Today we have a word from John Chrysostom on the sad state Catechesis in the Church in his day (c. 347-407): “If you ask [Christians] who is Amos or Obadiah, how many apostles there were or prophets, they stand mute; but if you ask them about the horses or drivers, they answer with more solemnity than sophists or rhetors” I wonder what he would say to the church today? Read more

The concept of “Missio Dei” is roughly translated this means the initiation of God (as opposed to) man in the mission of redemption in the world. It’s a theological perspective that gained a good deal of traction in the later 20th century it helps frame the narrative we see in the scriptures as something we enter into rather then something we bring ourselves. Few biblical stories demonstrate “Missio Dei” as clearly as the story of the Exodus. We all know the story of the plagues... Read more

Instead of a Saint of the week, I thought this week we might explore one of the Churches ancient feasts, “The Nativity of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.” Most of us within the Protestant tradition don’t give much thought to this feast, in fact  I believe only the Anglican communion has left it on their calendar. I personally think our disregard for this blessed day is a travesty. Mary was indeed the mother of  the Lord Jesus Christ, true God... Read more

This week’s patristic quote comes from Nicholas Cabasilas.  I personally believe that any sanctifying power comes through the Holy Spirit, however since I believe the spirit saturates the scripture I can get behind this. How do you all feel about it? “Because the Holy Scriptures contain divinely-inspired words and praises of God, and because they incite to virtue, they sanctify those who read or chant them.” Nicholas Cabasilas“A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy” Read more

I ran into this song today. It’s a little before my time, but it reminds me of a lot of the people I grew up around in the Word of God Community. Read more

I ran into this video via MYSTAGOGY in it Archbishop Lazar Puhalo is interviewed by OMNI Television host Randall Mark. They discuss some very interesting things. Here are some questions I walked away with: 1) When does morality fall into the realm if heresy?2) What makes the eastern Orthodox understanding of Sin and Hell “different”?3) Is Atheism a rejection of the Western God, not just disbelief in God?4) Is the co-suffering of God opposed to a juridical understanding of soteriology?5) What... Read more

Joan and I have returned home from our adventure in Alaska this past June. The trip was both challenging and refreshing. We are so glad to have gone, but are also happy to settle back into our home in Chicago. We decided to go to Alaska about nine months ago when some close friends of ours told us about the work they had been doing at a Camp out in a section of Alaska called the Bush. The Bush is... Read more

A little while ago I put up a video about the controversial mosque that was being put up near ‘ground zero’ in New York. In it a bunch of leaders lined up to talk about how the right of the muslim community to build there. This brought up an interesting issue. There was a Orthodox Church that was destroyed in 2001 in the 9/11 attacks that still has not been rebuilt. I thought it would be fair to post a... Read more

This week the Church in the West remembers Gregory the Great (Gregory the Dialogist if you are Orthodox). Gregory was the Bishop of Rome during a time of great trouble. He was a great man who found himself in a position of power, although he did not want it. He was a monk who sought to live out his days in quite prayer. When he was elected Pope in 590 he laid aside his own desires and took of the... Read more

This week’s Patristic quote comes from Saint Basil. It deals with how Scripture and tradition interact with one another. I would like to hear different people’s perspectives on this. Is the Gospel indeed “Bare Words” without the traditions of the Church? Why? Concerning the teachings of the Church, whether publicly proclaimed (kerygma) or reserved to members of the household of faith (dogmata), we have received some from written sources, while others have been given to us secretly, through apostolic tradition.... Read more