Welcome to Life Sentences
Life Sentences is my new Substack podcast where I introduce you to the writings of the Church Fathers.
Across the first 1500 years or so of Christian history, penetrating minds arose offering profound insight into the human condition and the human potential for spiritual growth.
Theologians, monks, and mystics, they are known as the Church Fathers—and their writings on the spiritual life had a huge impact on our culture. So much so that the Church Fathers are the true founders of what is miscalled Western Civilisation.
(Tune in and you’ll understand what I mean by that.)
And though these writings remain as relevant today as ever, they can be hard to decipher. Their ancient wisdom needs to be translated into terms that modern people like us understand.
That’s what I’m doing in Life Sentences.
Every two weeks, after setting the historical scene, I’ll read through a spiritual text from one of the Church Fathers, offering commentary as I go. You’ll be surprised by how much their wisdom still resonates today. Get to know the Church Fathers and you’ll get to know yourself better, I promise.
You don’t have to be a person of faith to enjoy this Substack. In my view anyone can profit from engaging with the Fathers. But if you are a Christian, be prepared to be challenged. The Fathers’ presentation of the faith often contradicts the ways in which Christianity is conceived and practised today.
Life Sentences is mainly a podcast, but I’ll also post standalone written pieces from time to time, and each episode will include a proper transcript for those who like to read along.
Who am I?
I’m Thomas Small.
You may have found your way to Life Sentences via Conflicted, the podcast I do with my friend the former jihadist Aimen Dean.
As a young man, I spent a couple of years living in monasteries in Greece and the Middle East, including on Mount Athos.
During that time, I was initiated into the Orthodox Church’s contemplative prayer tradition known as hesychasm, grounded in the writings of the Church Fathers.
In the end, I decided not to become a monk, and after going to university in London where I studied Arabic & Islamic Studies, I became a documentary filmmaker, podcaster and published author. (Check out Path of Blood, a history of Al Qaeda.)
But throughout it all, I maintained the tradition I learned on Athos and immersed myself in the Church Fathers. Now I want to share this little-known Christian wisdom with you.
Why subscribe?
There is a free tier but this is intended to be a paid Substack. Take out a paid subscription and you will get the entirety of each episode, each week. You’ll also have complete access to each transcript containing that episode’s spiritual text in full, plus my commentary And you’ll be able to participate in regular open conversations with other subscribers.
I’m hoping to build up a community of likeminded listeners eager to discuss and debate the topics which come up in the course of our exploration of the Fathers.
Finally, by supporting the Substack, you’ll supporting me, providing me with that bit of extra income I’ll need to keep the podcast going.
