Excerpts from To Baptize or Not: God’s Love and Image article written by Dcn. Nicholas Denysenko in defense of Abp. Elpidophoros baptism of surrogate children of two “married” homosexual men.
At the conclusion of the 14th annual gathering of Spiritual Sounds (2023), held at Fr. Christopher Calin’s own Orthodox Cathedral of The Holy Virgin Protection, the interfaith celebrants took a group photo. Seeing Rev. Amanda Hambrick (woman minister) proudly wearing her rainbow LGBTQ+ stole is shocking enough. Even more disturbing is noticing that Fr. Calin … Read more
by Fr. Peter Olsen – When we avoid the truth, we drift into the realm of not only falsehood but also dishonesty. Life can be very confusing and challenging. The great gift of free will that God has given us carries along with it the awesome weight of responsibility and accountability. Sometimes we are tempted, … Read more
by Fr. Luke A. Veronis – Many people in our society have turned away from faith, from faith communities and from the faith in which they were raised. Yet, is it that so many have “turned away” from faith or is it that many have unconsciously “drifted away.’ We are all deeply influenced by everything … Read more
by Regis Martin – When the wise and virtuous men of old looked upon the world, they saw it in the light of eternity. In the shadow of that standard, blazing bright beneath the heavens, everything lay exposed, including the sins and pretensions of men. There was no escape for the self-centered self. Judgments were … Read more
by Fr. Zechariah Lynch – Modern gender ideology is a form of radical iconoclasm. It seeks to destroy the God-created icon of male and female. “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female …” (Mat 19:4). True Christianity has always confessed that mankind is the creation … Read more
by St. John of Kronstadt – The Word became flesh; that is, the Son of God, co-eternal with God the Father and with the Holy Spirit, became human – having become incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. O, wondrous, awesome and salvific mystery! The One Who had no beginning took on a … Read more
by Fr. Alexander Shargunov – Astrology was a symbol of all man’s delusions, and that is why the Lord had to reveal a real Star. Who were the Magi who journeyed from the East? We can’t say with full confidence from what country they arrived to Jerusalem—maybe from Persia, as the service books have stated … Read more
by Met. Athanasios of Limassol – By their prayerful experience, the holy fathers of the Church have proved that every time we stand before God in prayer in church or in our own homes, this standing has two characteristic features. It fills us with joy, because we are witnessing God’s great love for man. Our … Read more
by Archbishop Averky (Taushev) – When a gentle word of persuasion has no effect, when people are so steeped in evil that they do not yield to any admonishment and continue doing evil, a Christian cannot and should not take refuge in this teaching of the forgiveness of all, sit indifferently with his arms crossed, … Read more