“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10 Many high school students in my generation shared the experience of having to read selections from Upton Sinclairâs 1906 novel The Jungle. The book describes the tragic story of Lithuanian immigrants working under harrowing conditions in Chicagoâs meat processing industry. Sinclair hoped it would serve as a sort of tract for socialismâthe book even ends with the protagonist having an âaltar callâ experience at a political meeting, becoming a socialist, and thenâŚ
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19-20 In 1987, rock star, sex symbol, and later literal symbol Prince released a song replete with apocalyptic overtones: âSign oâ the Times.â The events of the year provided a powerful backdropâthe AIDS crisis (âIn France, a skinny man died of a big disease with a little nameâ), gang violence, drug addiction, natural disasters (âHurricane Annie rippedâŚ
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, âAll authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.â Matthew 28:18 Who said it? âThe man of faith acts, not as one endowed with free will, but as a beast that is led by the will of God.â Martin Luther? John Calvin? No, the answer is St. Peter of Damascus, from the Philokalia. He goes on to pray, âDo what Thou wilt to Thy creature; for I believe that, being good, Thou bestowest blessings on me, even if I do not recognize that they are for myâŚ
âWhat must be implemented is not a âsteadily expanding economy,â but a zero-growth economy, a stable economy. Economic growth is not only unnecessary but ruinousâŚwe must renounce, as a matter of urgency, the gigantic scale of modern technology in industry, agriculture, and urban development âŚâ – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Orthodoxyâs principled objection to Communism is widely known and understood and, given that Eastern Orthodoxy was the religious tradition that bore the brunt of the Marxist-Leninist assault upon religion and Christian culture, the fact that the vast majority of Orthodox thinkers have been profoundly distrustful of the political leftâŚ
Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, âBehold the Man!â John 19:5 In a famed episode of The Twilight Zone in 1962, aliens known as Kanamits make first contact with earth, claiming that they come in peace. They offer advanced technology that eliminates famine, disease, and war. When they go, they leave behind a book, written in their undecipherable alien language. Naturally, the cryptographists get to work decoding it, led by scientist Michael Chambers. While some responded with skepticism toward the Kalamitsâ mission, their technology works. A new eraâŚ
In his famous poem, âArchaic Torso of Apollo,â Rainer Maria Rilke writes about the experience of looking at a great piece of art. His point is that great art looks at us, too; we find ourselves observed, questioned and judged. I argue that this is as true of literary art as of sculpture. What will we do after we close the book? The last line of Rilkeâs poem tells us, âYou must change your life.â The same Orthodox Christians who rightly express concern over the dangers of gaming or the number of hours being spent inâŚ
