| The ideas that constitute “modernity” center around life as management . Modernity assumes that life can be managed, and that human beings are well-suited for the job. Its greatest successes have come in the careful application of technology towards various problems with a resulting rise in wealth. The well-being that comes with that wealth is limited to the things that money can buy. Non-tangibles remain as elusive as ever. Modernity prefers problems that can be solved . As such, the short history of the modern world is the story of a civilization that staggers from one crisis to another. It derives its sense of self-worth and meaning from the problems it solves . It is existentially desperate for such problems. Not one historical event or idea created the modern world. It is an “accidental” philosophy, made up of disparate elements assembled in the wake of the collapse of the Medieval world (generally called the “Reformation”). The times that gave rise to modernity were revolutionary and radical (or were perceived to be). It’s heady stuff to be reforming the world. It’s also exhausting. I have often thought that people generally have narrow interests. We want to work, to play, to love our family, to live in peace with some modest level of comfort. Of course, a consumer economy cannot operate in a world of satisfaction. Modern consumption with an ever-expanding economy requires that our dissatisfaction remain somewhat steady. The same is true of the political world. For people to vote, they must be motivated (like shopping). Problems need to be advertised so that people will vote for their solutions. As such, our society has moved from crisis to crisis, slogan to slogan, with a faithfulness that can only be described as religious in nature. Though America invented the notion of the “separation of Church and State,” nothing is more political than American religion, nor is anything more religious than American politics. Modernity is a religious project. 1 Religion, per se , needs no gods or temples. It requires purpose and direction and a narrative for the direction of life. Human beings are not constructed in a manner in which we live devoid of religion. The term itself is instructive. “Religio” is a Latin word that refers to “binding” (“ligaments” has the same root). “Religion” is “that which binds us,” or “holds us together.” Modernity, as a set of ideas, has been the dominant religion of Western culture for well over 200 years. What Christianity that continues to exist within it generally exists as a Christianized version of modernity. Modernity is the set of ideas, therefore, that answers the question, “What would Jesus do if He was going to fix the world?” Ecumenism tends to flourish in such a setting because the “religious” differences between denominations are insignificant. What matters is the State and the culture as State. 2 |
| An outstanding and extremely prolific writer on the spiritual life, Bishop Theophan the Recluse had tremendous popularity in Russia during the 19th century and well into the 20th. This was during the era of Orthodox Russia, when the whole tenor of everyday life was permeated with the ancient Byzantine philosophy of life. With the fall of Orthodox Russia, the inheritance of Bishop Theophan became obscured by Western free-thinking, which relegated his influence on society to the strict, narrow confines of a persecuted, petrified, frightened “remnant” of Orthodox believers. From that time on, only a handful of writers and outstanding Church figures dealt with the Recluse and his importance; and finally a new wave of ecclesiastical fashion labeled him as an abysmally Victorian, outdated phenomenon and thus dismissed him. Some outstanding modern Church writers wrote good studies on him, but the tyranny of fashion almost destroyed his significance in the view of modern academic theologians, who still criticize him because of their desire to go in step with the world. It is only with the recent rise of interest in ancient Eastern Orthodox monasticism that the name of St. Theophan draws some attention. But yet again, the modern Western mind wants to see in him something else than what he actually was and what he symbolizes to today’s God seekers. They weave into their image of him aspects to which he was foreign. They psychoanalyze his ecclesiology, scrutinize his Christology, and even attempt to present him as a “new ager.” But St. Theophan was and is first and foremost a Church Father for modern times. He was almost our contemporary, one who lived consciously with an awareness of the results of the French Revolution, which had knocked down Church authority not so much politically as spiritually. It is precisely in this — his awareness of the roots of the modern age — that St. Theophan excels almost all modern theologians, pastors, and monastic teachers of spiritual life. He reinterprets ancient patristic wisdom in order to adapt it to needs of the modern unchurched mind, which has been divorced from the Orthodox philosophy of life and even from the rudimentary principles of practical, basic Christianity, and has already been psychologically formed into the mind of a neo-pagan. |
