John Strickland was born and educated in California, culminating in a Ph.D. in Russian and European history from the University of California, Davis in 2001. He is an archpriest of the Diocese of the West in the Orthodox Church of America and is currently rector of St Elizabeth the New Martyr Church in Poulsbo, WA. His podcast "Paradise and Utopia: Reflections on the Rise and Fall of Christendom" is available on Ancient Faith Radio.