Men Among Demons

Greg and Dan discuss marriage from a sacramental point of view, asking about its spiritual purpose and symbolic place in the Church and Christian life.

Greg and Dan discuss the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, its historical dimensions, its mytho-symbolic dimensions, and its place in the Church and Christian faith. The Resurrection is the centre point of the entire Christian faith, of the liturgical year, and of all of Orthodox worship. Drawing especially from the Old and New Testament scriptures, Greg and Dan explore why that is and what we should take from it. Christ is Risen!

In almost every episode of Men Among Demons, Greg and Dan end up agreeing that the most important thing for them to do next is to go to church. But why?In this episode, they explore some aspects of church attendance in Christian life from the way it shapes us psychologically, to the significance of community in our encounters with the spirits (including demons), and finally to the spiritual-political dimensions of being citizens of God's Kingdom.

In this episode Dan and Greg discuss fads, the way ideas circulate among human beings, language, and what makes it all both divine and open to the demonic.

Greg, Dan, and our host, Joe, hold a live conversation on a wide range of topics including: the origins of Men Among Demons, their friendship, the intersection of religion and the public sector, growth in the Orthodox Church, and (of course) demons.

Dan and Greg kick off with a discussion of cults and high control groups, and then shift to begin thinking about the relationship between cult, cultus, and culture. In what ways is the Church different from what are often called "cults" today? In what ways does the Church attempt to build a culture and community while avoiding the pitfalls of high control groups? And what happens to groups or entire societies when they fall into demonic traps either on the side of too much cult and control, or on the side of having no real "culture" at all?

Dan and Greg discuss the concept of social justice especially with regard to modern homelessness, aiming to elucidate some more complete Christians responses in the face of extremely complex problems for which there is no simple solution.

Greg and Dan discuss angels. What are they? How do they interact with the world? What experiences do we have of them? What do they...look like? And much more.

Dan, Greg, and guest Nick P. discuss martial arts, the body, competition and games seeking out what role they might play in a Christian life and in society at large. A possible need for more attention to bodily exercise and training among Christians emerges, and the three tackle the question of whether competition is fundamentally fallen or truly has a place in a Christian life and in God's Kingdom.

Greg and Dan discuss the new pope, the institution of the papacy, and the costs and benefits of various church and community structures within the Christian world.

In this episode, Dan and Greg discuss human intelligence and free will in the context of some problematic enlightenment assumptions about humanity. How do we as Christians grapple with the simple fact that human intelligence varies tremendously across individuals, and that while free will clearly exist it is difficult to exercise for all human beings? What problems arise in our political and social life owing to Enlightenment assumptions that all human beings are capable of "rational self interest," clear critical thinking, and the detached exercise of free will?

Greg and Dan discuss the cult of change and our culture's obsession with disruption for its own sake, reflecting on how change is an essential but differently oriented part of the life in Christ. The episode concludes with reflections on the importance of forgiveness in a world in which human beings are both dynamic and fallen.

Dan and Greg discuss the meaning of maturity, and the immaturity of our present age, looking for the demonic patterns that draw us to immature places and the telos of human life into which we are called to grow.

Greg and Dan discuss experiences of demonic activity and the presence of conscious demons in the world.

Dan and Greg discuss one of the most interestingly wrong visions of theological anthropology circulating in our society today: the idea that humans are effectively computers, and that human consciousness may one day be downloaded into electronic machines. By reflecting on the demonic twists in this vision of humanity we can see more fully what humans are genuinely created to be.

Dan and Greg discuss death, exploring funeral rites and rituals, the cultural fear and denial of death, the demonic twists and distractions the falsely frame life, and ultimately the meaning of Resurrection in Christ.

Greg and Dan welcome Fr Yuri Hladio for a conversation about celebrities, fame, and their impact on western culture and the Church.

Dan and Greg discuss modern expectations around romantic love and relationships, moving forward into a discussion of the place of eros in the Christian life. In a world where finding the perfect partner and living up to a romantic ideal have become so important, how do Christians respond? Is there any value at all to romantic love, or is it side-lined by the pursuit of universal agape? And what is eros anyway?Our apologies in this episode for mixing up Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. We have included a clarification at the end of the episode.

Dan and Greg discuss how electoral politics can serve more as means of creating identity and "team" loyalty than as a method for solving problems and engaging idea, then consider what kinds of ordering principles rule our lives and ask the essential question of what would happen if we put Christ at the centre of our thinking.

Dan and Greg welcome special guest Eleni O to continue the discussion about psychedelics with an eye to exploring the meaning of mystical experiences and the role they play in our mental and spiritual health.

