One of the most popular genres of Orthodox YouTube videos is that of the conversion story. Usually the title is something like "my journey to Orthodoxy." I made one of these videos and I was surprised to see how popular it was. I then realized that this type of video is a kind of low-hanging fruit; people like to watch these testimonials. Macarius Johnson has taken the "journey to Orthodoxy" genre to a whole new level with his video "The Path of Self Denial." I watched this 2.5 hour Testimony all the way through and decided that I had to have Macarius on the show. His Testimony comes across more like a documentary than a YouTube video. Usually these videos involve a person sitting in front of their bookshelf and talking to the camera, but Macarius has used his talents with videography (which he honed in his career as a rapper) to incorporate photos and videos from his past, and he tells an evocative story that the viewer immediately identifies with.
For our stream today I am going to begin the conversation on the topic of rap music. Macarius was a rapper for many years before joining the Church and I have a special interest in this art form having been a rapper myself. Viewers are encouraged to check out his YouTube channel Orthodox Soul.
