Orthodox Social Thought and History

The starting point of the Christian faith, is the acknowledgement of certain historical events, in which God has acted, sovereignly and decisively, for man’s salvation, precisely “in these last days.” ~ Fr. Georges Florovsky In the film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo first sees Gandalf riding down the road to the Shire in a carriage loaded with fireworks for his uncle Bilbo’s “eleventy-first” birthday, and he calls out to him, “You’re late!” “A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins,” Gandalf reprimands, “nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.” Unable…

Orthodox Social Thought and the Apostles

“I am convinced and believe that even after the resurrection [Christ] was in the flesh. Indeed, when he came to Peter and his friends, he said to them, “Take hold of me, touch me and see that I am not a bodiless ghost.” And they at once touched him and were convinced, clutching his body and his very breath. For this reason they despised death itself, and proved its victors.” St. Ignatius of Antioch Growing up, my mother tried to enforce age-appropriate entertainment consumption for me. However, she did make exceptions, one such being legal dramas…

Orthodox Social Thought and the Gospel, Part 3

[T]he scope of our art is to provide the soul with wings, to rescue it from the world and give it to God, and to watch over that which is in His image, if it abides, to take it by the hand, if it is in danger, or restore it, if ruined, to make Christ to dwell in the heart by the Spirit: and, in short, to deify, and bestow heavenly bliss upon, one who belongs to the heavenly host. This is the wish of our schoolmaster the law, of the prophets who intervened between Christ…

Books are Technology, Too

In his famous poem, “Archaic Torso of Apollo,” 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 Rilke’s poem tells us, “You must change your life.” The same Orthodox Christians who rightly express concern over the dangers of gaming or the number of hours being spent in…

Minding the Gap: Orthodox Theology and the Internet

Recently Fr. John Cox, the managing editor of Rule of Faith: A Journal of Orthodox Thought, gave the Founder’s Lecture at St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Fr. John’s talk outlined and pointed towards many current problems plaguing contemporary Orthodox theological discourse, whether in the “hallowed” halls of academia or the minor eddies of various YouTubers and bloggers. To summarize: back to the sources! We heartily encourage your viewing or reading of his lecture! Be edified!  

A New Venture

This blogging venture has gone through many title revisions. Some were vague. Others were forgettable. Hopefully we have landed upon a title which captures the spirit and mission of this blog. We aim to take “Every Thought Captive” to the obedience of Jesus Christ. As Orthodox Christians we are guided by the Scriptures and the sacred tradition of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church. But this is not a simple cut, copy, and paste job. This is especially true when it comes to discussions of the social and political ramifications of the faith, the proposed…