... It is also available in the "Pages" section of the blog. As the Sunday of the Cross is this weekend, I offer this as a meditation for ... to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul does not ...
... aspect of the contemporary religious scene could be called “comparative ... however, is the greater question of the nature of the Church itself. Is there are correct way to think about the Church? The ... offer a different conversation: the Church is the Cross through history. I will explain this in some detail as we go along, but I ...
... to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul does not ... of ecclesiology, expounding and unpacking the phrase, "pillar and ground of the truth." The phrase simply hovers as a statement ...
... a reflection of the life of the Cross in the life of the Church. Orthodoxy in the modern world (as well as its past) frequently engages in struggle - not only with the world - ...
... years away. For myself, I rejoice that the conversation has moved to this next level. In light of the meeting, I offer these few thoughts on "ecclesiology" - the doctrine of the Church. It is not the way the ecclesiology of the Church is formally stated - ...
... I have been in Memphis, Tennessee, at St. John Orthodox Church leading a retreat for their Church women. The topic of the retreat was "The Emptiness of God." The following series of articles captures much of ...
... article is also found in my pages section as The Ecclesiology of the Cross. It seems that as the Orthodox world begins another level of internal ... Of course, sense the subject is the true nature of the Church, it is a matter of concern for all Christians - for the Church is not a ...
... posted an article on marriage as a "lifetime of suffering," I thought it worth reflecting on the larger ... - that marriage and that salvation are shown forth in the Cross of Christ. This article, from over a year back, seemed worth ... of the Cross through time. It is not the failure of the Church and of Christians - though our failures certainly participate in the ...
... ideas contrast as starkly to our modern myths as Tolkien’s view of history as ... through time is nothing other than the playing out of the Cross through time. It is not the failure of the Church and of Christians - though our failures certainly participate in the ...
... years ago, someone wrote and asked, "Why did Christ have to die on the Cross?" It is the question that prompted this article. On September 14th (New Calendar), the Church marks the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross. It is a fitting time to ...
... man in his daily life. We generally experience the world as a place devoid of God's presence. When we are aware of Him, it is by special ... efforts of local atheists and advocates for "separation of Church and State." Neither group represents the emptiness of Christ on the ...
... readers will marvel that this is a quote from Jesus. The reason is simple: the Greek (ἀνάγκη γάρ ἐστιν ἐλθεῖν ... and abused. There has never been an idyllic season of the Church when such scandals have been absent. In Western Europe where various ...
... served a Church in the course of ministry in which a large group of my members were ... became my lot to listen to their stories during their last days - to hear that of their children - and finally to give voice to what I had seen and heard in a spoken word of faith that was part of the ritual of their passing. It was not the passing of giants, ...
... Gregory Palamas, in his Homily on the Precious and Life-Giving Cross (Homily 11), makes reference to what he calls the "double mystery" of the ... realistic. Similar to the approach of other fathers of the Church, such workings of mysteries are not intellectual games or mere ...
... said (in a light-hearted manner) that God gave us the Church to keep us honest. The truth is, that God gave us the Church that we ... nothing of the Church. The Scriptures describe the Church as the "Body of Christ," the "Pillar and Ground of Truth." It is nowhere ...
... Gregory Palamas, in his Homily on the Precious and Life-Giving Cross (Homily 11), makes reference to what he calls the "double mystery" of the ... realistic. Similar to the approach of other fathers of the Church, such workings of mysteries are not intellectual games or mere ...
... known to all of the Apostles and to the Apostolic Church. If placed in words it sounds much like the Apostles' Creed (which is, ... bears witness that the writers of the New Testament, such as St. Paul, knew full well the "rule of faith" before ever they wrote a word. ...
... following excerpt was sent by a dear friend and a frequent reader of the blog. It is taken from ... theology’ to a Russian pastor of the Underground Church, who had never seen a whole New Testament. Systematically, I began to ... and wrote them down in such perfect order ever carried a cross?’ He went on. ‘A man cannot think systematically even when he has a ...
... known to all of the Apostles and to the Apostolic Church. If placed in words it sounds much like the Apostles' Creed (which is, ... bears witness that the writers of the New Testament, such as St. Paul, knew full well the "rule of faith" before ever they wrote a word. ...
... Who freed Adam in the Jordan, received buffetings. He was transfixed with nails, Who is the Bridegroom of the Church. He was pierced with a lance, Who is the Son of the Virgin. We worship ...
