A Remarkable and Sobering Observation

The following quote came from the comments section of a blog I read, written by an author of sci-fi and a devout Catholic. 

Otherwise, another great essay. I was struck by your point that the young SF/F reader is far more detached than we were (I was born in the same year as you) from the history of the genre, going back well over a century even before you look at the deep roots that go back over millennium. They have been carefully trained either not to realize this fact or to regard it as no loss. Their imaginative pallets are therefore inevitably impoverished.

Comment by Andrew Brew, on http://www.scifiwright.com/2015/10/my-elves-are-different-or-erlkoenig-and-appendix-n/

Wow. Just wow. Detached from the history of a thing they claim to embrace, and either don't know or don't care that there's so much more to be experienced. That is a heart-achingly sad idea, but I have no doubt that the commenter is correct. And not just about science fiction & fantasy. 

I see this as equally true about modern American Christianity. So does Rod Dreher, writer for (among other things) The American Conservative. In an article entitled  Moralistic Therapeutic Deism and the Failure of Church Leadership  Dreher writes:

"I was around not long ago when [this] teenager was talking about how bored he was with church, and thought, yep, this kid is going to walk away from church when he’s a senior, or when he goes to college, and is going to think he has figured Christianity out, and it’s boring and stupid, when in fact she was barely even introduced to real Christianity."

 And that should make you weep.
 

Western Civilization and Prosperity

Continuing on with my recent theme about Western Civilization, here's a TED Talk on the question of why the West has been so very good at creating prosperity, in comparison to the rest of the world. It's not geography, it's not even culture exactly.

Ferguson lists six factors which exist in the West more than elsewhere that contribute to prosperity:

Christmas and Symbolsim

“Yet at this point let us ask a few questions. Are these “symbols” merely “symbolic”? Or is their failure perhaps to be explained precisely by the symbolic value attached to them by Christian s themselves, who ceased to understand their true nature? And did they not cease to understand this nature because at one time (it would take too long to elaborate on this here) Christians came to think that "religion" has nothing to do with time, is in fact salvation from time? Before we gain the right to dispose of the old "symbols" we must understand that the real tragedy of Christianity is not is "compromise" with the world and progressive "materialism" but on the contrary it "spiritualization" and transformation into “religion”. And "religion" as we know already has thus come to mean a world of pure spirituality, a concentration of attention on matters pertaining to the "soul". 

Christians were tempted to reject time altogether and replace it with mysticism and "spiritual" pursuits, to live as Christians out of time an thereby escape its frustration; to insist that time has no real meaning from the point of view of the Kingdom which is “beyond time”. And they finally succeeded. They left time meaningless indeed, although full of Christian "symbols", and today they themselves do not know what to do with these symbols. For it is impossible to “put Christ back in Christmas” if He has not redeemed-that is, made meaningful-time itself.”

Fr. Alexander Schmemman, For the Life of the World pp 48-49

Merry Christmas from Deep in the Stacks!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.
 

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.

Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech.  

For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works. 
What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend. 

Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt.
Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature. 

For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker. 

What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness. 

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me. 

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been ¡in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels. 

Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant¢s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen.

St. John Chrysostom, “Homily on Christmas Morning”

For Holy Week - Wisdom from the Fathers: St John Cassian

Saint John Cassian, 
From the Conferences, Conference 1, part 7

“Everything we do, our every objective, must be undertaken for the sake of this purity of heart. This is why we take on loneliness, fasting, vigils, work, nakedness. For this we must practice the reading of the Scripture, together with all the other virtuous activities, and we do so to trap and to hold our hearts free of the harm of every dangerous passion and in order to ruse step by step to the high point of love.

It may be that some good and necessary task prevents us from achieving fully all that we set out to do. Let us not on this account give way to sadness or anger or indignation, since it was precisely to repel these that we would have done what in fact we were compelled to omit. What we gain from fasting does not compensate for what we lose through anger. Our profit from scriptural reading in no way equals the damage we cause ourselves by showing contempt for a brother. We must practice fasting, vigils, withdrawal, and the meditation of Scripture as activities which are subordinate to our main objective, purity of heart, that is to say , love, and we must never disturb this principal virtue for the sake of those others. If this virtue remains whole and unharmed within us nothing can injure us, not even if we are forced to omit any of those other subordinate virtues. Nor will it be of any use to have practiced all these latter if there is missing in us that principal objective for the sake of which all else is subordinate.”

page image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cassianus.jpg

Update on Frederica Bio-pic

I recently got an announcement from Frederica regarding a change of plans with the documentary. As follows:

Big changes with the documentary! It's no longer just a 30-min film about me. There are people in Hollywood who think it could be a feature film, and expanded to include other folks who break the conservative mold.

