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Commentary on social and moral issues of the day

Articles Author Subject Date posted Columnists Andrews Banescu Jacobse Kapsalis Keating Metrakos Morelli Winter Past debates National Council of Churches (NCC) Orthodox politicians Administration About us Contact us Email updates

Smart Marriage I. How an Attitude of Entitlement Undermines Marriage: Unreasonable expectations can lead to anger and strife.
Smart Marriage II. Reciprocity: The One-Way Contract that Can Wreck a Marriage: The impossibility of meeting unreasonable expectations.
Smart Marriage III. Nagging: The Ultimate Marital Over-Control: Nagging breeds anger and resentment.
Smart Marriage IV. The "Preference Scale": A tool for communication, negotiation, and collaboration.
Smart Marriage V: Staying Focused: A guideline for communication, negotiation and collaboration.
Smart Marriage VI: Romantic Love - The Double Edged Sword of Marriage: Romantic love not enough to sustain a marriage.
Smart Marriage VII: 'Desperate Togetherness' and the Fear of Being Alone: Fear of being alone can add the element of desperation to a marriage.
Smart Marriage VIII: Rejection Phobia: When the fear of rejection can become self-fulfilling.
Smart Marriage IX: Trapped in a False Definition of Marital Love: Wrong ideas about love can weaken a marriage.
Smart Marriage X: Perfectionism: How ideas about the "perfect spouse" can undermine marital stability.
Smart Marriage XI: The Game Of Relationship Self-Esteem: Healthy self-identity in marriage.
Smart Marriage XII: Overdependency: Does overdependence on a spouse reveal a lack of trust in God?
Smart Marriage XIII. The Theology of Marriage and Sexuality: Looking deeper into the meaning and structure of marriage.
Smart Marriage XIV. The Anti-Negotiation Stumbling Block: One spouse cannot spontaneously know what the other wants or needs.
Smart Marriage XV. Ensnared By Mindless Helping Fr. George Morelli: For Christians, help is a problematic concept.
Smart Marriage XVI. Pre-Marriage: Avoiding Infatuation Intoxication: Love is blind but the neighbors ain't.
Smart Marriage XVII. Wrecking a Marriage: Demanding Human Justice: The judgment of man is one thing; the judgment of God is another.
Smart Parenting I. Raising Well-Behaved Children: Practical tips on raising your child.
Smart Parenting II. Raising Well-Behaved Children: Practical tips on raising your child.
Smart Parenting III. Developing Emotional Control.: How we deal with ourselves affects how we deal with our children.
Smart Parenting IV. Cuss Control: Bad language pollutes the culture and harms the child.
Smart Parenting V. A Short Lesson for Father's Day: Fathers, mothers, and Paris Hilton.
Smart Parenting VI. Talking To Children About Sex: If parents don't teach their children, the culture will.
Smart Parenting VII. Using Current Events (The Golden Compass) to Combat Secularism in the Home: Parents: Educate yourself about "The Golden Compass."
Smart Parenting VIII. Fighting For Christ at Christmas -- Combating Secularism: Preserving the holiness of Christmas in the home.
Smart Parenting IX. Talking to Children When a Popular Role Model Falls Short: Teach, don't preach. Some sample questions with answers.
Smart Parenting X. Combating Secularism's Most Serious Sin: Indifference: Parenting and spiritual awareness.
Smart Parenting XI. Smart Tools -- Shaping and Consistency: Children conform to the rules their parents obey.
Smart Parenting XII. The Time Out Tool: Shaping behavior through constructive consequences.
Smart Parenting XIII. Tools for Smart Punishing: The right and wrong ways of punishing children..
Smart Parenting XIV. Talking To Children About Same-Sex "Marriage": Children see the campaign for same-sex marriage all around them. How do parents respond?
Smart Parenting XV. When Your School Age Child Brings up a Conflict Between Church and Science: The measure of all things is Christ.
Smart Parenting XVI. Styles of Parenting: Authoritative parenting best for raising pro-social children.
Honest Friendship?: A circle of true friends is relatively small.
Entitlement: Sabotaging Relationships: "Whenever we make a demand based on our title we operate from an entitlement perspective."
Spiritual Winter — Spiritual Spring: After darkness, light...after death, resurrection.
Mindfullness: A Tool to Break Bad Habits and Troubling Emotions: "Be watchful in all things..."
Double Your Worry, Double Your Problem: “Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down ….”
Having Our Own Way: People and events are going to be the way they are.
Labeling Others: The Clear Thinking Trap: Labels betray a basic thinking error.
Christmas: A National Holiday: Different traditions can stand side by side with each other.
Thanksgiving: The National Holy-day: "Give thanks in everything..."
Kindness is Pleasing to Both God and Man: Is there an alternative to angry communication?
Placing Impossible Standards on Ourselves: The key to success is to use the talents God gave us.