... grew up in a culture where religious conversion was frequent as well as often short-lived. Religiously, the only remedy to many ... though conversion is not usually associated with changing churches within Protestant Christianity. Americans frequently "shop" for Church ...
... encountered a use of Scripture in a web posting that was alarming to a degree. The writer (who was not apparently a believer) sought ... of the interpretation of the Scriptures - by the Christian Church. Anybody can read the Scriptures. Anybody can do what they want when it ...
... to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul does not ... of ecclesiology, expounding and unpacking the phrase, "pillar and ground of the truth." The phrase simply hovers as a statement ...
... always observed more solemnly than other days in terms of fasting and prayer. The use of these days in this manner can be dated as early ... of God, loved by His Mother whom He has given to His Church and adopted as God's son by so great a love. What more could we say or ...
... of the more profound writers and thinkers in the Orthodox Church today has to be Metropolitan John Zizioulas - who has taught for years in Scotland and ...
... suspected that having written about the "Church as Failure," today's post would be a required follow-up. I am not concerned ... to translate St. Paul's description of Christ on the Cross as "weakness" and "foolishness." I think those words were powerful when ...
... do not always like conversations about the Church. It invariably becomes problematic. The Orthodox sound unbelievably ... to defensive positions, and on it goes. When we look across the Christian scene, however, we should be accurate in what we see: ... of history. The Catholic Church says one thing, but has a hard time finding a parish that actually believes and practices the ...
... spend my time and the bulk of my life. Being saved in the Church is a very day-to-day and moment-to-moment thing. Getting started: Do I ... started part 2: Since I am not required by a canon to fast before my morning prayers, I usually have a cup of coffee which helps ...
... this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward ... his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all (Eph. ... and theoretical. Though certain events such as the Cross are recognized as historical, even they become removed to a second storey ...
... to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul does not ... of ecclesiology, expounding and unpacking the phrase, "pillar and ground of the truth." The phrase simply hovers as a statement ...
... of Archimandrite Sophrony. It is given to our Orthodox Church through the Holy Spirit to fathom the mysteries of God, and she is ... - purposely takes upon herself the world's anger, just as Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world. And as Christ was persecuted ...
... a need to tie a few loose ends together - or at the very least to make a few connections. It's possible as in this last week to drink ... known to all of the Apostles and to the Apostolic Church. If placed in words it sounds much like the Apostles' Creed (which is, ...
... past year, my wife and I developed a delightful habit of “Monday’s with ... dam, a train-yard, and countless forays into the woods across the street. There have been lots of hours with my train sets. To give ... world. Despite persecutions and every kind of trouble, the Church remains and the resurrection is made manifest in the triumph of beauty, ...
... of the Fathers this desire is called eros. Modern usage has corrupted the meaning of “erotic” to only mean sexual desire - but it is a profound word, without substitute in the language of the Church. I offer a quote from Dr. Timothy Patitsas of Holy Cross in ...
... was flying into Denver a year or so back to speak at a conference. Seated next ... not true (such as that He somehow escaped death on the Cross). Islamic teaching on Jesus is a mishmash of 7th century heretical gossip ... to the faith, though most are more likely to attack the Church than the faith itself. Not long after becoming an Orthodox priest, I ...
... 1600’s in colonial Boston, the celebration of Christmas was against the law. Indeed, anyone evidencing the “spirit of Christmas” ... mention of Bob Cratchett and his son, Tiny Tim, attending Church on the day. But it was not this part of the story that caught the ...
... most difficult aspect of love is the freedom it inherently requires. Love, in its ultimate and ... Christian teaching (constantly affirmed in the Orthodox Church) that God’s intention towards us is to raise us up as equals. We say ... tragedy but embraces its consequences in His death on the Cross. It is fully within our freedom that He addresses us and rescues us from ...
... done my graduate studies in systematic theology, I occasionally bristle at the comment, particularly when those making it have never ... on your present circumstance. In science, if you come across a new species of tree, you can study it to see what makes it unique. ... first eight centuries in the life of the Church were a time when doctrine and theology were being expressed and argued ...
... are one. This is essentially the teaching of the Church on the topic of the Divine Energies. When I read discussions about the ... lost in the twists and turns of medieval metaphysics or pass into the territory of seeing the “Uncreated Light.” Both approaches are ...