Faith Encouraged Live

Fr. Barnabas returns to his program with an interview with Hank Hanegraaff, the president and Chairman of the Christian Research Institute and the author of Truth Matters, Life Matters More: The Unexpected Beauty of an Authentic Christian Life.

On this episode, Fr. Barnabas welcomes Fr. Lawrence Farley, author of the Bible Study Companion series and teacher on the Coffee Cup Commentaries. They discuss demons, demonology, and Halloween.

How should our parish communities live out the fullness of our Orthodox Faith by including and making a space for those who need a space in our worship that acknowledges their worth and our need to be a spiritual home for everyone? Fr. Barnabas talks with Summer Kinard, an author, a singer, and the mother of five autistic children. Then be sure to listen for a very special announcement from Fr. Barnabas in the second half of the show.

On his last live show, Fr. Barnabas welcomes the brother and the son of Fr. Gordon Walker of blessed memory. Fr. Gordon was one of the founding leaders of the former Evangelical Orthodox Church. Led By His Love is Fr. Gordon's memoir, compiled and edited after his repose by his brother Phillip Walker, Phillip and Fr. Gordon's son Tom are the guests on the show.

Fr. Barnabas talks with Jonathan Pageau about the Evil Eye tradition in some Orthodox traditions. This was a pre-recorded program. You can find Jonathan's artwork and essays at the following two websites: pageaucarvings.com and orthodoxartsjournal.org.

Our guests are Leah Libresco and Elissa Bjeletich. Leah is on the first segment discussing building authentic Christian community and her recent book Building the Benedict Option, and Elissa will be talking about preparing for the Nativity fast.

Fr. Barnabas interviews interview Dr. Peter Bouteneff about his new book How to Be a Sinner.

Fr. Barnabas Powell welcomes back Wesley J. Smith, a lawyer and award winning author as well as a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism.

Fr. Barnabas Powell welcomes the Founder and Executive Director of the Ages Initiatives, home of the Digital Chant Stand. Providing Orthodox churches with the texts and music needed to maintain the fullest possible liturgical life. Fr. Seraphim Dedes and Richard Barrett introduce us to this widely used resource particularly in GOA parishes. You can also hear Richard and his co-host Amy Hogg on their brand new AFR podcast A Sacrifice of Praise.

Father Barnabas Powell interviews John Sitilides, the Washington D.C.-based geopolitical strategist and professional corporate speaker, in a far-reaching conversation to explore and assess the complexities facing the Orthodox Church and its internal administrative challenges in addressing in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the hierarchical tensions between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Moscow Patriarchate, Turkey's repression of Orthodox and other religious minorities, the Syria civil war, the Israeli-Palestinian divide, radical Islamism in the Balkans, the plight of Egypt’s Coptic community, and the stunning rise of Orthodox Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa.

Fr. Barnabas Powell interviews Frederica and Fr. Gregory Mathewes-Green after they recently transitioned from full time parish ministry to "retirement." Of course, they remain as active as ever in continued outreach.

Kevin Allen was the host of two popular podcasts on AFR - The Illumined Heart and Ancient Faith Today. The latter was the first live call-in show on AFR starting in April of 2012. Kevin reposed in the Lord on August 7, 2018 after a 27 month battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Fr. Barnabas Powell welcomes special guests John Maddex, Steve Christoforou, Bruce Heying, and Abbot Tryphon as well as listeners to share comments and memories of Kevin and honor his legacy. May his memory be eternal. (Memory Eternal at the end of the program was sung by the St. Athanasius Orthodox Church Choir)

Fr. Barnabas Powell is joined by Steven Christoforou and Christian Gonzalez to evaluate the state of ministry for both young people and adults in our Orthodox Churches. Several resources were mentioned. We Are Orthodoxy podcast Y2AM Effective Christian Ministry

While in Crete for the Digital Media and Orthodox Pastoral Care conference, Fr. Barnabas Powell sat down with the other American speakers - Fr. Tom Soroka, Dr. Nicole Roccas, Fr. John Parker, Fr. John Peck, Richard Barrett, and Hank Hanegraaff to reflect on the conference and what they took away from it.

Fr. Stephen Freeman joins Fr. Barnabas Powell to talk about what happens when you tell your family, friends, and colleagues you are embracing the Orthodox Church.

Fr. Barnabas Powell welcomes the Executive Director of FOCUS North America Seraphim Danckaert to talk about the theology of caring for the poor and how it relates to our salvation.

Fr. Barnabas Powell went solo on this episode and opened up the phones for any comments or questions. Nine calls later the 90 minute show came to a conclusion. Lot's of interesting topics discussed!

Dr. Roccas is the author of Time and Despondency and talks about the meaning of despondency and how it is impacting the Church.

Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick is the author of Bearing God: The Life and Works of St. Ignatius of Antioch He and Fr. Barnabas Powell discuss this Saint from the very early years of the Christian Church.

Fr. Barnabas interviews Kevin Scherer, author of the Ancient Faith Publishing book Truly Human: Recovering Your Humanity in a Broken World.

Bioethicist and Orthodox Christian Wesley J. Smith joins Fr. Barnabas to discuss medical ethics, end of life issues, and societal trending in the world of bioethics.

Joining Fr. Barnabas Powell is Fr. Peter Jon Gillquist, Greg Gillquist, and Ginny Nieuwsma as they discuss the book dictated by Fr. Peter Gillquist of blessed memory just a couple of months before his repose. Memories of His Mercy was published in cooperation with the Gillquist family with help from editor Ginny Nieuwsma.

