Original Christianity for a Changing World
On this day (November 30th) Wilhelm Furtwängler died 60 years ago (1954). He was, in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, the greatest conductor of the 20th century - which pretty much means the greatest of all time, since the 20th century was THE century of great symphony conductors. He was especially known …
Continue reading "Remembering Wilhelm Furtwängler on the anniversary of his death"
On this Thanksgiving Day, I'm reminded of a remarkable man who was my teacher at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary: Father Alexander Schmemann. So I want to share a 30-minute video produced by CBS to mark the death of Fr. Alexander on December 13th, 1983. This video is not only a remarkable memorial to Fr. Alexander, …
Several years ago, the acronym WWJD was very popular. People wore bracelets with those four capital letters, which stood for "What Would Jesus Do." I don't see much evidence of that acronym any more. Perhaps it was just a fad - just another marketing ploy to tap into the hearts and desires of millions. An article …
Psalm 73 is one of my favorites. I will briefly comment on the different parts of this Psalm in order to explain why I like it so much. (I'm quoting the standard RSV translation.) 73:1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost …
A few weeks ago I wrote an article here titled, "Ecology is an Orthodox word." Today I came across an amazing little quote: The proposed solution to our environmental problems are no longer a matter of saving a few watts, using less plastic or stopping an oil pipeline... It is our entire industrialized lifestyle that is …
A recent column by Ross Douthat, a usually conservative columnist for the New York Times, brought to the fore a topic that is generally ignored by American media and politicians: the evolving extermination of Christians in the Middle East. Ross Douthat's column refers to the Middle East's "friendless Christians." And that's exactly what they are. One would …
Continue reading "Stop Ignoring the Extermination of Middle East Christians!"
The feast of the Universal Elevation of the Holy Cross was originally an immensely political feast-day in Byzantium. It is clearly seen in the Apolytikion of the day: Σῶσον Κύριε τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς Βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα. This is a …
A belated happy birthday to Ruby Bridges, 60 years old this week (Sept. 8th). As today, Sept. 11th, has become a day dedicated to hatred, it's good to remember how a little girl overcame hatred 54 years ago. It should be our own mission as Orthodox Christians to oppose hatred and prejudice wherever we find it, …
Today, September 8th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. A beautiful feast, celebrating the birth of the future birth-giver of God. There's nothing in the Bible about the birth of Mary, so the church has relied on sources outside the Bible. Joachim and Anna, the parents of Mary, were …
I came across a provocative article, A Church for Exiles, by Carl Trueman in the August issue of First Things, a periodical of conservative Christian thought. The author of this article sees Christianity overwhelmed by secularism and entering a period of "exile" in the United States. He asks the question as to which church (or Christian tradition) …
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