A Sermon by Fr. John A. Peck The Book of Tobit is an astonishing book. It is a part of the Septuagint Old Testament, and therefore only in Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bibles. Until 1929, it was included in Protestant Bibles (in the section called “apocrypha” or “hidden things.” I don’t know why they thought […]
On Beggars
by St. John Chrysostom They sit there all day long, preparing a medicine of salvation for you.
The Theological Necessity for Humor
by David Athey Obviously not all humor or laughing is good or holy or brings good to our souls, but laughing at ourselves – that’s a winner. In a collection of essays called “Holy Laughter”, Conrad Hyers says, “A common trait of dictators, revolutionaries, and ecclesiastical authoritarians alike is the refusal to laugh at themselves […]
The Necessity of Iconography and the Idolatry of Gnosticism
by Fr. John A. Peck How Dogmatic Iconography defends the doctrine of the Incarnation against ancient Gnosticism. Harold Bloom, in his book, The American Religion, rightly comes to the startling conclusion that America is a nation of Gnostics, believers in a pre-Christian tradition of individual divinity. The American propensity to be religious iconoclasts on the […]
The Bible’s Ultimate Party Boy
by Fr. John A. Peck A sermon written in 1999. “Father, I have a question. It’s about the Bible. Why is Samson such a highly praised figure in the Bible? I mean, he certainly wasn’t an image of virtue, and he didn’t deal well with his own passions. Why is he even in there?” “Well,” […]
What Was Christ Writing On The Ground?
by St. Nikolai Velimirovich Bishop Nikolai, a gifted theologian combining a high level of erudition with the simplicity of a soul steeped in Christ-like love and humility, is often referred to as the “new Chrysostom” for his inspired preaching. As a spiritual father of the Serbian people, he constantly exhorted them to fulfill their calling […]