If one disbelieves in Christ and Pascha, then our cultural of denial of death makes good sense. We can’t do anything about the fearful fate which awaits us, so why think about it? Eat, drink, be merry, and watch television. But if what the Church says about Christ and Pascha is true, we don’t need the lies or the denial.
Tag: Eastern Christianity
Human Rights And Human Dignity
Human rights are based on an individual’s worth and should have as their goal the realization of that person’s human dignity.
Why Wait?
Our society has largely forgot what a wedding is. That is why it cannot understand why the gift of sex should not be given before the wedding day. Instead it asks, “Why wait?”
The Despair of Modernity – It Might Not Be All Bad
The belief in the solvability of all things is a foundation of the modern world. We are nurtured with an expectation of progress and solutions. When this turns out not to be the case, despair is a natural result.
Converting the Heathen
Does our present delight in cultural diversity mean that we must now abandon our historical mandate to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)?
King Herod and the True Meaning of Christmas
Christmas was more than a celebration; it was God’s trumpet, announcing to Herod the beginning of the end. It was a banner of war, unfurled to declare that a divine revolution had begun.
Sacrifice and Worship
In Orthodox understanding, the bloodless sacrifice of the Eucharist is the primary act of worship. It is not something we do while we worship: it is what worship truly is.
Put the Dickens Back in Christmas!
I can think of no better homage to the man who “created” the modern celebration of the holiday than to read his delightful A Christmas Carol.
Augustine, Calvin, and Predestination
We listen for the essential melody of the patristic chorus, and charitably pass over the odd discordant note which all of the Fathers occasionally sound.
“A Presence that was Not Theirs”
The year is 1868; the place, Damascus. A self-taught mystic calling himself Abd el Matar left his wife, family, and home to found a group of disciples in Damascus, the Shazlis, basing it on a Sufi brotherhood established in the middle ages. About forty or so people gathered about him […]
Not Like Religion – Clean and Unclean
The discussion of the category of clean versus unclean, sometimes discussed today, cannot be separated from the larger discussion of the abiding relevance of the Jewish Law.
Not Like Religion – Christian Sacred Space
We regard holiness not as coming from and residing in the earth itself, but from heaven. And that sanctity can be sent down from heaven to any place, for the whole earth belongs to the Lord.
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