

Counterflow with Buck Johnson
Buck Johnson
The Counterflow Podcast is a weekly show featuring discussions and interviews with people who are outside of and critical toward mainstream liberal and conservative politics. Counterflow challenges the conventional narratives sold to us as truth. The show features thinkers from all backgrounds, who do not fit into the narrow framework of fashionable opinion. The show addresses cultural, spiritual and lifestyle issues as well as philosophy and geo-politics. Host Buck Johnson (formerly of the Death To Tyrants Podcast) is a musician, firefighter and Orthodox Christian and has always had an interest and drive to go one way while everyone else runs the other direction.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 5min
Ep. 371 - Teaching the Nations Orthodoxy, with Father Silouan Brown
My guest this week is a priest monk who heads up the Orthodox Africa mission. He is Father Silouan Brown. We discuss what missionary work looks like in the Orthodox Church, the trials and tribulations Father Silouan has been through to get things going, the blessings from St. John Maximovich, and more. This is an edifying and touching discussion. To find out more about this mission, go here: https://www.orthodoxafrica.org Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Jul 8, 2025 • 1h 2min
Ep. 370 - Theistic Satanism, Presbyterianism, and Orthodoxy: Oh My! with Shane Jarvis
My guest this week has had a journey full of twists and turns on his way to the Orthodox Church. He was raised as a charismatic and became and avid reader. His intellectualism drove him to question his parents and their faith. Once they had no answers, he fell away from that faith. Join us as we take you through the journey that followed, including a stop at theistic satanism. The good news is that we end at a happy place. To contribute to Father Ignatius and our parish casket-building fund, or to order a casket, go here: https://www.orthodoxlockhart.org Sponsor: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Jul 1, 2025 • 1h 16min
Ep. 369 - An Orthodox View of Health, with Dr. Michael Christian & John
My guests this week host the great new "Orthodox Health Podcast". They take a very Orthodox Christian approach toward physical, mental, and spiritual health. We get into self-help, vaccines, microbiomes, water, yoga, and more. It's refreshing to get a legitimate medical take on these issues while maintaining a holistic Orthodox view on them. For more from these guys, find their podcast on any podcast platform and go to: https://www.orthodoxhealth.com Sponsors: Sheath Underwear: https://sheathunderwear.com/counterflow Code: Counterflow Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Jun 24, 2025 • 1h 16min
Ep. 368 - The Church IS Israel, with Dr Clark Carlton
Clark Carlton is back on the show this week to discuss a topic that is VERY MUCH needed right now. Many of us saw Texas Senator Ted Cruz make a complete fool of himself in his recent interview with Tucker Carlson. He stated that he believes that the "Israel" mentioned in the Book of Genesis is the same as the current State of Israel which was founded in 1948. Unfortunately, there are many folks who still believe this sort of thing and it's partially because they've been taught bad theology for years. It is worse when politicians have such bad Biblical understanding that they want their poor understanding to also inform their views on foreign policy. Luckily, there are wise men like Dr Carlton who can simply and articulately explain what is meant when we speak of the Israel of the Bible. Clark Carlton is an author and editor of the Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship. He has also taught philosophy for more than twenty-five years. A native of Tennessee, he earned a B.A. in philosophy from Carson-Newman College, an M.Div. from St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America. He is the author of "The Faith" Series and has been published in the Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly, the Journal of Early Christian Studies, Christian Bioethics, and Histoire de la Littérature Grecque Chrétienne des Origines à 451. Sponsor: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Jun 18, 2025 • 1h 16min
Ep. 367 - Zelenskyy’s War on the Orthodox Church, with Catherine Whiteford
This week, Catherine Whiteford joins me to discuss the issues with the Orthodox Church inside of Ukraine. You may have heard that there's a new "church" sponsored by the US State Department in Ukraine. Yet the government is trying to close out and ban the real Church that has been in existence there for over 1000 years. In this video, Catherine breaks all of this down for you and explains the differences between the real and fake church in Ukraine and who’s fighting for which one. In this interview, we discussed Catherine meeting with the White House Faith Office. She is indeed officially in contact with them now. They are looking for more stories and data on the magnitude of the R-1 Visa issues. If you have any, please contact her! For the video she made that we referred to, go here: https://x.com/cewhiteford/status/1929618491415388640?s=46 For the article we discussed, go here: https://natlawreview.com/article/backlogged-priests-resolving-bipartisian-immigration-issue Sponsor: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Jun 10, 2025 • 1h 10min
Ep. 366 - From Calvinism to Orthodoxy, with Ambrose McReynolds
My guest today was raised wonderfully by a loving family in the Protestant Calvinist church. He grew to become so involved in the church that he was giving sermons and leading youth groups, Bible studies, veterans groups, and so on. One day his sister, previous Counterflow guest Monique Mathiesen, introduced him to the Orthodox faith. This challenged Ambrose to confront the possible wrongs of Calvinism, which he had been believing and teaching for years. Join us in this great story, as you'll find Ambrose to be humble, smart, and able to deal with uncomfortable truths. Please support Monique Mathiesen's children's book: "Who Can Cleanse Me Of My Sin?" https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cleanheart/who-can-cleanse-me-of-my-sin Sponsor: Sheath Underwear: https://sheathunderwear.com/counterflow Code: Counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Jun 3, 2025 • 1h 4min
Ep. 365 - Kabbalah, the Reformation, and Christianity, with Anthony of Westgate
Anthony of Westgate from the Reversion Substack joins us this week. Anthony writes and speaks about a number of issues including Judiasim, Zionism, Kabbalah, the Reformation and Chrisitianity. Today, we get into several of those issues. How did Kabbalah play a role in the founding of the US? Why did it impact Protestantism and the reformation? What does Zionism have to do with American Christianity? We get into all of this and more. Follow his work here: https://substack.com/@thereversion/posts Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

