The Lord of Spirits

Continuing their examination of the Torah and its place in the Christian Church, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew look at Torah themes of worship, uncleanness, and the death penalties.

Christ said that He did not come to abolish the Torah but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17), but a lot of Christians seem to think He came to abolish it. All that Old Testament stuff is over. But is that the real relationship of the OT to the NT? Tune in and find out.

People often say "Lent is not in the Bible," claiming that it's a medieval invention, and the traditionally elevated prayer and fasting of Lent are dismissed as "earning your way to heaven." Is that true, though? Join Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen to find out.

What does it mean that Jesus is the Messiah? What were the apostles saying when they said that, identifying Him as the Christ? Find out the weight behind their words with Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.

What’s Good? What does it mean that God is good? Are good and right the same thing? Are bad and evil the same thing? Does bad still mean good, like in the '80s?

In the great feast of Theophany, Christ is baptized by the Forerunner in the Jordan river. What is the cosmic spiritual reality of what’s happening there? What is going on in Theophany icons? And how does this affect Christianity? Find out with Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew.

What does it mean for a Christian to have a patron saint? For a church? For a nation? What is the biblical basis for this practice? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew for a look into this spiritual relationship.

How did the ancients understand the source of technology? How does that relate to the Fall? What does that mean for our own age and the age to come? Why do printers never work? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew for an ages-long look at the work of men's hands.

Time to open up the voicemail and see what weird recordings you people have sent it. In this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew respond to questions they've received via voicemail. And you never know what people will say into microphones

Expanding on what's in the episodes "But We Have the Mind of Christ" (July 2021) and "How (and How Not) to Read Your Bible" (April 2022), the podcast dives back into how meaning is constructed and what that has to do with being Christian.

On Oct. 26, 2023, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew recorded a live, in-person Q&A at the Lord of Spirits Conference held at the Antiochian Village – featuring questions from conference attendees. This episode of Lord of Spirits was recorded before a live studio audience. We apologize for any inconsistencies in audio quality.

What happens when you have to miss the party? What happens when you miss the party in the Ancient Near East?

What actually is a religious icon? How does it work? In this second episode of a two-part series, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew look at iconography – pagan, Israelite, and Christian.

"Idol” gets used for a lot of things, but what was its ancient meaning? How did idols actually work? What does it mean for a people to engage in idolatry? And what does the Bible say about all this? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew for this first in a two-part series.

For their third anniversary episode, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew open up the lines for an all-live, all-Q&A episode. No topics are off-topic! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why you can't find anything else to do on Thursday nights.

What is eternal condemnation? Do people go to heaven or hell when they die? What are the Biblical images? Is universalism an acceptable Orthodox view? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they look at the Orthodox tradition on this dark question

Christians commonly speaking of the "Second Coming of Christ." Is that the right terminology? What does it mean that there are two advents of the Messiah? Join Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young as they continue their series on Orthodox eschatology.

The Four Horsemen. Gog and Magog. Locusts. It's going to be an uncomfortable apocalypse, and a rogues' gallery of agents of destruction will be showing up. Are you ready? Find out with Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.

What happens on Judgment Day? What criteria are used? Do Christians go to heaven and non-Christians go to hell? What is the Book of Life? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick take a look at what the Bible says about that Day before the throne of God.

What exactly is the Millennium? Is it in the future? Are we in it? Did we miss it? What about Chiliasm? Was St. Irenaeus really a Chiliast? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to see what Scripture says about this eschatological period.

Are we living in the time of the Antichrist? Is the Antichrist alive right now? What are the signs? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick to see what the Scripture says about this eschatological figure.

Q&A May continues! Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew respond to questions they've received via voicemail, ranging from giants to psychedelics to unicorns to polygamy to Eckankar.

It's an open-line night with the Podfathers for an all-live, all-Q&A show! This episode is your chance to ask whatever is on your mind. Nothing is off-limits, so tune in LIVE and give us a call.

What is a soul? Do you have one? Are you one? Do dogs and oak trees have them? Are they made of rubber? What happens to the soul when the body dies? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew as they talk about the Biblical understanding of the soul.

What is water really for? Is holy water magic? In the final episode of their series on the sacraments (but not the final sacrament) of the Orthodox Church, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew discuss the blessing of waters.

Was Samson a good monk or a bad monk? What does it mean to take the Nazirite vow, and does this relate to Christian monasticism? Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew continue their series on the sacraments of the Orthodox Church.

Did you think the series on sacraments was done at 7? Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen continue with the coronation of emperors. Why did the Church do this? What does it say about the Christian view of government and politics?

The mystery of Unction can be slippery to get our minds around. What does it do? Why don’t we see miracles every time it’s applied? Is sin related? Is unction different from other anointings? Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew look at the relationship between sin, healing, and oil.

