This is a short post on changes in the book “The Orthodox Church” by Kallistos Timothy Ware regarding the Orthodox teaching about contraception. Natural family planning is acceptable, because it simply involves abstinence from sex during times when fertility is likely. Such is the teaching of the Church of Greece as expressed in her encyclical […]
The Ancient Western Way of Making the Sign of the Cross
April 17, 2018 By
The sign of the cross is a beautiful gesture which reminds the faithful of both the cross of salvation while invoking the Holy Trinity. The early Church Fathers attested to the use of the sign of the cross. Tertullian (d. 250) described the exceptional frequency of the sign of the cross being made: “In all […]
The Sacrifice to End All Sacrifices
April 6, 2018 By
by Fr. Stephen DeYoung As mentioned previously, the fact that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament are no longer observed within Christian communities, beginning with the apostolic community, has been used to marginalize the commandments of the Law regarding worship in toto. While the idea that Christ’s offering of himself as a pleasing sacrifice […]
Why Do the Orthodox Sometimes Celebrate Pascha (Easter) on a Different Day from Roman Catholics?
March 25, 2018 By
by Fr. Basil Biberdorf Sigh. It’s time for that annual round of ABSOLUTELY WRONG “Why Orthodox Pascha [Easter] doesn’t line up with Western Easter every year” articles. It’s very simple. The basic principle is: Pascha happens the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal (spring) equinox, which is assumed as the invariant […]
Stump the Priest: Raising Hands at the Liturgy
March 23, 2018 By
by Fr. John Whiteford Question: “Is it proper for laymen to raise their hands in prayer during the consecration of the Eucharist and the Lord’s Prayer?” No. Raising hands in prayer is a very ancient practice, and following this practice is private prayer is certainly acceptable. However, even among the clergy, only the presiding clergyman […]
Heirs of Salvation: An Answer to Penal Substitution
March 10, 2018 By
By Andrew Hopkins A common view of atonement in Protestant theology is substitutionary atonement. This belief has its roots in the writings of some early church fathers, though many would claim it began with the apostles. In this paper we consider one form of substitutionary atonement know as penal substitution. With this view it is […]
Is Speaking in Tongues THE evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
February 28, 2018 By
It has become increasingly common for Christians to suppose that the full gospel includes the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Thus the question: Is speaking in tongues the evidence of being baptized by the Holy Spirit? First, as the apostle Paul makes plain, believers are “all baptized by […]
The Continuing Validity of the Moral Law of the Old Testament
February 12, 2018 By
by Fr. John Whiteford One of the earliest heresies that the Church had to confront was the Marcionite heresy, which taught that the God of the Old Testament was not the God of the New Testament. The God of the Old Testament was evil, whereas the God of the New Testament was good. Consequently Marcion […]
