Counterflow with Buck Johnson cover art

Counterflow with Buck Johnson

Counterflow with Buck Johnson

By: Buck Johnson
Listen for free

Summary

 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. Political Science Politics & Government Spirituality
Episodes
  • Ep. 413 - Journey to Reality: Sacramental Christianity in a Secular Age, with Dr. Zachary Porcu

    Ep. 413 - Journey to Reality: Sacramental Christianity in a Secular Age, with Dr. Zachary Porcu
    May 12 2026
    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!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Ep. 412 - If a Nation Loses Truth, What Is Left to Die For? with James Webb

    Ep. 412 - If a Nation Loses Truth, What Is Left to Die For? with James Webb
    May 5 2026

    In this episode, James Webb and I discuss the lessons America failed to carry forward from past wars, and why institutional memory seems to fade so quickly.
    We get into the current geopolitical landscape, including Israel, Iran, and the risks of escalation—and what's often left out of mainstream narratives.

    Jim breaks down how war is actually decided at the highest levels, and why the gap between leadership and the average citizen continues to widen.

    We also explore the role of moral language in war—how concepts like "good" and "evil" are used, and sometimes misused, in shaping public support.

    From there, the conversation turns deeper: the spiritual and psychological cost of war, what it does to the people who fight it, and whether modern society has any real framework for dealing with that kind of weight.

    Finally, we ask the question at the center of it all:

    If a nation loses its relationship to truth—what is left to die for?

    ABOUT THE GUEST

    James (Jim) Webb is a third-generation Marine who, following his service, has worked in policy, politics, and journalism. In 2005, he dropped out of college to enlist in the Marine Corps Infantry and fought in the Battle of Ramadi from 2006–2007.

    After completing his degree, Jim worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Rand Paul, where he served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He later worked at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and as a Senior Policy Advisor for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    Jim has also worked as a journalist for multiple outlets, including embedding with U.S. troops across Afghanistan.

    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!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Ep. 411 - The Self-Help Trap: Therapy, the Passions, and the War for the Soul, with Fr. Turbo Qualls

    Ep. 411 - The Self-Help Trap: Therapy, the Passions, and the War for the Soul, with Fr. Turbo Qualls
    Apr 28 2026
    We're living in a moment where everyone is "doing the work"—therapy, healing, boundaries, trauma language—and yet people seem more anxious, unstable, and internally fragmented than ever. In this episode, Fr. Turbo Qualls joins me to challenge the assumptions behind modern mental health culture and to ask a deeper question: are we misdiagnosing spiritual problems as psychological ones? We get into the difference between trauma and the passions, where therapy can be helpful—and where it quietly falls short—and how certain modern practices can drift into spiritually dangerous territory when they're detached from the life of the Church. We also discuss why the Orthodox tradition emphasizes repentance over self-focus, how confession differs from therapy, and what real healing actually looks like—not as self-optimization, but as transformation. If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right but still feel stuck, this conversation goes beneath the surface. OINTMENT is a conference and movement centered on healing the soul through the life of the Church. At a time when "healing" is often reduced to self-focus and psychological frameworks, OINTMENT aims to reorient people toward repentance, ascetic struggle, and communion with God as the true path to restoration. The conference brings together Orthodox clergy, teachers, and speakers to address topics like spiritual illness, the passions, modern therapy culture, and what it means to actually be healed—not just feel better. It's designed for people who sense that something is missing in the modern conversation around mental health and are looking for something deeper, more grounded, and ultimately more transformative. Learn more: www.ointmentconference.org Fr. Turbo Qualls / OINTMENT www.ointmentconference.org For more from Father Turbo go here:

    Synaxis of Sophia

    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

    Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com

    Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet