May He Be Blessed for His Courage
In this day an age it takes courage to confront the forces that determine what is popularly acceptable. Even in ecumenical settings. Going against the grain, as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did, takes genuine courage. Fr. Siarhei Hardun of Belarus displays this very courage I’m referring to.
May he be blessed for it.
St. Theophylact On St. John the Baptist’s Garment of Camel Hair
“‘Now this John wore a garment of camel’s hair (Matthew 1:4)‘. Even by his appearance John called them to repentance, for he wore the garb of mourning. It is said that the camel is somewhere between a clean and unclean animal: it is clean in that is chews its cud, but it is unclean in that its hoof is not cloven [see Leviticus 11:1-8]. Another reason, then, that John wore camel’s hair is that he was leading to God both the Jewish people, who appeared clean, and the Gentiles, who were unclean, and he was a mediator between the Old and the New Testaments.”
– St. Theophylact, Blessed Theophylact’s explanation of The Holy Gospel of Matthew
How to Plan Our Reading
St Theophan the Recluse
“In the question of reading we should bear in mind the principal aim of our life and choose those things which accord with it. Then something will result that is integrated, coherent, and therefore strong. This solidity of knowledge and conviction will give strength also to our character as a whole.”
– St. Theophan the Recluse, The Art of Prayer: An Orthodox Anthology
Wisdom From the Philokalia
St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain
“Since the soul is more noble than the body and God incomparably more noble than the world created by Him, he who values the body more than the soul and the world created by God more than the Creator Himself is simply a worshipper of idols.”
– St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain, The Philokalia, Volume Two
Oh the Treasures That Await Us!
Blessed Theophylact
I just started going through my copy of Blessed Theophylact’s explanation of The Holy Gospel of Matthew, and I came across a true jewel of information I had to share.
After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zerubbabel; and Zerubbabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; and Azor begat sadok; and Sadok begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, Who is called Christ (Matthew 1:12.16).
“Why does he give the genealogy of Joseph and not of Mary, the Theotokos? What participation did Joseph have in that seedless birth giving? Surely Joseph was not the true father of Jesus, so that Matthew could give Christ’s genealogy through Joseph? Listen then: Joseph truly had no share in the birth of Christ; and therefore the genealogy of the Theotokos ought to have been given. But as it was not lawful to reckon ancestry through the mother, he did not give the genealogy of the Virgin. And yet, by giving the genealogy of Joseph, Matthew gave her genealogy as well. For it was the law that a woman was not to be taken as wife by a man who was of a different tribe and who was not of her father’s lineage. This being the law, it is obvious that Joseph’s genealogy includes that of the Theotokos, for she was of the same tribe and the same lineage. If she were not, she could not have been betrothed to him. So the evangelist both kept the law which forbad the reckoning of ancestry through the mother, and at the same time provided the genealogy of the Theotokos by giving the genealogy of Joseph. He calls Joseph ‘the husband of Mary’, according to the common practice. For we are accustomed to call man who is betrothed the ‘husband’ of her who is betrothed, even before the marriage has taken place.”
I’ve read expositions on Matthew, participated in Bible studies, and have heard sermons on genealogy and the relationship between the Theotokos and St. Joseph before, but I had never come across such a wonderful explanation that provided so much.
Such is the knowledge God has passed on to those who wish to look. I am so grateful for the works of the Early Church. There are so many indescribable treasures that await us! I say to God be the glory for this!
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For those who may be asking wondering who the Theotokos is, I’ll simply give you the definition of the accompanying footnote in the book:
“Theotokos” means literally “She who gave birth to God.” It is a name for Mary that the Holy Church has expressly commanded its children to use (by a decree of the Third Ecumenical Council in the year 431 A.D.). For the name expresses the most profound mystery of theology, and the awe and reverence in which Christians hold the Most Holy Virgin.
Fr. Stephen On the Truth
I was never good at lying when I was a kid, thank God. I tried it out with my mom but she saw through me like I was made of the clearest of glass. Eventually, I just gave up lying to her, and soon enough lying in general. If you’re not good at something, why continue doing it, right?
