The following guest piece by Joel J. Miller originally ran under the title “You’re reading the wrong Book of Esther.” It is republished here with permission. The Book of Esther occupies a controversial place in the Bible. John Calvin did not include the book in his biblical commentaries and only referenced it once in the Institutes (see 4.12.17). Though he included it…
Quick notice: Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy is now on Facebook and running a promotion with a give-away, autographed copy of Fr. Andrew’s book by the name, if it gets 500 “likes” by midnight tonight. Will you help it get there?
On May 12, 2013, at 8-9:30pm EDT / 5-6:30pm PDT, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, author of Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems Through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith (Conciliar Press, 2011) appeared on the live call-in show “Ancient Faith Today with Kevin Allen.” The topic: “Who is a Christian?” Fr. Andrew and Kevin discussed the sensitive subject of defining who…
There is a certain term in Japanese whose history I very much dislike: shikataganai – “It can’t be helped.” Now such a concept is not completely alien to Western thought, we often remark how there is “nothing one can do” in certain situations, but the difference is that shikataganai reflects the fatalistic ethos of Japan that the modern West has never quite…
Just for kicks, we thought you might be interested in knowing what the current top 20 posts (based on total hits) here at O&H are. They are listed here in descending order: Using the Bible Against Christians: Sola Scriptura Atheism Orthodox Worship Versus Contemporary Worship The Eminem Ethic “Giving Up Something” for Lent Who’s Not a Christian? Two Chairs of Peter: Reform,…
The following guest piece by Joel J. Miller originally ran under the title “Why apostolic tradition matters, part 2.” It is republished here with permission. It seems that every time a supposedly “lost gospel” is unearthed the media hypes it as if it were the Second Coming. Invariably, these texts contradict the received understanding of the church. The most recent example is…
The following is the manuscript of a talk recently given by Ancient Faith Today host Kevin Allen at an Advent Forum in Merced, California. He has kindly given us permission to publish it in full. It’s a bit longer than most of our pieces, but it didn’t make sense to us to break it up. Tonight I will be speaking about some “points of…
Our editor-in-chief Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick had an article published (“The Transfiguration of Place: An Orthodox Christian Vision of Localism (Part I)”) in the first issue of the new Kairos Quarterly: A Journal of Orthodox Living, a publication of the Hermitage of the Holy Cross, the largest English-speaking Orthodox monastery in North America. The new publication caught the attention of First Things yesterday for…
One of the more divisive issues between Orthodox Christians and Protestants is how Mary, the Theotokos, is viewed by the Church. I frequently meet people who are on the fence about what church to attend, who have a great interest in Orthodoxy, but who are uncomfortable with the place of Mary in our faith and worship services. The purpose of my article…
At Camp Karoondinha (a Delaware term for “Land of Shining Waters”) on the wooded banks of Penns Creek, at the last morning of Webelos camp this summer, the American flag ran up the pole outside the dining hall with trumpet blaring. The Scouts saluted. My son and others then ran for breakfast, only to stop when they saw a big beautiful green…
