The Lord of Spirits Podcast

Episode: Pantheon and Pandemonium VIII: Live Q&A – September 2023 Third Anniversary Episode

Date: September 15, 2023
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick & Fr. Stephen De Young (Ancient Faith Ministries)
Theme: The Seen and Unseen World in Orthodox Christian Tradition – Live Q&A, Third Anniversary Special

Episode Overview

This special live Q&A marks the third anniversary of The Lord of Spirits podcast. The priests take live calls from listeners, reflect on their journey so far, and revisit memorable moments and core concepts. The episode weaves together laughter, signature banter, and profound theological explorations about the seen and unseen, the nature of holiness, time, sacrifice, and practical Orthodox life in the modern world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Show Anniversaries and Podcast Origins

• Humorous Retrospective:
  The hosts joke about the show’s genesis, referencing past pitches like "Lord of the Big Giant Rings," and ponder the “end of days” rumors (02:09–05:04).
• Guest Greetings:
  John Maddox and others send in greetings, with playful jabs at the priests' nerdy proclivities and the podcast's success with “giant killers, dragon slayers, scorpion and serpent stompers” (03:54–05:17, 46:41–47:39, 71:07–72:22, 131:19–132:30).

“I have walked away from my PlayStation 5 to come here and do this program, which shows the deep dedication I have to providing quality content to you, the listeners.” – Fr. Andrew (05:59)

2. King David’s Choice of Solomon (Caller: Catherine) [07:15–11:17]

• Why Solomon, Son of Bathsheba?
  • David’s older sons were out of the picture (e.g., Absalom, Amnon).
  • Symbolism: Solomon’s name “Shlomo” means “Peace,” tying to the prophecy that the temple builder would be a man of peace (09:45–09:49).
  • Narrative parallels between the Torah and the Davidic succession—Abel-Seth vs. Cain-Absalom typology (10:02–10:24).

“I’m approaching this question not from trying to psychologize David, right? But from the perspective of what’s going on in the narrative... how the narrative is reflecting on the Torah.” – Fr. Andrew (10:24–10:45)

3. The Book of Maccabees in Orthodox Tradition (Caller: Dylan) [12:00–21:16]

• Awkward Canonical Status:
  The Maccabees are in Orthodox Bibles but not in modern Jewish canons; their martial, zealot traditions became problematic after the failed first-century revolts (15:41–17:28).
• Typology in the New Testament:
  The Emmaus account in Luke echoes the “Battle of Emmaus” (18:03–19:17).
• Spiritual Use:
  Not all of Maccabees is “didactic”—much is historical but gains theological significance via New Testament typology (14:09–14:33).

“Our Old Testament is there... the Old Testament Scriptures are the scriptures upon which the New Testament is a commentary.” – Fr. Stephen (20:14–20:25)

4. Is Prayer a Sacrament? (Caller: Elizabeth) [21:42–28:01]

• Orthodox Approach to Mysteries:
  No rigid category of “sacraments”—everything except sin has potential to be a means of communion with God (23:32–24:32).
• Learning Prayer:
  Prayer isn’t automatic but something one grows into; there are even higher forms (e.g., Elder Emilianos’s distinction between “prosefhi” and “ehi”—active petition vs. wordless indwelling) (25:32–26:02).

“In the Orthodox Church, ultimately... is there something that isn’t a sacrament? There’s a correct answer to that, though. It’s sin.” – Fr. Andrew (23:42)

5. Listener Callbacks, Technical Glitches, and Recaps

• Warm reminiscence about early show mishaps (power outages, dropped calls) and community engagement through clips and repeated listener questions (28:01–32:07).

6. Liturgical Year & Age of the Earth (Caller: Michael) [32:23–43:13]

• Byzantine Anno Mundi:
  The “age of the world” calculated for the Orthodox liturgical calendar isn’t a dogmatic or scientific claim (39:35–41:09).
• Young Earth Creationism:
  The hosts clarify the difference between an ancient mythic worldview and modern “creation science,” stressing the irrelevance of literal age and prioritizing theological meaning (41:17–43:08).

"The Church Fathers... didn’t attempt to determine [the age of the earth] using pseudoscience or a fundamentalist reading." – Fr. Andrew (41:39–42:02)

7. Sacrificial Hospitality, Incense, and Idolatry (Caller: Sam) [116:19–129:19]

• Hospitality in Sacrifice:
  Ritual hospitality in antiquity built a community with the divine but is only appropriate toward Yahweh; angels/demons reject or accept such wrongly-given hospitality (118:18–119:48).
• Incense and Iconography:
  Incense offered before icons is ultimately to God; it's purificatory and not the same as pagan idolatry (120:19–128:34).

