I have been thinking about Orthodox basics lately. My mind has roamed from liturgics through catechism through living out the Orthodox Christian life in a practical way (orthopraxy) through Holy Scripture, the Ecumenical Councils, and Holy Tradition (orthodoxy). In fact, I began to realize that my mind has not really been roaming through basics as […]
Archives for February 2011
Various trivia
I am on a trip, so let me put down some quick trivia for you. How did Dr. Watson meet Sherlock Holmes? In what city, town or village? How was Dr. Watson wounded? In what war? What knowledge did Sherlock Holmes tell Dr. Watson that he would try to forget. Why? How much did Dr. […]
Confession in song – Michael W. Smith
Yesterday I wrote about Keith Green, his humility, and his willingness to admit his sin. As the decades passed, new singers arose. But, they arose out of a context in which the Jesus People had basically disappeared, and the Charismatic Movement had become a more accepted part of the various churches. The music became much […]
Prophetic voice and confession – Keith Green
One of the things that has impressed me as I have been remembering Keith Green in a couple of the lasts posts, was the remarkable humility that the man had. You can see it in a song like, “Create In Me a Clean Heart.” The lyrics are: Create in me a clean heart Oh God, and renew […]
To Obey is better than Sacrifice – Keith Green and works
Thinking of Easter Song and the bells got me thinking about Keith Green and the songs that he sang, in general. Keith Green’s theology came out of the old Pentecostal Holiness tradition. Many forget that the early Jesus People movement was not simply reacting against what they saw as sterility in worship and/or dress, but […]
Odd coincidences and EMTALA
For a couple of days, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act has been under discussion. Sometimes odd coincidences happen that help illustrate some of the points that one is trying to make. The story below illustrates precisely the reason why EMTALA was passed with strong Republican support and the signature of President Ronald […]
The bells ringing — Annie Herring
Yesterday I commented on the ringing of Orthodox bells. But, that put me in mind of an old Jesus People song. The lyrics were written by Annie Herring of Second Chapter of Acts, but they were popularized by Keith Green. How many of you remember them, or maybe still play them at Easter time? Hear […]
Bells on the censer, Orthodox and the Jewish Temple
Every Sunday when an Orthodox believer goes to the Divine Liturgy, he/she hears plenty of bells. In many Orthodox parishes, one can hear the ringing of multiple bells as the worship begins. Though this was not done in the Antiochian parishes in which I have been involved, it is done in the OCA parish to […]
Why there are multiple steps in medicine
The video above makes one ache. A woman wanting a child is given an chemotherapy/abortifacent drug by mistake because her first and last name are almost identical to the first and last name of a nearly 60 year old woman who does need to receive the drug for legitimate non-abortion medical reasons. This video gives […]
Snow stress syndrome?
As you probably know, people in the Deep South are unaccustomed to snow. After we emigrated to the United States, I grew up in the North, so I learned how to drive in snow, dress for snow, make snowmen, wax sled runners, etc. But, I was not aware of just how unaccustomed to snow the […]
