Counterflow with Buck Johnson

In this deeply pastoral and wide-ranging conversation, Buck chats with Metropolitan Jonah to discuss the surge of interest in Orthodox Christianity, the spiritual formation of newcomers, and the timeless wisdom the Church offers to a restless modern world. From the inner life of the believer to practical struggles facing parishes today, this episode provides both clarity and compassion for anyone seeking to understand Orthodoxy more deeply — or walk it more faithfully. Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Protodeacon Patrick Mitchell returns to the show to discuss his new book, Christ as Truth and Truth as Christ. In this conversation, we explore what it truly means that Christ is Truth—not as a concept, not as a feeling, but as a living Person. Protodeacon Patrick helps us unpack the difference between objective truth and the modern world's obsession with "personal truth," showing how our understanding of Truth shapes everything from our love for others to our view of the world. We then examine the five great enemies of Truth: Gnosticism, Romanticism, Anarchism, Nihilism, and Tribalism, each of which distorts the human mind and heart in its own way. Along the way, we discuss the God of Israel and the temptation to make the self the measure of all things. This is a deep-dive into how Truth, rightly understood, leads us not into ideology or isolation, but into the life of Christ Himself. Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

In this episode, I'm joined again by Mano Elia for a wide-ranging conversation on discernment, community, and the spiritual struggle of our time. We're not in an age where truth is hidden anymore; everything, from truth to lies, is out in the open. The real challenge is no longer finding information, but seeing clearly through it. What we face now isn't a war of disinformation; it's a war of discernment. Mano and I zoom out from the noise of world events to explore the deeper physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions of our modern crisis. We discuss how evil reveals itself openly in today's culture, how digital life isolates us, and why the ultimate answer isn't political power or conspiracy-chasing, but a return to Christ, creativity, and tangible community. The conversation also challenges common misunderstandings about the so-called "black pill" mindset. While many look for salvation in politics or cultural battles, Mano and I argue that the only true white pill is Christ Himself. For more of Mano's content, go here: https://www.skool.com/the-bored-no-more-network-8401  ...and here: https://borednomore.net  Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

My guest this week is someone you might remember from last year when we talked about his book, Antichrist: The Fulfillment of Globalization (from Uncut Mountain Press). He's back with us today to dig into the themes from his recent article, Is God an Antisemite? (on Orthodox Ethos). We get into what antisemitism actually means, the roots of Rabbinic Judaism, and how all of this connects to Christ and His Church — and what it all means for us today. Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

This week on the podcast, I'm excited to feature Nicholas Mamey, an Orthodox Christian and psychotherapist. Nicholas joins me to discuss the positive and negative aspects of therapy and self-healing through an Orthodox Christian lens. In a world filled with pop-psychology "white noise" and self-obsession, Nicholas offers a unique perspective on what true healing entails. Tune in for this important conversation. Learn more about Nicholas here: https://www.ngmtherapy.com/about Support our friend Cooper Brooks in his time of need: https://www.givesendgo.com/GKB8F  Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

This week, we are featuring one of the most unique interviews I've ever conducted. My guest, Justine Alter (a pseudonym), is an Orthodox Christian and author of the book *Outside of the World*. In her book, Justine shares her incredible journey from a difficult childhood through the occult, her experiences as a psychic medium, and even her time as a cult leader, ultimately finding her way to the Orthodox Church. During the interview, Justine uses a voice augmenter to disguise her identity due to multiple death threats she has received from individuals within occult circles. You can order her book directly at: https://www.newmartyrpress.com  Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Conrad Franz, co-host of the World War Now podcast, joins us from Moscow, Russia, where he's in the midst of a journey that included Moldova as well. He gives us some details regarding the attempted takeover of the Church in Moldova by NATO and Western powers. Conrad also went to the Donetsk region where he was nearly hit by a missile fired by the Ukrainian military. This episode has a lot of valuable information that you will absolutely not hear from any mainstream journalists. For Conrad's great show, go here: https://worldwarnow.co Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

In this episode, Fr. Peter Heers reflects on Charlie Kirk's legacy following his public execution, viewing it through an Orthodox Christian lens. He emphasizes that many will now turn to the Church, so believers must be prepared with love, truth, proper catechism, and vigilance against personal pitfalls. Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

This is a re-run of an episode that was very powerful... so powerful it got deleted from YouTube. This is my wish to release it again to you and see if we can keep it up this time! Dr. Naomi Wolf joins me to go over the serious information that her team uncovered in the Pfizer documents. At dailyclout.io, she assembled a team of over 3,500 medical experts to comb over the thousands and thousands of pages of Pfizer documents that the FDA tried to have sealed for 75 years. Luckily, a judge did not allow that. Also, Naomi and her team discovered many of the reasons that Pfizer didn't want that information to be public. There was not incompetence on their part, but rather outright maliciousness. They knew the harmful effects and the wide variety of them and hid them from the public. We go through many of them in this short episode, and the end result is population decline, which appears to be a feature, not a bug. We get into all of this, along with issues of repentance, punishment, forgiveness, spiritual warfare, good vs. evil, and more. For more information on the heroic work Naomi and her staff are doing, go here: https://dailyclout.io Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

My guest this week is my friend Nina Morris, an Orthodox Christian and mother who grew up in the Texas foster care system. I had no idea about the kinds of experiments and challenges these children endured, but Nina lived through them, and she opens up about her experience in this episode. Despite attempts to break her spiritually and mentally, by the grace of God, she came through on the other side with strength and faith intact. Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

This week, Patrick Mitchell joins us to discuss the oft-discussed topic of the "Ortho-bros". Some use it in a humorous way, some as a pejorative, but whatever the case, there are a lot of zealous young men flocking to the Church. Are we to tame them? Shouldn't we be celebrating them? We get into a wonderful deep discussion on this issue. For Protodeacon Patrick's writings and books, go here: https://www.brianpatrickmitchell.com  Sponsors: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE  Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

While we rarely dedicate an episode to a single movie, this film is a special exception. "El Tonto Por Cristo" is told through luminous vignettes, following a brotherhood of monks on the Texas Gulf as they strive for sainthood while grappling with their human struggles. Inspired by the ancient tradition of the Holy Fool and set within the quiet rhythms of monastic life, it stands as the first English-language Orthodox narrative feature of its kind. The film masterfully weaves Orthodox imagination into a transcendent meditation on holiness and humanity. We are incredibly blessed to have the film's writer and director, Josh Jordan, join us for this episode. We delve into his journey to Orthodoxy, his inspirations for the film, and much more. To learn more about "El Tonto Por Cristo," please visit: https://www.eltontoporcristo.com  Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com  Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

My guests this week have a very good new podcast called War Priest. They're both Orthodox Christians and have extensive military careers. In this episode, we discuss morality when it comes to war, the responsibilities at the top, just war theory, loyal disobedience, and more. Watch their podcast here: https://youtube.com/@warpriest  Sponsors: Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE  Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Tiger Fitness: https://www.tigerfitness.com/CounterFlow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

This week, Father John Whiteford is back with us to explore some topics in and around the false theology of dispensationalism. While it may be nearing the end of its cycle, there are still many faithful Christians that believe in this false teaching. We explore why this came about, the pre-tribulation rapture, the funding of Hamas by Netanyahu, the claim that modern men can better translate Scripture than the Church Fathers, and much more. Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order! Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast! Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA  Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE  Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

I was honored to join the great Tom Woods on his show for this episode recorded live at the Ron Paul 90th birthday BBQ event. Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Our friend Cyprian, formerly known as Vin Armani, is back with us today. We will be continuing our theme on masculinity and then taking the discussion into technology and AI. These topics are related, and you'll see how during this episode. Sponsor: Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Rachel Wilson is the author of "Occult Feminism: The Secret History of Women's Liberation" and she joins us today to discuss the topic of feminism and relationships. There's a default assumption that feminism was a necessary evil. But has it done more harm than good? Has it done any good at all? Why were the founding voices in the movement also into the occult? We discuss the modern day relationship dynamics between men and women, dating, marriage, raising children, and more. Rachel's substack: https://rwilson.substack.com  Rachel's X: https://rwilson.substack.com  Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com  Code: BUCK15 The 3rd Annual Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference: Saturday, September 6, 2025, in Stafford, VA: https://southernorthodox.org/conferences/3rd-annual-conference  Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

Fr. John Peck is back with us this week. We dive into a topic with a ton of low frequency noise in our current society. I wanted to get a more grounded, truthful view of what healthy masculinity and femininity look like. We hear all kinds of wild versions of this which sometimes sound legitimate but aren't rooted in Truth. For more from Fr. John Peck, go here: https://goodguyswearblack.org  Sponsors: The 3rd Annual Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference: Saturday, September 6, 2025, in Stafford, VA: https://southernorthodox.org/conferences/3rd-annual-conference  Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow  Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

J Burden is back with us this week. You can find his work over at jburden.substack.com. We are discussing the situation with the Jeffery Epstein "files", why this whole story does indeed matter, and how if Trump misses on this, it will ultimately be very bad for his Presidency. Why do the people that keep telling us that what Epstein did doesn't matter all fit a similar profile? Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Tiger Fitness: https://www.tigerfitness.com/CounterFlow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

My guest this week is a priest monk who heads up the Orthodox Africa mission. He is Father Silouan Brown. We discuss what missionary work looks like in the Orthodox Church, the trials and tribulations Father Silouan has been through to get things going, the blessings from St. John Maximovich, and more. This is an edifying and touching discussion. To find out more about this mission, go here: https://www.orthodoxafrica.org Sponsors: Fox n Sons Coffee: https://www.foxnsons.com Code: BUCK15 Perfect Spiral Capital: https://PerfectSpiralCapital.com/counterflow Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address! Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!