25 Most Recent Special Programs

The State of the Church in Egypt

Nathan Hollenbeck of Coptic Orphans discusses the state of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt. The country has experienced much turmoil since the January 25 Revolution. But even before then, Coptic Christians had seen their churches bombed and demonstrators attacked. Nathan also discusses Christ’s love for the widow and the orphan, their position in Coptic society, and the special ministry to them that Coptic Orphans performs.

Spiritual Practice: Orthodox Christian Faith and Homosexual Attraction and Behavior

The 2nd talk at the Chicago Synergy conference in 2011.

Theological Vision: Orthodox Christian Faith and Human Sexuality

Orthodox Christian Synergy is a pan-Orthodox organization consisting of clergy and lay representatives of Chicago-area Orthodox Christian parishes who seek to project awareness of Orthodox Christianity to the public at large. Synergy works together with its parent organization, the Orthodox Christian Clergy Association of Greater Chicago, and with the blessings of the Chicago-area Orthodox Hierarchs.
The topic of Synergy’s 2011 Symposium was “Orthodox Christianity and Homosexuality.

Plato on God as Person

The ideas about God and human persons that Plato writes down in his dialogue, Timaeus, express a unique account of divine and human personhood. Dr. Patricia Slatin, currently a postdoctoral fellow in classics at Stanford University, explains the central points of Plato's account, showing the many ways they coincide with Eastern Orthodox theology.

From Shadow to Reality - Ancient Christian Worship

Fr. Tom Hopko was the guest lecturer at Wheaton College's Center for Early Christian Studies on March 22, 2012. He spoke on the roots of Christian worship from an Orthodox perspective.

The End of Suffering

Dr. Scott Cairns, renowned poet and visiting professor at St. Katherine College, assays the meaning of suffering, beginning from the ubiquity of grief and the shallow nature of many explanations. Drawing from the insight of St. Isaac of Syria that love of God proceeds from our conversing with him, Cairns explains that the conditions for such a conversation point to a way of coming to grips with suffering.

The Musical Sources of Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil

The All-Night Vigil by Sergei Rachmaninoff has been called one of the most beautiful musical works ever composed. Using musical examples drawn from the history of Russian music, Dr. Vladimir Morosan, an expert on the history of Russian sacred music, reveals some of the musical sources of the All-Night Vigil and explains how Rachmaninoff wove them together to create a composition that was uniquely his own.

Rugged and Steep: The Poetry of John Donne

Dr. Arthur Seamans, professor emeritus of literature at Point Loma Nazarene University, tells the story of the life of John Donne and describes how he wrestled with God in his poetry. From the wide-ranging poems of Donne, Seamans distills three levels of love for both God and humans and describes the interplay between both kinds of love.

Mingling Prophecy With Melody: The Ethos of Orthodox Liturgical Music

St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great both describe music as the sweetener that God has given us so that we will want to worship Him.How does music work in that way? What do we sing, who sings it, and why? How does Orthodox liturgical music "set the tone" for our worship? This talk discusses some fundamental musical concepts and explores how they interact with our liturgy and our faith.

Psalterion as Pulpit: The Privilege, Craft, and Discipline of Orthodox Liturgical Song

The Byzantine rite provides a unique opportunity for the church singer to preach the Orthodox Christian faith in its fullness. In this talk, the practical and spiritual implications for the cantor and choir director are discussed, exploring how liturgical music is a responsibility to be honored, a skill to be learned, and a calling to be respected.

A Walk Through the Apocalypse - Part 3

This is the final section of Fr. Tom Hopko teaching on the entire book of the Apocalypse (Revelation). Our thanks to the people of Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton, MS for providing these recordings.

A Walk Through the Apocalypse - Part 2

Part 2 of Fr. Tom's verse by verse teaching through the book of Revelation.

A Walk Through the Apocalypse - Part 1

Fr. Tom tackles the entire book of Revelation in this 3 part series delivered at a Lenten retreat sponsored by Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church in Clinton, MS where Archpriest Paul Yerger is pastor.

Fr. John Kostas - Sunday of Orthodoxy

Homily given on the Sunday of Orthodoxy at the monastery.

Fr. John Kostas - Forgiveness Sunday

Homily given on Forgiveness Sunday at the monastery.

How Great Lent Can Be the Beginning of Your Transformation

Jesus Christ Revealed Throughout the Holy Scriptures

When Does Our Christian Life Begin?

With One Mind We Confess

The Creed as COMMUNION

Worshipped and Glorified Together

The Creed as PRAYER

Q&A

The question-and-answer period following the first session

I Believe in One God . . .

The Creed as TRUST

Pilgrimages to the Heart of Eastern Orthodox Christianity: A Picture Presentation

Dr. Kyriacos Markides is a professor of Sociology at the University of Maine and the author of The Mountain of Silence and Gifts of the Desert.

Byzantine Orthodoxy and the Heresiology of Sophronios’s Synodical Letter

Dr. Daniel Larison has a Ph.D. in History from the University of Chicago and is the Senior Editor of The American Conservative.

Exploring Byzantine Iconography

Jennie Gelles is an artist and iconographer living in Louisville, Kentucky.