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Spoken in Good Faith

Spoken in Good Faith

By: James D. Newcomb
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Spoken in Good Faith is built on a simple premise: worthwhile conversation begins when we listen carefully, speak plainly, and engage one another in good faith. Hosted by James Newcomb and published by Gramer-Petrulo, each episode brings together people with something meaningful to say, and gives them the time and space to say it. The subjects vary: faith, culture, art, ideas, work, history, human experience, and the questions that resist easy answers. Agreement is never required. Sincerity, however, is.James D. Newcomb Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Philosophy Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • The Missing Chapter in Mental Health (And It’s Not Positive Thinking)

    The Missing Chapter in Mental Health (And It’s Not Positive Thinking)
    22 Oct 2026

    What if some of the most important questions about mental health are the ones we have not been asking?

    In this episode of InToned, James speaks with Elyssa Schneider about her decades-long struggle with depression, the frustration of searching for answers that never seemed to reach the root of the problem, and the surprising direction that search eventually took.

    Elyssa shares how her experience led her to reconsider the common assumption that mental health challenges are only a matter of mindset, and to explore the possibility that physical factors—particularly inflammation and toxic exposure—may play a far greater role than many people realize.

    This conversation is not about simplistic solutions or easy slogans. It is about perseverance, intellectual honesty, and the courage to keep searching when familiar explanations fall short.

    Elyssa also offers thoughtful insight into how friends and family can better support those who are struggling: not by pretending to have all the answers, but by listening, encouraging, and helping them pursue deeper (and perhaps more material) questions.

    Episode Highlights

    * Elyssa describes first experiencing unexplained sadness at a very young age

    * Her years-long struggle with depression eventually intensified into suicidal thinking

    * The discouragement of seeking help and feeling misunderstood by professionals

    * The possible relationship between mental health, inflammation, and physical illness

    * Elyssa’s discovery of heavy metal toxicity as a possible contributing factor in her own story

    * Why she believes some cases of depression may involve more than mindset alone

    * A conversation about how to support loved ones who are struggling without offering shallow fixes

    * The importance of asking better questions when conventional explanations fall short

    Resources Mentioned

    Elyssa Schneider on LinkedInFacebook

    YoutubeInstagram

    Provocation heavy metal testing (referenced in the conversation as a testing method Elyssa recommends people explore with qualified practitioners)

    #InToned #ElyssaSchneider #MentalHealth #Depression #Inflammation #HeavyMetals #Wellness #EmotionalHealth #ChronicIllness #JamesNewcomb



    Get full access to InToned with James Newcomb at jamesdnewcomb.substack.com/subscribe
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    28 min
  • Thinking Orthodox & A Primer on that "Other" Way of Christian Discipleship w/ Jeannie Constantinou