| Accept The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL: “THE MEETING ON CUBA WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP ON THE WAY TO RESOLVING THE MORE RELEVANT ISSUES OF THE MODERN-DAY WORLD BY THE JOINT EFFORTS OF THE TWO LARGEST CHURCHES OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD” Recent years have been marked by a development in the cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in the sphere of social problems, noted His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in his presentation at the Episcopal Council taking place in Moscow. “A high degree of mutual understanding was shown during the course of my meeting with Pope Francis on the 12 th February 2016 in Havana,” said His Holiness, noting that in Russia and throughout the world this event had a broad positive resonance. The Patriarch expressed his belief that the meeting on Cuba would become an important step on the way to resolving the more relevant issues of the modern-day world by the joint efforts of the two largest Churches of the Christian world. His Holiness the Patriarch reminded his listeners that the main reason for organizing the meeting on Cuba was the tragic situation in which Christians in the Middle East and North Africa had found themselves. The Episcopal Council in February 2016 resolved “to do all that is possible that the genocide directed at Christians by extremists, who sacrilegiously justify their evil deeds with religious slogans, be halted,” and called upon 2016 to be the year of special efforts undertaken in this direction.” “The meeting in Havana became a concrete and genuine step towards carrying out this decision,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill testified. “The joint declaration which Pope Francis and I signed at the end of our meeting contains a call to the world community to do all that is possible for an end to violence in the Middle East, which is impossible to achieve without the coordinated action of all forces opposed to extremism.” The First Hierarch of the Russian Church especially noted that soon after this joint appeal the tragedy in the Syria began to be called a genocide in the West. For example, similar declarations were made by the State Department and the US Congress. |
| Within the Christianity of our time, the great spiritual conflict, unknown to almost all, is between a naturalistic/secular world of modernity and the sacramental world of classical Christianity. The first presumes that a literal take on the world is the most accurate. It tends to assume a closed system of cause and effect, ultimately explainable through science and manageable through technology. Modern Christians, quite innocently, accept this account of the world with the proviso that there is also a God who, on occasion, intervenes within this closed order. The naturalist unbeliever says, “Prove it.” The sacramental world of classical Christianity speaks a wholly different language. It presumes that the world as we see it is an expression of a greater reality that is unseen. It presumes that everything is a continuing gift and a means of communion with the good God who created it. The meaning and purpose of things is found in that which is not seen, apart from which we can only reach false conclusions. The essential message of Christ, “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” is a proclamation of the primacy of this unseen world and its coming reign in the restoration of all things ( apokatastasis , cf. Acts 3:21). The assumptions of these two worldviews could hardly be more contradictory. The naturalistic/secular model has the advantage of sharing a worldview with contemporary culture. As such, it forms part of what most people would perceive as “common sense” and “normal.” Indeed, the larger portion of Christian believers within that model have no idea that any other Christian worldview exists. The classical/sacramental worldview was the only Christian worldview for most of the centuries prior to the Reformation. Even then, that worldview was only displaced through revolution and state sponsorship. Nonetheless, the sacramental understanding continues within the life of the Orthodox Church, as well as many segments of Catholicism. Its abiding presence in the Scriptures guarantees that at least a suspicion of “something else” will haunt some modern Christian minds. |
| Two Modern Greek Titans of Mind and Spirit: The Private Correspondence of Constantine Cavarnos and Photios Kontoglou. Trans. Archimandite Patapios. (Center for Traditionalist Orthodox Studies: Etna, 2014). It is truly unfortunate that we in the English-speaking Orthodox world know so little about either Constantine Cavarnos or Photios Kontoglou. Our knowledge of Cavarnos is likely limited to his production of a series of lives of modern Orthodox saints, while our familiarity of Kontoglou is perhaps restricted to his status as the most acclaimed iconographer of recent times. While these contributions alone are undeniably significant, the accomplishments of both men far exceed these limited depictions of them. Two Modern Greek Titans of Mind and Spirit: The Private Correspondence of Constantine Cavarnos and Photios Kontoglou (1952-1965) will provide its reader with ample evidence in support of this claim and quickly bring him to the realization that both are dynamic and important personalities whose contributions to the Orthodox world warrant more serious attention. Two Modern Greek Titans of Mind and Spirit reproduces in chronological order the 90-letter correspondence between Cavarnos, an academic living in America, and Kontoglou, an iconographer and scholar living in Greece, dating between 1952 and 1965, the time of Kontoglou’s repose. Concerning this collection His Eminence Chrysostomos of Etna rightly observes, “While all the letters in the collection were written by Kontoglou to Cavarnos, in almost every instance they make clear reference to the subjects and topics covered in the exchanges between the two, with frequent direct statements of comments and ideas contained in the latter’s letters” (p.10). Despite this one never feels lost on account of the absence of Cavarnos’ letters, and useful footnotes fill in any small gaps which might cause confusion. Generally, it must be observed that the detailed footnotes are a significant contribution to the volume, providing valuable information concerning persons and situations mentioned in the course of the letters. |