So the Kickstarter campaign is being suspended temporarily, while we work out new plans. If you've contributed, thank you and "hold that thought."

Here's the update from John Gleason, the filmmaker; click this link to stay in the loop.

<<Dear friends,
Thank you so much for your support of our film! What has started as a small documentary is quickly evolving into a much larger project. The film has recently gained the attention of several people in Hollywood who want to see this become a feature film seen in theaters and film festivals across the country. We are happy to announce that actress Shawnee Smith and others have joined our team of producers and will be instrumental in making this a reality.
We have decided to postpone this Kickstarter campaign in order to accommodate further planning in light of these recent changes. But we still need your help! As we work on version 2.0 of this project we would like to update you on our progress, and a revised crowdfunding campaign that should be up in a month or two.

All the best,
John>>

the original post is here. 

The Religious Landscape in My Traveller Universe

Continuing from my previous post Orthodoxy and Traveller:
In My Traveller Universe (IMTU) there is the Orthodox Catholic Church, as well as:

• Islam
• Buddhism
• Scientific Materialism
• Nativist/Animist religions
• Personality cults
• schismatic/heretical christian churches 

 As this is my universe, and as I am an Orthodox Christian, I am paying the most attention to the place of the Church in the far future. The Church is now governed by the Seven Patriarchates which are (all named for Earth cities):

• Rome (still holds the historic primacy of honor)
• Constantinople
• Moscow
• Jerusalem
• Antioch
• Alexandria
• Philadelphia

     In Orthodox ecclesiology, there are Patriarchs over the broadest regions, Metropolitans who report to them and administer smaller areas, and Bishops who report to them and preside over local areas. The parish priests report to the local bishop.
     All of the Patriarchs are first, the bishops of their cities. Secondly, they have administrative jurisdictions, with the bishops serving under them acting in their name. But in terms of ecclesiastical authority, all bishops are EQUAL. No bishop has the right in himself to determine doctrine, or to reprove another bishop. If a bishop must be reprimanded or corrected, a group of his brother bishops will be convened, usually by the offending bishop's Metropolitan. If a Patriarch must be corrected (and this has happened, we do not try to deny it) then his brother Patriarchs must come together to correct their fellow, and return him to the Orthodox way.
      The jurisdictions in my Traveller Universe overlap, as they always have. The more religiously neutral or tolerant the planet is, the more likely it is that there will be multiple jurisdictions. When the planet is intolerant or hostile, there will be more unity as the congregations work together for mutual support. Also, intolerant worlds are less open to evangelism from multiple jurisdictions. Persecution continues to happen to the Church in all locations, just as it always has; just on some worlds it is more systematic and severe.

Tolerance
     Someone once described the Church's condition as being one of two things: toleration or persecution. As on Earth the Church has been variously accepted & rejected by the cultures of the nations, so it will likely continue to be in the Far Future. How much that comes into play depends, of course, on the piety of the PCs. So where does the Church find the most and least acceptance?
     The Talaveran Empire officially recognizes the Church. The Patriarch of Moscow has his see on Talavera.
     The United Planets recognizes the Church, but maintains Separation of Church and State. The Patriarch of Philadelphia has his see on New Maryland.
Other tolerant states are:

• Five Worlds League (See of Jerusalem)
• Thrainian Confederation (See of Constantinople)
• Ostrander Federation
• Solaris Alliance (See of Rome)
• Stedhard Alliance
• Alliance of Dormarc
• Kingdom of Onaji
• Kingdom of Glauden
• Helmuth Association
• Mercador Compact 

      The Union of Socialist Worlds is officially atheistic, and supports Scientific Materialism. The Church is tightly controlled, and faces systematic persecution. 

