copyright

Priests, pastors, and “politics”

Priests and pastors are often told that they should not become involved in politics. This is for a couple of reasons. One of them certainly is that one needs to be able to pastor to the whole congregation. If one frequently expresses political views, one is certain to eventually drive off some of the members of the congregation who will move to a community more congenial to their beliefs. But, often... [Read more]

Homosexuality and a legitimate complaint from an Orthodox believer

Two days ago I posted an answer to someone’s question on homosexuality and the Orthodox Church. I posted only one reply out of several possibilities–from the Q&A section of the OCA website–and it raised a legitimate concern from a fellow Orthodox believer. Let me quote of what s/he says below: I understand and adhere to the viewpoint of the “church” in regards to persons... [Read more]

C.S. Lewis on theosis

By now regular readers know that I am a fan of C.S. Lewis, and I was a fan of him before becoming Orthodox. In fact, I consider him one of the influences that led me to Orthodoxy, though I would not have thought of it that way before I became Orthodox. You see, it was not until I became Orthodox that I realized just how much of C.S. Lewis’  thinking reflected a more “Eastern” viewpoint,... [Read more]

Summer begins but the lakes are cold

This comic brings back memories. For several years, our family lived in Port Huron, Michigan. In fact, two of our daughters were actually born up there, and all three were baptized on Easter in 1986. For those of you who do not know, Port Huron is in the thumb area of Michigan. That means that it sticks up into Canada. In fact, Windsor, Ontario, is actually south of Port Huron, and Toronto is East... [Read more]

Old veterans and gentle wisdom

I work the midnight shift at a VA Medical Center. When I leave in the morning by the emergency room door, there are always several veterans out there, taking a break, some of them smoking and some of them wasting some time before their appointments. As I went out today, I said hello to an old black veteran leaning on the railing. Given his age, I would wager that he was a Korea veteran. He was incredibly... [Read more]

The pastor fell for want of a nail

Just yesterday I commented on how easy it is to begin with a small, maybe petty, sin that if ignored may lead to Satan winning a major battle. Little did I think that I would so quickly read an example of that. The quote below comes from a news story. In the wake of the dramatic Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound earlier this month, it was perhaps to be expected that some expansive... [Read more]

language

Osama bin Laden dead and gone

“I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.” — Mark Twain Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they... [Read more]

Wisconsin and calculating a living wage

Yesterday I commented that an answer to calculating a living (or “just”) wage is found in one of the place where people least tend to look, and that is at missionary societies who send workers overseas. Why these missionary societies? Let me speak out of personal experience as a former multi-term missionary. Missionary societies have many of the tasks of a business, while at the same time... [Read more]

home

Hmm, what are we supposed to do again?

Father Orthoduck finds it amazing how many people believe the above trite statement. They come in two varieties. One variety is the ever so naive, and usually slightly kooky, person who talks on about crystals, pyramids, and convergence. We all have friends like that. They are amusing to listen to, and we learned many years ago not to bother arguing with them as there is not a logical bone in their... [Read more]

address

Lenten attitude adjustment

A big thank you goes out to M. Thomas for posting a comment on this on her Facebook wall. Let me begin by quoting from an article in the National Catholic Register. I will only quote parts, the full post is well worth reading: I love chant. I love vaulted ceilings. I love stained glass and incense, ancient gestures and profoundly freighted silence. Beauty is more than decoration: It nourishes the... [Read more]