Counterflow with Buck Johnson

Buck Johnson
  • 4.1 (8)
  • Politics
  • Updated weekly

The Counterflow Podcast is a weekly show featuring discussions and interviews with people who are outside of and critical toward mainstream liberal and conservative politics. Counterflow challenges the conventional narratives sold to us as truth. The show features thinkers from all backgrounds, who do not fit into the narrow framework of fashionable opinion. The show addresses cultural, spiritual and lifestyle issues as well as philosophy and geo-politics. Host Buck Johnson (formerly of the Death To Tyrants Podcast) is a musician, firefighter and Orthodox Christian and has always had an interest and drive to go one way while everyone else runs the other direction.

  1. Ep. 420 - When Validation Isn't Love: An Orthodox Psychologist on Truth and Healing with Dr. Anastasia Stewart

    14 hr ago

    Ep. 420 - When Validation Isn't Love: An Orthodox Psychologist on Truth and Healing with Dr. Anastasia Stewart

    In this episode, Buck sits down with Dr. Anastasia Stewart, an Orthodox Christian psychologist and trauma specialist, to explore the relationship between modern psychology and the healing tradition of the Orthodox Church. Together they discuss where psychology contains genuine insights—and where it falls short without Christ. Drawing on decades of experience treating trauma, PTSD, women's mental health, and veterans, Dr. Stewart explains why empathy without truth can become enabling, why validation isn't always loving, and why genuine healing requires both compassion and repentance. The conversation explores the limits of therapeutic culture, the role of clergy and clinicians in caring for the whole person, spiritual warfare, trauma, externalizing responsibility, and the Orthodox understanding of becoming whole through Christ. Whether you're a clinician, a priest, or simply someone seeking healing, this conversation offers a thoughtful and deeply Orthodox vision of the human person and the path toward true restoration. Topics include: * Orthodoxy and modern psychology * Why validation isn't always love * Trauma, PTSD, and the healing of the soul * The limits of secular therapy * Spiritual warfare and psychological suffering * The role of clergy and clinicians About Dr. Anastasia Stewart Dr. Anastasia Stewart is an Orthodox Christian psychologist specializing in trauma, PTSD, women's mental health, and evidence-based clinical treatment. She earned dual bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Communication Studies from UCLA before completing her Ph.D. in Psychology at Washington State University. Her clinical training includes Dartmouth College, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in collaboration with the National Center for PTSD. During her career with the VA, she helped develop one of the nation's early Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) programs, became the first psychologist embedded in a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program, and developed an interprofessional postdoctoral fellowship program. She later founded Triangle Services Consulting, where she continues her clinical work, consultation, and professional mentoring while pioneering an approach that thoughtfully integrates Orthodox Christian anthropology with contemporary psychological practice.   If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend.   Your support helps us continue exploring faith, culture, and the pursuit of truth through conversations with Orthodox clergy, scholars, clinicians, and cultural commentators. www.patreon.com/counterflow Sponsor: 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 Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    1hr 4min

  2. 23 Jun

    Ep. 419 - Therapy, Trauma, and Theosis, with Fr. Turbo Qualls

    In this post-conference conversation, Fr. Turbo Qualls joins me to reflect on the themes, insights, and discussions that emerged from the inaugural OINTMENT Conference—an event bringing together clergy, clinicians, and laypeople to explore the relationship between Orthodox Christianity, mental health, and the healing of the human person.   Our discussion moves beyond the usual debates about therapy and religion to examine deeper questions: What is healing? What role do trauma, suffering, and repentance play in spiritual growth? How should Orthodox Christians think about psychology, medication, and mental health treatment? And how do we avoid reducing human beings to either diagnoses or demons?   We explore the Orthodox understanding of the person, the Church as a hospital for the soul, the modern crisis of loneliness and fragmentation, and the ultimate goal of the Christian life—theosis.   Whether you're a priest, clinician, convert, or simply someone seeking healing, this conversation offers a thoughtful and deeply Orthodox vision of what it means to become whole.   In This Episode   * Reflections and takeaways from the OINTMENT Conference * Orthodoxy and modern psychology * Trauma, suffering, and spiritual healing * The relationship between clergy and clinicians * The Church as a hospital for the soul * Medication, therapy, and discernment * Theosis as the goal of the Christian life * The deepest wounds of modern America * Hope for the future of Orthodox ministry and mental health care   About Fr. Turbo Qualls   Fr. Turbo Qualls is the rector of St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church in Kansas City, Missouri. He is the founder of the OINTMENT Institute, an initiative dedicated to fostering collaboration between Orthodox clergy and mental health professionals in the care and healing of the human person.   Fr. Turbo holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in Addiction Studies and Pastoral Counseling with an emphasis in crisis response and trauma. He also serves as a spiritual father, speaker, educator, and conference organizer, helping Orthodox Christians think more deeply about healing, suffering, and the therapeutic tradition of the Church.   Learn More:   OINTMENT Institute⁠  A growing network dedicated to fostering collaboration between Orthodox clergy and mental health professionals while remaining rooted in the Orthodox understanding of the human person and the healing of the soul.   OINTMENT Conference    St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church⁠  Located in Kansas City, Missouri, St. Mary of Egypt Orthodox Church is known for its commitment to Orthodox evangelism, pastoral care, education, and outreach. The parish also supports ministries including Mt. Tabor School of Liberal Arts and has become a hub for Orthodox formation and discipleship.   Support the Show:   If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a friend.   Your support helps us continue exploring faith, culture, and the pursuit of truth through conversations with Orthodox clergy, scholars, clinicians, and cultural commentators. www.patreon.com/counterflow Sponsor: 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  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    1hr 4min
  3. Ep. 418 - Built for War, Unprepared for Peace: A Navy SEAL's Journey Through PTSD and Spiritual Warfare, with Slade Cutrer