Everybody has nice stuff but me. Why do bad things happen to good Babylonians? Why do good things happen to bad Babylonians? How are the gods involved in all of this? Two guys had an argument more than 2500 years ago to fill us in

Is marriage a merely human institution? Does it exist outside the Church? What does the rite actually do? Continuing their series on the holy mysteries of the Church, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick examine the Biblical texts on marriage.

Confession of sins is mentioned throughout the Scriptures and practiced by the Orthodox Church. But is a priest really necessary for this practice? What happens if he withholds forgiveness? Did God really give that kind of authority to sinful clergy? Can’t we just confess alone to God at home? Why confess at all, if God knows our thoughts? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they continue their series on the sacraments of the Orthodox Church.

What does it mean to be ordained? What exactly are holy orders? Does ordination change the man ordained? How? Does he remain ordinary–or become it? In the next episode of this Lord of Spirits series, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick examine the holy mystery of ordination.

Continuing their series on the sacraments of the Orthodox Church, Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew examine the holy mystery of chrismation. What is chrism? What does it do? How was chrism used in the Old Testament? Where is chrismation in the New Testament? What does it have to do with the Holy Spirit?

The central act of faithfulness of the Christian life is Holy Communion, eating and drinking the Holy Eucharist. What are its Biblical roots? Is it derived from the Jewish Seder? Was the Reformation right about the Eucharist not being a sacrifice? And just how is bread and wine Christ’s Body and Blood? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick continue their series on the Holy Mysteries by taking a close look at the greatest of all the sacraments.

What is baptism? How is it different from the ritual washings of the Torah? What does it do? How is it related to circumcision? Why is this water so cold? What does St. Peter mean when he says that baptism “saves”? Is anything happening in the unseen world? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they look at this essential Christian mystery with a deep dive into Biblical texts in this first part of a series on the sacraments of the Orthodox Church.

Lord of Spirits discusses the monstrosity of madness and demonic possession. What does the Bible say about these things? What is the ancient context? Join Fr. Stephen and Fr. Andrew for their annual Halloween episode.

What is a spirit? Is it a ghost? Do schools have school spirit? (“Then we need to hear it!”) What does it mean to be “spiritual”? The word “spirit” gets used all the time in Christian and other religious language, but it is almost never defined, at least not in a way that makes sense of how it is used in the Bible and other Christian texts. Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick do a close reading to focus on this core concept.

In a very special mini-episode of Lord of Spirits, it’s Sorcerer v. Witch for Dairy Dominance.

For their second anniversary episode, the Podfathers take your LIVE questions and nothing but your questions. Nothing is off-limits! And they also will be featuring some of their favorite moments from past episodes.

Baal, Zeus, Thor, and other thunder gods were worshiped by pagans in the ancient world. Who were these spirits, and what do we actually know about them? How did God’s people understand them? And what is God’s response to them? In this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick look at these thunderous deities from of old and the God Who thundered.

Completing their three-part series on the Fall of Man, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young look at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, the event that solidifies the dominion of the dark powers over mankind.

Continuing their three-part series on the Fall of Mankind, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick turn their attention to the unleashing of sin into the world through death and the first victim upon whom it pounces – Cain.

In Genesis, we see that the fall of humanity consists of three problems that Christ comes to to solve – death, sin, and slavery to demons. In the first of this three-part series, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick examine the first of these three human afflictions to arise – death – and how God deals with it.

People often say, "The Church isn't a building," or "We could worship anywhere." But is that actually true? Why do ancient Israel and the Church worship in buildings? Is it merely practical, to have a roof over our heads? Or is there a purpose given by God? Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick have a look over the blueprints of the house of the living God.

In this pre-recorded episode, Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick answer your recorded questions! They cover such topics as nakedness in Genesis, cannibalism and the Eucharist, women’s ministry in the Church, transgenderism, and even the curse of the Black Tongue. Tune in for a wild array of Q&A!

How exactly does textual authority function within the Church? Whether discussing the Scriptures, the Apocrypha, the Church Fathers, the Ecumenical Councils, or the liturgical tradition, the Orthodox Church is awash in texts. How are they properly used? What about misuse? What makes them authoritative? Join Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young as they look at the Orthodox tradition of textual authority.

What is prophecy? Who is a prophet? Do prophets predict the future? Does prophecy still happen in our times? What is the difference between a prophet and an apostle? How can we recognize a true prophet or prophecy? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they look at the Biblical vision of the prophetic ministry.

What happened to people who died before the Harrowing of Hades? What happened to those people after? And what happens at death after the Harrowing? And what’s going to happen at the resurrection of all the dead? Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick and Fr. Stephen De Young track the Biblical imagery of life after death and life after life after death.

What exactly is a blessing? Or a curse? Are these just religious-sounding synonyms for good things or bad things? What does it mean when God blesses or curses? Do the blessings and curses of human beings actually do anything? Is this some kind of Christian magic? Join Fr. Stephen De Young and Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick as they look at how blessings and curses work in the Bible.

On this special bonus episode, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick introduces and then reads the full text of the Harrowing of Hell from the Gospel of Nicodemus. Christ is risen! He truly is risen!