Of course, this Batman is nothing compared to the authentic look of this one — but, hey, when you got it, you got it. (Pictured here: Batman Salem.) Last night was the annual All Saints Party at St George, Houston. What a turnout! These, contrary to appearances, are real men. Real furry men; but, real nonetheless. The size of the crowd may be attributed to the fact that there was a Bishop in the house … Uh, that would be... Read more

Reflections on the last 40 Years – Protopresbyter Thomas HopkoOrthodox Monastery of the TransfigurationEllwood City, PennsylvaniaSeptember 27, 2008 Membership in the Orthodox churches in North America in the past forty years has radically decreased. There are probably about half as many people in the churches today as there were four decades ago. It also seems that most adults who attend services in Orthodox churches today are “holding the form” of Orthodox Christianity while “denying the power of it” (2 Tim... Read more

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,Stamp thy image in its place;Second Adam from above,Reinstate us in thy love.Let us thee, though lost, regain,Thee, the life, the inner man;O, to all thyself impart,Formed in each believing heart. Heavenly Adam, life divine,Change my nature into thine;Move and spread throughout my soul,Actuate and fill the whole;Be it I no longer nowLiving in the flesh, but thou.Good stuff, this. Image Source Read more

This week’s Orthodixie Podcast features “news” from around the country (sponsored by e-Hierarchy dot com) — and this week’s Person of the Week. The Orthodixie Podcast on Ancient Faith Radio. (Or listen right here.) Read more

In Istanbul the great marketplace is jammed. Arm in arm the shoppers come, jostled, impeded and pressed forward by the throng. Noisy and competitive, it’s a fluid masterpiece of diversity and the side-by-side offering of similar products and services. An observer might notice a few things: Beans and lentils piled to dangerous heights get more attention than beans and lentils in half-empty bins. Precious items like saffron and caviar become more precious when put into fine and delicate packaging. Kebabs,... Read more

The Person of the Christ:The Early Context of the Saviorby Daniel Fanous When putting together a large and complex puzzle, one must begin by defining the margins. It’s often tempting to lump together whole sections that obviously fit, yet without being moored by foundational definitions these portions may often be set aside and forgotten. In the end, lacking time and zeal, a puzzle that remains unfinished is, without a doubt, even more puzzling. For many, the Old Testament’s relation to,... Read more

VATICAN CITY, 18 OCT 2008 (VIS) – In the Sistine Chapel at 5 p.m. [Saturday], the Holy Father presided at the celebration of first Vespers of the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, marking the participation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople in the work of the current Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. The ceremony, which was attended by more than 400 cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and lay people, began with a few brief words of... Read more

I almost hate to update the blog, knocking this post (which is garnering lots of comments, 55 to date) from top billing. But, on googling “Orthodox Church” in the News category, the following announcements popped up from Ohio. I just found the juxtaposition striking and amusing. The Orthodox are always a little behind current trends. Brandon Piety of XXXchurch.com will be the guest speaker at the Malone Chapel service at 10:05 a.m. Monday at the Johnson Center for Worship and... Read more

Okay, a note to all my Roman Catholic friends: Please stop sending me this news report! 🙂 Orthodox Delegate Speaks of Pope as Sign of UnitySays Tired Society Demands United Christian Voice VATICAN CITY, OCT. 12, 2008 – A representative of the Orthodox Church who addressed the world Synod of Bishops spoke of the Bishop of Rome as a sign of unity among Christians. Archimandrite Ignatios Sotiriadis, fraternal delegate from the Orthodox Church of Greece, spoke Saturday to the synod,... Read more

Following up on this story … Ending a three-day summit, the Orthodox leaders also declared their desire to advance dialogue with other Christian churches as well as the interfaith dialogue with Jews and Muslims. A declaration issued after Sunday prayers said the Orthodox churches had reaffirmed their “unswerving position and obligation to safeguard the unity of the Orthodox Church … by settling any problems that arise from time to time in relations among us with a spirit of love and... Read more