I have a huge problem with lying, as anyone close to me will tell you. This comes from watching some people lie with an ease that was absolutely frightening, as well as remembering the consequences of lies I told in the past. Through the grace of God, with my lack of tolerance for lying has come an abundance of forgiveness I enjoy offering any who ask, as I am commanded. It’s a balance I’m grateful for.
Back to the point, lying destroys. It is the antithesis of the Truth which is life for all. It is suicidal on levels most don’t bother contemplating, and which I lack the talent to write about in a way worthy of anyone reading. Nevertheless, and as usual God has come through.
This piece post by Fr. Stephen titled To Tell the Truth says some things I’ve thought about, and so much more. Please take the time to read this one. It is well worth it.
God Bless. 
A Paschal Recommendation
As we make our approach towards Holy Week and Pascha, I’d like to invite you all to join me on what has become an annual Paschal event for me; one which I have enjoyed very much each time.
There is a series of Paschal podcasts from Ancient Faith Radio by Dr. Eugenia Constantinou that I have listened to every year around this time since the first one was released in May 2008. They provide me with a context and perspective I find very helpful nearing the end of Lent, heading toward the light of our Lord’s resurrection.
To save you a bit of time, I’ve listed the links below for you:
The Trials and Crucifixion (Part 1)
The Trials and Crucifixion – (Part 2a)
The Trials and Crucifixion – (Part 2b)
The Crucifixion of Christ (Part 1)
The Crucifixion of Christ (Part 2)
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do (I started listening to them again today).
May God bless and strengthen us all for the remainder of Lent and Holy Week.
St. Mary of Egypt
“On the Fifth Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt. The feast day of Saint Mary of Egypt is April 1, however, she is also commemorated on this Sunday due to her recognition by the Church as a model of repentance…” (Read more)
Fr. Stephen On Grace and Salvation
Father Stephen, always a delight as well as a spiritually nutritious read, posted two articles regarding the Grace and Salvation of God. I highly encourage you to give them a read. I’m quite sure you will benefit from them.
In their respective order, they are Just Showing Up and the Work of Grace, and The Nature of Things and Our Salvation.
Our Image Trumps Our Race By An Eternal Margin
I’m a black, conservative, Greek Orthodox man, of African, Puerto Rican, and Cuban descent, who grew up in Harlem, and have spent nearly half my life in Europe, currently in Sweden. The positions I’ve taken politically have caused more than a few folks, consciously or unconsciously, to remain “inside the box” in wondering how I could possibly take those positions. On more than one occasion I’ve been called a few things, as well as being accused of not “keeping it real”. Those stung in the past, but I’m old enough and have seen enough to know better now. However, there is one thing some folks say that still causes me to pause in wonder in amazement. That is, “Don’t forget who you are.” This is usually meant in correction to remind me that I’m a black-American and I should never forget that.
St. Moses the Black
I don’t react this way with everyone who says this. It’s when folks who I know to be church-going and who claim Christ as their Savior say this that causes me much puzzlement. I wonder how seriously they take their own words. Saying it in the correcting way I described above leads me to believe they miss the larger picture of the claims of Christianity. Something I think no Christian should ever forget.
Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion
In Genesis 1:26 (MKJV) it is written “And God said, let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth.” That verse is so loaded with more than I’m capable of taking apart, that I must quickly point out my lack of theological credentials. That being the case, I’ll rely on the help of one of the best theologians ever, St. John Chrysostom:
For He said, “Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness.” What is the sense of this, “after our image, and after our likeness?” The image of government is that which is meant; and as there is no one in heaven superior to God, so let there be none upon earth superior to man. This then is one, and the first respect, in which He did him honor; by making him after His own image; and secondly, by providing us with this principality, not as a payment for services, but making it entirely the gift of His own love toward man; and thirdly, in that He conferred it upon us as a thing of nature. For of governments there are some natural, and others which are elective;—natural as of the lion over the quadrupeds, or as that of the eagle over the birds; elective, as that of an Emperor over us; for he doth not reign over his fellow-servants by any natural authority. Therefore it is that he oftentimes loses his sovereignty. For such are things which are not naturally inherent they readily admit of change and transposition. But not so with the lion; he rules by nature over the quadrupeds, as the eagle doth over birds. The character of sovereignty is, therefore, constantly allotted to his race; and no lion hath ever been seen deprived of it. Such a kind of sovereignty God bestowed upon us from the beginning, and set us over all things. And not only in this respect did He confer honor upon our nature, but also, by the very eminence of the spot in which we were placed, fixing upon Paradise as our choice dwelling, and bestowing the gift of reason, and an immortal soul.
