{"id":6701,"date":"2021-10-04T11:03:47","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:03:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ancientfaith.com\/asd\/?p=6701"},"modified":"2021-10-04T11:32:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T15:32:30","slug":"why-is-no-one-speaking-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ancientfaith.com\/asd\/2021\/10\/04\/why-is-no-one-speaking-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is No One Speaking Out?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

H<\/span>orrors are happening everywhere, all over the world. So many say: Sin is increasing. Sexual immorality is increasing. Oppression is increasing. Persecution is increasing. Heresy is increasing. Public violence is increasing. Poverty is increasing.<\/p>\n

In response is a refrain we see over and over: Why is no one speaking out?<\/i> <\/p>\n

I recently got asked this question about Ancient Faith Ministries, especially regarding the question of abortion. Included was the question of why I myself am silent on abortion. Here is my response (with a little editing and expansion for publication here):<\/p>\n

Social media and the Internet in general are a weird beast. I have been accused of never speaking out about any kind of Orthodox moral issues, yet a simple Google search reveals I have posted about this kind of thing numerous times. Even if you take just the issue of abortion, I’ve addressed it over<\/a> and over<\/a> and over<\/a> and over<\/a> and over<\/a> and over<\/a> and over<\/a> and over<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"You won’t find it on the Internet, but for over a decade when I was a pastor, I led my parish in supporting a local crisis pregnancy center<\/a> with money, supplies, clothing, volunteering, etc., by encouraging their attendance at the center’s fundraisers, by going myself multiple times, by speaking there publicly, by donating monthly myself, etc. I have participated in the March for Life in Washington DC and in a pro-life street demonstration in Allentown (the city next door to Emmaus where I live), where I carried an icon of the Annunciation and explained to everyone who asked me about it about why proper Christology means you can never support abortion<\/a>. I have taught my children about it and preached sermons about it.<\/p>\n

I also composed a prayer for the sanctity of unborn life<\/a>, which I prayed at a fundraiser for that crisis pregnancy center and which I’m going to be recording again soon for another event of theirs. I say this not to boast but to show you where my heart is on this issue. I am on the record on this, very publicly and also privately. Anyone who says that I am in favor of abortion is simply misled or lying himself.<\/p>\n

How is it possible that I’ve written about this over and over, put body and money where my mouth is on this, and yet someone might think I am avoiding the subject or even secretly in favor of the horror of abortion? Or, more broadly, how can someone think that AFM is ignoring this or even in favor?<\/p>\n

It’s mostly just the way that information gets to us these days. No one can take in everything that is published online, not even everything just AFM publishes. We post 30+ podcast episodes a week<\/a>, plus probably half as many blog posts<\/a>. In a given year, we’re publishing 15+ books<\/a> now. Is anyone listening to and reading all of this? No, it’s just not possible, even if they dedicated themselves exclusively to AFM’s media output.<\/p>\n

But overwhelming evidence that AFM is producing and hosting content on the Orthodox teaching on moral issues is just a short search away if someone wants it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Here is a small sample just to give you a sense of what I mean:<\/p>\n