The Seventh Ecumenical Council taught that honoring images of our Lord and the saints is ancient and apostolic. However, many skeptics have objected to this claim. This episode explores the earliest evidence for how icons were used in the early church beyond mere decor.

The West practiced infant communion up until the 12th & 13th centuries, and some places to the 16th century. How did Roman Catholics and Protestants justify this change? This episode explores the history of infant communion, and its significance in the life of the church.

The Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Dormition of the Theotokos on August 15th, when Mary died and her soul and then body were translated into heaven. However, skeptical scholars have stated there is no evidence for this event.

Many people today believe the myth that the first Christians worshipped informally in houses with spontaneous prayers and songs. The earliest liturgical evidence in the Scriptures, the Church Fathers, and ancient worship manuals suggest otherwise.

Some popular scholarship claims that the Gospel of Mark only presents Jesus as a divinely indwelled man while the Gospel of John presents him as God. Fr. Stephen De Young responds to this hyper critical scholarship and presents the Christ of the Gospels.

This episode explores how the New Testament and the early Church Fathers reveal that Christ gave us an ordained priesthood. We also discuss how the 3-fold structure of bishop, presbyter, and deacon fulfill the 3 offices of the Old Testament.

On the Nativity of St. John the Forerunner, Cassian is joined by special guest, Fr. Thomas Soroka, to discuss how Orthodoxy honors the saints and some of the key differences with Protestantism.

For the early Christians, the place where they gathered for worshiped was not a mere building but was actually sanctified space. The altar was the heart of the space where the bishop or presbyter/priest presided over the Divine Liturgy.

In this episode, we explore how creation is structured as a temple fashioned by God and how this theme runs through the Scriptures and the whole Orthodox tradition. We also discuss the problem of 'modern' worship in much of the evangelical Protestant landscape today.

Is the universe mostly empty space or filled with the glory of God? In this episode, we explore the story of 'atheist' C.S. Lewis discovering the heavenly music and sacred hierarchy of Creation rooted in St. Dionysius the Areopagite.

0:00 - Introduction

3:36 - Examining atheist views on Creation

7:08 - St. Paul's teaching on Creation

12:51 - Creation itself as an icon of God

21:58 - A comprehensible creation as evidence of God

33:23 - The aesthetic argument for God

40:18 - Other arguments for God

44:33 - Developing love for the beautiful

47:11 - Checking in with the chat

1:04:42 - Outro

Music used:

Epic Adventure Looped Version - M_B_Music_Studio

Licensed through Envato