Less tolerant or intolerant states include:

• Correllian League
• Kassiran Defense League
• Lycosky Trade Protectorate
• House of Dirata
• Litton Confederation (See of Alexandria)
• Kamarov Republic
• Patrian Concordiat
• Dothan Alliance (See of Antioch)
• Republic of Tamarkand

The Independent planets are all over the board. I keep track of this in my Religion Index (explained in the previous post).

Liturgy
Parishes under all seven patriarchates are just as likely to celebrate the Gregorian Rite as the Chrysostom (Byzantine) Rite.

Activities

• monasteries
• evangelism
• disaster relief
• social services
• aiding displaced or stateless persons
• raising money for righteous causes
• advocating for peace, and for the release of captives

      These are the points at which many PCs will interact with the Church – a local priest or abbot may ask for help in advancing one of these endeavors. The Church will usually not offer cash, and will almost certainly ask that anyone acting on the Church's behalf not employ violence, especially not deadly force.  Monasteries can be encountered anywhere, whether approved by the local government or not. Often times, they will be situated on the less hospitable spots in a star system. As I have mentioned before, many starports will have priests or monks assigned to them, to serve the spiritual needs of Travellers. Parishes may be permitted to grant Sanctuary to persons who seek refuge in the Church.

Frederica: The Life and Work of Frederica Mathewes-Green

Khouria Frederica Mathewes-Green

 
I have known this lady for several years; she and her husband are friends with our priest & his wife, and she has spoken at our parish several times. She writes for Beliefnet, Christianity Today, NPR's All Things Considered, National Review, Books & Culture, Touchstone as well as many newspapers. She has written 9 books, and has been interviewed on all the major news networks. Recently, she sent out this message via email, and I'm sharing it here:

OK, this is going to sound weird, but back around Thanksgiving a young filmmaker in Los Angeles wrote and asked if I would be interested in being the subject of a documentary. He thought my conversion to Christ, and change of heart on the abortion issue, might be inspiring to others. His name is John Gleason, and he's with the film production company Movie to Movement, which produced "Bella" a few years ago--I liked it a lot.So we did some filming in NY and he made a trailer--you can see it here:
Kickstarter:Frederica documentary

and also shot some footage last week at the March for Life and St. Vladimir's Seminary. He plans to film me this weekend at Biola Univ in LA, and at other speaking events over the coming months.

Click on through to see the trailer, and maybe you'll think about making a donation too? 

Frederica Mathewes-Green www.frederica.com

 

St. Emmelia Homeschooling Conference

Announcing the 2014 St. Emmelia Homeschooling Conference

Also speaking at the Conference is Andrew Kern, teacher and author of The Lost Tools of Writing, from the Circe Institute, which supports classical Christian Education. 

More information is available at the Antiochian Village website.

Wisdom from the Fathers - St Gregory the Great

Concerning the power to work miracles

 
Pope St Gregory the Great, writing in a letter to St Augustine of Canterbury,
as recorded by St Bede the Venerable in the Ecclesiastical History of the English People

   "Finally, dearest brother, in all your outward actions, which by God's help you perform, always strictly examine your inner dispositions. Clearly understand your own character and how much grace is in this nation for whose conversion God has given you the power to work miracles.  And if you remember that you have ever offended our Creator by word or action, let the memory of your sin crush any temptation to pride that may arise in your hear, and bear in mind that whatever powers to perform miracles you have received or shall receive from God are entrusted to you solely for the salvation of your people."

     Gregory reminded Augustine not to boast of his achievements, noting that when the Apostles returned to Christ saying "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us, through thy Name" Jesus chided them "In this rejoice not, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven". Don't lose sight of the eternal even for good things in the temporal.
In our own age, so-called 'celebrity pastors' and those who are devoted to them would do well to heed the words of St Gregory, who signed the letter above quoted, and all of his letters "Gregory, servant of the servants of God." 
 
Bede's Ecclesiastical History can be found here and here.

On Biblical Interpretation

One day some of the brethren came to see Abba Antony,[St Antony the Great, the father of Christian monasticism] and among them was Abba Joseph. Wishing to test them, the old man mentioned a text from Scripture, and starting with the youngest he asked them what it meant. Each explained it as best he could. But to each one the old man said "You have not yet found the answer". Last of all he said to Abba Joseph, "And what do you think the text means?"
He replied, "I do not know".
Then Abba Antony said, "Truly, Abba Joseph has found the way, for he said: "I do not know".

