Archive for October, 2009
The Dogma is the Drama
We are constantly assured that the churches are empty because preachers insist too much upon doctrine — ‘dull dogma,’ as people call it. The fact is the precise opposite. It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man — and the dogma is the drama…
Hallowe’en: An Orthodox approach
Every year, on Hallowe’en, I sit on the front porch of my house with a bowl of candy, a box of beeswax candles, and a large icon for the Feast of All Saints. Every child who comes to the house gets a piece of candy, and may also light a candle and place it before the icon.
Pet peeve: Hallowe’en is not Samhain
There’s a segment of modern evangelicalism that hates and fears Hallowe’en, calling it a continuation of satanic/pagan/Druid worship. Modern Wiccans don’t help by celebrating their Samhain on this date. But does that Celtic origin story hold up? A look at the calendar might shed some light on the question.
The commoditization of spiritual content
One reason why people leave the church without leaving their faith is they believe what the local church offers them isn’t significantly different from what they could get with Itunes and youtube. The currency of the church must shift down the spectrum from knowledge to love.
Let’s Get Real About Priestly “Indiscretions” – An Orthodox priest speaks bluntly to seminarians
Aren’t we disgusted with the shocking number of high-profile cases of priests engaged in pedophilia, homosexual activity, and adultery? Some excuse this behavior with the platitudes “a sin is a sin” and “we are all sinners.” Uh, excuse me?
Go Small
Thinking about men I admired, it dawned on me that most had a quiet contempt towards any excess of material possessions. Their expertise and confidence were displayed by the fact that they did not require much to live successfully. Possessions had no control over the trajectory of their lives…
Jubilee
Whenever I talk about Jubilee, people push back. Especially if they have money. The modern USAmerican understanding of justice is quite different than the justice of Jesus. Nowhere can we find in his Jubilee vision that a wealthy person needs only to give alms to be justified, since wealth comes from the Land, and the Land, which ultimately belongs to God, is granted to His people. In light of this, the call of the wealthy isn’t simply to be charitable…
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