Month: March 2008

Towards the end of his life, the 19th century Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov published his “On the Justification of the Good: An Essay on Moral Philosophy” (1897). In this book, wrote historian Paul Valliere, Solovyov abandonded his vision of a “worldwide theocratic order” in favor of the more concrete demands of building a just society. With “Justification of the Good,” Solovyov (1853-1900) presented a general theory of economic and social welfare based on the idea that all human beings have “a right to a dignified existence.”

The following excerpt is from the chapter, “The Economic Question from the Moral Point of View” in Solovyov’s “On the Justification of the Good.” Translated by Nathalie A. Duddington; annotated and edited by Boris Jakim; foreword by David Bentley Hart. Wm. B. Eerdmans (2005).

For the true solution of the so-called ‘social question’ it must in the first place be recognized that economic relations contain no special norm of their own, but are subject to the universal moral norm as a special realm in which they find their application. The triple moral principle which determines our due relation towards God, men, and the material nature is wholly and entirely applicable in the domain of economics. The peculiar character of economic relations gives a special importance to the last member of the moral trinity, namely, the relation to the material nature or earth (in the wide sense of the term). This third relation can have a moral character only if it is not isolated from the first two but is conditioned by them in the normal position.

The realm of economic relations is exhaustively described by the general ideas of production (labor and capital), distribution of property, and exchange of values. Let us consider these fundamental ideas from the moral point of view, beginning with the most fundamental of them — the idea of labor. We know that the first impulse of labor is given by material necessity. But for a man who recognizes above himself the absolutely perfect principle or reality, or the will of God, all necessity is an expression of that will.

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Here’s a great resource for Orthodox Christian educators. The popular Come Receive the Light programming on the Orthodox Christian Network is archived along with a one-page study guide. These could be used in religious education classes and adult study groups. Those of us with wireless access at churches could listen to the archived program on a laptop and work through the study guide afterward.

In this recent program, host Fr. Chris Metropulos speaks with Frederica Mathewes-Green about the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Orthodox Christian understanding of life, and how Orthodox Christians throughout the centuries have turned belief into practice by reaching out to women and children in need.

Listen here:

Here’s what Brad Borch wrote in the study guide:

In 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled to confirm a woman’s right to an abortion. Since that time, the conflict over this decision has, in many ways, cast a dark pall over our nation. Some have likened the babies lost to abortion to the holocaust of the Jews in World War II. Of course, we know that the Orthodox Church’s stance on abortion is now—and has always been—squarely and unequivocally in defense of the unborn. Let there be no question,our faith views life as God-given, beginning at conception, and the rights of the unborn as equal to that of any other person.

But this is old news, and many of us have grown up with this issue continuously in our faces. We have written letters, marched in protest, donated of our time, talent, and funds, yet the conflict seems to be stalemated, and political solutions appear out of reach. And so we are tired of hearing about the issue. What can we do to reclaim our holy zeal in support of God’s greatest gift?

We need only look at the life of Christ to recognize that the solutions have never been and are not now political. They are personal. Frederica Mathewes-Green has said, “No one wants an abortion as she wants an ice-cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off its own leg.”

What kind of cruel trap is this? According to Frederica’s research, the most important factor that will make a woman less likely to choose this tragic measure is support from those close to her. We cannot legislate away pain, fear, and guilt. No law will heal broken relationships, or rebuild shattered lives. As Christians, our mandate is to make these problems—the situations that have produced the grim holocaust of abortion —- our own problems.

Our task is to share in the burdens of “the least of these my brethren.” One important way to make the struggle for life more personal is to get involved in organizations that reach out to women in crisis pregnancies. There are many such ministries, including our own Zoe for Life, the Orthodox ministry for supporting women in this tragic situation.

Just like the woman who faces this awful dilemma, you too have a choice: turn your back on her, seeking only political solutions, or find a way to reach out to her, to make her feel supported and loved, so that she does not fear the burden that a new life brings into the world. This is your choice.

And here’s a link to Zoe for Life, a non-profit Christ-centered support organization which helps women in crisis pregnancy. To encourage women to carry their infants to term, ZOE offers emotional and spiritual support, confidential access to professional agencies, and connection to potential adoptive Orthodox Christian families.

Listen here:

Also listen in on this week’s show as Fr. Chris welcomes Sarah Elisabet Oftedal, Director of the Martha and Mary House, who talks about the social trends and spiritual struggles involved in her crisis pregnancy and counseling ministry.

The passing of William F. Buckley last week at the age of 82 produced an outpouring of remembrances that continued through the weekend with Michael Kinsley’s “Tales from the Firing Line” in the New York Times. National Review Online has assembled some of the best here, of which one of the best of the best is William McGurn’s “God and Man and Bill” originally published in the Wall Street Journal.

Christianity Today also republished a fascinating 1995 interview with Buckley on the subject of Christian political activism. In “Conversations: W. Buckley: Listening to Mr. Right” Buckley tells interviewer Michael Cromartie this about the growing influence of conservatives in politics:

What we see here is a mobilization of people who are properly horrified by what they see going on in Hollywood, in the growth of single-parent families, and so forth. They’ve figured out that our foundations need restoring, and I have never doubted that those foundations are religious. So this is how they reach the general public, as religious people rather than as political people. Their affinity is much closer to conservatives than to liberals for the obvious philosophical reasons.

I’m not frightened by it. But I think it’s important to keep the matters discrete and to know when you are talking about one thing and when you are talking about something else.

See also this exchange between Buckley and Cromartie on the publication of Buckley’s Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith, in 1997.

Ave atque vale

Did you know that over 70% of Planned Parenthood clinics are located in minority neighborhoods? Here’s a vid making the rounds (a bit edgy — and disturbing) revealing PP’s racist doublespeak about the value of human life.

Here’s the group that outed PP:

“They live out her racist vision.” Covert investigation by UCLA students finds Planned Parenthood still wedded to founder’s bigoted views