May 9, 2008
Topic: Prayer to the Saints & for the Dead
Guest: Dr. David C. Ford

Ever wonder why Orthodox Christians ask the Saints for their intercessions? Or why we pray for the forgiveness and salvation of those who have already passed away? On this week's program, Dr. David C. Ford, a professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary, explains why these practices are Biblical and fully part of the ancient Christian faith.

May 16, 2008
Topic: Understanding the Fall
Guest: Dr. Justin Jackson

What is the Orthodox Church's understanding of the Fall and "Original Sin"? How did the Early Christians understand Adam and Eve? And what do the hymns of the Orthodox Church tell us about this topic? Tune in to this week's episode for an engaging discussion on how these questions inform our understanding of ourselves and our current relationship with God.

May 23, 2008
Topic: Anchoring Your Child in Christ and the Church
Guests: A Panel of Orthodox Youth Directors

Given the realities of today's world, how can parents raise their children to be faithful Orthodox Christians? What resources is the Church already providing? What else still needs to be done? Tune in to this week's episode to hear from a large panel that includes most of the priests and lay youth ministers who are currently serving as members of the Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.

May 30, 2008
Topic: The Story of Creation: How the Fathers Understood Genesis
Guests: Dr. Peter C. Bouteneff

Today, many Christians disagree on how best to interpret the Book of Genesis. Some even disagree on how modern scientific theories like evolution should influence theology. But this debate is nothing new. Dr. Peter Bouteneff, a professor at St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, has studied and written about how the Early Christians addressed and resolved many of these issues. Tune in to find out about the intersection of scripture, science, creation, the ancient Christian faith -- and how it all applies to today's debates.

Come Receive the Light, the only nationally syndicated Orthodox Christian radio broadcast, is a weekly program that features interviews with noted Orthodox Christian clergy, theologians, and lay leaders on theological, spiritual, pastoral, and modern social issues. Heard on the radio in more than 100 cities in the United States and the Bahamas, this unique weekly broadcast offers the ancient, Christ-centered message of Orthodox Christianity to the modern world. You can listen to past programs on demand and find many other online resources to deepen your faith at www.MyOCN.net.

In an article included with the selection and written by the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Church, Rowan Williams, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is honored for his clear moral and spiritual vision and for his concern for the environment. 

Williams states, “In a way that is profoundly loyal to the traditions of worship and reflection in the Eastern Orthodox Church, he has insisted that ecological questions are essentially spiritual ones. He has stressed that a world in which God the Creator uses the material stuff of the universe to communicate who he is and what he wants is one that demands reverence from human beings. Probably more than any other religious leader from any faith, Patriarch Bartholomew, 68, has kept open this spiritual dimension of environmentalism…. The title Ecumenical Patriarch historically refers to the Patriarch's pastoral responsibility for ‘the whole inhabited world.’ This brave and visionary pastor has given a completely new sense to the ancient honorific; his work puts squarely on our agenda the question of how we express spiritual responsibility for the world we live in.”

Time Magazine’s complete list of the 100 most influential people appears in the May 12 issue, and the article on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew can be viewed online via the Archdiocese web site at www.goarch.org.

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