| I grew up in a smallish town in Arizona (about 25,000 people at the time). Almost everyone I knew fit into one of four buckets: 1) committed Christians, 2) nominal Christians, 3) those who didn’t call themselves Christians but accepted “Judeo-Christian” values, and 4) Mormons. In my view of the world at the time, believing in God—and being a Christian specifically—was the default for most people. There were certainly a few kids who fell into other buckets (atheist or New Age), but they were the exception; there was something different about them. My beliefs were “normal.” Oh, how things have changed. According to Pew Forum research on the religious landscape of America, Christians statistically are still the majority. But those statistics are highly misleading because religious categorization is based on self-identification, and the “Christian” category includes a wide range of beliefs and commitment levels. The Pew Forum, however, just released an eye-opening new method of categorizing America’s religious beliefs , and it reveals a more realistic picture: From the publicly available data, I don’t see a way to break down the remaining 30% of highly religious people into those who hold beliefs consistent with historic Christianity, so for our current purpose, we’ll just have to say that committed Christians represent some portion of that 30%. In other words, a minority. I’ve noticed lately that my subconscious assumption that this has become the case has had a number of implications for how I talk with my kids. For example, some phrases that have regularly worked their way into our daily conversations are “ the world tells us,” or “ the world would like us to think,” or “the way the world is.” In other words, I find myself constantly placing an emphasis on making sure my kids know that what they are learning to be true about reality is literally opposite of what the world around them—the majority— believes. This is so different than how I—and many of you—grew up. We were part of a pack. We moved along without having to think much about our beliefs versus those of “the world.” Our parents didn’t have to coach us on why we were so very different…because we weren’t very different. Sure, there were probably some great differences between our homes in how prominently faith actually played out, but we didn’t readily see that on the playground. We didn’t have social media to make the differences abundantly clear. We didn’t have the internet to give us access to the many who are hostile toward our beliefs. |
| When it comes to politicized, controversial, and otherwise binary issues in our world today, should Orthodox Christians pick sides? Or should we look deeper and live in a way that transcends the political divide? Global Warming and Voting Obama For example, whenever I share an interesting article about the climate on social media (whether in favor or opposed to an anthropogenic influence), the share is accompanied by a dizzying array of one-sided, emotionally charged opinions. In the ensuing debate, there are two main positions, and both are not coincidentally aligned with the way each person happens to vote. The Democrats or Liberals are convinced by the “science” that shows a human influence to a rising global temperature while the Republicans or Conservatives are convinced of the opposite “science.” There is little room for rational discourse, a “middle road,” or anything of the sort. Practically every time I try to steer a conversation towards such, I fail. (Maybe it’s just me?) Regardless, there has to be a better way—and especially for us as Orthodox Christians. Because truth is not merely a matter of opinions, lobbyists, or scientific data—it is personal. It is personal because Truth himself is the God-Man Jesus Christ, creator and sustainer of all things. Lowering Flags for Love Consider also the recent debates around the Confederate flag, gay marriage, and a host of other controversial topics. I grew up in the South, in the state of Arkansas. I was raised in a Christian family, and I learned all about American history through your typical public education. While I personally believe that the issues between the Union and the Confederate states had just as much to do with economic and political divides as they did slavery (the North was just as guilty of this sinful atrocity), I also know what the Confederate battle flag represents for many African Americans. (Of course, I can never really know what they know from personal experience, but you get what I mean—I empathize.) |
| priest Daniel Sysoev Скачать epub pdf Editorial note Dear Reader! We represent you the book by Daniil Sysoyev, a well-known public person and priest whose mortal life ended tragically on November, 20, 2009. According to one version of law enforcement investigation the murder was committed for religious reasons, because of his missionary and predicatory activities among Muslims. The deceased was continually threatened by representatives of extremist group. This edition Islam. Orthodox View is a print version of father Daniil’s video lectures that circulated in the Internet. In his lectures the author gives a critical analysis of Islamic doctrine as well as analysis of theological and mystic aspects of life and work of Muhammad, Islam founder, in the framework of traditional orthodox comparative theology. Deep knowledge of Holy Bible and Holy Tradition and broad erudition allowed father Daniil to create a bright image of