophy and theology, his encounter with the Church Fathers, and the profound impact of experiencing the Divine Liturgy for the first time.

If you’re exploring Orthodoxy, interested in philosophy, or wondering why so many scholars and thinkers are finding their way to the ancient Christian faith, this conversation is for you.

======================================

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:29 Turning East and My Story

01:33 Growing Up Lutheran

07:56 A Spiritual Awakening

17:17 Studying Philosophy and Christianity

27:42 Discovering Process Philosophy

45:09 Encountering the Eastern Church Fathers

01:16:45 My First Orthodox Church Experience

01:23:15 Entering the Orthodox Church

======================================

Do you like this content? Join Jacobs Premium to get exclusive access to essays, lecture series, monthly Q&A Zoom calls, and our book club. Use code: LEWIS to get a discount: https://www.thenathanjacobspodcast.com/

Support the East West Series: http://theeastwestseries.com/

======================================

All links:

The Theological Letters (Substack): https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast

X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nathanandrewjacobs

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

Listen and please review the podcast elsewhere:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast