In this episode, Paul retells the story of St Justin the Martyr and Philosopher as well as drawing out central points from his First Apology to the Roman Emperor. You can find the original text of the letter here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm Please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler relates the trial of St Basil the Great before the Praetorian Prefect Modestus and the meeting of St Basil with the Arian Emperor Valens on the Feast of Theophany, which resulted in a decrease in the persecution of the Orthodox by the Arians. Basil’s trial before Modestus includes the famous exchange, "No one," said Modestus, "up to this day has ever spoken like that and with such boldness to me." "Maybe you never met a bishop," replied Basil. Please join us and followers of this podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast. Thanks for your continued support.

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler gives a reading of The Martyrdom of St Polycarp, the last living disciple of St John the Theologian and bishop of Smyrna. St Polycarp’s martyrdom illustrates great patience and courage in the face of adversity. It includes the famous lines of his confession, “86 years have I have served him and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” Please join us and followers of the podcast on Telegram for continuing discussion and Christian fellowship among like-minded Orthodox men: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this the fifth and last talk, Fr Michael talks about the "Voice of the Father," which, in contrast to the "Voice of the Accuser," is full of grace and mercy. As adoptive sons of God, we, too, can hear the Father affirm that we are His beloved sons, in whom He is well pleased. This talk was the introduction to an exercise in which the men were able to speak words of affirmation and blessing to each other in a powerful way. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this, the fourth talk, Fr Hans Jacobse reviews some of the social and cultural lies about masculinity and contrasts it with the Orthodox understand of man's role as the mediator of creation. Full presentation and Q&A following. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this, the 3rd talk of the Beloved Sons Retreat, Paul Robson details the elements that make up a good brotherhood of men. Paul is the initiator and organiser of the European Men's Gathering and has been professionally running men's groups for some 8 years. In this talk he covers "What is a men's group?", "Why should you join one?" and "What can you expect to get out of it?"r Full talk and Q&A afterwards.r To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this, the second video from the Beloved Sons Retreat, Fr Hans Jacobse talk about the father wound every man bears and why brotherhood--a community of men--is necessary for its healing and for the wellbeing of every man. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this first talk at the Beloved Sons Retreat, Fr Michael describes some of the wounds men bear, especially the verbal wounding we receive from our dads, from siblings, bullies, and other men in our lives, as well as the harsh self-talk in which we engage every day. There is some coarse language here. "Satan," or "Shaitan" in the original Hebrew, means "accuser," and it is ultimately he who accuses us. This talk was the introduction to a set of exercises which were designed to evoke the voice of the Accuser, extinguish its power, release it, repent of it, and then turn our backs on it. Having opened these wounds, we then turned to Christ and closed them using the traditional means that the Church provides us.In this first talk, Fr Michael describes some of the wounds men bear, especially the verbal wounding we receive from our dads, from siblings, bullies, and other men in our lives, as well as the harsh self-talk in which we engage every day. There is some coarse language here. "Satan," or "Shaitan" in the original Hebrew, means "accuser," and it is ultimately he who accuses us. This talk was the introduction to a set of exercises which were designed to evoke the voice of the Accuser, extinguish its power, release it, repent of it, and then turn our backs on it. Having opened these wounds, we then turned to Christ and closed them using the traditional means that the Church provides us. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Fr Michael Butler gives a report back and overview of the entire Beloved Sons Retreat held in Livonia, Michigan on the 6th - 8th October 2023. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

A three way discussion between Fr Michael, Fr Hans and Paul Lloyd Robson about the Beloved Sons retreat, their collaboration with each other and the way forward. Particularly they underline the need for building in-person brotherhood through meetups, events, pilgrimages and regional networks. You can find more information about the AMEN Retreat "The Audacity of Manhood": https://antiochianmen.org/the-antiochian-men-conference-retreat/ The men's group started by Paul and Fr Michael will be on Maniphesto Core, where you can sign up here: https://maniphesto.com/core-member/ - use the coupon code "AVG2ALPHA" to get a 50% discount for the first three months. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Paul describes how St Paisios has been the greatest source of inspiration for his journey into the Orthodox faith and understanding how we can restore an authentic manhood from the teachings of the Church. Please join all three of the co-hosts of As Iron Sharpens Iron for the Beloved Sons Retreat, which will be held 6-8 October 2023 in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. For full information and registration: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/ Also, join us on the As Iron Sharpens Iron Telegram group for continuing discussion and online fellowship: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler gives a close reading of the beginning of The Life of St Anthony the Great by St Athanasius. Covering the Introduction and the first six chapters, we see in St Anthony the example of a young man who began to follow Christ and the initial struggles he faced when he did so. St Anthony's experience mirrors the same struggles all of us face when we want to follow Christ, and his resistance to the devil gives us an example and a hope to follow. Please join us to continue the conversation on the AISI Telegram chat group. Join here: https://t.me/isipodcast. Information on the Beloved Sons Retreat, 6-8 Oct 2023, can be found here: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/.

Father Hans Jacobse examines the life of St. John the Forerunner (Baptist) as a role model of manly virtue. So what are some virtues of St. John that should light a fire in our heart? Please join all three of the co-hosts of As Iron Sharpens Iron for the Beloved Sons Retreat, which will be held 6-8 October 2023 in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. For full information and registration: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/ Also, join us on the As Iron Sharpens Iron Telegram group for continuing discussion and online fellowship: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode we look to answer, we dive into a unique treasure of the Orthodox faith - the saints. Specifically we look at how are the saints role models for us to learn about manhood and masculinity today. Please join all three of the co-hosts of As Iron Sharpens Iron for the Beloved Sons Retreat, which will be held 6-8 October 2023 in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. For full information and registration: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/ Also, join us on the As Iron Sharpens Iron Telegram group for continuing discussion and online fellowship: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode, Fr Michael takes Righteous Samson from the Book of Judges as an example--both good and bad--of masculinity. He considers how Samson prefigured Christ, what it means that he was a Nazirite, that he was powerfully affected by the Spirit of God, that he was a liminal or threshold figure, and that he was loner. Were these aspects of his life good or bad, and what do they have to teach us about being men today? Please join all three of the co-hosts of As Iron Sharpens Iron for the Beloved Sons Retreat, which will be held 6-8 October 2023 in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. For full information and registration: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/ Also, join us on the As Iron Sharpens Iron Telegram group for continuing discussion and online fellowship: https://t.me/isipodcast

Holy and Righteous King David is a type of a king which can help us to understand Kingship and monarchy - ultimately based on God as King and Lord. In this episode, looking at biblical sources of inspiration for masculinity, Paul explores how our understanding of kingship can be influenced by a secular or even gnostic separation of kingship from our lives and can deny the redeeming work of the incarnation of Christ. Links mentioned in this episode: Iron Telegram Chat: https://t.me/isipodcast Beloved Sons Retreat: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/ Maniphesto Core group for Orthodox Men: Read about Core on https://maniphesto.com/core-member/ and more info on this group write to Paul@maniphesto.com

All of scripture points to Christ as the God Man. In this episode, we discuss how Holy Scripture can be used a source of paternal love and inspiration for masculinity. Particularly we cover three biblical persons - Samson, Holy And Righteous King David and St John the Forerunner.

In part two of the discussion about the patriarchal character of creation, Fr. Hans discusses how the Trinity reveals the relational character of God how that makes the healing of men possible. The love of God is a patriarchal love he points out and then explains how brotherly love becomes the conduit, the channel, by and through which the regenerative and restorative love is God is experienced and known. This is a continuation of Fr Hans' last episode on Our Soul has Structure. You can listen to the first part here: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/iron/our_soul_has_structure_w_fr_hans Please remember the Beloved Sons Retreat coming up on 6-8 October. Find out more about it and register online here: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/ To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler talks about -- virtue and its place in masculinity -- the cardinal virtues of courage, moderation, prudence, and justice, and -- how they are the optimization of the various parts of the soul. He goes on to describe courage and moderation as they are expressed in the spiritual life, and gives some practical suggestions for you to follow. Please remember the Beloved Sons Retreat coming up on 6-8 October. Find out more about it and register online here: https://www.avg2alpha.com/beloved-sons/. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

A conversation on the connection between masculinity and virtue with Fr Josiah Trenham. Fr Josiah starts in a surprising place to illustrate how far off we have gone form the path given the role of feminism, looking at shoulder pads in women's suits. He then goes in to illustrate a beautiful example of how men can lead with integrity and love. We particularly inverstigate four areas for the development of masculine virtue: 1. Participation in the divine services of the Church centered around the Eucharist 2. Sports, athletics, and military service 3. Marriage 4. Fellowship in brotherhood To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast You can find more content from Fr Josiah on his web site:https://patristicnectar.org/

We start this episode with a question which Paul has been pondering for some time: Is there a specifically masculine aspect to virtue? The answer may surprise you in this comnversation with Fr Hans and Fr Michael where we cover the connection between virtue and masculine, the role of paternal love and how having a supportive brothrhood can help you to build yourself and those around you up as men together. To ask questions or get in touch with us, or to find the link to the homily from St John Chrysostom as mentioned by Fr Hans on the podcast, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Fr. Hans Jacobse starts his examination of “Is Creation Patriarchal” by explaining how we discover that our soul is ordered and has structure. He talks about how many men find Christ through the pain of their souls. This pain forces man to recognize that he indeed has a soul and he must tend and cultivate it because its with the soul that he encounters God who brings healing to him. This is part one of a two part series where the discovery of the soul and its structure reveals that creation has an ordering too. When the soul comports to the native of structure of creation the love of God the Father can flow into the man and be experienced as a paternal love. This occurs in the context of the love between brothers, either between spiritual father and son, brother to brother, or both.

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler defines patriarchy as the summit of mature masculinity. He distinguishes immature (toxic) masculinity from mature masculinity then goes on to show that patriarchy has defining characteristics of being centered in God, with the Cross of Christ as it symbol; protective, maintaining order against chaos; generative in creating and providing for others; and encouraging, affirming and blessing others. Mufasa from The Lion King and Abraham in the book of Genesis are used as two examples of patriarchy, from popular culture and Holy Scripture.

A conversation with the host of the Symbolic World and Orthodox icon carver, Jonathan Pageau. 0:00 - Coming up 1:00 - Introducing the interview and topic of Patriarchy 2:31 - What has Jonathan been up to, especially Mt Athos visit 8:34 - The ideals and pragmatics of Patriarchy 14:34 - Patriarchy as a pattern of reality 20:00 - On female priests in Christianity 23:33 - Feminine and masculine in the sacraments 26:07 - Marriage as the testing ground of aligning with patterns of reality 28:47 - How to lead as a father in modern society 31:15 - Directing your sexual energy as vital to earning your salvation 33:05 - The temptation for men to hand over the priestly role to their partner 36:30 - How to navigate leading your family with compassion and courage 40:20 - Work - life balance 42:50 - Jonathan's social media engagement 43:30 - Paternal love - through spiritual fatherhood and brotherhood 46:00 - Men in Jonathans parish, circle of friends and family 49:00 - The risk of isolation and stagnation as men age 52:40 - Jonathan's relationship with Jordan Peterson 54:00 - Depth vs breadth in friendships 58:32 - Sins of the right and anger as a power 1:01:35 - The approach of Fr Josiah Trenham and learning obedience 1:05:05 - Taking confession and communion every week as a practice 1:07:35 - Jonathan on and off the pedestal 1:09:54 - A short interlude on Maniphesto 1:11:04 - The balance between sharing publically and staying private 1:16:05 - On The Priesthood and man's priestly role is his family 1:23:22 - What we can learn from military hierarchy For more info on Maniphesto Core, see https://maniphesto.com/core-member/ To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Starting off a new season in As Iron Sharpens Iron, we recap why it is we are doing this podcast and what we are trying to achieve. A central part of our approach has turned out to be focused on the integration of considering deep and profound ideas about manhood, but constantly returning to practice, and how we are living our own lives as men, husbands, colleagues. We consider what it means to say that patriarchy is the fundamental structure of reality, how that relates to the teaching of the Church Fathers, and the presence of Christ in all of creation. By taking our place as a child in a family of a father, we are able to begin to see clearly to take our own place in society. We speak about the role of the priest, specifically regarding Orthodox Priests, the priestly role of the man in his family as well as the issue with female priests in the Church. The episode concludes with considering the Theotokos as the correct role model for men for drawing closer to God. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In our final episode of the season, we have a discussion of how the podcast has gone so far, and cover particularly several perspectives on the foundations of Patriarchy: - How the Mother of God is the ideal blueprint for being a man - Stability in your own life as a prerequisite for leading a family - How strong brotherhood is essential in leading a family Finishing off season 1 of this podcast, we laid out our plans for the next season, which we intend to be an exploration of Patirarchy - from symbolism, virtues, scripture and saints and also to particularly look at violence and conflict. Finally, we announced plans for a Men's Gathering in Detroit in October 2023 - more details coming soon! To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

This is a conversation with Fr Josiah Trenham on the subject of Purpose. Every part of your life can be raised up to a meaningful engagement with God, the Creator of the Universe. If you bring prayer and awareness of the presence of God into every task that you do, then you can find purpose in all of life. Life as a man is tough. We sholder responsibility and do what we can to stay in integrity with the Grace of God. When we fall, as we often do, then we get up again. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast To find more content and information on Fr Josiah, take a look at his web site https://patristicnectar.org/

Fr Hans talks about purpose, where the boy first sees it and how it has to be and developed in the man. Our purpose is discovered only in relation to God because a man’s purpose requires the cultivation of virtue, and virtue has its source in our Creator. In our age the dominant culture is corrupted. Boys become sidetracked into vices that fragments the inner man and stifles their development into stable adulthood. Only a return to God and learning the obedience by which vice is conquered will lead them out of their weakness into strength. The Orthodox Church understands this. It is unashamedly patriarchal. Men need challenge. They respond to challenge. That is why many men are entering the Orthodox Church. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler talks about finding your purpose in life. He addresses the question: how do I know if my purpose aligns with God’s will? And he discusses aspects of finding your purpose, which include starting with your best idea and course-correcting along the way; overcoming your passions to gain clarity about your purpose; learning to get quiet so you can hear your own heart; getting the courage you need to find and follow your purpose; and being patient with yourself in the process. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

"Purpose" is the final topic of our first season and we open the topic in this discussion between Fr Michael Butler, Fr Hans and Paul. Listen to this episode on how a life aimed towards Christ leads men towards creative and meaningful purpose. We cover the following topics: - contrasting self help approaches to purpose and the Orthodox faith - balancing making money with meaningful purpose - purpose at the intersection of ability and interests - asceticism as a vital element in finding purpose - barriers to finding purpose - pain avoidance in younger men who have yet to launch and older men who are ticking the boxes - how the delusion of relativism prevents men from finding purpose - and how a brotherhood providing confirmation and affirmation can help keeping men on the path - how visiting a monastery can help to find purpose

Paul Lloyd Robson interviews Fr Joseph Gleason, "The American Orthodox Priest who moved to Russia". This is the third installment in our focus on relationships and Paul uses the interview as an opportunity to get in behind the politics and delve into the values on which we base our understanding of manhood in relation to others and society. Topics covered include: - The false dichotomy between the macho dominant man and the pushover weakling - Pornography - selfish desire as a barrier to human connection - Marraige as a picture of Christ and the church - How pornography and homosexuality are the same type of perversion of God's gifts - The path to mature masculinity requires travelling alongside other mature, Godly men - The false dichotomy between judging others and accepting everything - Sins of ignorance and sins of presumption, and Paul's personal example regarding abortion - King David and his example of sin and repentance - How society deals justice towards unintentional sin - How to sum up 2000 years wisdom of how to be a man in the word of "Patriarchy". - Why hierarchy is better than equality - Lastly, a practical approach for men to looking after your woman and "stomping on the head of the snake". To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Spiritual fatherhood is an important and necessary part of a man’s life in our Orthodox faith. In this episode Fr. Hans introduces the topic of spiritual fatherhood by examining how God works within the creation, and how this work reveals that the creation is indeed patriarchal. The patriarchal character of the creation is revealed in how the Holy Spirit gives man the power and energy to become virtuous, and the relationship between a spiritual father and son is necessary for the virtues to be actualized in the life of the son. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

In this episode, Fr Michael Butler talks about relationships with women. Specifically, he encourages men to Make Christ the cornerstone and the foundation for everything. Ask the intercession of St Xenia of St Petersburg, who is a patron saint of relationships. Watch out for having impossibly high standards, pedestalizing women, or getting bitter and complaining about them. Seriously ask yourself the question: What do I bring to the table in a relationship? Optimize your appearance. Be interesting. Not boring. Be interested in others. Learn to shut up. Ask questions and listen. Have a vision for your life, a sense of mission. Don't do weak stuff. Go out and talk to people. Go talk to everybody. Hold your expectations lightly. Do these things, and it should go better for you. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

This conversation wraps up our focus on "Practice" and opens up the discussion on "People". We start with recapping our progress so far and then give an overview of the importance of our relationships - specifically related to key relationships of spiritual fatherhood, biological partents, women, mentorship and brotherly relationships We speak about why men need men - to learn how to become a man and relate that to why personhood is always a social thing and the role of Brotherhood in finding true personhood. Many men are starved of man-only company - and we discuss why many men (and women) benefit from male only gatherings, as well as how to build relationships with men on a foundation of love. The love of a father for his son is essential in awakening the spark of masculinity in a man, and we relate this to how different levels of fatherhood are linked and show us that the correct relationship between men is building each other up in love, and how we can help other men to fulfill the fatherly role in each other's lives. Lastly we lay out the specifics of the love of a father - such as showing confidence in a child and drawing them outwards, even away from the mother before we give a little insight into our plans for the upcoming episodes on the subject of "People". To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Fr Michael Butler interviews Paul Lloyd Robson on his journey into Orthodoxy. Paul is the organiser of the European Men's Gathering and works professionally training men to find vision and purpose in their life. In his quest to improve his ability to help others, Paul found himself running into the arms of Christ, even through he had spent his entire adult life trying to run away from the Christianity of his childhood. As a fairly new Orthodox convert, Paul is still learning the ropes of Orthodox observance, and dealing with the issues of a life spent developing habits which were not leading him towards God. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Why should we pray? To get to know another person I have to talk to him. For the other person to get to know me, he has to talk to me. I might know everything one can know about the other person, but until I start talking with him I will not know him. Prayer is the pathway to God. Prayer creates the channel by which God's love can flow into our hearts and then outward to our brother. Men grow in struggle, men must lift the weight.This growth occurs in communion with other men. Men need men to learn how to become a man. Healing and growth occurs first with prayer to God. The Church gives us the prayers because they contain the wisdom of the elders. Prayer fosters sobriety, resolve, and most important humility in men. Fr. Hans concludes with practical tips on how to pray. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Father Michael covers the basics of why we should be be observant in the hallowing of everyday life. Orthodoxy is learned not by study, but by doing; not through pondering, but through action. We practice our Faith in communion with the whole Church and ours is not a “felt” Faith, but a lived Faith. We witness to others by how we live our Orthodoxy and our love for Christ will determine the degree of our observance. Fr Michael then speaks about some practical ways of living our Faith, which we have listed here as a checklist for handy use after you have listened to the episode: - How to set up and arrange an Icon corner in your home. - Which Icons to have in your Icon Corner. - Icons in other rooms of your house. - An oil lamp or candle. - A shelf or table beneath the Icon Corner. - Holy Water and Antidoron bread. - Brass or ceramic censer - How to dispose of old/used religious items. - Blessed oil. - Church calendar, Bible, Prayer book, Memorial List - Plans for reading your Bible and the Psalms. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

Orthodox Christianity builds on a series of fundamental observances and regular practices which we are asked to perform as a part of our faith. These practices bring discipline into our life align our being with the structure of reality and bring, which transfers into every other area of our life. In this conversation we speak of the basic Orthodox practices: - Maintain a daily prayer rule, morning, and evening. - Daily readings of the Holy Scriptures, the lives of the Saints, the Psalter or other Orthodox writings. - Regular attendance and participation in the Church Sacraments, Liturgy, Confession, Healing prayers - Participate in the Feasts and Fasts of the Orthodox Church calendar. We introduce each topic and talk about our personal experience with these practices as well as giving input on how to get started for men setting out on their journey in the Orthodox faith. The following episodes #3, #4 and #5 will dive into specific aspects and teachings of Orthodox personal practice. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group here: https://t.me/isipodcast

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Welcome to a new podcast for Orthodox men with a mission to recover authentic manhood through Orthodox Christianity. This first episode is an introduction to ourselves and our project: to gather leading voices in the recovery of authentic manhood according to the teachings and practices of the Orthodox Christian faith. To ask questions or get in touch with us, please join our Telegram Group.