From The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

   I take Abba Antony's point to be that the starting place for understanding the Scriptures is understanding our own limitations and ignorance. Without proper humility, we will not 'find the way' to a right understanding of Scripture, as our pride will lead us instead to interpretations that make us feel clever, or give us license to do the things we want to do.

   Pope Francis, the current Bishop of Rome, in a recent interview, spoke of the necessity of doubt and uncertainty to our faith, because it leads us to humility. He says, "If one has the answers to all the questions—that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself." Read an article discussing the Pope's words here:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/philosophicalfragments/2013/10/08/mistaking-gods-will-for-our-own/

   While Pope Francis was not speaking specifically about Biblical interpretation, I think that what he says certainly applies. Many Christians in the West, under the influence of the Reformation dogma of Sola Scriptura turn to the Bible as a sort of substitute prophet; starting with an idea or intention of their own, they comb through the Bible and pull verses out of context to build support for that idea or intention. The same tradition that concocted Sola Scriptura also invented the idea that each believer is capable of correctly interpreting the Scriptures on their own. The result is obvious and all around us - disagreement, division and individualized faith are the hallmarks of American Christianity. This is the result of our insistence upon individual autonomy. We assume that we know, or can deduce using logic and reason, the mind of God.
   This stands in contradiction to the Orthodox understanding of the Scriptures and their interpretation. The Church as a whole (body) interprets the Scripture in and through the lens of our Holy Tradition. An individual may (and probably will) err, but the Holy Spirit, which is the Mind of the Church, guides the whole into all Truth. Many of the big heresies that have plagued the Church throughout her history were instigated by a person pulling his/her own interpretation of a verse or passage and insisting that everyone but them got it wrong. See Arianism for the uber-example.

"19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1: 19-21 (emphasis mine)

"The prophets hear God speaking to them in the secret recesses of their own hearts. They simply conveyed that message by their preaching and writing to God's people. They were not like pagan oracles, which distorted the divine message in their own interest, for they did not write their own words but the words of God. For this reason the reader cannot interpret them by himself, because he is liable to depart from the true meaning, but rather he must wait to hear how the One who wrote words wants them to be understood."

St. Bede the Venerable, On 2 Peter.

Wisdom from the Fathers - Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus

Selected passages from Vladimir Lossky's Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church

   For Christianity is not a philosophical school for speculating about abstract concepts, but is essentially a communion with the Living God.

   For the Divinity has no need to manifest its perfection either to itself or to others, it is the Trinity and this fact can be deduced from no principle.

   Men have therefore a common nature, one single nature in many human persons. This distinction of nature and person in man is no less difficult to grasp than the analogous distinction of the one nature and three persons in God. Above all, we must remember that we do not know the person, human hypostasis in its true condition, free from alloy. We commonly use the words persons or personal to mean individuals, or individual. We are in the habit of thinking of these two terms, person and individual almost as though they were synonyms. We employ them indifferently to express the same thing. But, in a certain sense, individual and person mean opposite things, the word individual expressing a certain mixture of the person with elements which belong to the common nature, while person, on the other hand, means that which distinguishes it from nature.

   A person who asserts himself as an individual, and shuts himself up in the limits of his particular nature, far from realizing himself fully becomes impoverished. It is only in renouncing its own possession and giving itself freely, in ceasing to exist for itself that the person finds full expression in the one nature common to all. In giving up its own special good, it expands infinitely, and is enriched by everything which belongs to all. The person becomes the perfect image of God by acquiring that likeness which is the perfection of the nature common to all men . . . for as St Gregory of Nyssa says; Christianity is an ‘imitation of the nature of God.’

