Orthodox Christianity

Alaska Today – Despotic Tyranny of Bishop Nikolai (Soraich) of Sitka

OCANews.org | Fr. Michael Oleksa | Feb. 22, 2008
…
Obedience is the chief concern and the most often preached topic in Alaska, for it is in obedience that we are being asked, no forced, to accept the “corrections” and “guidelines” as well a the decrees periodically issued by the bishop and chancellor. Obedience in itself is, first of all, not a spiritual gift. The Holy Spirit brings love, joy, peace, self-control, but not obedience. Obedience is a means to an end, and a very useful, even essential means, provided one has found a loving spiritual father whose guidance one freely accepts in full confidence that all that whatever the elder commands is not for the elder’s benefit or satisfaction, but for the one’s own salvation. [Read more…]

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Liberal Christianity Will Not Survive For a Long Time

OrthodoxEurope.org | Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev | Feb. 13, 2008

I would like to draw your attention to the danger of liberal Christianity. The liberalization of moral standards, initiated by some Protestant and Anglican communities several decades ago and developing with ever-increasing speed, has now brought us to a situation where we can no longer preach one and the same code of moral conduct. We can no longer speak about Christian morality, because moral standards promoted by ‘traditional’ and ‘liberal’ Christians are markedly different, and the abyss between these two wings of contemporary Christianity is rapidly growing. [Read more…]

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The Treason of the Bishops

Crunchy Con Blog | Rod Dreher | Jan. 31, 2008

Some readers are aware that the Orthodox Church in America, my church, is undergoing a huge scandal now centered on the hierarchy — especially Metropolitan Herman and his coterie at church headquarters. It involves money, mostly, but also — it has been alleged — sexual impropriety of some of the players. The scandal has been going on for quite some time, and the bishops, being bishops, cannot or will not take decisive action to clean out the Augean stables. What is it with bishops, anyway? Anyway, should you care to, you can read all about the scandal at the exhaustive OCANews.org site, which has become an invaluable source of news and commentary on the mess. [Read more…]

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Atheism and Orthodoxy in Modern Russia

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev | Jan. 30, 2008

In this talk I propose to outline the history of atheism in Russia during the last hundred years. I will start by considering the kind of atheism present in Russia before the Revolution. Then I will say something about the development of atheism during the Soviet period. And finally I will conclude with some observations concerning the nature of Russian post-Soviet atheism.

I should like to begin with the following questions. How did it happen that the country known as ‘Holy Russia’, with such a long history of Orthodox Christianity, was in a very short period of time turned by the Bolsheviks into ‘the first atheist state in the world’? How was it possible that the very same people who were taught religion in secondary schools in the 1910s with their own hands destroyed churches and burned holy icons in the 1920s? What is the explanation of the fact that the Orthodox Church, which was so powerful in the Russian Empire, was almost reduced to zero by its former members? [Read more…]

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Life in the Womb & Abortion

OrthodoxyToday | Fr. Richard Demetrius Andrews | Jan. 20, 2008

Since in the teaching of the Church, abortion is wrong and equivalent to the taking of innocent life, that is, a form of murder, it is a “thing that does damage.” The name take by those who encourage and facilitate abortions, to promote their cause is “Pro-Choice.” Because few would agree that abortion is a “thing that is good in itself,” they do not usually call themselves “Pro-Abortion.” By projecting “choice” rather than “abortion” they distract us from the fact that they are encouraging and making easier a behavior that is wrong. [Read more…]

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The Bible Calls it a Sin

Moral clarity from Metropolitan Kyrill, foreign minister of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Spiegel Online | Metropolitan Kyrill | Jan. 10, 2008

Metropolitan Kyrill, foreign minister of the Russian Orthodox Church, discusses Christian values in the post-communist era, his relationship with the pope in Rome, Vladimir Putin the churchgoer — and wrangles with SPIEGEL about homosexuality.

+Kyrill: “The Bible calls it a sin. But we do not condemn these people. The church is opposed to these people being persecuted or offended. But why should sin be propagated? The gay parade is a blatant display of sodomy. In that case, we might as well promote other sins, as has long been the case on television. This degenerates public morality.” [Read more…]

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Orthodox Christians Face Violence in Kenya Following Elections

OCMA | Jan. 3, 2008

Orthodox Christians Face Violence Following Contested Presidential Elections in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya – The New Year began with tragedy for many people in Kenya as widespread violence erupted on December 27th in the wake of contested presidential elections between incumbent President, Mwai Kibaki, and challenger Raila Odinga. [Read more…]

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The Nativity of Christ 2007 – Archbishop Demetrios


Greek Orthodox Church of America | Archbishop Demetrios | Dec. 25, 2007

On this glorious day of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ we celebrate the truly historical, universal, and eternal event of His Incarnation. It is historical, for at the divinely appointed time He entered our human history by being conceived and formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and was born of her in a cave in Bethlehem. It is universal because the Son of God, the divine Logos of Creation, took upon himself human flesh and blood so that He might redeem us and all of the universe from the burden of sin and death.

His Incarnation The Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and birth has eternal significance because through His life, we are offered life, not just a mortal and earthly life, but unending life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). [Read more…]

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