by Archbishop John (Shahovskoy) of San Francisco and Western America “. . .and [the spirit] cast him into the fire…” (Mk. 9:22) As pastors we frequently heard and continue to hear the question: “Why does the Church not bless cremation of a departed Christian’s body?” I will try to answer this as briefly as possible. […]
Bulgarian Orthodox Church Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize
It’s decades late for this recognition of heroic virtue, but welcome nonetheless. Axios! The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, says the official website of its Holy Synod. This year Bulgaria marked 70 years since the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during World War II. The National Assembly in 1943 […]
Turkey Leans Toward Opening Halki Seminary
After years of resistance, the Turkish government is considering allowing the re-opening of the closed Halki Seminary, the Anatolia News agency reported. Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said the institution should be reopened to educate clerics for the Orthodox community, saying “minorities have the same rights as us” while he was speaking at a conference […]
Statement by Moscow Patriarchate on Gay Marriages in France and Great Britain
Same-sex unions have continued to be legalized in Europe. Recently, respective bills have been approved by the lower chambers of the French and British parliaments. It was done not only in defiance of the opinion of a part of deputies but also against the background of mass protest manifestations of citizens. These legislative steps show […]
Worship With Incense
by Dcn. Joseph Gleason Throughout the scriptures we see both the inward and outward aspects of worship offered to God as being in unity with one another. For example, scripture tells us to lift both our “hands“ and our “hearts“ to God (Lam. 3:41). The hands are outward, and the heart is inward. God is glorified by both, and he commands […]
Engaging The Culture: 8 Simple Ways
You have to begin by overcoming your commitment to do nothing! Here are 8 practical everyday actions you can take to effectively engage the culture around you. These steps guarantee that the needs of those outside the Church are a serious concern – that is the foundation of successful evangelism. 1. Start conversations. Just talk […]
Youth Ministry – The 50 Year Failed Experiment
by Regis Nicoll A definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Will we learn from mistakes? “A 50-year failed experiment.” That’s how Scott T. Brown, a once-prominent figure in the youth ministry movement, describes youth ministry. Is Brown being too negative? Possibly — if our purpose is […]
On Luxury Cars For Clergy
From Interfax: Patriarch Kirill calls on clergy not to use luxury cars. The photo of my truck here just shows glare, not the Uncreated Light. 367,000 miles and still going. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has criticized clergymen who use expensive foreign cars. “Let’s think about using transport vehicles that will not serve […]
Looking East During Prayer & Worship
We all look towards the East when we pray, but few of us know that we are seeking our own old country, Paradise, which God planted in Eden in the East. We pray standing, on the first day of the week, but we do not all know the reason. On the day of the resurrection […]
America & the Perversion of Christianity
by Fr. Stephen Freeman Many people in our modern cultures have only a vague or non-existent knowledge of history. This is especially true of Americans. The downside of such ignorance should seem obvious. Most modern Christians have very little acquaintance with Christian history – and strangely – even less with modern Christian history. Though some […]