Why do some people hear the wisdom of God – the “word of the kingdom of heaven” – and change their lives forever, while others are either unaffected or take interest only for a period and then turn away? In short, why are some saved and some lost? The 13th chapter of the Gospel of…
Sam Harris has seen immense growth in popularity after starting his latest project – Waking Up with Sam Harris podcast. This project has expanded his repertoire to include far more subjects in his talks than his traditional mainstay of New Atheist apologetics. As part of the project Harris has released several memes as well. A…
I love New Year’s. There’s something about the calendar on my wall flipping over that gives me the feeling of a new beginning. It’s a completely made up new beginning, yet still completely real. Bono from U2 had it right when he said that “Nothing changes on New Year’s Day,” however, for me psychologically almost…
George Kelly defined guilt as: “A perception of one’s apparent dislodgement from his core role structure.” This “core role” develops out of our relationships with significant others whom we construe ourselves in certain ways: loving, responsible, secure, etc. It seems to follow that any religious paradigm which casts human beings as essentially good makes guilt…
I’m an Orthodox Christian. We fast like it’s going out of style. In a former life, for almost 20 years, I was an Evangelical Protestant of the Word of Faith persuasion. We fasted like… never. Back then the churches I attended did not encourage fasting, still I was always dabbling with it from time to…
As a blogger who writes on both theological and psychological themes it seems inevitable that I would have to join the discussion on same-sex marriage. I have avoided it like the plague because, well… it is a plague; it’s a guaranteed lose-lose outcome for someone like me. From a religious standpoint I am an Orthodox…
Recently I’ve been reading a fascinating book called “The Art of the Icon,” by Paul Evdokimov, which presents a theology of beauty from an Orthodox Christian perspective. As a relatively recent convert to the Orthodox Church (nearly 5 years, i.e., just long enough for one to realize how much he doesn’t know) I am always…
I’ve been thinking about writing on this topic for a long time. I hasten to write it now while the thoughts are still fresh on my mind. I need to get it down, no doubt, more for myself then for my readers. Over the years I have witnessed some of the most frustrating and, in…
I was recently asked if I could write an article giving the distinctive elements of the Eastern Orthodox Church which cause it to stand out when compared with Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, and the various Protestant faiths. This is a tall order and no doubt difficult to cover even in a multiple volume work. That said,…
The following is taken from the Prologue of Ohrid, April 22. During the time of Patriarch John the Merciful, a young monk appeared, who, as soon as he arrived, compiled a list of all the prostitutes in Alexandria. The asceticism of this young monk was exceptional and unique. During the day he would offer himself…
The following is taken from the Prologue of Orhid, April 23. This glorious and victorious saint was born in Cappadocia, the son of wealthy and virtuous parents. His father suffered for Christ, and his mother then moved to Palestine. When George grew up he entered the military, where he attained, in his twentieth year, the…
I found this story of Saint Paulinus the Merciful (aka: St. Paulinus of Nola) in the Prologue of Ohrid during my morning reading and was struck by the sacrifice this bishop was willing to make for a mother and child entrusted to his care. This story is, for me, the epitome of a true shepherd…
The approach to the faith for many adherents of the Effortless Christianity movement is that of a Zwingli-influenced doctrine of Sola Scriptura; that is, a reliance on Scripture alone combined with a dedicated rejection of Holy Tradition. It is interesting when one claims to be an adherent of both effortless Christianity and the doctrine of…
“Are you Spirit filled?” This was the number one question on everyone’s mind in the charismatic, independent, evangelical churches I grew up in. This was also the question we projected on other groups or people who claimed to be Christian: “are they Spirit filled.” If they weren’t it did not mean they weren’t Christians, it…
Boys are strange. Get two little boys together, whether good friends or not, and in no time flat they’ll be wrestling. I remember me and my cousin Ryan would wrestle for literally hours at a time. It’s amazing that we ever learned the English language because the only phrase we ever heard from our parents…
The trouble with writing my reflections on the Orthodox Church liturgy is that so much of it is taught through experience. If one has not been absorbed in the Orthodox liturgy for quite some time it’s difficult to really say anything about it. Don’t misunderstand, I have plenty of books on the Orthodox Diving Liturgy,…
"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced" -Kierkegaard
Doctrine Matters
Neither polemic nor compromise, but engagement
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