sanctity of life

Met. Jonah of the Orthodox Church of America speaks at the 2009 March for Life.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-qzcPBaerg[/youtube]

Kevin Allen, host of Ancient Faith Radio’s Illumined Heart program, interviews AOI President Fr. Hans Jacobse for a fascinating discussion on “The Culture War and Orthodox Christianity.”

Fr. Hans talks about the need for Eastern Orthodox Christians to engage in the moral and social debates — call them Culture Wars if you will — that are being waged in American society today. In this 35 minute program, Allen also asks Fr. Hans about the recent discussion on this blog about whether “Religious Right” leaning ex-Evangelical converts are taking over the Orthodox churches in America.

Allen asked Fr. Hans if he thought the Culture Wars might be a lost cause, given what we see in society today. Fr. Hans said the battles over moral issues will be difficult, with uncertain outcomes. But he reminded Allen that our faithfulness will determine the shape of tomorrow.

“If it be God’s will that the world be saved — and it is — I think there’s a chance we can turn this around,” Fr. Hans said. “But even if there isn’t, we still have to be faithful.”

As Allen advises his listeners: Buckle your seat belts!

Listen now: widget here

The Wall Street Journal this week published the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus’ review of “The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right” by Jon Shields. In the review, Fr. Neuhaus gives Shields, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College, high marks for “an excruciatingly careful study, studded with the expected graphs and statistical data—but not to the point of spoiling its readability—in the service of probing the curious permutations in contemporary political alignments.” The book is scheduled for release on Feb. 19.

The pro-life movement is a movement for change, indeed for what some view as the radical change of eliminating the unlimited abortion license. “Meanwhile,” writes Shields, “the pro-choice movement is a conservative movement defending the status quo. Pro-choicers have little to gain from engaging their opponents and from the deliberative norms that facilitate persuasion.” And, of course, they have the establishment media massively on their side. The head of New York State Right to Life explained to Shields that “a major part of her work is simply trying to convince journalists that pro-life activists are ‘normal.’ It is hard to imagine a pro-choice leader describing her work that way.”

Read the review on the Wall Street Journal Web site.