   Made in the image of God, man is a personal being confronted with a personal God. God speaks to him as to a person, and man responds. Man, according to St Basil, is a creature who has received a commandment to become God. But this commandment is addressed to human freedom and does not overrule it. As a personal being man can accept the will of God; he can also reject it. Even when he removes himself as far as possible from God, and becomes unlike Him in His nature, he remains a person. The image of God in man is indestructible. In the same way, he remains a personal being when he fulfills the will of God an in his nature realizes perfect likeness with Him. For according to St Gregory Nazianzus, ‘God honored man in giving him freedom, in order that goodness should properly belong to him who chooses it, no less than to Him who placed the first fruits of goodness in his nature. Thus whether he chooses good or evil, whether he tends to likeness or unlikeness, man possesses his nature freely, because he is a person created in the image of God.

Help Him Tell the Story of Christian Refugees in Syria

     As an Orthodox Christian (although not an Arab) I am very concerned about the continuing civil war and instability in Syria. Our Patriarch, John X, has his Episcopal seat in Damascus, and his brother, Metropolitan Paul, has for months now been a captive of one of the 'rebel' groups. All of the Christians in Syria, whether Orthodox or not, are under threat from the jihadist groups now at large in the country. Many are fleeing their homes and churches, where they and their ancestors have worshiped our Savior Jesus Christ for centuries. 
     Here is a YouTube video from a journalist who plans to go into Syria, and get the word out to the world about what the Christians of Syria are facing. Please watch the video and consider giving him your assistance. I don't know if this man is a Christian or not, but his mission is an important one.

Wisdom from the Fathers - St. Isaac the Syrian

In our church bulletin this past Sunday.

Answers to Prayer

"If God is slow to grant your request and you do not receive what you ask for promptly, do not be grieved, for you are not wiser than God. 
When this happens to you, it is either because your way of life does not accord with your request, or because the pathways of your heart are at odds with the intention of your prayer. 
Or it may be because your inner state is too childish by comparison with the magnitude of the thing you have asked for. 
It is not appropriate that great things should fall easily into our hands, otherwise God's gift will be held in dishonor, because of the ease with which we obtain it. 
For anything that is readily obtained is also easily lost, whereas everything which is found with toil is preserved with care."

from The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian

Wisdom from the Fathers - St. John of Kronstadt

St. John of Kronstadt, a Russian priest of the 19th century said:
"Never confuse the person, formed in the image of God, with the evil that is in him; because evil is but a chance misfortune, an illness, a devilish reverie. But the very essence of the person is the image of God and this remains in him despite every disfigurement.”

"Do not fear the conflict, and do not flee from it; where there is no struggle, there is no virtue. Our faith, trust, and love are proved and revealed in adversities, that is, in difficult and grievous outward and inward circumstances, during sickness, sorrow, and privations."

"Prayer for others is very beneficial to the man himself who prays; it purifies the heart, strengthens faith and hope in God, and arouses love for God and our neighbor."


Poetry by St. John

Prayer to the Saints

    I recently had the opportunity to hear an Orthodox priest speak on the the Orthodox (and Roman) practice of directing our prayers to the Saints of the Church. He gave me permission to partially transcribe his lecture here. As I have shared the stories of many Saints on this blog, it seemed fitting to include also this explanation of the practice and its' validity as a Christian practice. 

