One of contemporary Orthodoxy’s greatest evangelists in the blogosphere was Kevin Allen, host of The Illumined Heart. Many who visited the site have been touched by the many fascinating one-on-one interviews Kevin did with people from a wide range of faith backgrounds who came to Orthodoxy. On 7 August 2018, Kevin passed away from ALS aka Lou Gehrig’s disease (source). This progressive neurodegenerative disease is dreaded by many due to the…
A reader wrote: I’ve really enjoyed browsing your site. I’m a reformed Christian and have appreciated learning about the Orthodox Church. I do find the church appealing but I believe scripture supports the reformed position. I’ve been reading your plucking the tulip article and was hoping you’d interact with John 6, especially vss 44-59 as I’ve yet to hear a compelling argument in favor of the non reformed view of that passage.…
Comments from Two Readers on my article “Evidence for Christ’s Descent into Hell” David Roxas on 10-June-2018 wrote: “This is not to say that Protestants and Evangelicals should relinquish the penal model of salvation altogether, but that they should incorporate the ancient patristic model of Christus Victor into their theology.” Scratching my head over this one. What exactly do you mean the penal mode of salvation should not be relinquished? Should…
It is good to know that pastors and even entire congregations are becoming Orthodox in the US, other countries, and in Russia. The website Pravoslavie published an interview with a former Protestant pastor, Father Igor Zyryanov, who led his congregation into Orthodoxy. What I found striking about the article were the insights and anecdotes that can teach us how to do Orthodox outreach and how not to do Orthodox outreach.…
On Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Church celebrates Christ’s descent into Hell (Hades). For many Protestants and Evangelicals this is a strange idea. When I was a Protestant, I was often puzzled by the line in the Apostles Creed: “he [Christ] descended to hell.” I thought this line was bizarre and unnecessary. As a Protestant, I was never taught the theology behind the historic creeds of the Church. However, after attending the…
On March 25, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation. On this major feast day, we remember the Incarnation — the occasion the Word of God took on human nature; the Infinite Creator became a finite creature; Eternity entered into the flow of history; and the Immortal One became mortal so that we might attain immortality. The Incarnation was and continues to be one of the most momentous events in all history. It prepared…
Today we celebrate Saint Patrick of Ireland (c. 390 – c. 461). He was the son of a deacon and a grandson of a presbyter (priest). Although born into a Christian family, he was spiritually complacent until his enslavement by Irish raiders precipitated a spiritual crisis. His brand of Christianity can be labeled Celtic Christianity, much like that of Saint Columba. Saint Patrick was not a Roman Catholic. Ireland and…