    16 Jun

    Ep. 418 - Built for War, Unprepared for Peace: A Navy SEAL's Journey Through PTSD and Spiritual Warfare, with Slade Cutrer

    In this episode, I chat with former Navy SEAL Slade Cutrer for a candid conversation about military service, trauma, spiritual warfare, and the search for healing.  After spending fifteen years in one of the most demanding military communities in the world, Slade found himself facing challenges that combat training could not prepare him for. We discuss the realities of life in the SEAL Teams, PTSD, hyper-vigilance, sleep paralysis, and why he came to see many of his struggles as spiritual rather than merely psychological.  Slade shares his experiences with New Age practices and psychedelic healing retreats, why he believes they ultimately failed to provide lasting answers, and the profound realization that led him to seek Christ and the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Topics include:  • Growing up and early religious influences • BUD/S training and life in the SEAL Teams • PTSD, hyper-vigilance, and life after combat • Sleep paralysis and spiritual warfare • Psychedelics, New Age healing, and false shortcuts • The challenges of transitioning from warrior to civilian life • Marriage, family, and finding purpose after military service • The role of silence  • Finding peace, order, and healing in the Orthodox Church  Follow Slade: https://www.instagram.com/slayderaider Sign the petition against windmill farms near Holy Trinity Monastery: https://www.change.org/p/wind-turbines-endanger-historic-monastery-hub-of-orthodox-christian-community Come to our 4th annual Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship Conference: https://southernorthodox.org/kentucky-conference/ Sponsor: 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  Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    1hr 12min
  4. Ep. 417 - Growing Up Soviet, Finding Christ, and Ministering Behind Bars, with Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov

    9 Jun

    Ep. 417 - Growing Up Soviet, Finding Christ, and Ministering Behind Bars, with Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov

    Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov grew up in the Soviet Union during the final years of state-sponsored atheism before immigrating to the United States on his own. After some life happenings and lots of revelations, he became an Orthodox priest. A fascinating aspect of his ministry has been in the prisons. We get into what that is and how it compares and contrasts with being a priest in a parish. In this conversation, we discuss life under Soviet atheism, prison ministry, freedom and repentance, the struggle against the passions, fasting, and the challenges facing Christians in the modern world. We also explore technology, artificial intelligence, and what it means to cultivate wisdom in an age overflowing with information. Sponsor: Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  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 Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    1hr 9min
  5. Ep. 416 - Writing the Collapse: Fiction, Faith, and Spiritual Warfare, with Andrew Edwards

    2 Jun

    Ep. 416 - Writing the Collapse: Fiction, Faith, and Spiritual Warfare, with Andrew Edwards

    In this episode, I chat with author Andrew Edwards to discuss his novel King of Dogs and the deeper realities that inspired it. While the conversation begins with fiction, it quickly expands into a wide-ranging discussion on spiritual warfare, civilizational decline, modern nihilism, masculinity, technology, geopolitics, and what it means to remain fully human in an age of fragmentation.   We explore the themes beneath the story: the forces competing for our attention, the spiritual consequences of a culture without transcendence, the nature of suffering, and the battle for the human soul in a world increasingly defined by distraction and disorder.   Is modern society experiencing a political crisis, a cultural crisis, or a spiritual one? And how can Christians cultivate clarity, courage, and faithfulness amid uncertainty and collapse?   This conversation uses fiction as a lens to examine the world we actually inhabit.   About Andrew Edwards: Andrew Edwards is a novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator whose work explores the intersection of faith, meaning, masculinity, power, and civilizational decline. His novel King of Dogs blends post-collapse fiction, spiritual symbolism, and philosophical reflection to examine what remains of the human person when the structures of modern life begin to fail. Through both fiction and non-fiction writing, Edwards explores the moral, spiritual, and cultural questions shaping the modern world.   Connect with Andrew Edwards: * X / Twitter: https://x.com/goldengoatguild * Substack: https://substack.com/@goldengoatguild Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  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 Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    58 min
  6. Ep. 415 - Leaving Evangelicalism for the Ancient Church, with Fr. David Hovik