May 27, 2025 • 1h 18min
Ep. 364 - Power & Cover Ups: The Papacy, the Feds, & More, with Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson
Reverend Father Emmanuel Lemelson is a force of nature—a Greek Orthodox priest, activist investor, and social commentator who fearlessly confronts the collision of faith, finance, and power. In this episode, we get into a discussion on the issue of Papal infallibility and the structures of power within the Catholic Church. It has led to many coverups and abuses throughout the decades. Fr. Emmanuel has also been brave enough to challenge another source of corrupt power: the United States Federal Government and big pharma. He tells his wild tales of this ongoing battle, how it started, and where he's at with it now. For more from Fr. Emmanuel, please go here: https://www.youtube.com/@Lemelson ...and here: https://lemelsoncapital.com Sponsor: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

May 20, 2025 • 1h 9min
Ep. 363 - Orthodox Fasting Could Save the World, with Dr Peter Patitsas
My guest this week is author of "The Athos Diet" and director of the emergency department at UPMC, Dr. Peter Patitsas. Informed by his Greek Orthodox heritage, he has discovered a method to stay healthy with high energy to meet the daily grind. Dr. Pete visited Greece many times as a youth and lived there after graduating college. He was forever impacted by his journey to Mt. Athos and has spent countless weeks living at monasteries across the globe: a place where time stops and meaning is the highest good. It is no coincidence that within a place of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, there would be found something that can bring a salve to suffering. We discuss the spiritual and physical benefits that the diet governed by the liturgical calendar of the Orthodox Church can give to us. For more on Dr. Pete Patitsas and his work, go here: https://www.theathosdiet.com Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

May 14, 2025 • 1h 15min
Ep. 362 - Let's Talk About Joseph Smith and Mormonism, with Erick K.
This week, I have an ex-Mormon on the show. For the sake of anonymity, he will go by Erick K. Erick and I have been talking a lot about Mormonism offline, so I wanted to bring him on because, if you knew as little about the LDS as I did, this is definitely worth the education. Are Mormons Christian? Who was Joseph Smith? How do they differ from the Orthodox Church? We get into some fascinating details. I think you'll enjoy this episode. Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Sheath Underwear: https://sheathunderwear.com/counterflow Code: Counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!