Dishonest Dialogue of Orthodox Liberals and Deconstructionists

by Fr. Lawrence Farley – The term “dialogue” (along with its synonyms, “conversation” and “discussion” and “engagement”) seems to have taken its place alongside the proverbial terms “motherhood”, “apple pie”, and “the flag” as sacred and untouchable. It used to be that no one in their right mind would speak against this Trinity of American … Read more

If Evolution is Mindless, Why Does it Favor Survival?

by Scott Youngren – Atheist biologists would have you believe that evolutionary processes are mindless, and purposeless. But the problem for such a claim is that survival is a goal or purpose. There is simply no way around this. If evolution is truly mindless and purposeless, why does it favor survival over non-survival? Physicist Amit … Read more

Orthodox College Students: Staying Orthodox in Anti-Christian Environment

by Abbot Tryphon – The summer months are coming to a close and many young people will be facing the prospect of heading off to college, some for the very first time. A scripture passage comes to my mind as I think of these wonderful young people preparing to leave home: “I am sending you … Read more

When You Direct the Soul Towards Beauty, You Direct It Towards God

by Fr. Johannes Jacobse – Advice I give to people who can’t escape their thoughts, especially when the thoughts cause worry and even depression is to take a walk, open your eyes to the beauty around you, and practice gratitude. Think of the things you can be thankful for and consciously express gratitude for them, … Read more

A Priest’s Duty is to Sustain the Flock of the Church

by Fr. Patrick Viscuso – When imparting God’s sanctification and doing good, I can also say that there will be obstacles, for, as a 14th century Byzantine hieromonk once wrote, “Where is it necessary not without blood to struggle on behalf of the Truth?” That blood is the joy of the priesthood in its total … Read more

Orthodox Struggling with Same-Sex Attraction: God Did Not Create Me This Way

by Anonymous Orthodox – I think those of us who have seriously struggled with SSA in the past need to speak up more and more. Never once during my SSA struggles did I ever think that “God created me this way,” since I knew that Christ loved me and it would be a cruel joke … Read more

Orthodox Priests Challenge Met. Kallistos Ware’s Views of Monogamous Homosexual Relationships

Following the release of Bishop Kallistos Ware’s scandalous Foreword in the latest issue of The Wheel journal and the critical summary published by the OrthodoxNet Blog, several Orthodox priests and an Orthodox professor have also written articles that challenge Met. Ware’s misleading questions, manipulative arguments, and theologically unsound opinions. Anatomy of a Foreword: Metr. Kallistos … Read more

Orthodox Liturgy Heals and Properly Orders the Human Soul

by Fr. Johannes Jacobse – People say that the Liturgy is the Kingdom of God entering time and while this definition works I suppose, I have never really understood what it really means. Yes, I understand it abstractly, but abstraction has only a limited usefulness. So I’ve come up with another. Worship is necessary because … Read more

Unpracticed Faith is Functional Atheism

by Regis Nicoll – Unpracticed faith—that is, faith without works—St. James writes, is dead. It has no transformative or sanctifying power; it is intellectual assent that descends into paralyzing doubt (or worse), which is no faith at all. That’s because faith is revealed, confirmed, and made perfect by our actions not affirmations (for by their … Read more

Heretics Also Appeal to Scripture to Deceive Believers

by St. Vincent of Lerins – Here, possibly, some one may ask, Do heretics also appeal to Scripture? They do indeed, and with a vengeance; for you may see them scamper through every single book of Holy Scripture – through the books of Moses, the books of Kings, the Psalms, the Epistles, the Gospels, the … Read more