orthodox dispute. The publishers put the author’s oral performance into paper having preserved his personal intonation and individual peculiarity of father Daniil’s speech. Profound scientific work has been undertaken to make this publication: the quotes were checked in accordance with the original text, uncertainties were edited, references to authorities s well as comments were provided throughout the book. All quotes are taken from The Meaning of The Glorious Koran. An explanatoty translation by Marmaduke Pickthall with an introduction by William Montgomery Watt. Everyman’s Library. London, 1992. The book consists of three chapters: 1. On Islam; 2. Muhammad; 3. Answers to questions; father Daniil’s biography and Primatial word of Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill after the funeral service of priest Daniil Sysoyev. Every chapter reveals not only the basic notions of Islam, but also demonstrates the salvific differences of Christian religion. Although father Daniil always took a balanced and a reasonable approach to what he was speaking about, vouching his arguments with quotes from original texts, not all contemporary theologians fully accept his conclusions. Father Daniil’s public speeches gave occasions to discussions among orthodox religious scholars. |
| In a world of change it is (almost) comforting to see how some things can always be counted on to stay the same—such as Sanfilippo’s Orthodoxy in Dialogue blog, which consistently treats its faithful readers with repeated attempts to legitimize the sin that the Church has always condemned. Answering every one of his blog posts point by point would require something like a full-time job, and most of us are already fully employed. The points that Sanfilippo makes in his recent post “From the Fathers: the Kingdom of Heaven is Like…Two Men in Bed Together?” can be boiled down to two: 1. scientific advances have now shown that past approaches to homosexual behaviour are out-dated and should be scrapped; and 2. the images and parables of the Scripture and the Fathers use nuptial imagery, and this legitimizes homosexual behaviour. I will not deal with Sanfilippo’s first point at length, other than to note that the same dubious argumentation is now being advanced in some places to justify pedophilia (now being sanitized under the term “minor attraction”). I deny that science has much to say about the moral legitimacy of either form of sexuality or indeed of morality in general at all. Scientific research can document what people desire to do; it is beyond its competence to pronounce on the morality of these desires. Of more interest is Sanfilippo’s argument about male-to-male sexuality (with his provocative image and title “two men in bed together”). Some of this article simply repeats material in his previous piece “Conjugal Friendship” at the Public Orthodoxy site, and the reader is referred to my response to that in a previous blog piece. Sanfilippo’s basic point in this article is that “the presence of male-male conjugal intimacy in our patristic tradition as a symbol of the mystical and eucharistic union of Christ with the individual male believer nullifies the irrational idée fixe of those Orthodox churchmen who insist that the Holy Fathers abhorred the mere thought of same-sex eroticism.” |
| I owe a great debt of gratitude to Metropolitan Kallistos—or at least to Timothy Ware. I read his book The Orthodox Church long ago and it was an important part of my conversion to Orthodoxy. I still have the somewhat battered volume on my bookshelf, a gold bishop’s mitre on the cover set off against a black background. That was before Timothy became Kallistos and parenthesized his surname, and I have followed his ecclesiastical promotion and the consequent name changes as he became a priest, then an archimandrite, and then a bishop, and then finally a metropolitan. As well as following his upward path of ecclesiastical promotion, I have also followed what I consider to be his downward path away from Orthodox Tradition—or at least from his own formerly-held positions. With each subsequent revision of his classic The Orthodox Church , he seems to embrace progressively liberal views concerning the hot issues of the day, such as the possibility of the ordination of women to the priesthood. Of late he has written about homosexuality, publishing the Foreword for The Wheel , a publication whose stated purpose is “to articulate the Gospel intelligently and constructively for the 21st Century—a pluralistic era which presents Christianity with new and unique challenges, demanding a creative re-imagination of its social identity and role in public discourse”. Those familiar with such verbiage will recognize that its stated purpose is actually to de-construct the current Orthodox Tradition and offer what St. Paul would have called “another Gospel”. Like everything that His Eminence writes, his Foreword was eminently readable and thoughtful. I should say in advance that it would be unfair to characterize his stance as pro-gay. And much of what he says in the piece is quite good, such as his insistence that we give full weight to the Marriage Service as we articulate a theology of sexuality. I have, however, several concerns. My first concern is that he has chosen to write a Foreword for The Wheel in the first place. |