Fr. Barnabas welcomes Metropolitan Savas of Pittsburgh to talk about the significance of water baptism and how the Orthodox understand it compared to other Christian traditions.

Fr. Barnabas Powell address the question of iconography in the Orthodox Tradition. How essential are they in our Christian faith? Do we worship them? Learn about what icons teach us and their significance in understanding the Incarnation of Christ.

What if there was another Fr. Barnabas Powell in the Orthodox Church? Well, guess what. There is and he has an interesting story!

Fr. Paul Lundberg joins Fr. Barnabas to explore the reasons why the Church is losing its young people. Learn about one effort to stem the tide through the Connect Conferences.

A children's book inspired by Fr. Stephen Freeman's son and written by Laura E. Wolfe and illustrated by Nicholas Malara, Sasha and the Dragon is new from Ancient Faith Publishing. Written for children struggling with fear but profound enough for adults with the same struggle.

Fr. Barnabas welcomes Fr. Josiah Trenham, author of Rock and Sand, as they discuss the Protestant Reformation 500 years later.

Fr. Barnabas is joined by Orthodox Bioethicist Wesley J. Smith and Bobby Schindler, brother of Terry Schiavo.

Fr. Barnabas welcomes Dn. James Nicholas, Missionary Director at the Orthodox Christian Mission Center.

It's the documentary film everyone is talking about - Becoming Truly Human. Fr. Barnabas talks with writer and director Dr. Nathan Jacobs about the making of the film and the fast paced rise of the "Nones" or religiously unaffiliated. You'll also hear about an outreach program operated by the Antiochian Archdiocese using the film to reach out to the "Nones."

Fr. Barnabas welcomes artist Jonathan Pageau to talk about symbolism, art, and Orthodoxy. Jonathan writes for the Orthodox Arts Journal.

What if faith was illegal? Fr. Barnabas and Georgia Briggs talk about her new thrilling novel "Icon." But first, a 15 minute interview with Alexei Krindatch talking about a free download of an Atlas of Orthodox Monasteries.

Fr. Panayiotis Papageorgiou joins Fr. Barnabas to talk about the Reformation and its effects on the Christian Church.

Assembly of Bishops Researcher Alexei Krindatch joins Fr. Barnabas to discuss the latest study on evangelism in the Orthodox Church.

Fr. Barnabas opens the lines for listener questions and takes calls about "conjugal friendships", the end times, the seven deadly sins, and more. He also talks about the recent research on evangelism in the Orthodox Church commissioned by the Assembly of Bishops.

Fr. Barnabas welcomes Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to talk about his revised and updated book Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy. They take calls including one from a Mormon and one from an African American Orthodox Christian looking for outreach to that community.

Learn about the popular Journey to Fulness video series as Fr. Barnabas talks with priests and lay workers about how they are using the series in their parishes.

Fr. Barnabas welomes Dr. Philip Mamalakis about his new book Parenting Toward The Kingdom, published by Ancient Faith.

Fr. Barnabas Powell and Fr. Nicholas Louh discuss the recent loss of both of their fathers. The topic is "Our Heavenly Father and our Earthly Fathers." Listen at the end when an announcement is made about a new live call-in program on AFR called Healthy Minds Healthy Souls featuring Fr. Nicholas and his wife Dr. (Presvytera) Roxanne Louh - a Clinical Psychologist in Jacksonville, FL. It begins January 24 at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central.

As we near the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, we reflect on the significance of the incarnation.

The Rev. Dr. Nicholas and Presbytera and Psychologist Dr. Roxanne Louh join Fr. Barnabas to talk about the role of psychology in understanding ourselves as Orthodox Christians.

Joining Fr. Barnabas is Fr. Chrisophe Lepoutre fielding questions from callers, Facebook, email, and the Chat Room about the Orthodox approach to healing addictions.

Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff from Orthodox Natural Church Development joins Fr. Barnabas to talk about making your parish welcoming to guests. Click on the attachment above to see the photos of the Welcome Kit referenced in the show.

Fr. Barnabas opens the lines tonight to talk about the use of media to spread the Orthodox Faith. Is it "anything goes?" or or there pitfalls?

Fr. Barnabas speaks with Fr. Jim Kordaris, Director of Stewardship, Outreach and Evangelism for the GOA and Thomaida Hudanish, Assistant Director of C.O.M.E - the Commission for Orthodox Evangelism in San Francisco. They give information about the upcoming Bringing Orthodoxy to America Conference in Portland. They also take listener calls on the subject of evangelism.

Speaking in tongues, slain in the spirit, the second blessing - all terms familiar to a continuing and growing movement in Christianity that some call a 4th major section of the Christian landscape. Fr. Barnabas is a former pentecostal pastor and knows this community well. Also joining Fr. Barnabas for a section of the program is Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, author of the current and soon expanded book Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy.

How do we as Orthodox parents keep our children in the Church throughout their lives? It all begins with involving them in the life of the Church from birth onward—in the parish and also at home. Fr. Barnabas welcomes Elissa Bjeletich and Caleb Shoemaker, authors of "Blueprints for the Little Church."

Bioethicist Wesley J. Smith joins Fr. Barnabas to discuss the growing problem of Euthanasia in our society.

Fr. John Strickland and Fr. Seraphim Holland join Fr. Barnabas to look at the classic work of St. John Cilmacus on this 4th Sunday of Great Lent.