    26 May

    Ep. 415 - Leaving Evangelicalism for the Ancient Church, with Fr. David Hovik

    What happens when an Evangelical pastor begins seriously studying the early Church — and realizes modern Christianity looks very different from ancient Christianity? In this episode, I chat with Father David Hovik to discuss his remarkable journey from Evangelical ministry into the Orthodox Church, and how that journey ultimately brought much of his congregation with him. This story is truly captivating.  We talk about the spiritual hunger that exists beneath modern life, the limits of contemporary Christianity, and why more people are searching for something ancient, rooted, and sacramental. Fr. David reflects on the risks, resistance, and transformation that came with leaving behind familiar forms of Christianity in pursuit of what he became convinced was the historic Church founded by Christ and preserved through the centuries. This conversation explores: - Fr. David's path from Evangelical pastor to Orthodox priest - The role of Church history in his conversion - Why modern Christianity can feel spiritually fragmented - The difference between "personal faith" and historic Christianity - Liturgy, sacraments, and the ancient Christian worldview - Bringing an entire congregation into Orthodoxy - Spiritual formation in a distracted modern age - Why people are increasingly drawn to the ancient faith Fr. David brings a calm, pastoral, and deeply grounded perspective to questions many modern Christians are quietly wrestling with.   FOLLOW FR. DAVID / ST. ANDREW ORTHODOX CHURCH: St. Andrew Orthodox Church Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  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 Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    1hr 9min
  7. Ep. 414 - Orthodox Nationalism and the Israel Question, with Benjamin Michael

    19 May

    Ep. 414 - Orthodox Nationalism and the Israel Question, with Benjamin Michael

    Host of "American Orthodoxy" a live Orthodox news show, Benjamin Michael (formerly Orthodox Luigi) is a prior Marine Corps Officer and now Orthodox Christian apologist and Independent Journalist. He engages in public debates, and creates educational content on Orthodox theology and various topics related to politics and religion, while also conducting advocacy work in Washington, D.C. He is the Director of Public Affairs, Co-Founder, and Chair of Orthodox Worldwide, INC. He also serves as Secretary of the Society of St. John of San Francisco, a nationwide pan-Orthodox fraternity. IN THIS EPISODE: * Benjamin Michael's journey into Orthodoxy * Why he began speaking publicly about Israel and geopolitics * What people mean by "the Jewish Question" * Orthodox perspectives on nationalism and identity * The modern Right and its internal fractures * Boomers, Gen X, and the changing political landscape * Zionism, empire, and modern power structures * The Russian Revolution and ideological upheaval * Marxism, globalism, and spiritual dislocation * The Third Temple and modern prophetic movements * Why many people feel politically betrayed * The difference between Orthodox nationalism and secular nationalism For Ben's show: https://youtube.com/@realbenmichael Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow  Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com  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 Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

    1hr 5min
  8. Ep. 413 - Journey to Reality: Sacramental Christianity in a Secular Age, with Dr. Zachary Porcu

    12 May

    Ep. 413 - Journey to Reality: Sacramental Christianity in a Secular Age, with Dr. Zachary Porcu

    What if the biggest obstacle to understanding Christianity is not disbelief—but modernity itself?   In this episode, Buck chats with Dr. Zachary Porcu to discuss sacramental Christianity, the modern secular mindset, and why so many people today—even Christians—struggle to see reality the way the ancient Church did.   They explore the difference between treating Christianity as a system of ideas versus participating in it as a lived reality. The conversation dives into the nature of truth, the problem of interpretation, the meaning of the Trinity, the Fall of man, suffering, evil, and why the sacramental worldview of historic Christianity feels so foreign to the modern mind.   They also discuss the necessity of the Church, the priesthood, the sacraments, and why Christianity cannot be reduced to either "just me and my Bible" or vague spirituality detached from embodied worship and communion.   IN THIS EPISODE   * Why modern people misunderstand Christianity * The difference between text-based and sacramental Christianity * The meaning of "participatory" truth * The Trinity and the problem of "the one and the many" * Why modern culture struggles to understand love * The deeper meaning of the Fall * The origins of evil and suffering * Problems with modern Christian views of suffering * The necessity of the Church and priesthood * Why sacraments are more than symbols * Where the Bible fits within the life of the Church * Recovering a sacramental view of reality   ABOUT DR. ZACHARY PORCU   Zachary Porcu is the author of Journey to Reality and the host of the podcast The Roots of Everything.   Zachary earned his PhD in Church History at The Catholic University of America under the direction of Robin Darling Young. He holds additional degrees in Philosophy, Classics, and Interdisciplinary Humanities and has taught Greek, Latin, history, philosophy, and theology at private schools and universities on both the East and West coasts.   Zachary is a catechist at St. Andrew's Orthodox Church, an editor at St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, and a lecturer at St. Athanasius College.   LINKS   Journey to Reality by Dr. Zachary Porcu Ancient Faith Publishing 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!

    1hr 14min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.1
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

The Counterflow Podcast is a weekly show featuring discussions and interviews with people who are outside of and critical toward mainstream liberal and conservative politics. Counterflow challenges the conventional narratives sold to us as truth. The show features thinkers from all backgrounds, who do not fit into the narrow framework of fashionable opinion. The show addresses cultural, spiritual and lifestyle issues as well as philosophy and geo-politics. Host Buck Johnson (formerly of the Death To Tyrants Podcast) is a musician, firefighter and Orthodox Christian and has always had an interest and drive to go one way while everyone else runs the other direction.

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