    Thinking Orthodox & A Primer on that "Other" Way of Christian Discipleship w/ Jeannie Constantinou
    16 Oct 2026
    We welcome biblical scholar and author Dr. Jeannie Constantinou for a sweeping, heartfelt, and clarifying conversation on phronema—the ancient Christian mindset preserved in the Orthodox Church.I open the conversation by sharing my own journey of transitioning into Orthodoxy, reflecting on how Western Christianity shaped my early worldview and how the discovery of the Orthodox Church revealed an entirely different way of understanding faith, thought, and spiritual life. As you’ll hear, reframing an entire worldview and mindset does not happen overnight!In this episode, you’ll hear why Orthodoxy speaks so deeply to those seeking “something more” i.e. a fuller experience of Christ rather than a purely symbolic one. The discussion highlights the West’s long-standing reliance on human reason, logic, and systematic explanations, contrasted with the Orthodox emphasis on mystery, experience, sacrament, community, and the healing of the heart.To put it another way: We can’t possibly understand God in all His fullness, and we’re perfectly okay with that!Dr. Jeannie explains the ancient Greek concept of phronema. This goes beyond a mere “worldview.,” It is a mindset, disposition, and lived mentality that flows from the apostles and the early Church, unchanged for two millennia.She also explains in detail how the Orthodox Church has maintained continuity with Christ’s original intent, what early Christian worship actually looked like, why tradition (and the dreaded ritual) matters, and how one begins to cultivate the mind of Christ through prayer, humility, sacramental life, and participation in the community.Whether you’re new to Orthodoxy, curious about early Christianity, or simply wrestling with the limits of Western religious paradigms, this episode offers clarity, depth, and a pastoral invitation to encounter the reality of Christ via the fullness of His Church.Episode highlights:01:10 – James’s transition (not conversion) from Protestant/Western Christianity into Orthodoxy07:10 – The unfulfilled Protestant mindset: salvation as a “destination” vs. lifelong journey10:10 – Western fixation on explanation vs. Orthodox acceptance of mystery13:10 – What phronema is—and isn’t14:10 – How Christ Himself taught “the mind of God” through His deeds and teachings17:10 – The West’s attempt to reconstruct early Christianity through reason21:10 – The problem of individualism and denominational fragmentation24:10 – The Church is the physical body of Christ, not some invisible abstraction28:10 – The Eastern Church didn’t “break off” from Rome30:10 – Bishops, councils, and why the early Church rejected papal monarchy34:10 – The sincere desire to rediscover early Christianity37:10 – How the apostles taught—and preserved—Christ’s actual teachings41:10 – Early Christian worship: sacred, communal, experiential46:10 – Oral tradition and why Scripture was never meant to stand alone49:10 – Understanding the much-maligned Constantine’s role in Church history51:10 – Why ritual is natural, ancient, and thoroughly Christian53:10 – How to acquire phronema through lived participation within community01:03:10 – How to connect with Dr. Jeannie and closing remarksQuotable Lines“Protestants are left craving Jesus Christ without any outlet for that.”“The Orthodox mind is patient. You haven’t arrived—you’re beginning.”“God is not a system to be explained. He is a mystery to be entered.”“The Church has not changed. The West changed.”“We are here to conform ourselves to the Church—not to change it.”“Understanding does not begin in the mind. It begins in the heart.”Resources MentionedThinking Orthodox: Understanding and Acquiring the Orthodox Christian MindJeannie Constantinou’s websiteBooks by Dr. Jeannie ConstantinouSearch the Scriptures podcastAbout the Guest:Dr. Jeannie Constantinou is a biblical scholar, professor, and author with decades of teaching experience in the early Church, Scripture, and Orthodox thought. She is best known for her internationally followed podcast Search the Scriptures and her books on Revelation and Orthodox theology, including Thinking Orthodox, which explores how early Christian phronema shapes the mind and heart of believers.Subscribe to the podcast and learn more about James Newcomb at https://jamesdnewcomb.com. Get full access to InToned with James Newcomb at jamesdnewcomb.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 3 min
  • When the Temple Implodes: Rebuilding a Life in Christ feat. Paul Karos

    When the Temple Implodes: Rebuilding a Life in Christ feat. Paul Karos
    16 Oct 2026

    What happens when something good—work, health, family, success—becomes the foundation upon which everything else depends?

    Paul Karos knows firsthand. After rising to the top of the Wall Street world, his outward success concealed a life that was quietly collapsing.

    Drawing from his book, The Ultimate Building Project: The Human Person, Paul explains the Orthodox Christian vision of the human person as a temple of God: grounded in Christ, strengthened through sacramental, liturgical, ascetical, and communal life, and supported by the many pillars that make up everyday existence.

    Resources mentioned:

    The Ultimate Building Project: The Human Person: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on Building Your Life — Paul Karos

    Person to Person — Paul Karos and Dr. Harry Boosalis

    Available through Ancient Faith Ministries and major podcast platforms.

    #PaulKaros #TheUltimateBuildingProject #OrthodoxChristianity #EasternOrthodoxy #Theosis #ChristianLife #SpiritualFormation #OrthodoxSpirituality #ChristianLiving #Faith #InToned #JamesNewcomb



    Get full access to InToned with James Newcomb at jamesdnewcomb.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 hr and 15 min
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