Living as Creatures

Sacramental Reality, Orthobros, and the Breakdown of Secularism -- Dr. Zac Porcu

Do you ever feel like American life today is stuck? Fruitless arguments, intractable problems, and a lot of shouting without any listening. My guest today, Dr. Zac [https://substack.com/profile/82614681-dr-zac] Porcu, is trying to take a step back and examine the roots of all this. He wants to question the premises of the secular worldview that we all instinctively adopt. This includes everything from the separation of Church and State to the separation of the physical and spiritual worlds. You may not agree with all his conclusions, but I find he helps shift these tired conversations onto fresh ground. He has a PhD in Church History from Catholic University, but he’s also the catechist at one of the largest Orthodox churches in the country whose head pastor has a very popular YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@PatristicNectarFilms/videos]. With his combination of on-the-ground experience and theological training, I wanted to ask him about Eastern Orthodoxy’s perception, appeal, and role in American life going forward and what we can learn from stepping away from the daily outrage cycle. We ended up discussing Plato’s Cave, Orthobros, and a whole lot more. To see more of his work, you can check out his Substack The Roots of Everything [https://zacharyporcu.substack.com/]. One note: We discussed the concept of a "cave within a cave" during the episode. This isn't a McLuhan line, it's from Leo Strauss. More here [https://europeanconservative.com/articles/essay/the-cave-beneath-the-cave/]. Get full access to Living as Creatures at www.benjaminchristenson.com/subscribe [https://www.benjaminchristenson.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]