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Nicea II, 7th Ecumenical Council 787 a.d. ANATHEMA to those who spurn the teachings of the holy Fathers and the tradition of the catholic Church, taking as a pretext and making their own the arguments of Arius, Nestorius, Eutyches, and Dioscorus, that unless we were evidently taught by the Old and New Testaments, we should not follow the teachings of the holy Fathers and of the holy Ecumenical Synods, and the tradition of the catholic … [Read more...]
by C.S. Lewis Too often we find even Orthodox teachers and 'scholars' fairly uncritical of their own critical techniques. Here's a little wisdom, and a lot of logic, from C.S. Lewis. Dr. Lewis was a British novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Ireland. He is well known for his fictional work, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy. … [Read more...]
His Beatitude’s remarks were delivered at the Acton University plenary session on Thursday, June 16, in Grand Rapids, Mich. AU is a “four-day exploration of the intellectual foundations of a free society” with the aim of deepening students’ knowledge of philosophy, Christian theology and “sound economics.” This year’s event attracted more than 600 people from 70 countries across a broadly ecumenical spectrum that included … [Read more...]
by Bishop Kallistos Ware Today is St. Alban's Day. On this day, I'm posting this article by English Bishop Kallistos Ware. I call to remembrance particularly the bishop who laid hands upon me, Bishop Innocent of Anchorage. Though some is known publicly, very little of his work and mission is well known outside of Alaska. During a time of spiritual and administrative cataclysm at St. Herman's Seminary and in the Diocese of Alaska, … [Read more...]
My dear friends and supporters of Preachers Institute, Christ is Risen! It's that time of year again, the month of June - my annual vacation time, and I'll be taking a hiatus this month from regular publication and updating of Preachers Institute. There will be articles scheduled for publication, but I won't be updating or moderating comments during the month of June. Thanks for all your support for our work and mission. In the coming year, we … [Read more...]
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by Doulos This comes to us from the Semantron blog. Enjoy! Christianity makes no sense. At least not rationally, and this is a problem for a large population of the world. The concept of a sort of “meta-person” who exists and has the ability to create, control and interact with creation can be a difficult concept for some, but the idea that that person could then die, and that be a good thing, complicates it exponentially. In a letter to … [Read more...]
This article was written by someone who listens to sermons. One of the folks. The one's we preach to every week. What a surprise - they're listening. You might be surprised what they hear, and what they don't. Pay attention. It was not written to any particular priest, but distills the experience from a multitude of contemporary preachers, and every priest should be attentive to what it says. I will attempt to publish many such articles, as … [Read more...]
For those struggling with the necessity of confession, or who need to preach about it, here is what the Scriptures and the Church Fathers say about the necessary participation in this Holy Mystery. This was taken from the St. George Church of Prescott website. Confession of sins is very much a part of Biblical Faith and especially Biblical Christianity, and was closely related to the worship of the True God. From the Old Testament on, it is … [Read more...]
Bible scholars and students! Since most contemporary preaching is primarily either therapeutic or exegetical, especially during Lent, we offer this little list for your exegetical homilies. These are principle examples of why the Septuagint Old Testament is the 'official' Old Testament of the Orthodox Church (that and the fact that the Masoretic text didn't even exist until 1,000 a.d.). Enjoy! Of the approximately 300 Old Testament quotes in … [Read more...]
It is wrong for a Christian Church to be a political power, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has argued. "The church must have no political means of exercising an influence on those in authority," Patriarch Kirill said in answering letters from televiewers in the "Pastor's Word" program on Russia's First Channel television. The church "loses public confidence" if it becomes a political player. "The church only has one way to … [Read more...]
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