| Panayiotis Christou Скачать epub pdf Foreword The selection of Professor Panagiotes Chrestou to give the Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lectures this year is a very happy one. Perhaps more than any other scholar , he can be linked with the great Patriarch. Born in the same village in Epiros, Greece, Professor Chrestou has known Patriarch Athenagoras from an early age. Considering himself a «spiritual child» of the Patriarch, Professor Chrestou has, during his academic career, done more for Patristic studies (a favorite with the late Patriarch) than any other modern Greek scholar. Professor Chrestou’s selection was equally felicitous for Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology where he began his long and distinguished teaching career. It is, therefore, with much pleasure and a great deal of pride that the present Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lectures are presented to our reading public. The Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lectures are under the patronage of His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos whose assistance makes these lectures possible, and whom we thank very much. Thanks are also due to President Thomas C. Lelon for his support and hospitality provided to our lecturer and participants. The faculty of Holy Cross, under the direction of its dean, Father Alkiviadis Calivas, has provided invaluable service to the Patriarch Athenagoras Memorial Lectures. Finally, many thanks are due to George and Chrystal Condakes for their generous support of the lectures. An endowment fund established by them in memory of their father, Peter J. Condakes, a Patriarchal Archon, provides the necessary financial support for this series. Fr. N. Michael VaporisDean, Hellenic College PROLOGUE I would like to express my sincere gratitude to those who contributed to giving me the honor and joy of delivering these lectures: His Eminence Archbishop Iakovos, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Americas; Dr. Thomas C. Lelon, President of Hellenic College/Holy Cross ; Fr. Alkiviadis Calivas, Dean of Holy Cross ; and the Faculty of the School of Theology. |
| Orthodox Christians do not seek suffering for its own sake, but know that living faithfully in a world of corruption will often require pain and struggle of various kinds. Gary Waters/Getty I heard something on National Public Radio during my morning run the other day that got my attention . A report on a physician-assisted suicide bill in California stated that the proposed legislation would let terminally ill patients end their lives. That way of putting it totally obscured the fact that such legislation would implicate physicians, and presumably other health care professionals, in taking steps intentionally to end the lives of their patients. Doing so would fundamentally distort the practice of medicine from pursuing the health of patients to pursuing their death in the name of ending suffering. At times, ending suffering requires ending the sufferer, which is simply not part of the practice of medicine as we know it in western culture. No, that is not an abstract philosophical claim, but something that arises from what doctors, nurses, and other healers do every day. For example, when I go to my physician, I trust that he is single-mindedly focused on my health. If he would just as soon help me commit suicide, I would no longer trust him because his moral identity and our relationship would change profoundly. When physicians prescribe lethal drugs or otherwise act intentionally to facilitate the death of their patients, even upon the patients’ request, they no longer practice medicine as we have known it. Physicians do not administer lethal injections for capital punishment, for example, because doing so is antithetical to the healing art. If our society loses the unique moral identity of medical doctors, we will lose a great deal. A serious vocation requires developing a distinctive character through a distinctive practice. Contrary to popular trends, not everything and everyone may be reduced without remainder to autonomous individuals serving the desires of other autonomous individuals. The customer is not always right, except in a depraved materialistic society in which persons become little more than anonymous economic units or faceless bundles of rights that serve nothing more profound than their own immediate desires. And if the customer is not always right, surely that is even less the case with the patient who enters into a practice oriented toward health, not necessarily whatever the patient desires. |
| Instructions of the Holy Fathers on Spiritual Life Who are these venerable men — ascetics and how are they unlike other Christians? While the majority of people were content to lead ordinary lives, these were people since ancient times, in Christ’s Church, whom He called " not of the world " (John 17:14). These righteous individuals dedicated their lives totally to God by isolating themselves away from worldly cares and falsehood, in wastelands, in deep forests, or in some other way shielded themselves from earthly temptations and the presence of outsiders. These were people thirsting for the truth, pining for higher spiritual values and ablaze with love for God, seeing the Kingdom of Heaven as their only motherland. Some of these righteous individuals attained spiritual heights and experienced blessed enlightenment that a majority of people could never see or imagine. Introduction This booklet appears as the first in a series of collections, from which we intend to