As you can see, there is absolutely nothing I can add to the description given by this blessed father of the Church. One cannot read what he wrote without coming away seeing the crown man wears on earth despite his sinful state (so much does God loves us!). And no where in that verse is race addressed, nor does it need to be. The history of man is replete with greatness, accomplishments most never could have imagined. And these great accomplishments have not been hindered by any continental borders, much less skin tone.
Christ the Panto Crator
We do great things because we are made in the image of the Greatest. We are made in the image God. A God Who defies being described by color, but rejoices in creating His crown jewel (for lack of a better term) of earth in many shades, shapes, and sizes. A God who has made it possible for an African-American/Cuban/Puerto Rican Harlemite living in Sweden to borrow the words of a Syrian father of the Church to try and remind whomever may listen that we are much more than race. THIS is where and Who we all come from. We are made in the image of the Living God.
May we all never forget this.
Acquiring An Ear That Can Hear the Voice of God
“… If, after all this, you ask, ‘How can I acquire an ear that can hear the voice of God?’ I would answer, ‘Prepare yourself first to receive His demands and requests and directions and be ready in your heart to carry them out, no matter what the cost. Immediately you will have an ear that hears the voice of Almighty God!’ ‘Morning by morning He wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious’ (Isaiah 50:4, 5).”
– Matthew the Poor
Oh the difficulty of these words..!
Give us strength, oh God.
The Aged Sacrament of the Faith That Does Not Think
From God and Man by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (aka Metropolitian Anthony Bloom), published by Darton, Longman, Todd, 2004 edition, pgs 45-47 :
…concerning faith, one preliminary remark. Faith is very often understood by people as a defeat of intelligence. In other words, faith begins when I can no longer think creatively when I let go of any attempt at rational understanding, and when I say ‘I believe’ because it is so absurd that it is the only way of facing the problem. This may be an act of credulity, it may be an act of cowardice, it may be a preliminary act, full of wisdom and intelligence, that teaches us not to draw conclusions or to come to conclusions before we have understood. But this is not faith as understood by the great men of all religions, and particularly the Christian faith. In the Epistle to the Hebrews in the eleventh chapter faith is defined as ‘certainty of things unseen’. We usually lay the stress on ‘things unseen’ and forget the ‘certainty’ about them. So when we think of faith we usually think of the invisible and instead of certainty put against it an interrogation mark. Then to solve the problem we accept in a childish way, in an unintelligent way very often, what we are told by others – usually our grandparents of three generations back or whoever else we choose to believe for reasons that are not always reasonable. But if you try to see the way in which faith originates in those people who were the great men of faith, the heroes of faith, you can see that it always originates in an experience that makes the invisible certain, and which allows them, having discovered that the invisible is as real as the visible, to go further in searching the invisible by methods of their own.
There is a passage for instance, in the works of Macarius of Egypt, a man who lived in the fourth century. He says ‘The experience of God, the vision of the world in God, is something which can happen only at a moment when all our thoughts, all emotions, are arrested to such a degree that we can no longer both be within the experience, perceive the things, and step out of the experience, watch ourselves and analyse what is going on. The moment when an experience is “lived” is a moment when we cannot observe it.’ And he says that this would be quite sufficient for someone who has had an experience of God. He would not wish to go back to another stage. But he also says, ‘God has concern not only for those who have this experience, but also for the people who haven’t got it; that someone should come to them as a witness of things unseen, and yet experienced, real, and he steps back away from them.’ At that moment begins, as he says, the realm of faith. The certitude remains even though the experience is already of the past; the certainty is there because what has happened to him is as certain as anything around him, is tangible, visible, perceived by the senses, so that the moment of faith begins as a result of a first contact with the invisible, discovered, disclosed somehow.
