Gore Vidal and the Sky God
Source: The Christian Post | R. Albert Mohler, Jr. From the essay: Gore Vidal was a controversialist, but in making this argument, he was simply saying aloud what many others in his social class and literary circles were thinking. He outlived most of his contemporaries and critics, but he lived a tragic life and he died a tragic death. Christians, sobered and saddened by the legacy of this … (more...)
Paul Bunyan Meets the Intractable East: A Tribute to Fr. Peter Guillquist
- Source: Orthodox Christian Laity | George Matsoukas The mission is ongoing The Orthodox Christian Laity Board OCL was blessed to have Father Peter Gillquist as an advisor for more than 12 years. From day one, when I met him, he was bigger than life. Physically he was tall, robust and exuberant in nature. He reminded me of Paul Bunyan. He energized our board when he attended meetings and … (more...)
A Religious Freedom Election
Source: The Weekly Standard | Wesley J. Smith A court case in Colorado shows what’s at stake this fall. A recent federal trial court ruling has warmed the hearts of social conservatives and civil libertarians alike. A judge in Colorado on July 27 protected a Catholic-owned small business against the “free birth control rule”—which requires companies subject to the … (more...)
Dismantling of a Culture
Source: National Review Online | Kathryn Jean Lopez America’s elites now disdain the rest of America. David Gelernter, the Yale professor of computer science, has an alarming yet cautiously exuberant book out, America-Lite: How Imperial Academia Dismantled Our Culture (and Ushered In the Obamacrats). He tells us where we are and how and why we got here, and gives readers a pep talk, … (more...)
Wesley J. Smith: Freedom of Worship’s Assault on Freedom of Religion
- From the essay: Freedom of religion means the right to live according to one’s own faith, that is, to “manifest” our religion or belief in practice, both “in public or private,” without interference from the state. Strident secularism is on the march and freedom of religion is the target, with secularist warriors attempting to drive religious practice behind … (more...)
Book Review: The Second Russian Revolution (1987-1991)
Belows is the review I wrote of Leon Aron's new book Roads to the Temple: Truth, Memory, Ideas, and Ideals in the Making of the Russian Revolution, 1987-1991. It is a great read and I recommend it highly. It chronicles Glasnost, the period of awakening in Russia from around 1987-1991 that, Aron argues, was a moral awakening, indeed a repentance, of the first order that enabled the Russians to … (more...)
Catholic Online: Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America Suddenly Resigns His Office: Why?
Unbeknownst to most Orthodox, Met. Jonah was the voice of Orthodoxy in the other Christian communions. His words reached into Baptist meetings, Episcopal assemblies, even the Vatican. He traveled these halls effortlessly because he held to the simple teaching of the Gospel but in the fullness of the Orthodox moral tradition. That enabled him to be heard by our non-Orthodox brethren and strengthen … (more...)
Chicago Tribune: Chicago Native Quits as Leader of American Orthodox Church
Source: Chicago Tribune | By Manya A. Brachear The Chicago native elected to the helm of the Orthodox Church in America resigned over the weekend, saying in a letter that he has "neither the personality nor the temperament" to lead the church. [...] Elected in late 2008 to lead one of several branches of Orthodox Christianity in the United States, Metropolitan Jonah had been a bishop for … (more...)
Get Religion: Covering Warfare in a Byzantine Maze – Literally
Terry Mattingly’s advice for journalists about the coup in the OCA. A key quote: Of course, it is “politics” when an Orthodox leader defends the church’s doctrines in public. It is not “politics” when liberal activists inside the church work to silence the voice of the church, while quietly lobbying in seminaries and elsewhere to redefine those same doctrines. H/T … (more...)
Russian Warns on Demonic Roots of Socialism
Source: Acton Institute | By John Couretas In Rome to address a conference sponsored by the Dignitatis Humanae Institute (Institute for Human Dignity) on June 29, Russian pro-life campaigner Alexey Komov expressed amazement for the support that socialism gets in some quarters in the West even though it has “never worked in world history.” In an interview with the Zenit news service, Komov … (more...)
Dangerous Flirting: Russia Wonders Why West Is Enamoured With Socialism
Highlights: Alexey Komov - Russia's representative to the World Congress of Families The traditional nuclear family is a particular enemy of socialism...because it is the basic institution that preserves values and passes them on to the next generation. "The state, if it wants to dominate life and the individual from birth to death, needs to destroy the family, because the family is … (more...)
Why is Jerry Sandusky Guilty?
If Sandusky would have lived 2000 years ago, he would not have been found guilty of anything. Source: Catholic World Report | By Benjamin Wiker There is no doubt that Jerry Sandusky is guilty, the real question is why? Why is it that we, here and now, would send a man to prison for molesting boys? Why is the public reaction one of both deep disgust and quite visceral anger? Just canvass a … (more...)
Fr. John Whiteford Responds to Dr. David Dunn: On Tradition
Source: Fr. John Whiteford's News, Comments, & Reflections - Dr. David J. Dunn has begun a series of blog posts that continue issues related to our discussion about Same-Sex Marriage on Ancient Faith Radio. His first post is Ancient Faith Continued: Theology and Symphony. I will post his comments and then my response (emphases mine): Dr. David J. Dunn: I have met a lot of Orthodox … (more...)
Fr. John Whiteford Responds to Dr. David Dunn: The Hypocrisy of the Christian Left
Source: Fr. John Whiteford's News, Comments, & Reflections In a Huffington Post article, David Dunn has pointed out what he sees as hypocrisy on the part of Christian conservatives: It is the view that Christians should vote their values, and this means we should legislate moral evils into oblivion. Thus if we believe life begins at conception, we should vote against abortion! If we believe … (more...)
Fr. Peter Guillquist — May His Memory be Eternal
- I first met Fr. Peter when he stayed with my wife and myself during a speaking engagement he had in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He sure was a gracious guest and he also loved sports. He relaxed in our living room watching a football game as I recall. It was a great visit. I had converted to the Orthodox Church a few years earlier and watched with great interest the conversion of the former Campus … (more...)
