An Eastern Orthodox Blog
Listen to this reflection on Ancient Faith Radio. – – – While baptism exorcises sin and the devil from the baptized, the Church of England has exorcised the language of sin and the devil from its baptismal rite. Instead of rejecting “the devil and all rebellion against God” and “repenting of the sins that separate us […]
In the previous post we looked at Galatians 3:28, a text leaned heavily upon by feminists and egalitarians, and why it doesn’t really support an egalitarian reading. Let’s now turn to two of the other Pauline texts most central to this debate, specifically regarding headship within the family. Ephesians 5:22-33 and 1 Cor. 11:3-15 both establish […]
With about ten full days left until the great feast of Nativity (Christmas), I thought I would bring together every one of our posts related to the Orthodox celebration of Nativity—including fasting, gift-giving, works of charity, the history of the holy days, and more. Why We Fast Before Christmas (by Gabe Martini) summarizes the “reason for […]
The early history of Christian monasticism is often associated with Anthony the Great, a third century, Egyptian monk who helped pave the way for this lifestyle through a radical obedience to the command of Christ: “If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure […]
Despite the invention of both electricity and modern light bulbs, oil lamps remain a key aspect of Orthodox worship. Much could be said about the physical arrangement of these lamps in our churches as well their symbolic meaning and significance. Of their literal place in our churches or home prayer corners, this has been Christian […]
The giving of gifts is an ancient custom found in practically every society. It has, and does, serve many purposes: to cement alliances between kings; to pay tribute by a lesser nation to a greater; to convey thanks; as a cultural gesture of appreciation at the first visit to someone’s home; to mollify an angry […]
Humility isn’t easy. In fact, it is likely the most difficult (and painful) of all the spiritual virtues. Nevertheless, the way of salvation is imbued with humility, and every snare of the evil one is meant to drag us away from this virtue and into the arms of pride. Becoming a Christian and acquiring humility […]
By the time Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, many in America are already struggling with something known as holiday depression. But why does this depression occur, and how can one either prevent or appropriately deal with it? There are a number of causes suggested by medical science for holiday depression, but I would propose that many […]
Humans were created in the image of God, forged to be forever in loving communion with Him. But the transgression of Adam enslaved the human race to the corruption of fallen passions and to death. In our fallen state, the energies of our soul which were once directed to the good ends of life in […]
While much ink has been spilled over the ‘complementarian’ vs. ‘egalitarian’ debate in recent years, Orthodoxy remains largely aloof. Not only because such distinctions are somewhat unintelligible from an Orthodox perspective, but also because with a living, apostolic, authoritative tradition which speaks to aspects of our life and faith, there is less ambiguity as to […]