Made to Be a Kingdom

Today we are reflecting on a critical transition in the life of the Church: the movement from Great Lent into Holy Week and then into the feast of Pascha. As we’ll see, this is not just a change in calendar or intensity, but a shift in focus—from repentance centered on ourselves to full immersion in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Great Lent is not a private self-improvement program; it is the Church’s shared praxis of becoming the Body of Christ through fasting, prayer, and worship. Fathers Harry and Anthony connect the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 11–12) to Orthodox intercession, icons, and the liturgical convergence of heaven and earth—then press the pastoral point: let Lent actually re-form your habits, especially your relationship to media, noise, and distraction.

In this episode of Made to be a Kingdom, Fathers Harry Linsenbigler and Anthony Perkins return to Christ’s words in Matthew 16–18 to explore what Scripture reveals about the nature of the Church. Reading the Gospel through its original biblical and Septuagint context, they reflect on Christ as the anointed Petra, the gathering of the scattered people of Israel, and the Church as the place where God restores His flock from among the nations. Drawing on Micah’s prophecy (2:6-13), the language of gates and mountains, and the Paschal victory over death, the conversation shows how Orthodox ecclesiology is rooted not in abstract authority, but in Christ Himself—the Anointed Rock who leads His people through the gates of hell into life. Along the way, they highlight how Scripture interprets Scripture, why the Church understands herself as the restored Israel, and how Pascha stands at the heart of what it means for the Church to be built, gathered, and led by Christ.

In this episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony slow down over Christ’s words in Matthew 16— especially the phrase “my Church”—to clarify that the Church is first Christ’s possession and work, not ours. They trace how Orthodox ecclesiology comes into focus through text and context: Christ’s confession, the meaning of rock (Petros/Petra), and the claim that the Church’s “locus” is the faith revealed by the Father and preserved in the Church. Finally, they bring Caesarea Philippi into view as a charged setting—“the gates of Hades”—so that Christ’s promise reads not as abstract poetry but as a Paschal announcement: hell will not prevail.

Pentecost isn't the Church's birthday: the Church precedes it, stretching back to creation itself, angels, prophets, patriarchs, and is revealed most clearly in Christ and the Church's liturgical witness. Pentecost inaugurates the apostolic priesthood and Eucharistic life, and the episode invites listeners to be formed by the prayers and hymnography where Scripture becomes prayer and grace supplies what is lacking.

In this New Year episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony challenge the casual habit of saying “my church” by reframing ecclesial identity: the Church is of God—not our possession, but the place to which we belong, purchased by Christ’s blood (Acts 20) and built as a household on the apostolic foundation with Christ as cornerstone (Eph. 2:18–20). They trace how the Church’s catholic “wholeness” is Trinitarian—the Body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the people of the Father—made real through baptism, chrismation, and the Eucharist. Along the way, they clarify Christ’s unique mediation (mesitēs), show why the Church can be called “of Christ” without diminishing the Trinity, and close with Theophany’s vivid sacramental imagery—especially the ancient practice of breathing/blowing over the waters as participation, not mere remembrance.

As parishes grow, the priest-and-everyone model that once felt like “family” can become unsustainable—especially in catechesis, confession, and pastoral care. Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry explore practical tools (from scheduling systems to mentoring structures) and historical models of catechesis to show why “one size fits all” is neither Orthodox nor realistic. The goal is not efficiency for its own sake, but discernment: building ministries that preserve intimacy, prevent burnout, and help every member find their calling as the parish moves into a new season. Enjoy the show!

Recorded in person during a seminary week at South Bound Brook, Fr. Anthony Perkins and Fr. Harry Linsenbigler reflect on two passages from In Every Church (p. 78) to clarify how Christ “fills” every ministry in the Church—from the faithful to readers, deacons, presbyters, and bishops—without making ordination a ladder of personal holiness. They challenge a common misreading (including selective appeals to Pseudo-Dionysius) that treats ecclesial rank as a holiness metric, instead, grounding the Church’s true unity in the liturgy’s confession that “One is holy” and in the equal reception of Christ in Holy Communion. Finally, they frame clerical fatherhood as a derivative grace rather than a personal possession, urging vigilance against pride and despondency, and calling parishes to a shared culture of mutual support so that every vocation—ordained or lay—can be exercised as service within the royal priesthood of the faithful.