Defeating Anxiety: Overcoming the Need for Approval: The question we ask should be: "What do I want to accomplish in life?"
Pastoral Reflections on Suicide in the Military: Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in the military. Why? What can be done about it?
Book Review. Faith Under Fire: Memoir shows even chaplains face spiritual crisis in war zone.
Healing The Infirmity Of Sin: A Brief Explanation: Some ABC's of spiritual healing.
The Scandal: Jesus Hangs on the Cross to Forgive Us of Sin: A reflection for Lent.
Suicide: Christ, His Church and Modern Medicine: How do we make sense of suicide?
The Theophany and Healing: Our Lord as physician and healer.
Ministry at the End of Life: Advice on dealing with sickness and death.
Patient Endurance: Persevering through troubling times.
Pastoral Reflections on Suicide in the Military: Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in the military. Why? What can be done about it?
The Fruit of Pentecost: The Holy Spirit and Healing: The Holy Spirit as God's agent of healing.
Pascha: Marital Vocation and Putting on Christ: How marriage relates to the renewal offered us by the resurrection of Christ.
The Ethos of Lent: Nuggets of wisdom for the Lenten journey.
The Orthodox Understanding of Sin: A Lenten reflection.
Humility And Purity Of Heart: A Lenten reflection.
The Publican: A Model for our Lenten Journey: Humility is the foundation of virtue, pride its destruction.
Forgiveness is Healing: Anger destroys, forgiveness can heal.
From The Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils: Be open minded to the Word of God.
The Tragedy of the Vatican's Recent Declaration on the Roman Church: Vatican self-understanding undermines ecumenical progress.
The Psycho-Spirituality of Forgiving People and Nations: Forgiveness in personal and social relationships.
Making Psychological Referrals in the Parish: Priests poorly trained about psychological problems they encounter.
The Spiritual Roots of Altruism: The Good Samaritan: Altruism and the divine love toward the neighbor.
A Theophany Within: If Jesus is who He says He is, why don't I see Him more clearly?
The Ethos of Orthodox Christian Healing: An Orthodox Christian view of the healing of soul and body.
Understanding Clergy Stress Fr. George Morelli: A psychospiritual response.
Understanding Homosexuality: An Orthodox Christian perspective.
Conflict and Disagreement: An analysis of Pope Benedict's remarks based on the parable of "The Publican and the Pharisee" and Conflict Management.
A Reality-Delusional Test About Forgiveness: What can the Amish teach the Orthodox?
Overcoming Depression: Cognitive scientific psychology and the Church Fathers.
Whose Church Do I Belong To: My Church or the Orthodox Church of Christ?: Secularism and the corruption of Church and society.
My Experience as a Priest and Psychologist at an Orthodox Maternity Home: Serving the women of the Martha and Mary House.
Dealing With Brokenness in the World: Learned psychological optimism and the virtue of hope.
Assertiveness and Christian Charity: Thy spiritual and psychological dynamics of assertive responses.
The Prophet Joel: A message for today's secular world.
Illness, Death, and Life: An Orthodox perspective.
The Spiritual Roots of Procrastination: Orthodox tradition deepens and clarifies the psychological findings.
Orthodoxy and the Science of Psychology: When psychology conforms to the scientific method, it can complement Orthodox teaching.
"Sexual Addiction": An Orthodox and Scientific View
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry or a Gentle God?: Did Jonathan Edwards have it right?
Asceticism And Psychology In The Modern World: Ancient practices meet modern scientific psychology.
Resilience and the Canaanite Woman: She exhibits strength and perserverence.
Making the Orthodox Church Smaller?: Clarifying Orthodox values.
Understanding Brokenness In Marriage: Hurting marriages can be healed.
Self Esteem: From, Through and Toward Christ: What is self-esteeem from an Orthodox Christian perspective?
O Happy Guilt, O Joyful Sorrow: An Orthodox Understanding: An Orthodox examination of guilt.
The Nativity: Real Beginning and Legacy: Christ born in Bethlehem needs to be born in our hearts.
Abuse: Some Pastoral And Clinical Considerations: Healing, responsibility, and reporting.
Being Perfect vs. Perfectionism: Spiritual health vs. psycho/emotional malady.
The "Demon of Correctness": Religiously Correct Secularism: Religiously correct secularism.
What Do You Know: The Score or the Saint?: Are we Christians or secularists?
The Beast of Anger: Understanding and contolling anger.
Elevating Motives: Give and expect nothing in return.
Psychological Barriers to the Way of The Cross: Carrying the right cross.
Compassion and Love: Practical advice for Christian parents.
Homosexuality: Some Psycho-Theological Reflections and Pastoral Implications: Dealing with same-sex attraction.
Sex Is Holy: Psycho-Spiritual Reflections In A Secular World: Sexuality and Christian teaching.