Some guy who calls himself a pastor declared "I have something to say."

This was in reference to what happened at the opening ceremony of the Olympics where Leonardo's depiction of the Last Supper was openly mocked with a gluttonous drag queen sitting in the place of Jesus, transvestites and other undesirables sitting in the place of the Holy Apostles.

When I heard about this via a Facebook post, I was so shocked at the image that it took me awhile to really process the gravity of the scene.

This didn't occur in some dive bar in a back alley.

This happened at the Olympics.

Even if you're not a Christian, this should be a wakeup call to the lengths these folks will go to promote their agenda of "diversity" while stopping at nothing to destroy the lives of anyone who dissents from their approved viewpoints.

But what was truly disturbing was how many people who identify as Christians rallied around a diatribe posted by a guy named Jacob Whitehead, who calls himself "a pastor".

Well, his comments revealed a great deal of ignorance and emotional immaturity; and to think that so many people applauded it is problematic.

In this podcast, I read Mr. Whitehead's comments in their entirety, and then give my own comments in response.

Here we go:

"I’m a pastor, and I have something to say.

Christians that get online and spew hate toward nonbelievers anger me much more than nonbelievers spewing hate toward my religion.

I have no idea what the table at the Olympics was supposed to represent, as the official statement contradicts the larger opinion. But what I can say is that every single person at that table would have been invited to Jesus’ table. Jesus not only spent His time on earth with sinners, He invited them to the very table everyone assumes the Olympic table represents.

Matthew was a tax collector.

Peter was about to deny Him.

Thomas was about to doubt His resurrection.

Judas was about to betray Him.

Jesus ate with them anyway.

Jesus was with “sinners” all of the time. In fact, it’s one of the reasons the church people hated Him and wanted Him dead.

Please allow this to serve as a reminder that people who are not Christians are not our responsibility to regulate. Jesus gave us an example to follow of welcoming everyone and pointing them toward the love of Jesus. Remember that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, not the shouting of His angry “followers.”

This doesn’t mean I condone any religion (especially my own) being mocked. In fact, it is wrong. But my heart doesn’t hurt for what they are doing to Jesus. My heart hurts for people that are likely not in a loving relationship with their Creator. Jesus doesn’t need me to shout about sinners sinning. He wants me to shout about the hope and the love they are missing out on.

Before you share an angry post, or shout at people that Jesus died for, think for a while, and ask yourself if He would do the same. To be honest, you already know the answer. He wouldn’t. He didn’t. He died for them just as much as He died for you. Angrily shouting at people that don’t know Jesus is in direct contradiction to the example He gave us on the cross.

Westboro Baptist sandwich signs should anger you much more than this. Jesus flipped tables on people in the temple, not people outside of it.

Remember that."

Today I share about my spiritual life within the confines of the Christian religion. I've been a churchgoer as long as I can remember; however, the journey has been, shall I say, interesting.

It was really a search for truth - a search that ended when I was introduced to the Orthodox Church interestingly enough through my own work as a narrator and producer of audiobooks. I was serendipitously hired to narrate/produce two separate audiobooks in 2018 and 2023 respectively, which convinced me that the Orthodox Church is where I was being led spiritually.

So this is my story.

Episode highlights:

01:30 Early Spiritual Experiences

06:53 The Bapticostals

10:15 Do we truly have free will when compelled to act by threat of eternal damnation?

15:10 The Calvinist Presbyterians

18:03 Messianic Judaism

20:48 Spiritual Purgatory in Korea

23:07 The non-Calvinist Presbyterians

27:53 Discovering the Orthodox Church

34:21 Conclusion: An Open Invitation

If you wish to ask me anything about what I've discussed in this podcast, or simply want to discuss any matter related to spirituality, please send me an email james@jamesdnewcomb.com.

I would love to speak with you and answer any questions you might have!

Welcome to Overtly Orthodox. Today we hear from a gentleman named Gary Greenfield. Gary "transitioned" from a Protestant sect of Christianity to the Orthodox Church rather late in life. (I think transition is a better use of words than conversion, but I digress.)

So you understand the context of what you'll hear, when I recorded this, I was brand new to the Orthodox Church. In fact, I had never even set foot in an Orthodox Church. Gary's contribution to an audiobook I was producing actually made me aware of, and set in motion my own inquiry and eventual transition to the Orthodox Church.

I was so moved by Gary's words that I wanted to interview him and hear his story. My intent was to publish the interview on a different podcast that never really got off the ground. But it's perfect for this one!

I hope you listen and are blessed by Gary's story.

In this discussion with Gary, you'll discover:

-Gary's discovery of the Orthodox Church after much spiritual seeking throughout adult life...09:08

-A very deliberate way of thinking, in spite of youth and error-filled stops on the journey...18:32

-"I could never be fully committed to the Protestant congregation I was involved with"...22:26

-The militant Protestant church shows its true colors...29:30

-Gary discovers "ancient Christianity" over beer and cheesecake...34:27

-This stood out about the Orthodox Church from all the other sects within Christendom...41:33

-Gary describes a visit to an Orthodox Church to someone who has never attended a Orthodox Church service...49:17

-How the transition to Orthodoxy impacted Gary's life, spiritually and otherwise...59:25

-And Much More!

P.S. I recently learned that Gary succumbed to a battle with cancer, so RIP Gary Greenfield.