That means that we must be very severe and sober when we speak of our faith, for we often say ‘I believe this and that’ when we have taken it from someone else that it is true – we don’t care to investigate it in depth, and as long as this truth or illusory truth is not destroyed or broken down, then we take it for granted. This is a bad faith; this is what one of our Russian theologians called ‘the aged sacrament of the faith that does not think’.
Very much worth pondering.
Orthodoxy and the Future
“We do not oppose the future in embracing the Tradition we have received. We embrace the future that is coming in Truth, rather than the false utopias of modern man’s imagination.”
– Fr. Stephen Freeman
There Is Civility Out There
It should be common knowledge by now that treading into the “Comments” section on blogs can be dangerous. I’ve experienced this first-hand. So bad, in fact, were some folks that I dared not return. However, there are moments of civility out there.
I frequent a blog called OrthodoxNet.com Blog. It’s one of my favorites that I visit several times a day. A recent topic of discussion was the Freedom of Choice Act. As you can imagine, things got a bit heated. However, towards the end cooler heads seemed to prevail. A fine example of this would be the follow post:
Walis writes: ” . . . . if your implication is that morality is therefore a mere function of perception, then we really have nothing to discuss.”
In that context I don’t agree with the word “mere.” As a matter of fact people’s understanding of morality changes over time. I think this is obvious. The interesting thing is how that happens. In my observation and experience, a change for the better rarely happens through harsh, combative words. It happens through a positive message, the presentation of a transcendent moral message, an encouragement to be a better person.
Walis: “Incidentally, I don’t think the passage you refer to from Matthew 19 indicates that children were seen as disposable. A nuisance maybe, but disposable? Even the much maligned disciples weren’t so crass.”
A few years ago I read a commentary on the gospels in which the author discussed that story. What he did was to interpret the story in the light of what is known about the culture of that time and place. (I have the book somewhere, but couldn’t locate it; apologies for not providing a reference.)
Perhaps the word “disposable” is too strong. Maybe “unworthy of consideration” would be more accurate. My point was that how the disciples (and the people of that time in general) responded to those children is very different from how we would respond to them today, at least in our country.
Harlemite writes: “It doesn’t seem as though he’s opposing you, just that his strategy differs. If you step back and take a look you’ll see that you’re singing from the same sheet of music, just in a different key.”
What I’m trying to do is to look at what works vs. what doesn’t work. If people want to accuse “liberals” and others of murder and say that they are part of the “culture of death,” what I would ask is this: how’s that working for you? Are you actually reaching people with that kind of rhetoric, with respect to abortion and other issues? As I mentioned before, even according to the polls done by Christians, more people are abandoning church, and the fastest-growing “church” is the church of the unchurched. Young people, both Christian and otherwise increasingly see Christianity in negative terms. As far as I can tell it’s not working.
As Walis said “I’m sure that folks aren’t concerned about whales, third-world suffering, and eating meat simply because it’s the thing to do these days, but because deep down it seems right as opposed to wrong. And Christianity provides a reason, first of all that something can be right or wrong and, second, a reason why.”
And so the issue is how that message is communicated and how you can build upon and expand the moral sensibility that people already have.
The writer made some excellent points, and exemplified, at least to me, a willingness to honestly give ground when necessary to further the discussion. So it should be. Especially when trying to tackle the tougher issues of our day.
As a follower of Christ, my goal is to become one always displaying such behavior. I’m not always successful, and I’ll be the first to admit to letting my emotions get the best of me on occasion. However, examples like the one above are just the kind of reminders a sinner like myself needs to keep me, or get me back on track.
God bless.
May God Grant Him Many Years
To God be the glory! May God grant Metropolitan Jonah many years!!!
AXIOS!
What’s Going On With Richard Dawkins?
What’s going on with Richard Dawkins? Can it be that even he is giving a little bit of ground?
Read for yourself.
Fear of the Unknown
The title of this post seems rather ominous and almost out of place on an Orthodox blog site. Nevertheless, fear is real, and I’m not necessarily referring to the sort of fear one encounters in a horror film, or while being mugged. In both of these instances you pretty much know what’s causing your fear. I’m talking genuine fear of the unknown.
