The Tithe of the Year
March 17, 2008 Leave a Comment
In his latest podcast on Ancient Faith Radio, Fr. Thomas Hopko looks at Great Lent as the "tithe of the year," during which believers try to be what they ought always to be. Fr. Tom, an advisor to AOI, shares his Lenten maxims, the things a believer would do if they were really a believer and wanted to live as God wanted us to live. At the top of Fr. Tom's list: "Be always with Christ. Trust … (more...)
The Failure of the Condom Culture
March 12, 2008 Leave a Comment
From the Family Research Council (FRC): Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National STD Prevention conference presented research showing that 1 in 4 teen girls (or 3.2 million) have a sexually transmitted infection (STI). In addition, findings from two studies presented demonstrate that of the 15-to-24-year-old women receiving contraceptives, over half are not … (more...)
Persecuted in Romania: Frederica Mathewes-Green on Pastor Richard Wurmbrand
March 11, 2008 1 Comment
He was a Lutheran pastor and was severely persecuted for his faith by communists in Romania. He is Rev. Richard Wurmbrand and Frederica has a rare recording of his voice singing a hymn to the Theotokos that he wrote himself. Frederica makes reference to an article in Again Magazine about Pastor Wurmbrand (download only). Listen here: … (more...)
Recognizing the Orthodox in China
March 11, 2008 Leave a Comment
Metropolitan Nektarios, newly enthroned at the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and South East Asia, says his priorities include dealing with the Chinese government to bring about the recognition of Orthodox Christians in mainland China. "There are many Orthodox in the port cities in South China. Greeks are working on the ships and they want a place of worship," Metropolitan Nektarios told … (more...)
Ecumenicism: The Moral Imperative Based on the Priestly Prayer of Jesus
March 10, 2008 6 Comments
Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one (John 17:11). In just a few short weeks most of the Eastern Churches (and Western Churches as well) will be reading this passage from St. John’s Gospel during Holy Week. Are we one, are we in unity, are we responding to the Fathers embrace prayed for by His Divine Son? The answer is … (more...)
Guroian on ‘Youth, Unity and Orthodoxy in America’
March 9, 2008 Leave a Comment
Dr. Vigen Guroian delivered a talk on “Youth, Unity and Orthodoxy in America” at the 20th Anniversary Annual Meeting of Orthodox Christian Laity in Glenview, Illinois, in November. The theme of the OCL conference: “The Need for a Great and Holy Council.” Here's Dr. Guroian (an advisor to AOI) on Orthodox youth: The college or university is a synecdoche -- a metaphor – representing … (more...)
The Real Byzantium?
March 7, 2008 1 Comment
In late January, Russian television showed "The Fall of an Empire: The Lessons of Byzantium," a film by Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov. The film has sparked a controversy in Russia about the role that the West played in the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, whether modern Russia faces similar dangers, and whether the Russian Orthodox Church could help prevent a similar collapse. The Moscow … (more...)
Solovyov on Economic Morality
March 5, 2008 Leave a Comment
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 … (more...)
OCN: Fighting for Life
March 4, 2008 Leave a Comment
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 … (more...)
Remembering WFB
March 2, 2008 Leave a Comment
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 … (more...)
The Implicit Racism of Planned Parenthood
March 2, 2008 Leave a Comment
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 … (more...)
Obama’s “Evangelical” Appeal
February 28, 2008 Leave a Comment
The appeal of Barak Obama, who, as far as I can tell, has no discernible ideas, puzzles some culture watchers and worries some even more (see Spengler over at the Asia Times for example). Fr. John Chagnon offers "One Possible Clue" on his blog "The Traveling Priest Chronicles." Obama's appeal, Fr. John suggests, might be that he taps into the desire for salvation that inevitably takes a political … (more...)
Gnostics, Then and Now
February 26, 2008 2 Comments
The current issue of Christian History & Biography magazine takes a look at Gnosticism, or what editors rightly label, "The Hunger for Secret Knowledge." The issue features an article by Fr. John Behr, dean and professor of patristics at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, which describes how the "Great Church" in the apostolic age was able to discern the truth about the Christian faith … (more...)
Met. Kallistos Ware in Detroit
February 26, 2008 Leave a Comment
More than 500 people gathered at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in suburban Detroit last week to hear Metropolitan Kallistos Ware deliver a talk on "The Future of Orthodoxy in the United States." Metropolitan Ware's visit was sponsored by St. Andrew House -- Center for Orthodox Studies, also in Detroit. The author of The Orthodox Church and The Orthodox Way told the assembly that "we … (more...)
Congratulations, We Are Healthier Than Ever!
February 18, 2008 Leave a Comment
I live in Amsterdam. For the geographically challenged -- or for those who have spent too much time in an American high school -- Amsterdam is in Holland. Holland is also called The Netherlands. This literally means "Low Lands", which is why in French it is called the Pays Bays. Low is the word to keep in mind when thinking of this land. There is a free market on sex. Drugs, some soft, and some … (more...)
