Faith and Philosophy Podcast

What is the therapeutic strategy of the Orthodox Church?

On June 1, 2013, St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church in Chesterton, Indiana, in cooperation with Ancient Faith Radio, hosted an all-day retreat titled “Heaven and Hell: The View of the Early Church.” The speaker was Dr. Clark Carlton, an assistant professor of philosophy at Tennessee Tech University and the host of the AFR podcast “Faith and Philosophy.”

Session 3 Q&A

On June 1, 2013, St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church in Chesterton, Indiana, in cooperation with Ancient Faith Radio, hosted an all-day retreat titled “Heaven and Hell: The View of the Early Church.” The speaker was Dr. Clark Carlton, an assistant professor of philosophy at Tennessee Tech University and the host of the AFR podcast “Faith and Philosophy.”

Session Two

On June 1, 2013, St. Elizabeth the New Martyr Orthodox Church in Chesterton, Indiana, in cooperation with Ancient Faith Radio, hosted an all-day retreat titled “Heaven and Hell: The View of the Early Church.” The speaker was Dr. Clark Carlton, an assistant professor of philosophy at Tennessee Tech University and the host of the AFR podcast “Faith and Philosophy.”

Session One

This is Part 2 of Dr. Clark Carlton's special: The Essence and Energies of God

This past September 9, on an extremely sultry evening in Franklin, Tennessee, an ecumenical group of Christians met at the home of a local Orthodox parishioner for Scotch and cigars and to listen to Dr. Clark Carlton speak about the essence and energies of God. Such lectures take place on a monthly basis in Franklin, and the crowd—comprised primarily of men, although there were a handful of women as well—typically comes ready to discuss and even argue about the topic at h...

This past September 9, on an extremely sultry evening in Franklin, Tennessee, an ecumenical group of Christians met at the home of a local Orthodox parishioner for Scotch and cigars and to listen to Dr. Clark Carlton speak about the essence and energies of God. Such lectures take place on a monthly basis in Franklin, and the crowd—comprised primarily of men, although there were a handful of women as well—typically comes ready to discuss and even argue about the topic at hand, which can range from theology to politics to the arts to economics. This night was no exce...

Clark explains why being outside the Church leads to destruction rather than salvation.

Clark Carlton explains that Orthodoxy is a culture, and if it is to be handed down to future generations intact, it must be incarnated in the best cultural materials available.

Clark reminds us to work with nature in our attempts to eradicate the weeds of our lives.

What is the object of our reason? What do we even mean by reason? Clark answers both questions.

Clark refutes Palamism and then introduces us to the true theology of St. Gregory Palamas.

Clark explains how Greek philosophy and Christian theology share the exact same Logos.

Clark debunks two myths about capitalism.

Clark argues that ecumenical dialogue on matters that we Orthodox have no intention of changing is a fruitless endeavor.

Clark explains that while all theology begins as narrative, it is fulfilled in doxology.

Clark explores the term "theologian" and identifies who is and who ain't - but more importantly, why.

Clark shares with us a portion of his forthcoming book. The excerpt is titled Every Valley Exalted: Christianity and Political Messsianism.

Vegetables, plants, weeds, and fasting are on Clark's mind today as he updates us on the progress of his garden.

How do we draw more African-Americans into the Orthodox Church? The same way we attract everyone else. Here is a link to the website that Dr. Carlton mentions in this episode: God's Garden

Clark comments on the concepts of American Orthodoxy and takes us back to the founding fathers of this country including his own Anglo-Celtic roots.

We are responsible for most of the weeds, saplings, and predatory vines in our lives, and the Lenten Spring is the time to clear away the dead foliage.

Is hypocrisy always wrong? Dr. Carlton explains why it is sometimes okay to lead a double life.

The cry against the secularization of Christmas is decades long. But what about the removal of the sacramental nature of this feast and its implications?

In these current economic times, where should Orthodox Christians lay up their treasure? Clark continues his commentary examining property ownership, debt, and the local cabinet maker.

Clark says an economic system that is built on debt and consumer spending is not only unworkable in the long run, it is fundamentally immoral. Find out why.

The title of today's episode begs the question: Do we mine the Scriptures and the Fathers to get information or food?

Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days for Orthodox Christians. But, why do we observe this and what spiritual benefit is there?

Clark wishes everyone a happy new (Church) year by exploring the importance of the Church cycle and the significance of the Theotokos.

Today Clark tackles another one of the many challenging topics submitted by our listeners: Universalism.

A recent archaeological discovery is in the news and Clark is more fascinated with the reactions of the people than the discovery itself. Also, Clark is looking for topics and/or questions you would like for him to discuss on future podcasts. Send an email to us and we will pass it along.

Clark takes a line from his favorite novel which is a story of God's grace but he's not so sure about the new movie adaptation coming out this summer!

It isn't just our understanding of God or the Christian life that is defined by our participation in the Mysteries; our understanding of creation itself, as well as our place within it, begins in the font and ends up on the table.

A lesson learned on sin, repentance, and forgiveness from the sin of Judas.

In this episode, Clark comments on administrative unity from a perspective that you may not have heard before.

Dr. Carlton identifies three characteristics that should define a bishop.

During the Great Lent, a time of reflection, let us be sure that our reflection is upon our own failings, and not those of our neighbors and family members.

Dr. Carlton offers a meditation on recent lectionary readings from 1 John and the Gospel of St. Mark, both of which deal with our responsibility as followers of Christ. He encourages us to both walk in humble submission, as Christ did, and live watching for His return.

So, what do you do for a living? No matter what it is, it can and should be deeply grounded in your Orthodox faith.

Using the movie Trip to Bountiful as a starting point, Clark discusses the concept of place in the Orthodox faith.

In a follow-up to last week's podcast, "Harry Potter and the Golden Compass," Dr. Carlton discusses how children best learn, and how this should guide the ways in which we teach them.