publish the selected instructions of Orthodox ascetic fathers concerning Christian living. In compiling this first collection, the following books were used: Five tome collection of “Philokalia” (edited by Theophan the Recluse); “The Ladder” of Blessed John, Abbot of the Sinai hills; “Spiritually Beneficial Instructions” of Abba Dorotheos; “Unseen War” of St.Nikodemus of the Holy Mount; thoughts of Sylian of Athos; “Otechnik” of Bishop Ignatius Branchaninov, and other various ascetic collections. From these works, we have selected those instructions that apply to people living secular lives, and disregarded those sections that are essentially relevant to a monastic or reclusive environment. Judging by the large number of pre-revolutionary catalogues of publications, the Lives of Saints and their directives were favorite reading to the spiritually disposed Russian individual. Indeed, it is this literature that contains within itself a power of attraction, because it is not a dry and abstract philosophy but reflects a saintly life in a righteous soul. To read about his life or his instructions is like visiting him and drawing upon his treasury of spiritual experiences. |
| Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY, and noted Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, preacher, and speaker, fell asleep in the Lord on the afternoon of March 18, 2015. Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko, Dean Emeritus of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, NY, and noted Orthodox Christian priest, theologian, preacher, and speaker, fell asleep in the Lord on the afternoon of March 18, 2015. Father Thomas was the beloved husband of Matushka Anne [Schmemann] Hopko. They were married on June 9, 1963. Together, Father Thomas and Anne are the parents of five children, sixteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Thomas John Hopko was born in Endicott, NY, on March 28, 1939, the third child and only son of John J. Hopko and Anna [Zapotocky] Hopko. He was baptized and raised in Saint Mary’s Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church and educated in Endicott public schools, graduating from Union-Endicott High School in 1956. Father Thomas graduated from Fordham University in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in Russian studies. He graduated with a theological degree from Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in 1963, from Duquesne University with a master’s degree in philosophy in 1969, and earned his doctorate degree in theology from Fordham University in 1982. Ordained to the Holy Priesthood in August 1963, Father Thomas served the following parishes as pastor: Saint John the Baptist Church, Warren, OH (1963–1968); Saint Gregory the Theologian Church, Wappingers Falls, NY (1968–1978); and Saint Nicholas Church, Jamaica Estates, NY (1978–1983). Father Thomas was honored with the clerical rank of Archpriest in 1970 and the rank of Protopresbyter in 1995. Beginning in 1968, Father Thomas began his long service to Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Over the years, Father Thomas held the following positions: Lecturer in Doctrine and Pastoral Theology, 1968–1972; Assistant Professor of Dogmatic Theology, 1972–1983; Associate Professor of Dogmatic Theology, 1983–1991; Professor of Dogmatic Theology, 1991–1992; Dean, Rector of Three Hierarchs Chapel, and Professor of Dogmatic Theology, 1992–2002. |
| U.S. Vice President Mike Pence excoriated North Korea’s record of human rights violations Thursday, asserting that the nation’s persecution of Christians is the worst on the planet. Alex Wong/Getty Images “North Korea’s persecution of Christians has no rival on the Earth,” Pence told leaders gathered in Washington, DC, for the State Department’s Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. “It is unforgiving, systematic, unyielding and often fatal.” “The mere possession of a Christian Bible is a capital offense,” Pence noted, and “Christians are regularly executed or condemned with their families to North Korea’s gulags.” Mr. Pence’s words echoed the findings of watchdog groups monitoring Christian persecution , which consistently place North Korea at the top of the list of nations where it is most dangerous to be a Christian. This year, one such organization, Open Doors, which publishes an annual World Watch List (WWL) about Christian persecution, noted that North Korea has been considered “the worst place for Christians” for 16 consecutive years, since 2002. In his address Thursday, the vice president said that while Americans all hope relations between the United States and North Korea will continue to improve, “there is no escaping the plain fact that North Korea’s leadership has exacted unparalleled privation and cruelty upon its people for decades,” a cruelty that has included “torture, mass starvation, public executions, murders, and even forced abortions, and industrial-scale slave labor.” Appearing with Mr. Pence at the Ministerial was a North Korean Christian woman named Ji Hyeona, whom he met when in the region this year. “Ji Hyeona was imprisoned and tortured simply for having a Bible that her mother had given her,” Pence said. “And after a failed escape attempt, the North Korean authorities forced her to abort her unborn child.” “Hyeona was lucky enough to escape with her life, and we are honored to have you with us today. Your faith and your courage inspire us all,” he said. |
|
|
