Mission Archives — Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Breaking the Dome: Conversing Outside the Conventional

October 21, 2020October 21, 2020 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Just because something is conventional doesn't mean that it's the whole of Orthodox Christianity. Let's break the false domes of our conventional universe of discourse and look up to see the very dome of heaven.

Announcement: I’m Being Hired by Ancient Faith Ministries! (+VIDEO)

June 4, 2020June 5, 2020 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

After almost 11 years of partnering with Ancient Faith Ministries as a content contributor for their podcasts, books and blogs, I’m being hired! I will be taking the newly-created position of Chief Content Officer.

The Reintegration of the Christian

November 15, 2019 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

We are fragmented. We are compartmentalized. If we will seek to reintegrate our lives by prayer being in everything and by everything being in prayer, then I believe that we will find new joy, a new song, new vitality in each of our lives and in our common life both as a parish and as the whole Orthodox Church.

What Would Happen If God Just Showed Up?

November 4, 2019 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Imagine God jumped onto the world stage in an obvious manner. By what measure would we know beyond a doubt that that is God? How do we know that most people wouldn’t think we were being visited by an alien from another world? What about a mass hallucination? What about a massive government conspiracy? How would we know what God would look like such that we could be sure it was really Him? That presupposes some prior knowledge of what to look for when God shows up. If God showed up, would we even know or believe it was really Him?

The Christ & Tolkien Conference: Oct. 1-3, 2020

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Christian Tolkien scholarship and fandom is often marginalized or even met with hostility in some quarters, which makes little sense, since Professor Tolkien himself was such a committed Christian and was explicit about the internal Christian themes of his work. This conference aims to create a space where Christian Tolkien scholars and fans can come together and share their love for both Christ and Tolkien.

Why People Leave Church When Leaders Fail

December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Back in August, (formerly) Roman Catholic political columnist Damon Linker announced that he’d left the Roman Catholic Church, and this past week, he explained why, noting along the way some of the reaction against his announcement: It’s hardly surprising that writers deeply devoted to the Catholic Church would reject the reasons for my decision to leave the church. The former editor of Commonweal Paul…

The Three Ways Christians Approach the World

January 8, 2018January 11, 2018 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

There are generally three approaches that Christians have taken when it comes to their surrounding cultures: 1) Rejection, resistance, and hostility: This approach sharply distinguishes the Church from the world, emphasizing that the Church is so much “not of this world” that the world must be fled and an alternate community established. It is a posture that is fully closed to the world —…

Whose Vineyard is This, Anyway?

September 6, 2017 · Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost / Thirteenth Sunday of Matthew, September 3, 2017 I Corinthians 16:13-24; Matthew 21:33-42 Very Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. If you have something truly wonderful to share with people, how do you get it to them? How do you get this wonderful…