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony explore how internet culture, consumerism, and disincarnate “platforms” distort Orthodox teaching and tempt all of us to become unappointed theologians. Drawing on Metropolitan Saba, Thinking Orthodox, St. James 3, and St. John Climacus, they unpack why theology must remain ecclesial, relational, and local—discerned and bounded within the life of the parish and the wider Church. They conclude with a pastoral call for accountability in online ministry and for internet engagement that flows out of real parish life, gratitude for one’s bishop and priest, and a deeper commitment to becoming saints together face to face.

In this episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony unpack how a truly sacramental worldview means that the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church is concretely instantiated in your particular parish— with its people, culture, limits, and gifts. They caution against importing personal preferences based on previous experiences and monastic or on-line ideals into parish life, urging charity, patience, and attentive listening (their “Kentucky windage”) so that real formation in Christ happens as it should; i.e. through local, embodied relationships

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony turn to 1 Corinthians 11 to explore the meaning of head coverings in the Church. They show how St. Paul’s teaching addressed cultural practices in Corinth that threatened unity, reminding us that customs should serve modesty, harmony, and love rather than become points of pride or contention. In the end, they emphasize that whatever practices we keep must help build up the Body of Christ in faith and unity. Enjoy the show!

In response to a listener’s question, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony explore the role of women in the life of the Church, from family and parish life to broader questions of ministry. They distinguish between the ordained priesthood, reserved for men, and the universal royal priesthood shared equally by all the baptized, emphasizing that men and women alike bring unique gifts and callings into the Body of Christ. Drawing on Scripture, the Fathers, and pastoral wisdom, they stress the need for discernment, humility, and submission within the Church, while warning against cultural influences and online divisiveness that distort ecclesial life. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry Linson Bigler and Fr. Anthony Perkins reflect on recent tragedies, including the anniversary of 9/11 and the assassination of Charlie Kirk, to explore how the Church prepares us for death. They discuss the difference between modern avoidance of death and the Church’s ancient practices, showing how prayer, liturgy, and the lives of the saints form us to face mortality with peace and faith. Drawing on Scripture, the funeral services, and examples of martyrdom, they remind us that bodily death is not defeat but a passage into eternal life in Christ.

Fathers Harry and Anthony explore the many names of the Church in the New Testament and liturgy, showing how each reveals her identity as the Body of Christ and the household of God. They highlight the call to protect the Church’s fullness through humility, unity, and faithful participation in Christ’s kingdom.

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony begin their exploration of the many names of the Church found in the New Testament, emphasizing its identity as the Body of Christ and its sacramental fullness in every local parish. They warn of spiritual dangers—wolves among the flock—and reflect on the difference between harmful divisiveness and mere imperfection within the Church, drawing on parables like the wheat and the tares. Their discussion culminates in a beautiful meditation on the Eucharist as the eschatological gathering of the faithful, uniting heaven and earth in the present moment. Enjoy the show!

Father Harry and Father Anthony explore the theological and canonical importance of gathering for Sunday worship, grounding their discussion in Old Testament examples, patristics, and church tradition. Drawing from Christ’s Amazing Church, they highlight how corporate worship aligns believers with God’s will and protects them from spiritual dissonance. They also reflect on Sabbath observance, the consequences of neglecting the ecclessia, and Sunday worship as the divine “tuning fork” that harmonizes our lives with the source of all things good, beautiful, and true. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony explore how the Church existed in the Old Testament as the gathered people of God, long before Pentecost. They emphasize that salvation is communal, not individualistic, and must be understood within the context of the Church as Christ’s Body. The episode unpacks the importance of sacred space, intentional worship, and our calling to be living tabernacles carrying Christ into the world each week.

Fr. Harry leads us through the way ecclesiology was thought of in the Old Testament and how these concepts were alive, available, and ready to be taken to the next level in the New Testament in the Greek scriptural vernacular. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony take a short detour from their ongoing study of ecclesiology to look a topic in applied ecclesiology: what to do about the paucity of parishes in many of our locales. This is something many of our listeners experience and that the Church is working to solve. Enjoy the show!