When I was in the third grade I won the class spelling bee. This meant that I was supposed to go on and compete against the other third grade classes in school, on stage in front of everyone. That was the first — and last, now that I think about it — time I suffered from stage fright. I had no previous experience that gave me good reason to not want to go on stage. In fact, I had no idea at all what it would be like. Nevertheless, I chickened out, and the person from my class who took second place went in my stead. The person didn’t do too well, and my class was none too pleased with me. I regretted it immediately. I’m pretty sure that moment helped shape me into who I am today; someone more willing to confront the fear instead of running from it, and always willing to speak publicly if called upon. That experience also allows me to recognize that same type of fear when I see others confronted with Orthodoxy.
I’ve had more than my fair share of clumsy attempts trying to explain what Orthodoxy is. For all of you who are Orthodox, you know that’s like trying to place the ocean in a bucket (if you would allow me to borrow, dear St. Augustine). Orthodoxy, for me, can best be explained as “the fullness of the Christian faith”. That’s it. Bingo. Spot-on. Can’t capture it any better. Nevertheless, regardless of how true this phrase may be, it’s pretty much impossible to use without giving off an air of “my faith is better than yours” or at least being perceived as doing such. Then one is stuck trying to give historical example after historical example of why the Early Church did what it did, while reminding folks that the Early Church was, in fact, one Church. A lot of my Protestant friends have a hard time looking at the Church through anything other than the glasses their own culture gave them. It is during these times I have to remember that I wasn’t very different before I converted to Orthodoxy.
I’m part of a young adults Bible study that’s ecumenical in its format. In fact, I’m the only Orthodox member of the group. I want to say from the beginning that this group is comprised of some people that I would categorize as unabashedly gung ho for Jesus, and love Him very, very much. Their knowledge of the Bible is impressive, and something I wish more European Orthodox would pursue. We were recently having a comparative look at the Old Testament canons of the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Bibles. I was mentioning that we in Orthodoxy had a larger number of books in our canon of Old Testament (the Septuagint. Click here for the list) that we consider Scripture. I also mentioned that the Old Testament apocrypha should not be confused with the New Testament apocryphal books that are often mentioned (think Dan Brown “Da Vinci Code”-type hidden gospels), when a member of the group said that they hoped we wouldn’t be reading from any of those “extra” books in the Old Testament. I hadn’t planned on doing anything like that at all, but couldn’t help but ask “Why not?” The response was a cross between they didn’t consider them Scripture (because of their church’s tradition) and they simply didn’t want to. It was like they were afraid they would be possessed at the very reading of them. The expression on the person’s face, and the tone of voice they used reminded me very much of someone I was very familiar with: me in the third grade. The person had never read any of the books before, or at least ever admitted reading them, yet they seemed fearfully bent on avoiding reading them at all costs. The fact that Orthodoxy has been around since Christ and the Apostles didn’t seem to matter, nor did it matter that the Orthodox canon of Old Testament Scripture I was referring to is the very one that Christ and His Apostles quote in the New Testament. Then that hard, honest side of me kicked in. It was one thing to have someone who follows Christ fear of the unknown, but it was another thing altogether knowing some of my atheist friends would show more willingness to hear about the entire Old Testament canon of Orthodoxy than some Protestants I know. That was both sobering and personally jarring.
I have no happy ending or clever comeback I gave to write about. If anything I’ll close with an admission of realization. As much as I want the world to know about Orthodoxy, I realize I must be prepared for rejection not only from non-believers, but believers of other traditions inside Christianity as well. Such a thing must’ve been exactly what Sts Irenaeus and Tertullian wanted to avoid, and why they fought heresies with as much vigor as they did. I say, “Lesson learned”. I will walk more gingerly in this area. Indeed I must.
God Bless.
Do You Know Someone Like This?
“You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”
( Surprised by Joy , by C.S. Lewis)
Those of you familiar with the writings of C.S. Lewis understand what a gifted writer he was. There are many gifted writers in all genres of literature, but his gift was astounding. How he used words to convey meaning was beautiful. Plain and simple, he is a joy to read.
