Glory to God for All Things

What Would You Do?

Posted on 3/5/2013 in Conversion, Mystical Theology, Orthodox Christianity, Personhood with 37 Comments

“To the extent that man does not use his freedom, he is not himself. In order to emerge from that indeterminate state, he must utilize his freedom in order to know and be known as himself.” – Fr. Dimitru Staniloae A popular bumper-sticker-level spirituality swept the pop-culture scene several years back asking, “What would Jesus do?” It’s not the first … Continue reading →

An Unnecessary Existence

Posted on 2/8/2013 in Dostoevsky, Existence, Forgiveness, Orthodox Christianity, Personhood, Thankfulness with 92 Comments

In Dostoevsky’s The Demons, the character, Kirillov, is insanely fascinated with freedom. He cannot bear the fact that he did not choose his own existence. Life is a “given.” In what must be seen as a parable of the radical thought of the 19th century, Kirillov determines to kill himself, the only act of true freedom he can take. His … Continue reading →

Is This All There Is?

Posted on 2/2/2013 in Existence, Orthodox Christianity, Personhood with 80 Comments

It all depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is. - President Bill Clinton Surely there are some things about which everyone can agree – or not. Either something exists or it doesn’t. Or is there more to the story? In the thought of the Fathers, existence has a number of qualities. That we exist at all is the … Continue reading →

In the Secret Place

Posted on 1/11/2013 in Knowledge of God, Orthodox Christianity, Personhood with 11 Comments

Following up on the previous article’s discussion of shame and envy – I offer this reprint of an early piece which looks at the right role of the “secret” and “hidden” things of the liturgy. Of all the places and spaces to which we should attend – this article names the most important. I suspect that our failure to recognize … Continue reading →

The Mystery of Christ’s Baptism

Posted on 1/4/2013 in Allegory, Icons, Interpretation, Orthodox Christianity, Pascha, Personhood, The Sacraments with 14 Comments

This week, the Church moves from the feast of Christmas to the feast of Theophany - the celebration of the Baptism of Christ. The intent of this feast is not to celebrate a succession of historical events (the Baptism of Christ is at least 30 years later than His birth). Rather this feast takes us into the depths of the mystery of Christ and … Continue reading →

Read “Everywhere Present”

Have you ever referred to God as “the Man upstairs”? Most Christians living in a secular society have unwittingly relegated God and all things spiritual to the “second storey” of the universe: Read More...
Christianity in a One-Storey Universe