    Orthodox Christians get asked this question a lot: ”why do you pray to the Saints?”  To answer this question we first need to understand that the word “pray” means at its elemental level simply “to ask”. Today the word pray is often conflated with worship, which is due only to God.  Worship certainly includes prayer, in terms of communing with God and developing our relation to Him, but as praying is essentially asking it does not always include worship.
    This leads to a few more questions:  “Why do we pray to God, when He knows everything?”  Prayer is not about informing God of our needs but acknowledging them & our inability to help ourselves, and turning to the One who is able to help us. Through prayer we purify our hearts, express our humble dependence upon God and unite ourselves to Him.
    Next, we need to ask “Why do we ask other people to pray for us when we can go directly to God ourselves?”  Prayer is ultimately about communion.  To be in communion with God includes being in communion with His Body.  We pray for one another because this is a way we express our love for one another and manifest the communion of the Body of Christ.  Prayer is also an ascent, and when we pray for one another we ascend and are found in communion with God and one another.
    Then, we need to ask “Why do many of us go out of our way to ask certain people to pray for our more serious needs?” We know either because of the Scripture or intuitively that some people’s prayer seems to be more effective because they are righteous and closer to God.  As St. James tells us, the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)
    So, if prayer is about communion and we are to be in communion not only with God, but with the whole Church, how do we manifest this communion in a way which includes the Church triumphant, those who have gone before us, especially the Saints? Are those who are asleep in the Lord excluded from the Church?
    In Hebrews 12:1 we read that we “are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.”  And later in the same chapter: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.”
    Clearly the writer believes that not only the angels, but the spirits of the righteous are surrounding us.  In fact, when we are made members of the Church he says we are joined to the Church in heaven – to these righteous souls made perfect. They are a very real and living part of the Church and when we entered into a relation with Christ who is their Lord and ours, we entered into a relationship with them.
    The final question is “Are they dead?”  Those who insist that we are addressing dead people are directly contradicting the Scriptures and the words of our Lord.  Jesus said to Martha at the grave of her brother Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”
    The Apostle Paul regularly refers to those who have “fallen asleep in the Lord”.  This is not Paul euphemizing death for the sake of his sensitive readers, but instead reflecting a truth to which the Lord himself witnessed in Mark 5:39 “the child is not dead, but sleeping”.
    Jesus teaches in John 6 that whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood, speaking of the Eucharist, will live forever and not die. God is the God of the living and not the dead: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Even the Rich man in Hades could communicate with Abraham across the chasm to Paradise.
    But now He has destroyed death through His Resurrection, and the Saints do not die, but live, even though for the time being their soul is not with the body.
    When we are joined to the Church we are joined in relationship with the Saints in heaven. The Saints are alive and present, surrounding us.  We cannot be in communion with God unless we are in communion with the Church, the Body of Christ.  And there is no communion without prayer.
    The Saints are alive, and they are part of our communion in Christ, and so we do not hesitate to ask for their intercession.  We pray together with the Saints in one fellowship, in one communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, which never ends, and in which we express our belief in the word and work of Jesus, the Conqueror of death, in whom we have abundant and eternal life.

Wisdom from the Fathers - St Cyril of Alexandria

      “The Church is the holy city which ha not been sanctified by observing the Law - for the law made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19) – but by becoming conformed to Christ: participating in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) through the communication of the Holy Spirit who stamped us with His seal in the day of our deliverance when we were washed from every stain and freed from all iniquity.”

- St Cyril, as quoted in The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church by Vladimir Lossky

Listening to Young Atheists

Listening to Young Atheists – A reflection

     The June 2013 issue of The Atlantic magazine included an article by Larry Alex Taunton entitled “Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity” I was very interested in what the author had to say, even though I don't know any atheists personally.

    Go and read the article, but here is a summary of their findings: (paraphrased by me)
1. Most had experience with Christianity in some form, and reacted negatively against it.
2. Those with church experience thought that their church's mission and message were vague
3. They asked hard questions, and were given superficial answers
4. They still had respect for Christians who believed and practiced their faith seriously
5. Most chose atheism between ages 14 and 17
6. The choice to embrace unbelief was in part an emotional one, not a purely rational one
7. The Internet, specifically Youtube videos and forum chats were significant influences

My thoughts about the article and its findings:

    On point one, It is implied not stated that most of those interviewed came from Evangelical or Mainline Protestant churches. As these are the expressions of Christianity with the most adherents in this country, that is a reasonable assumption.  Orthodox Christians should absolutely not assume that this is just a Protestant thing, and our children will not have to deal with this. We're all human. Anyone's kids can be led down this path. I do not think I can emphasize this point too strongly. Most all of the atheists surveyed became atheists in reaction to Christianity or some experience within a Christian setting. In a country where it is so easy and acceptable to be passively irreligious, there has to be some strong motivation for a person to become actively or even militantly irreligious.

    On point 2, how well are we communicating the centrality of our faith to our kids? Whether the Liturgy is in English or another language, we must take time to explain and inform. Orthodox liturgies are beautiful, and rich in worship and doctrine. Make sure the lessons are being caught. We may also want to explain them to visitors. Can we as parents explain the doctrines of the Church, especially justification sanctification and theosis?  If we can't, we are simply a cultural artifact with nice artwork.

