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A Virtuous Man
Read more: A Virtuous ManVirtue is not a common word in our culture. It sounds somewhat “antique.” For some, it has very little meaning, or a meaning far removed from its original. Within the Christian tradition, however, there is a very long history of the study of virtue. Until the Protestant Reformation, thoughts about what was good and what […]
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A Defining Moment
Read more: A Defining MomentWhat defines you? The answer to that question, to a large extent, is a commentary on who owns you. Frequently, discussions about major aspects of our humanity are little more than a rehearsal of scripts prepared by our owners. This makes it extremely difficult to have a fruitful conversation on many topics, and almost impossible […]
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Slow Learning
Read more: Slow LearningStay in your cell…and your cell will teach you everything. – Sayings of the Desert Fathers We are an extremely active society with something that approaches a cult of activism. Stated positively, it can be said that America is a “can do” nation. It is a drive that “settled the West,” dug the Panama Canal, […]
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History Was Not Changed
Read more: History Was Not Changed“What happened here 2,000 years ago completely changed history.” These words were spoken in earnest innocence by one of the onlookers at the recent work being done on the tomb of Christ in the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. It is a sentiment that sounds obviously true, but is profoundly untrue. The resurrection of Christ […]
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An Audience of None
Read more: An Audience of NoneIn the 1980’s sci-fi comedy, Short Circuit, a charming military robot character, “Number 5,” is awakened into consciousness by a lightning strike. He fears going back to his military keepers where he will be re-programmed. And so, with help from human friends, he begins his touching effort to stay free. His famous line, repeated often, […]
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To Sing Like a River
Read more: To Sing Like a RiverWe stood looking out at a river rushing past the rocks – a brisk morning in the North Carolina mountains, a rare setting for the Divine Liturgy. The tradition of the Church generally holds that services such as the Divine Liturgy are to be held indoors, in the Church. There are exceptions. In monasteries across […]
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A Quiet Apocalypse
Read more: A Quiet ApocalypseNoise. The sound of the world around us generally qualifies as little more than noise. Almost nothing advertises itself as unimportant or something to be attended to later. The insistent cries of everything often raise the demands for our attention to a deafening pitch. “Do this! Read this! Buy this! Remember this! Believe this!” The […]
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If There Really Were a God
Read more: If There Really Were a GodBelief is a strange thing. It rests like an idea in our mind. We can examine it, walk around it, argue it, and change it or reject it. But as an idea, belief really isn’t such a big thing. It is probably quite correct to say that most of the things we “believe” make no […]
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Interceding for Sodom – The Sins of a Nation
Read more: Interceding for Sodom – The Sins of a NationThis year, some will discuss/argue politics, and many will be lost in their anger. Whatever the outcome, the nation has reached a frightful point in its history. Many will shout and many will curse. But some few will stand before God and intercede for mercy. Will you join me and repent for America? You don’t […]
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The Slow Work of Grace
Read more: The Slow Work of GraceIn the minds of many, grace is a legal concept – an expression of the kindness of God in the forgiveness of sins. As such, grace is instant and complete. This fits well within the legal conceptions of salvation. In the classical understanding of the Orthodox faith, salvation can indeed have a quality of “suddenness” […]
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Matthew, I couldn’t agree more with your warning. The Church becoming the polis — in the Constantinian sense — has…
fixed it
It does. Thanks Mark.
The “both” is likely a typo for “bother.” Hope that clarifies the meaning, Matthew!
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Christian, Yes. Indeed. Hauerwas famously said, “The first job of the Church is to be the Church.” When we are…