Glory to God

Fr. Stephen Freeman describes a reading project, comparing the writings of Richard Leigh Fermor (1933), to those of Nick Hunt (2011) as they made walks across Europe. Fermor's descriptions belong to a world that has disappeared, while those of Hunt seem thin and attenuated. They point towards much deeper realities of our modern world.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers thoughts on the virtue of contentment and its place in the spiritual life.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers thoughts on the virtue of contentment and its place in the spiritual life.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers some thoughts on one of the more common Morning Prayers for the Orthodox, in which we pray, “O Lord, Save me whether I want it or not.” It is a hopeful meditation.

Fr. Stephen Freeman offers some thoughts on one of the more common Morning Prayers for the Orthodox, in which we pray, “O Lord, Save me whether I want it or not.” It is a hopeful meditation.

Fr. Stephen Freeman examines in some depth why success and progress are not the right measures of the spiritual life.

Community is rooted in a mutual need, and so depends on our weakness. Fr. Stephen Freeman tells us that this is God's intention for the Church.

"It's not until we cease to divide the world into ordinary and extraordinary, into usual and unusual, into sacred and secular, that we will have either the possibility of knowing God, much less living the Christian life." — Fr. Stephen Freeman

Fr. Stephen Freeman looks at the notion of "allegory" as it is used in the New Testament and in the Orthodox worldview. He also considers the true nature of "literalism" and how we should understand it.

Fr. Stephen Freeman examines in some depth why success and progress are not the right measures of the spiritual life.

In this talk Fr. Stephen continues with the imagery of the One-Storey Universe, but uses it to challenge our sense of finitude and scarcity and instead boldly proclaims that the risen Christ has raised us to a kingdom where we are not bound by limits, but by the endless abundance of His love.

Fr. Stephen looks at the way icons help us to see the world as it truly is rather than as a window to a "second story."

Continuing with his illuminating series, in part four Fr. Stephen Freeman discusses those (both non-Orthodox and Orthodox) for whom knowledge of God is but a relationship with a book (albeit a sacred book) or with ideas about God. These people are what Fr. Freeman calls "practical atheists." "Although a person may espouse a belief in God, it's quite possible for that belief to be so removed from everyday life that God's non-existence would make little difference."

Fr. Stephen continues his look at the world from an Orthodox perspective.

In his inaugural podcast, Fr. Stephen describes the Orthodox view of the world in terms we can all understand.