There is no doubt that fundamentalism is a problem, and Professor Demacopoulos provides a good introduction to it in its Orthodox form. I dare say that the negative reactions to this article will come from two sources: one is the real fundamentalist who doubles down on his pharisaical pride and the second is the conservative […]
The Publican and the Pharisee in Film: Leviathan and The Island
February 4, 2015 By
This is an excellent review. Corruption in politics and the Church is nothing new. Christ is always the remedy, and sometimes he speaks through the witness of the holy fool. Here is my favorite quote from the article; “If Zvyagintsev has the gumption to offer us a vision of what happens when Christians allow themselves […]
You do NOT have to hate the west to be Orthodox!
February 3, 2015 By
The rhetoric from Moscow – to include from the Moscow Patriarchate and its daughter Churches – may be great at gathering support for Putin’s domestic and foreign policy goals, but it is dividing Orthodox Christians in the West and threatens to do serious damage to Orthodoxy’s ability to spread the Gospel here. There is no […]
Homily: Repentance, not Fundamentalism
February 1, 2015 By
https://youtu.be/uyNc1lKK3fE?t=23m7s Notes for a Homily on the Publican and the Pharisee (St. Luke 18:9-14) What was the purpose of this parable? Best to look at the context. In this case it isn’t hard. Here is the sentence right before the parable, in which St. Luke gives the context and purpose of Jesus’ words: “And […]
Fr. Stephen Freeman: Gifts and Talents and the Road to Hell
January 28, 2015 By
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, […]
A Vanishing Christian Virtue: Commitment
January 25, 2015 By
[Excerpted from the Homily on the Sunday of Zacchaeus.] There are three main steps in the life of the Christian – all of them are necessary. A Need. A sense of the gap between how things are and how they should be. This is often caused by a sense of shame, guilt, or helplessness. Repentance. […]
Evangelizing Men without Chests – can it be done?
January 23, 2015 By
Professor Anthony Esolen has a real gift for juxtaposing the depravities and weaknesses of modern culture with the strength of traditional Christianity. While his critiques are strong, one of the things I appreciate about him is that he is criticizing western civilization from the inside. As such, I think of him as a sort of Roman Catholic […]
Memory Eternal – Fr. Gleb Yakunin (3/4/34 – 12/25/14)
December 31, 2014 By
Soviet Dissidents: martyrs and confessors of freedom, truth, and human dignity I chose to major in political science back in the 80’s in large part so that I could study the Soviet Union, the “evil empire” that held a huge swath of the world’s population under the wicked yoke of anti-theistic, totalitarian, communist rule and […]
40 Days of Blogging: Eden
November 21, 2014 By
Today’s topic is “Eden”. Genesis is one of my favorite books of the Bible, and its description of our life in paradise is certainly one of the reasons. Humanity has been plagued since that time by its sense of loss and emptiness and driven by the resulting desire to fill that void and either regain […]
40 Days of Blogging: Immortality
November 19, 2014 By
Today’s topic is immortality. Priests spend a lot of time immersed in the reality of death, and yet we simlutaneously proclaim the truth of Christ’s victory over death. How can a rational mind keep such concepts juxtaposed without compromise or delusion? Three quick thoughts (as I prepare to leave the Holy Land for Constantinople): – […]