The 3rd Ecumenical Council referred to Orthodoxy as “the Faith of the Catholic and Apostolic Church to which all Orthodox Bishops, both East and West, agree.” Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about what it means that the Church exists where this faith is found and what the implications are for defining heresy, heretics, and schism. Fr. Anthony also introduces everyone to one of his favorite variations of southern boba tea. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about the beauty of the Ascension, the First Ecumenical Council, and how both relate to ecclesiology. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony continue to explore issues in Orthodox Christian ecclesiology using Fr. Harry’s book, Christ’s Amazing Church. For this episode, they focus on the role the Church plays – as Christ Incarnate – in preserving and teaching the Orthodox faith. This is complicated by 1) the importance and of keeping the tradition free of “disorder” (2 Thessalonians 3:6) and “babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20) and 2) the way pride works with current technology to perversely encourage “babbling” in the name of preserving and teaching the Truth. They conclude by encouraging peace, humility, and all the fruits of love. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony continue their conversation on ecclesiology, riffing on Tim Eldred’s article; “The Lie of Just One More Sunday” at The Authentic Pastor (https://www.theauthenticpastor.com/blog/pastor-burnout-just-one-more-sermon) and how so many in parish leadership (to include priests) fall into and justify sinful and unsustainable patterns of ministry. They make the point that poor leadership has serious detrimental downstream effects on the spiritual health of the parish and that doing things Biblically (e.g. Exodus 18) is sustainable, graceful, and beneficial for everyone involved. Enjoy the show!

Today, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about the words "ecclesia" and "church" and how they should and should not be applied. Specifics covered include correcting the conception of the invisible Church; the church as a place vs. the Church as the body of Christ; and what it is that makes a given place/community "Church" or "not-Church." Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony continue exploring the major topics in "Christ's Amazing Church," looking at how dogma, doctrine, teaching, and theological opinions protect and nourish the Body of Christ. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony start covering the major themes in Fr. Harry's book; "Christ's Amazing Church: A Journey in Orthodox Ecclesiology," focusing on what it means for the Church to be the Body of Christ. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony respond to a listener's question about His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania of blessed memory - may his memory be eternal! This led to a discussion about autocephaly, patriarchates, metropolitanates, eparchies, and parishes. Lord willing, future episodes will explore these and other ecclesial issues using Fr. Harry's book; "Christ's Amazing Church: A Journey in Orthodox Ecclesiology" as its guide. Enjoy the show!

In today's episode, Fr. Harry talks with Fr. Anthony about St. Paul's instruction to the Church in Corinth that "everything be done decently and in good order" (1 Corinthians 14:40), applying it to the challenges that come to decency and order in parish life and describing how good ecclesiology and love deal with those challenges. Enjoy the show!

Each of the Nativity Gospels in the Four Gospels is unique, but rather than being contradictory, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony encourage us to celebrate the unity of their witness. Enjoy the show!

Segueing from Fr. Harry's observations about worship in the last episode on his pilgrimage on Mt. Athos, Fr. Harry leads us in a discussion of the various positions of prayer (and there's more to it than standing and prostrations). Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry talks with Fr. Anthony about his pilgrimage to Mount Athos, focusing on the transformative possibility given to us by deep liturgical traditions.

After a long hiatus, Fr. Harry talks with Fr. Anthony about how his community is recovering from the hurricanes, the joy of being a pilgrim in Athens, and a summary of the discussions of the meeting of Canonists he was there to attend. It concludes with a discussion about how the need to take even seemingly irrelevant canons (Jewish doctors!?) seriously. Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony conclude their series on the expectations of parishioners. They point out the temptations for consumer/business thinking and challenge the use of anything but tithes to maintain the parish. Enjoy the show!

We must understand that anything we do for Church is not doing God a favor. God needs nothing and has no favoritism--He has given the Church for our benefit as a gift for us to properly take care of. Again, Church membership is about one thing and one thing only, and that is building our relationship with God in the Church that He gave us as a gift. We are to give freely and with the attitude that we are only doing our duty, and that all that we do cannot possibly be a return for what God has given us, and therefore are to be cheerful and thankful in what we do and give (Luke 17.10).

