by Chris Banescu –
The Feast of Christ’s Nativity is not only a cause for celebration that God is with us and true joy has come into the world, but it’s also an eternal reminder of our Lord and Savior’s great humility and boundless love for us. [Read more…]
Apologetics
Man and Woman – An Orthodox Christian Understanding
In Volume I, Doctrine of The Orthodox Faith four book series, Father Thomas Hopko provides a clear and thorough overview of the sources of Christian doctrines and the theology of the Orthodox Church. In the chapter titled “Man” Father Hopko explains how God created man in His “image and likeness” as male and female and gave them dominion over [Read more…]
Impossible for Holy Communion to Carry Germs or Diseases
by Archbishop Michael Konstantinides –
Consequently, not only is it not, nor could it ever be possible for Holy Communion to be a carrier of germs, but, on the contrary, it is by general rule the carrier of health and life and strength. [Read more…]
Teaching That a Sin Is Not Really Sin Is a Heresy
“Teaching that a sin is not really a sin is a heresy, and it is a heresy that closes off the possibility of repentance for those who believe it. You can’t repent of a sin that you don’t believe to be a sin.” ~ Fr. John Whiteford [Read more…]
God’s Will Be Done, The True Path to Joy and Peace
by Peter Kreeft –
In heaven (and in heaven on earth, the sanctified soul) our will conforms to God’s, not God’s to ours. The reason the saint’s desires are satisfied and he has joy is not that God is a divine dispensing machine and the saint has learned to press the right buttons but that he has learned to desire “the one thing necessary”, God’s will, and therefore always gets what he desires, for God’s will is always done.
“Thy will be done” is the infallible road to total joy.
It is testable and provable in daily and hourly experience. Time after time, active willing God’s will, “Yes” to God, leads out of meaninglessness, passivity, depression, or sorrow into joy. And time after time the pursuit of joy as if it were mine leads to disappointment, emptiness, and restless boredom. Life teaches us by millions of repetitions, yet we need millions more.[Read more…]
Christianity Has Nothing to Say to People Who Don’t Understand Sin
“Christianity tells people to repent and promises them forgiveness. It therefore has nothing (as far as I know) to say to people who do not know they have done anything to repent of and who do not feel that they need any forgiveness.
It is after you have realised that there is a real Moral Law, and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power – it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.” ~ C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
Faith and Reason vs. Emotion and Imagination – C.S. Lewis
In his timeless writings C. S. Lewis cautioned us about the battle between faith and reason versus emotion and imagination that frequently rages in our hearts and minds. He wisely warned that intense emotions can destroy our faith in what we already know to be true. Lewis counseled us that teaching our moods “where they get off” was a necessary virtue of being a good Christian or even a “sound atheist.”
In our progressive mainstream culture where rampant emotionalism and subjective feelings have been substituted for reason, logic, and common sense, his wisdom is more relevant and applicable than ever.
Key Points:
- Battle is between faith and reason on one side and emotion and imagination on the other.
- Emotions can destroy your faith in what you really know to be true.
- Faith… is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.
- For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes.
- Necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods “where they get off,” you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist.
- We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. [Read more…]