The quote of his above is one that I remember reading not so much for how wonderfully it is written — and it is — but for how well it would describe the struggle of some I know in their fight against belief in God. While the second half of the quote is not yet applicable to their situations, I hope and pray they eventually give in to His “unrelenting approach”.
I cannot help but wonder how many of them take the time to read C.S. Lewis’ works like “Mere Christianity”, “Miracles”, and “Surprised by Joy” (just for starters). I would dare say not many.
I cannot help but wonder how many of them take the time to read C.S. Lewis’ works like “Mere Christianity”, “Miracles”, and “Surprised by Joy” (just for starters). That alone is worth a prayer.
God Bless.
Refreshing Thoughts On Creation
It’s always nice to read something that’s written well. I believe, more often than not, we write well without really intending to do so. I think this may be because this sort of writing comes from a deeper place than where our everyday focus tends to access. This is my amateur opinion, of course, but I sincerely believe it.
That said, I found this post about creation by Father Stephen (on his Glory to God blog site) to be such a piece of writing. I’ve read more of Fr. Stephen’s posts than I can remember, and I enjoy them all, but every now and again I read something of his that makes me suspect he’s hit his spiritual stride, so to speak.
In our modern day where there are battles of “world views”, and folks bandying about the meaning of creation and what it is, I found reading this to be like coming across a cool stream while on an arduous hike. This may or may not be the case for you; nevertheless, I strongly recommend it.
God Bless.
Orthodox England on the ‘net
It’s been too long since I’ve posted something here; however, this is because of my being busy with our little 6 month-old Valentina than anything else. Thanks be to God, I am still able to make time for a bit of reading or internet surfing for nice Orthodox finds every now and again (usually when early in the mornings, of course).
I came across a nice site this morning while doing a bit of research for good resources explaining Orthodox Church conduct. The site is called Orthodox England on the ‘net. It was quite a find and well worth a visit. I especially love coming across well kept Orthodox sites in Western Europe because, in my humble opinion, Western Europe needs more Orthodoxy. So, please keep the Orthodox Church in Western Europe in your prayers.
Pay the site a visit for yourself and see what you think.
God bless.
Well Worth Reading
As usual, Fr. Stephen has posted something on his Glory to God for All Things blog site that is well worth reading. As someone whose grew up hearing his mom say, “If you’re gonna half do it, then don’t do it at all,” I found this entry particularly near and dear to my heart. What makes it even better is the subject he writes about.
My brothers and sisters, I cannot tell you enough how fortunate we are to have folks like Fr. Stephen and others out there. Let us keep them all lifted in prayer as well the rest of the Church.
May God continue to bless us all.
Review of Anthony Flew’s “There Is A God: How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind”
I must say that I did rather well following up David Berlinski’s “The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and Its Pretensions” with what I just read. It is a combination I would recommend to anyone suspicious of the current popularity of the “new” atheism.
After reading Anthony Flew’s book, “There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind“, I can only imagine what atheists must be saying behind closed doors. His 50 years of experience comes shining through from the very beginning. Most impressive to me was Mr. Flew’s insistence on following where the evidence leads. I have heard this said by others before only to be a bit disappointed in the end. Regardless of what side I found myself on, they eventually ended up leaning some direction more than they probably intended. Such was not the case for Mr. Flew. An fine example of this can be found in the preface, where he dares to take on what was then a force, Logical Positivism, wanting the argument of theists to be more developed. This did not turn him towards theism then (it would take recent discoveries in both cosmological and DNA research to help him along here), but it demonstrated how true to his word he was.
Also both refreshing and clarifying was Chapter 5, “Who Wrote the Laws of Nature?”, where Flew addresses Einstein’s position on God. I will not dare ruin such a fascinating chapter, but I will leave a teaser in saying that Einstein was by no means an atheist or a pantheist and said so himself.