Christ told us that where we put our money, there will our hearts be also (Matt. 6.21, Luke 12.34). The spending of money is a religious action (sacrifice), but very often goes to darker purposes. Giving to the local church should be a part of our tithe, which is money owed to God (tithing or biblical stewardship with a proportion of tithing). Likewise, the local church giving to the diocese is also a basic principle of Orthodox Christianity (1 Cor. 16.1-3). While tithing was a ritual element of the Law of Moses and the priesthood of Aaron, it was also a principle of the Priesthood of Melkizedek (Christ’s priesthood). This includes the priest-husband and priest-wife who do a full tithe (10% of the Priest/Pani income) as an example to the rest of the parish. As Scripture states, giving should not be done "grudgingly", nor mandatorily, but rather freely and cheerfully. Enjoy the show!

One can simply do this by paying attention to the Liturgy, paying attention to the sermon, self-study, attending Bible study, attending class in the hall, reading Scripture, reading books on the Faith, listening to online podcasts or videos on the faith, looking at the information on Christian Education websites, etc. Enjoy the show!

At any time of major sin, of prolonged or addictive sin, Orthodox Christians should partake of the sacred mystery of Repentance (Confession). Beyond this, the Church has put forward the four periods of repentance so that during these periods, or at least once during the year, we confess sacramentally. Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about this and the frequency of and preparation for Communion as part of their series on the duties Orthodox Christians have. Enjoy the show!

Christ said, "love one another as I have loved you." The members of the parish are expected to care for one another and to visit one another in illness or affliction. Also, there is the responsibility to tell the priest and our fellow Church members when things happen that may cause our absence. Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about this as part of their series on the duties Orthodox Christians have. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony continue discussing membership expectations, including the need to live according to what is right and wrong rather than what our feelings or the world suggest. Enjoy the show!

In this episode Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony discuss how expectations, orientation, and clarity are essential to church health and growth. They discuss how some parishes actually panic when they shrink and think that they should have less expectations of parishioners. However, as studies have shown, the opposite is true, and our Lord himself expects us to focus on the one thing needful. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry shares his experience as a Canonist and he and Fr. Anthony talk about the joy of living in a parish that gets ecclesiology right. Enjoy the show.

In this episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony repond to a listener's concerns and talk about the "wellbeing of the holy churches of God," technological disruption of traditional institutions, and finding our particular ministries and modes of service. Enjoy the show!

Today Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony use the prayer the bishop prays over the deacon when ordaining him to the priesthood to discern the central duties of the priest. Come to find out, it isn't a perfect match for many of the expectations we have of priests (and that priests have of themselves). Enjoy the show!

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony continue their discussion about healthy parishes by focusing on expectations that need to change if a parish is to grow. They use Carey Nieuwof's blog post; "7 Things Every Growing Church Struggle With" to frame their discussion.

Using Acts 6:1-7 as a springboard, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about the need to be intentional when it comes to organizing parish life. There is a huge temptation on the part of both priests and parishes to set it up around pastoral care. Listen and learn why this model is problematic for everyone involved.

In this episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony discuss extra-terrestrial beings. They discuss sightings, whether some of these beings may actually be "enfleshed" demons or even angels (which are themselves by definition extra-terrestrial), as well as the possibility of other sentient beings besides angels and demons, the possibility of humans on other planets, and whether such a discovery would change the nature of our Faith. We hope you enjoy!

In this episode our hosts discuss the phenomenon of mass violence and sociopathy, how to deal with it when major turmoil appears in the world, as well as identifying and dealing with narcissists and sociopaths in our own lives, including workplaces, homes, and parishes, from the perspective of our Faith and as responsible members of the Royal Priesthood

*Parental Warning: some of the items discussed are graphic in nature as they contain descriptions of some of the grievous sins of heathen nations and of Israel In today’s episode, our hosts discuss idolatries of old and how they relate to us, the idolatry of syncretism (mixing with other religions or mixing pure faith with the profane), the importance of not doing these things, the uniqueness of Christianity in the world and how it differs from “world religions,” and how we must keep our offerings, our homes, and our churches purged of idols. Lastly, they discuss how we must repent even of sins that we were unaware were sins because they still injure us and others spiritually.

Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony talk about the lure of idolatry, how the Israelites fell prey, and why we need to be especially valient lest we do the same (or worse).