| Carl Olof Jonsson This view some minor differences – was also adopted by Charles Taze Russell and his followers. And it is still prevalent among the SeventhDay Adventists. Political and social upheaval fuels prophetic speculations The French Revolution of 17891799 had extraordinary impact extending far beyond French borders. Following the violent removal of the French monarchy and the proclamation of the Republic in 1792, new extremist leaders not only brought about a period of terror and chaos in France itself, but they inaugurated an almost unbroken period of wars of conquest, which lasted until 1815, when Emperor Napoleon I was defeated at Waterloo. The Revolution’s chaotic aftermath in Europe and other parts of the world excited intensified interest in prophetic study, especially as some of these upheavals had been partially predicted by expositors of the prophecies. Historians recognize the French Revolution as marking a major turningpoint in world history. It brought to an end a long era of relative stability in Europe, uprooting the established order and deeply changing political and religious thought. Comparing the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte with the earlier Thirty Years’ War (16181648) and the later World War I (19141918), historian Robert Gilpin says of these three wars that “each was a world war involving almost all the states in the [international] system and, at least in retrospect, can be considered as having constituted a major turning point in human history .” 40 Another wellknown historian, R. R. Palmer, in discussing the momentous role of the French Revolution in modern history, says: Even today in the middle of the twentieth century, despite all that has happened in the lifetime of men not yet old, and even . . . in America or in any other part of a world in which the countries of Europe no longer enjoy their former commanding position, it is still possible to say that the French devolution at the end of the eighteenth century was the turning point of modern civilization. 41 |
| Photo: Getty Images Today we face much cultural turmoil and seemingly unreconcilable differences. Our discourse often becomes harsh and even hate filled. It seems we have lost a Christ centeredness in our lives. We seem to be trying to solve our cultural value issues thinking we can change it through political ends. We use social media to spew out our differing opinions thinking that this will make a difference. But history clearly tells us changing a culture is not so easily done. Is it possible that Christians today have taken the wrong track in putting their energies into political action and social media? When we engage in these arenas don’t we become one with the culture we don’t like? Do we act in a way that exhibits the life and teachings of our Savior? Our actions do not communicate an alternative to the present potpourri of ideas and values. Sociologist James Davidson Hunter demonstrates that political action has never been the cause of cultural shifts even though some good things can happen in this way. More often it leads to oppression of minority views, more division and greater discord. If we truly want to bring Christ back to the center of our lives, a different approach is necessary. We are creatures of God called to something much higher than life in this world, the Kingdom of Heaven. To reach this kingdom, Scripture makes it clear, we must become continually better at living like Jesus Christ and become an active participant in a true compassionate faith community. To achieve our God given calling and make a difference in this world, our lived life in our faith community must be different from the general society. This view is clearly spelled out by the acclaimed sociologist Dr James Davison Hunter in his book, To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. I suggest you read it. He writes, “ Contemporary Christian understandings of power and politics are a very large part of what has made contemporary Christianity in America appalling, irrelevant, and ineffective—part and parcel of the worst elements of our late-modern culture today, rather than a healthy alternative to it.” Pg 94 |
| The modern project holds that the world can be improved and made better. It also holds that human beings can be improved and made better. And finally, it holds that the means of that improvement and betterment are political. Modernity began only partly as a philosophical assertion. It found its voice first, and foremost, in the political experiments of the 18th century. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the rapid growth of science, technology and consumer capitalism were celebrated as the fruit of modern political efforts, with very few voices raised in protest. Today, the political assumptions of the modern project remain the most widely accepted beliefs of our time, even in the face of their increasing inability to achieve agreement and work towards a common effort. Modernity fits most of the requirements of a religion and is probably best understood in that manner. As religions go, it has been successful in gaining adherents. It has also failed to achieve its promises, offering, instead, an unending religious argument that is today called “politics.” The world that confronted the birth of the modern project was largely governed by monarchies, with varying schemes of shared power. Religion held a major role in the forming and shaping of culture, even after the initial splintering of religious unity in the Reformation. Economies were highly protectionist with many of the aspects of the Medieval guild system that protected traditional groups and the means of production. The battle-cry of modernity was “Reason.” Traditions of every form were challenged as unreasonable and rooted in superstitions and false assumptions. There was an assurance that reason could be applied to every area of life and yield improved, happier results. The American revolution was perhaps the first major application of these principles (though the French Revolution would take them to their extreme). Various democratic schemes (Democracies, Republics, etc.) were put forward with careful thought. All of them sought to balance the various interests of society and produce a model that would guarantee the greatest success. No one can deny where that model has succeeded. However, it has also created a narrative of “how things work” that is inadequate for reality. It is the boundaries of that inadequacy that most reveal themselves in the intractable problems of our culture. |
| “What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder:” Reflection on Same-Sex Ruling by United States Supreme Court Source: Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia On Friday, June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled same-sex marriage a constitutional right. The Diocesan Council of the Eastern American Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia discussed this ruling and issued a reflection at its summer session on June 30, which was chaired by His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Eastern America & New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, and attended by His Grace Nicholas, vicar Bishop of Manhattan, and members of the Diocesan Council. Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. – I Peter 2:11-12 With the legalization of same-sex marriage by the Supreme Court of the United States on June 26, 2015, the situation facing Christians living in America grows more adverse. Our humanistic society makes plain its continued alignment against Christ and His Church. We see in this judicial decision a willingness by both the state and those who support such rulings to deny even the basic principles of Christian moral teaching, even to label these timeless precepts of our Faith “hate.” Sadly, we see among this number fellow Orthodox Christians. St. John the Theologian wrote in apostolic times that “the whole world lieth in evil” (I John 5:19). What, then, can we say about our own world? The modern world beguiles many who call themselves Christian into believing that “love” is the inspiration behind the support of Supreme Court’s decision endorsing same-sex marriage. But in reality the modern world aims at requiring us who follow Christ into pretending that sin does not exist, and that we happily applaud our brothers’ path to perdition. We should not be fooled into calling this “love,” but must see it for what it is. Many will say that as Christians we must not judge, but indeed our Lord tells us to “judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24), and we must not label sin a virtue. |
| Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) on the Newly Formed “Church”: “Titanic” is Built and Hits the Road Source: Orthodox Life (Russian) Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) speaks about the signs of the true Church, persecution of Christians, church raiding, and the newly formed “church”. – Your Eminence, why is there persecution of Christians? It seems as if it is increasing all over the world. – Persecution of Christians and hatred of them have existed since the very beginning of Christianity. God immediately warned us about it and commanded to find salvation, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (Matthew, 24:9). There is no other way to salvation. Christians challenge the world, worldly laws while keeping the Lord’s commandments. They prevent others from committing iniquities with their lives and moral values. Therefore, the world seeks to destroy them, to wipe them off the map. Christians awaken conscience that calls for the change and repentance, and this is a very painful and difficult process. It is easier to remove the stimulus than to change oneself. Indeed, persecution of Christians around the world has reached unprecedented proportions and cruelty these days. We know about the killings of Christians in the Middle East: in Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. According to official estimates, the Christian population in the region has declined by two thirds in just five years. It is the hardest trial that involves strength of mind and strong faith, which modern confessors and martyrs display. For all Christians this is an example of courage and devotion to Christ till the end. – In our country, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has also faced persecution, but in a slightly different form. There is a substitution of concepts: black is called white and vice versa. The Church’s enemies want the true Church to disappear from the face of the earth, want to replace her with a fake, a false church. Why does it happen and how should one deal with it? |
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