Fr. Thomas is joined by Jesse Cone, Headmaster of the new Saint Constantine School of Pittsburgh, to talk about the value of philosophy in education, religion, and everyday life

The Orthodox Deaconess – Full Length Interviews On Jan 30, 2024, Ancient Faith Today released an audio documentary entitled The Orthodox Deaconess: Examining the Call for Restoration. In that 1 hour and 45 minute documentary there were 16 diverse voices heard representing Orthodox Christians who were both in favor and opposed to the restoration. In this episode of Ancient Faith Today, you will be able to hear the complete interviews or comments of all 16 individuals. The timestamps below will help you find the ones you are most interested in hearing. As we mentioned in the documentary, our goal was to provide a forum for responsible, respectful discussion that furthers the Ancient Faith Ministries’ mission to educate, edify, and evangelize. While we never intend to present material that is not in line with the teachings of the Orthodox Church, there are topics where the Church does not have a unified stated position. And this is true of this topic. People have conflicting opinions about the history and function of the female diaconate and whether that role should be restored today. In light of that you need to know that we at Ancient Faith do not necessarily endorse the opinions of all the people we interviewed. We do however express our gratitude for their willingness to speak to us. 00:01:42 Metropolitan Saba 00:27:05 Dr. Edith M. Humphrey 01:08:05 Dr. Carrie Frederick Frost 01:38:11 Fr. Stephen De Young 02:41:52 Dr. John Panagiotou 03:16:20 Dr. Valerie Karras 04:42:55 Dr. Jeannie Constantinou 05:30:00 Dr. James Skedros 06:19:00 Fr. Lucas Christensen 07:33:11 Fr. Alexander Lebedeff 07:48:47 Dr. Helen Theodoropoulos 08:37:28 Mother Christophora 08:54:06 Dr. Sarah Byrne-Martelli 09:24:10 Fr. Joseph Lucas 09:49:53 Frederica Mathews-Green 10:06:40 Dr. Mary Ford

⁠The story of the Orthodox Deaconess is largely unknown today. When did they exist, and what was their function? In recent decades, there has been a call for restoring the female diaconate, causing no small debate between Orthodox proponents and opponents.⁠ In the first special edition of Ancient Faith Today Live, Fr. Tom Soroka and John Maddex take a deep dive into the topic with a full-length audio documentary, which will feature scholarly experts from both sides of the issue and reflect upon the views shared and what we can conclude about the Church’s wisdom on this issue today.

Fr. Thomas is joined by former Methodist pastor Matthew Riley, who shares the story of his family's journey to the Orthodox Church, his own healing from addiction to pornography, and his ministry to encourage those who are seeking wholeness from sexual brokenness.

Fr. Thomas is joined by Fr. Alexis Baldwin to discuss the Orthodox Christian understanding of giving and receiving blessings. Using the Scriptures and Patristic sources, they will also comment on a recent, widely publicized statement, which caused uncertainty and confusion.

Josh and Lacey Sturm join us for our first show of 2024 to discuss Lacey's new solo album, "Kenotic Metanoia," their summer reunion with Flyleaf, and their continued witness to the truth of the gospel of Christ.

Author Dr Bradley Nassif joins Fr Thomas to dicuss his recent interview featured in the Evangelical publication, Christianity Today, and his outlook regarding Evangelicalism and Orthodoxy.

Fr Thomas is joined by Fr Paul Jannakos as they discuss the goals and challenges of Nativity season and how we can enter the festal period with joy and purpose.

Fr. Paul Hodge, Fr. Paul Wesche, and Fr. William Rettig join Fr. Thomas to discuss a focused effort to evangelize North and South Dakota, which are experiencing unprecedented economic growth. What's involved in presenting Orthodox Christianity in an intentional way?

Fr Lawrence Farley joins Fr Thomas to discuss his new book, "Living Faith: An Orthodox Christian Conversation with Evangelicals" and how we can best present the truth of the Orthodox faith to those who are seeking.