Sadly, every now and then, one hears of an Orthodox Christian who leaves the Ancient Faith and returns to his former delusion – or, as in the subject of this podcast, to just plain delusion. Other times, I’ve heard tell, some may have shopped around, joined ‘em all, then made Orthodoxy their final stop before … well, stopping. In other words, some give up on “church” entirely. Having served as an Episcopal priest before converting to Orthodoxy, I was curious... Read more

The following segment of the Orthodox Christian Network‘s radio program, Come Receive the Light, is a rebroadcast which, ironically, includes Khouria Gigi Shadid, who grew up at– and me, currently serving at– St George, Houston. On this week’s CRTL podcast: Fr. Chris speaks with Fr. Joseph Huneycutt on his book Defeating Sin: Overcoming Our Passions and Changing Forever. The Fathers describe this essential effort as the path to godliness–“theosis” in the Orthodox faith. You won’t want to miss this powerful... Read more

As many prepare for the leave-taking of the Great Feast of the Dormition, and those on another calendar prepare to celebrate the Feast in honour of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, Seraphim [now Fr James] writes on MARY. The Orthodox Church year begins on September 1st and contains 12 Great Feasts. The first Feast of the year is the Birth of Mary (the Theotokos) on September 8th. The final Feast of the Church Year is the death... Read more

This past Sunday, St Joseph Antiochian Orthodox Church hosted their annual benefit for Project Mexico / St Innocent Orphanage. This was my first year in attendance — it was a blast! During one of the numbers performed by the Latin-Jazz Trio, various instruments were passed around for audience participation. That’s my boy, third from left … but the main attraction during this piece was the gal you see right there in front of the bass player, who was shakin’ that... Read more

Whether it was the invite to my 30-year high school reunion, or the fantasy that I was losing my hearing, one thing’s for certain: Nothing clears Disco like an oil change. Reminiscences about the dance floor — whilst lying on the floor — at a North Carolina Jiffy Lube … Back in 1982, I had tickets to a Prince concert … when, long story short, my friend decided not to attend. But, by goodness, I was determined to see the... Read more

Touchstone‘s Executive Editor Jim Kushiner reflects on the World Congress of Families held in Amsterdam in a three part series at MereComments … I attended Orthodox Divine Liturgy yesterday at the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, about a 20-minute walk from Central Station. The liturgy was mostly in Dutch. The church is a former Franciscan priory church. A parishioner, a Dutch convert, told me that in Holland you are either a Protestant Calvinist, a Catholic Calvinist, or an atheist... Read more

As a Steelers fan and an Orthodox Christian, I had to highlight this story from GetReligion wherein the great Troy Polamalu is asked about his new son and his ancient faith … What is your greatest wish for your child? Without a question, my greatest wish would be for him to understand the spiritual struggle and to be a pious Orthodox Christian. That’s what I want for myself, as well. Sometimes parents want their children to be what they never... Read more

I shall be away from the computer for a spell; re-posting this from a few years back, with updates. I believe in the Catholic Church; only Orthodox go to heaven. Let me explain … A while back, Rod Dreher, author of Crunchy Cons and editor of the Dallas Morning News, mentioned that he was headed toward Orthodoxy. As he was a relatively recent convert to Roman Catholicism (1993) and is well known in all the “hip-right” circles, his announcement caused... Read more

For those keeping score, during the course of this podcast I shall mention the words: sycophant, bishops, titles, convivial, cult, and Antiochian. Ladies and Gentlemen, begging your indulgence in advance, this episode of the Orthodixie Podcast may end up as a rant – for which I shall not recant … As sure as Virginia’s my aunt … this here recording might even displease that guy … you know the one (last count, yes: 1) … the sycophant. I am going... Read more

My daughter, vacationing in North Carolina, just texted me about a church sign she saw: “Stop, drop, and roll won’t work in eternity’s smoking section.” — Carthage, NC (I wonder if this is referring to the incense used in the heavenly worship according to St John’s vision on Patmos … better known in those parts as: Revelations.) — Revelation 8:3-4 Do these signs work for such churches? I mean, does Stan say to Marge, as they ride by that very... Read more