In this episode Dan and Greg speak with special guest, Fr Geoffrey Ready, about psychedelics and their (potential) place in medicine and the Church.DISCLAIMER: Hopefully it is clear already from the episode, but Dan and Greg do not condone or advise the use of psychedelics in Orthodox Christian life. Fr Geoffrey's views push the envelope in interesting ways and his opinion may differ, but the Men among Demons continue to recommend a focus on the tried and true pathways that the Church provides us for gaining spiritual insight and a deeper relationship with Christ.

Dan and Greg are joined by professional tax accountant Andrew Hudson who shares some of his insights into the implications of modern finance and capitalism on Christian life. The men among demons discuss money, capitalism, value, and the demonic trends in our current economic culture and system.

Most of this month's episode will be posted only for our patrons on Patreon.com For the public podcast we share the last portion of our discussion centering on how Christians in the West can best respond to the crisis in Israel and Palestine through prayer. Dan and Greg discuss the power of prayer as a form of real and genuine Christian action that guides us to wisdom and humility, and allows us to participate in God's shaping of the world even when there is truly nothing else we can do to help fix our broken world.

Greg and Dan talk about the purpose and different forms of education, and the tendencies of the modern educational system to tend toward angelic and demonic vectors. The episode concludes with some reflections on how to approach education in the body of Christ and the need for a diversity of responses to the problem of how to teach ourselves and our children in today's world.

In this episode, Greg and Dan begin with a discussion of Greg's recent ordination as a deacon that evolves into a deep dive into the patterns of family, fatherhood, and motherhood that Christians must aim for, as well as a couple of the demonic patterns of the same seen in our world.

In this episode, Greg and Dan discuss ChatGPT and machine learning language models, reflecting on what they say about our society's attitude toward language, its function, and its significance. They then delve into some of the demonic patterns of approaching language that well predate new technological tools and some of the liturgical and sacramental significance of language that has been lost to much of our society.

In this special episode Dan and Greg are joined by their daughters Kaylah Wiebe and Patti Opperwall to discuss life in middle school. The girls share some surprising and remarkably thoughtful insights about the specific challenges they face at their age and how they have found ways to live a Christian life in spite of it all.

In this episode, Greg and Dan discuss work and vocation. Do Christians have a specific calling to a certain kind of work? Or is calling something to do mainly with our place in the Church? And how do we choose which kinds of jobs are better and worse for us as servants of God?

In this episode, Dan and Greg discuss gambling and its demonic nature. Exploring what games are and their value to human life, the Men Among Demons then examine how gambling twists the good of games into something destructive; a perfect example of how the demonic truly works in our lives.

Dan and Greg reflect on the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and discuss monarchy, Canadian and American governmental structures, and the importance of ritual and symbol in political and religious life.

In this episode, Greg and Dan discuss the expansion of euthanasia in Canada and the ethics of harming another person who desires to be harmed. What is more important--to refrain from harming others, or to help others achieve their desire whatever it may be? Do humans sincerely desire what is best for themselves, or are there darker forces within us that we must wrestle?

In this episode, Greg and Dan discuss the current state of the university, and especially theological studies, then begin a broader exploration of the place of truth in modern society and the potential implications of the growing belief that absolute truths do not exist.

Dan and Greg welcome Sara Feir to the show to discuss her experience as a neo-Pagan prior to becoming an Orthodox Christian. The three think through the degree to which the modern world is implicitly pagan and compare modern secularism to explicit paganism. 

Greg and Dan discuss the ethics of war in light of the invasion of Ukraine, looking to understand the complex and subtle discernment involved in decisions about war and peace, and how our thinking can go wrong on both directions.

Dan and Greg discuss conspiracy theories, their origins, and their connection to gnosticism, identifying the capacity for both belief and disbelief in official narratives to become demonic.

Dan and Greg kick off with an exploration of the Canadian trucker protests that have made international headlines, leading them to explore the Christian attitude toward classical liberalism, the politics of love, and the demonic corruption of political and social traditions.

Greg and Dan welcome their first guest, hospital chaplain and former Catholic deacon Paul Blair, to discuss his work on exorcisms of space and explore the significance of demons as real conscious beings acting in the world.

About the modern approach to healthcare and the covid virus and what "health" really is in a Christian framework.

In this episode, Greg and Dan discuss the telos, or purpose, of the worldly life as guided by demons and the demonic, as compared to the purpose of the Christian life seeking the Kingdom of God.

Greg and Dan reveal their thoughts on the topic of sex and consent culture, then turn to the question of marriage and the mystery of traditional male-female marriage relationships.

In this episode, Greg and Dan discuss the purpose of ethical thinking, the place of secular law, and the place of moral thinking and behaviour in Christian life in the world.

Join Dan and Greg as they explore the intricacies of doctrines of Diversity and Inclusion at Canadian Universities and how Orthodox Christians can best approach this phenomenon. 

Join Dan and Greg as they explore the delicate topic of the nature of demons - what they are, what they aren't, and how we as humans sometimes unwittingly participate in demonic activity. Want more content? Go to patreon.com/menamongdemons