I have to point out I found Appendix A, “The ‘New Atheism’: A Critical Appraisal of Dawkins, Dennett, Wolpert, Harris, and Stenger” by Roy Abraham Varghese (who also wrote the Preface) to be an impressive and satisfying response to the current wave of “new” atheists. Why such a critique does not get more coverage in the mainstream media is disappointing, but not at all surprising nowadays. Nonetheless, after reading this portion of Varghese’s Appendix A I have no problem understanding why the tide is turning:
“Numerous major works of theism in the analytic tradition have since been written by Richard Swinburne, Alvin Plantinga, Peter Geach, William P. Alston, George Mavrodes, Norman Kretzmann, James F. Ross, Peter Van Inwagen, Eleonore Stump, Brian Leftow, John Haldane, and many others over the last three decades. Not a few of these address issues such as the meaningfulness of assertions about God, the logical coherence of the divine attributes, and the question of whether belief in God is properly basic — precisely the issues raised by Flew in the discussion he sought to stimulate. The turn toward theism was highlighted in a Time magazine cover story in April 1980: ‘In a quiet revolution in though and argument that hardly anyone would have foreseen only two decades ago, God is making a comeback. Most intriguingly this is happening … in the crisp intellectual circles of academic philosophers.’”
Because of the work of folks mentioned above, as well as Anthony Flew, of course, the tide in the upper levels of philosophical academia has been turning toward the theist. After reading Anthony Flew’s “There Is A God”, you will understand why this is the case.
Orthodox Bishops Statement on Same-Sex Unions: Moral Crisis in our Nation
Click here.
May the bishops be blessed after making such a difficult decision.
Biting Off More Than We Can Chew
“In the beginning God made heaven and earth” (Genesis 1:1).
That verse contains so much for some and so little for others. For folks like myself, it explains how everything began. It is even more significant for us Orthodox reciters of the Nicene Creed that reads at its beginning:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe God made it all.
That one verse in Genesis sends my mind reeling into places that I can remain for long parts of many days. It causes me to think of an eternal God, two words that give me a glimpse of a horizon over which there is Something I have no real idea about nor the capability to fully understand. What is eternity? Who can honestly tell me they fully understand that which has always been and shall be? I do not dare begin to think I can comprehend it. And yet somehow something in me gets the gist of what eternity is. I can say it to you in a conversation and you will not only understand the definition of the word, but you will understand how that word allows us to transcend, if ever so minutely, where we are in the present.
Then there is God. He is the I Am. He is not like me nor is he like the most magnificent thing I could imagine imagining. What He is only He can be. Nevertheless, something in me can comprehend that Something that is way beyond who I am. Wonderfully, and mercifully through His grace, I can easily see the greatness of me and every other human being on the planet compared to any other living creature. Even in a withered and frail form a man can be great (e.g. Stephen Hawking, Franklin D. Roosevelt). Not so in the animal kingdom. Therefore it is quite easy for me to see that I am made in the image of God. The eternal God who is the cause of there being a beginning at all.
Then there are some to whom that glorious verse means little or nothing at all. They want more they say. Or so they think. They want the full story of how it all came to be. They want scientific explanations for they whys of life. It causes me to wonder whether or not they understand what they are asking. Do they realize that Almighty God condescends to speak to us through the limits of scientific explanation, much less whatever audible language we speak? God has spoken to us throughout all of creation in a language we seemingly ignore. Read the latest research regarding the design of our universe, its exactness, its intricacy, how it all must be exactly where it is. Look at the earth, its location in our universe, how it happens to be in the best spot in the universe for us humans to study our universe and what is outside of it. Look at the earth itself and how its seasons come and go, along with the tides, and crops, and generation after generation of all that is. Then delve into the microscopic world and see how the detail persists even down to that level. I’m sure either direction you choose to go in you can spend the rest of your life exploring, and you will never be able to say I’ve figured it all out. God cannot be accused of lacking in language. We lack in our ability to listen. We want to listen our way.
My fear is the answers will come for those who ask for more details, but in a fashion similar to chapters 38-41 of the book of Job. If such is the case then may God have mercy.
As I wrote earlier, I believe God made it all. To ask Him for details in an explanation of our choosing is biting off more than we can chew. It is best that we ask for what we can stand. For the Einsteins and Hawkings this will be much in our eyes. For others it will be less. In either case, we need to humbly remember Who it is we ask.