    On point 3, I don't think that this is as serious of a problem for the Orthodox. I hope I'm not wrong, but I might be. With centuries of Church Fathers who spent their lives pondering and inquiring into the mysteries of God, there are probably few topics that the Church has not already tackled. So any question should be answerable, if we are willing to do some reading. Our kids deserve to be taken seriously when they ask serious questions. This could even be a time to grow together as you seek answers to questions. 
    Evolution & creation?  Yes, the Church does speak to those things, but without the essentially Enlightenment & Rationalist mindset of some Heterodox groups. Sexuality? Orthodoxy has a very well developed theology of the human person, which includes sexuality. It is holistic, balanced and grounded in Scripture – like all of the Church's doctrine. What it is not is agreeable to the modern secular 'personal fulfillment uber alles' mindset. Biblical inerrancy?  Here the Orthodox may surprise many in that it is the Church, not the Bible that is given highest authority. The Bible exists within the life of the Church and is interpreted by her. The Orthodox do not adhere to rigidly literal interpretation, so textual disputes have less significance. This is not to say that there is not discussion or disagreement about some matters, but not major issues of doctrine. 
     N.B. I just have to take issue for a moment with the inaccurate equating, in this article and American culture generally, of Christianity with the Bible. Jesus created the Church at Pentecost (celebrated recently in the East) and the Church compiled the Bible. The Bible is part of the Church's expression of its fullness. Clear?  Moving on.
     Only one way? Orthodoxy has a very elaborate and rich Christology. Christ is the Creator and Redeemer of the cosmos. We cannot with our limited understanding declare with certainty who is or is not a part of Christ. What we do say is that the Church is what Christ gave humanity as the way to Himself, as our Rule and Practice.
     Purpose? Significance?  We bear in our humanity the Image of God! We are called by God to assist in the redemption of the Cosmos! How much more significant can we be?  Orthodoxy does not accommodate the ethical standards of any age or culture. The Church's ethical teaching is consistent, unified and clear. The right thing to do is not hard to know, it is hard to do.

     On point 4, how are we responding to visitor or inquirers?  I've heard many anecdotal accounts of cultural Americans entering Orthodox churches and being asked “why are you here (since you don't look like us)?” We had better not think that the Gospel and the Church belong only to people like ourselves. If we don't want to share the Faith, then maybe it doesn’t' mean much to us either.

     Orthodox evangelism is in my experience more subtle and less transactional than the approach favored by some other groups. “Come and see” is an often used invitation. Still, I think we could be more willing to accept as the article says “socially awkward"-ness  to initiate conversations about the Church. Always, of course with “gentleness and respect”.

    I have yet to meet an Orthodox priest who does not take his calling and the Gospel entrusted to him seriously. A priest is no more likely to become wealthy than any given Protestant pastor. Most every priest of my acquaintance works a 'civilian' job on top of their clerical duties to support their families.
    What about us lay folk? It is a lot easier for us to be passive and think 'that's the deacon's/priest's job' instead of confronting attitudes habits and behaviors that are not Godly. For my own part I admit to often avoiding this because I don't want things to be 'socially awkward', even with young people at my own parish.

    On points 5 & 6, teenagers are emotional critters. This is common knowledge. If something in or at the Church is creating an emotional situation for your kids, let them talk about it – even if they're angry. Take it seriously and never assume that they won't decide to leave on emotional grounds. For one example, what will they do if their heterodox or irreligious girl/boy-friend does not want to join the Church? Do we really think that our kids would never walk away from the Church for 'love'?  There are plenty of other touchy situations that could go badly if not handled with care – refer back to points 2, 3 and 4.  The teenage years are tough, with lots of changes coming fast and from all directions. We the parents and the Church should be the rock, the stable point that they can rely on as they work and grow towards the maturity we all want for them.

    On point 7, this is just one more reason why parents in particular, but Church family as well should know what the kids are up to online. I am glad for all of the Orthodox blogs and sites that communicate the Faith, and some that engage the atheist world view with the Truth that has endured. I wonder, I don't know, if we Orthodox Christians should seek out and engage the atheists on these forums, presenting the Church that takes the Faith and the Bible very seriously, that has a firm purpose and message, and that has the hard answers to the hard questions. If we do, it cannot be to pick fights and hit people with our doctrine stick but always to share the fullness of the Faith, the true Life who is our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Lord, have mercy on all who have been deluded by atheism, and have mercy on me a sinner.