“When a censor is waved at something, that is not offering incense to that thing. The incense has already been offered. It’s been sacrificed to God.” – Fr. Stephen (127:55–128:08)

8. Keeping Time Holy in Family Life (Caller: Jesse) [100:14–109:52]

• Holiness in Daily Routine:
  Making time holy is accomplished by marking it out through ritual, customs, and intentional difference, particularly within family rhythms.
• Parenting as Asceticism:
  “Praying with your feet” (102:22–103:30); the parenting struggle to maintain sacredness in the midst of chaos is itself sanctifying.

“They are not in the way. They are the way.” – Fr. Andrew’s confessor, via Fr. Andrew (107:19)

9. Death by Holiness; Trinity and the Unseen [87:03–95:06]

• Death by Holiness:
  Present throughout Scripture (Nadab & Abihu, Ananias & Sapphira, Eucharist per St. Paul), it is not bounded to the Father alone. Christ’s humanity “veils” divine glory, allowing encounter without destruction.
• Voluntary Dynamic:
  Not all who approach unworthily die—sometimes, God’s mercy withholds the consequence; sometimes, as an object lesson, it is allowed.

“Christ’s humanity mediates his divinity to us... in a way that prevents that sort of death by holiness.” – Fr. Andrew (90:45–91:24)

10. Ancient Near East Studies for Laypeople (Caller: Douglas) [73:33–85:20]

• Start with Primary Sources:
  Read OT Apocrypha (Charlesworth), Hesiod, Homer, and Epics.
• Use Secondary Literature for Data, Not Conclusions (80:13–83:13)
• Liturgical Immersion:
  Absorb the Scriptures through Orthodox worship and services available.

“One skill that most people today lack is the ability to read something for information or data, not for conclusions.” – Fr. Andrew (80:13)

11. Sanctifying Time: Sacred/Secular vs. Sacred/Profane [110:06–115:11]

• Ancient vs. Modern Categories:
  Sacred/profane is not the same as sacred/secular. Many activities (like family meals or games) are secular but not profane and can form a sacred rhythm if marked with intentionality and ritual.

“Having fun. We could be praying. We could be reading the scriptures together... but those times can be sacred too, as long as we have this idea that they're set apart and different.” – Fr. Andrew (114:36–115:04)

12. Santa, Subtle Bodies, and Cultural Consciousness (Caller: Athanasius) [142:43–154:47]

• Santa vs. St. Nicholas:
  St. Nicholas is a real person; “Santa Claus” is an idea (a meme), not a conscious being. Ideas can be used instrumentally by people or spirits, but do not have agency themselves.

“Santa Claus exists as an idea... St. Nicholas exists. He is a person. And those are two distinct things metaphysically.” – Fr. Andrew (149:44–150:11)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Everything that comes in threes is perfect." – Fr. Andrew (02:33)
• "Are there non-messianic psalms?" — Fr. Andrew’s mentor, Ed Clowney, riffing on the universality of revelation (24:01)
• "It's not that the world is the matrix, but we're the computer." — Fr. Stephen, on consciousness (98:20–98:32, from the superclip)
• "You have asked God for salvation.... This is what you need for your salvation. And if you wish that were some other way, then you're trying to walk a different path than the one He gave you. They are not in the way, they are the way." – Fr. Andrew’s confessor, via Fr. Andrew (107:19, paraphrased)
• “Join us for a live broadcast... second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific. We kind of just gave away the fact this wasn’t the last episode.” — Fr. Andrew (155:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Series Intro & Show Anniversary Banter: 00:00–05:26
• Caller: Catherine (David, Solomon & Bathsheba): 07:15–11:17
• Caller: Dylan (Maccabees & Martyrdom): 12:00–21:16
• Caller: Elizabeth (Is Prayer a Sacrament?): 21:42–28:01
• Canonical Issues, Old Testament History: 32:23–43:13
• Incense, Idolatry, and Veneration: 116:19–129:19
• Keeping Family Time Holy (Jesse): 100:14–109:52
• Death by Holiness & Trinity: 87:03–95:06
• Near Eastern Context for Lay Study (Douglas): 73:33–85:20
• Sanctifying Time & Sacred/Profane: 110:06–115:11
• Santa Claus, Subtle Bodies, and Memes (Athanasius): 142:43–154:47

Tone & Style Highlights

• Warm, playful, erudite, and self-deprecating humor
• Deep, nuanced answers to earnest, complex listener questions
• Frequent references to liturgical and biblical texts, patristic tradition, and modern Orthodoxy
• Willingness to admit uncertainty and open theological questions (“This is 90% conjecture…” - Fr. Andrew, 62:53)
• Invitations to approach Orthodoxy as a living tradition rather than merely academic or dogmatic

For New Listeners

This episode is an ideal starting point for getting a feel for both the intellectual depth and the unique sense of humor the hosts bring to discussions of Orthodox Christian tradition and the unseen world. It showcases how the themes of enchantment, the communion of saints, spiritual practice, and tradition interact with contemporary life and perennial questions of faith.