In my opinion, there are very few real “liberals” out there. Most are statists, hardcore leftists, Marxists, communists, radical environmentalists (ie: man is subservient to nature, man is a plague on the earth, etc.) and/or “progressives” (whatever that means).

And yes, you are quite right, the argument is won once the leftist resorts to name calling. Another self-defense mechanism of the leftist/statist is to immediately switch the subject or launch into a different rant, dropping the original argument and running to another canned smear. If you insist on continuing the original argument they either start shrieking, tell you to “shut up,” or get “offended” and walk/run away. 🙂

George, you forgot greedy capitalist. Hey, that means conservative are always winning doesn’t it?

Kevin,

We have always had venal, selfish, weak and otherwise inadequate bishops, just as we have always had sinful clergy, monastics and laity. Unfortunately, episcopal sins are magnified, but so are their virtues. Bishops reflect the spritual state of the faithful– leaders always do. If we want better bishops, we have to be better believers.

Their sins are mine.

Dean,

I see this sad reality as a terrible cancer in our institutional church. As a recent example, FOCUS NA, a Pan-Orthodox charitable ministry to the poor and working poor, has been making strides to establish ministries in major cities. Unfortunately some of our (guess the jurisdiction?) bishops – principally in one jurisdiction – have been obstructionist. There is great enthusiasm among our faithful across jurisdictions to “work together” at the grass roots to serve the poor and needy in our midst. But FOCUS is not – although it has received a blessing to exist from SCOBA – this particular jurisdiction’s inititaive, so an opportunity to speak to a local Philoptochos chapter was withdrawn a day before it was scheduled, when the local metropolitan “found out”. I assume for “territorial” reasons. I hate to make this comment publicly, but for all the beauty of our liturgy, theology and history, our hierarchs are our weak link. Lord have mercy on me.

George,

Go and read what St. Gregory Palamas has to say about Hellenism in the TRIADS.

Don’t have it handy here…but I’m pretty sure he compares Hellenism to a pit of vipers.

I love it when the saints make the arguments for us.

Best Regards,
Dean

Amen!

Kevin, I can only concur. With Michael I would say that we can only offer a genuinely transfigured vision of the world when we see with genuinely transfigured eyes. How we approach everything – the environment, our neighbors, our families, our enemies, our responsibilities, ourselves – is reflected and rooted in a view that is either ego-centric or transfigured.

In that sense, I believe that we already have a “theology” of environment – or care for anything else, for that matter. It is written in the lives of the saints.
When I read about St. John Maximovitch or Elder Piasios, I see a very different posture toward all of life than the one I see in me.

Theologians may be able to express the concepts well enough, but Elder Piasios – to pick but one example – showed it in his approach to everything. By giving himself over completely to God, he made the kingdom present in his life. It was this that healed both broken creation and desecrated hearts. The living presence of God abiding in a transfigured heart will effect the healing for which creation cries out.

For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it — in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits — we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19-23)

Kevin, you are quite right, BUT, it will take a lot of heavy lifting to articulate a modern Orthodox Christian vision care for creation. It shouldn’t as it is such a integral part of the Biblical salvation narrative in both Genesis and particularly Romans. It is integral to the Incarnational reality of our Lord. However, it is another area we have abandoned to the empiricists and materialists. As it is now, what is out there owes more to a reading into Orthdox theology the materialists vision rather than proclaiming the salvific message of the Incarnation. Philip Sherrard’s work on it is the worst as he lapses into out right earth worship.

Ultimately though it still comes down to working our our salvation in fear and trembling. The more we allow ourselves to be transformed and transfigured, the more whole creation will be.

On one level it is, IMO, blazingly simple but we have to work to reclaim the ground we have abandoned without even token resistance.

Kevin, Palamas is a powerful witness to a more integrated approach to appreciating the universe. I wish there was somebody out there who could synthesize in a cogent and simple way (in English) his theology.

“…the root of the environmental movement may also rest on a deep need for control.”

Secular environmentalism, I agree. But I am becoming increasingly convinced that a spiritually informed — and as yet not adequately defined — environmentalism is integral to the Orthodox Christian ethos. St Gregory Palamas, who we just commemorated Sunday, wrote: “We are all brethren in that we have one Creator and Lord, who is Father to us all. That brotherhood we share with animals and inanimate nature” (Homilies; On Peace With One Another; Veniamin). Personally, I am not a tree-hugger, I’m a New York City boy. But the more I read the Church Fathers, the more I see that a veneration of the earth, created being, is part of our incarnational theology & ethos. Too bad the secularists got to it first, rather than the Church defining it appropriately.

Scott,

Stop killing babies when they are fetuses would be a good start, although politically a non-starter!

Perhaps the question we should be asking ourselves then is how to boost fertility rates; i.e., how to get couples married earlier, to maintain a stable marriage and to have 3 or more children on average. Any suggestions?

Science in the hands of modern societies, lacking the grace of the Holy Spirit, turns into evil. One example is embryo technology.

The modern technology, internet, TV, are not evil in themselves. We corrupt ourselves through our attachment to such things. Christ said: “Behold, I set you free”. We are modern slaves, we are no longer free to worship God, the Creator.

A thoughtful young girl asked me once: why should we go to college if we are going to die anyway? If you ask around you’ll find out why: for money. This is just another idol. All is needed is a printing money power and you’ll have a total enslavement of mankind.

Fr, you’re right. The Bush Administration tried to stop this back in 2003 but were derided as “racists” by the ever-execrable Barney Frank and the Congressional Black Caucus.

BTW, do you know how you’re winning an argument with a liberal? When he calls you a “racist/sexist/bigot/homophobe.”

Atanas, I agree, we Hellenes are a resilient people. We’ll survive. But what will Greece look like at the end of the day? Quite possibly the single richest institution in Greece is the Church. I fear wholesale confiscation of properties, the closing down and sale of monasteries, and the forced opening of Mt Athos to tourists of all stripes.

As for the US, Steyn’s argument is essentially no different from that of Greece. It’s socialism and the greed of people who want goodies from the government that cause these types of defaults. The creation of bubbles are merely ways that crafty people try to use the government to game the system for their temporary and quick enrichment. Steyn adds a crucial element however that is often overlooked: the demographic time bomb. For this we can thank our narcissism, feminism, in other words, immorality mixed with greed.