Come Receive the Light

June Theme - BeingHeard

Gay Marriage

CRTL gay-marriageJoin Fr. Chris as he speaks with Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov on the topic of gay marriage. Why does the Orthodox Church hold the view it does? How do we communicate that view with Christian love? You won't want to miss this open and honest conversation!

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of June.

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Online Communication and Real Relationships

CRTL couple-technologyDr. Alex Lickerman joins Fr. Chris to talk about how our online communication affects our real-life relationships. Dr. Lickerman is a general internist, former director of primary care and current assistant vice president for Student Health and Counseling Services at the University of Chicago. He’s also the author of an article called “The Effect Of Technology On Relationships”, as well as the book The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self - available now in OCN's bookstore - http://astore.amazon.com/theocnwebstore08-20?node=143&page=3!

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of June.

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June 2013 - Being Heard

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

From the desk of Father Chris Metropulos, Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Network

Dear Listeners and Supporters of the OCN,

I hope you had a blessed month of May as we bask in the radiance of the Lord’s Resurrection.  One of the main reasons “Come Receive the Light” and then the Orthodox Christian Network was founded was to assist people to walk in the truth of God’s revelation and to HEAR His Teachings.  Today, people around the world are finding the peace of God in what they hear on our many programs and affiliates.

Walking in truth is becoming harder and harder in a world that chooses to be not truly correct, but rather politically correct.  Everything now survives and thrives because it is relevant to changing societal values, not to the truth of who we are as people in the reflection of Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers.  There is also such widespread distribution of gossip about so many people and so many things that finding the truth is becoming more and more difficult.

However, we do have many arrows in our quiver of faith to combat the false teachings swirling around us. The hymns being chanted at each service remind us of the splendor, the majesty, and the sheer power of the miraculous Resurrection of our Lord that changed humankind forever.  The renewing of our hearts daily usually comes from hearing these sacred hymns that speak volumes to us about our faith and our Lord’s love for us.  You can hear many of them on The Rudder at OCN. You can also come to us for more than 20 podcast channels that you and your family can draw on for age-appropriate teaching to support and strengthen your faith.

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Talking without Gossiping

CRTL-friendschattingThis week on CRTL, Fr. Chris speaks with our 2012 OCN HERO, Kenny Kidd. Tune in to hear about Kenny's incredible history of non-profit and volunteer work. Plus, we kick off our monthly theme of Being Heard with guest Kh. Maggie Hock who offers her thoughts on how we can talk about difficult situations without gossiping.

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of June.

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Sex and Cohabitation

CRTL-couplewalkingTune in for our final week of "Let's Talk About Sex" to hear about living together before marriage and what God's purpose for our sexuality is. Fr. Joseph Purpura speaks about the holiness of our sexuality and how it is meant to enrich our marital lives. We'll also hear from Prof. Galena Rhoades about sex and cohabitation. Dr. Rhoades is a Senior Researcher at the University of Denver. She also runs a private practice and regularly helps in the development of relationship education curricula with the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center.

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of May.

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Listen to the full interview with Fr. Joseph Purpura below.

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Talking to Your Kids about Sex

CRTL happinessThis week on CRTL we get an update from Anne Van Fossen of the Classical Learning Resource Center, which offers a range of online courses. To learn more about their upcoming courses, visit www.clrchomeschool.com. Plus, we'll continue our monthly conversation about sex and faith with Dr. Philip Mamalakis of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He'll guide us through talking with our kids about sex. When do we start the conversation? How honest or blunt should we be when our kids ask us specific questions? At what age is our children's sex life none of our business? Tune in for all the answers!

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of May.

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May 2013 - Let's Talk about Sex

"I have the right to do anything," you say—but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

From the desk of Father Chris Metropulos, Executive Director of the Orthodox Christian Network

Dear Faithful,

So, let’s talk about sex!  

Yes, you read correctly, my dear friends. No, this is not going to be a month of Dr. Ruth lectures.  What we are going to do is speak to people who can relate the proper and truthful understanding of sex in our lives, according to the teaching of our faith and how God would want us to interpret it.  Contrary to what you have seen and read about in the media, our sexual identity has a purpose and a special and sacred meaning.

“Sex is not evil; it is a gift from our God. But it can become a hindrance to someone who desires to devote all his strength to a life of prayer…Concerning sex, we must strive for self-control. St. Paul tells us to seek peace and sanctification, without which it is impossible to see the Lord. Let us pursue holiness, then, in order to attain the Kingdom of Heaven.” -St. John Chrysostom  The way you read about and see stories today in the media, on television, and in the movies, you would think that sex is paramount to our very existence.  Even the great father of our faith John Chrysostom knew it was important, but not to the point of making everything else in our lives obsolete. Sex has its place.

Read more: May 2013 - Let's Talk about Sex

Friends with Benefits – Is this Common?

CRTL relationshipsTune in for our show on the monthly topic of "Let's Talk About Sex." We start out by hearing from Dr. Albert Rossi on friends-with-benefits arrangements. How common is that behavior? What does it reveal about not only our understanding of sex, but also our view of relationships? But first, we'll hear about the violence in Pakistan against its Christian minority.

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of May.

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Being Bread

CRTL muse being breadTune in to hear a Paschal message from host Fr. Chris Metropulos, as well as an interview with Dr. Stephen Muse. Dr. Muse will tell us about his latest book, Being Bread, about the life we are missing and a life God wants to give us.

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Palm Sunday

CRTLtheCross-38513Tune in this week for the final installment of Metropolitan Tikhon's 6-part series on the Sundays of Great and Holy Lent. In this final segment, we'll hear his thoughts on Palm Sunday. Then, we'll join Fr. Chris as he speaks with award-winning author Nicholas Kokonis about his personal journey of faith.

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ. Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of April.

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Fr. Dumitru Staniloae

As each of us continues in our personal Lenten journey, CRTL this week will offer up two examples of Christians who struggled in this world but found peace in Christ. We’ll hear first about one of Orthodoxy’s most beloved Saints - Mary of Egypt - from Metropolitan Tikhon, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America. Then, we’ll hear from Hieromonk Calinic Berger about a Romanian priest who died just twenty years ago. Fr. Dumitru Staniloae is recognized as one of the leading Orthodox theologians of the 20th century, and spent 5 years in a Communist prison for his faith. We’ll hear about his life and his thoughts on prayer, humility, and repentance.

Are you a fan of the Orthodox Christian Network? Then please share our Come Receive the Light page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, +Google, and Linked In. A world in crisis needs to find its way to our Lord Jesus Christ.   Click here to learn more about our theme for the month of April.

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