Posts Tagged ‘Church History’
Some things are newer than others
It is common to refer to the Orthodox Church as the “Church that never changes.” While it is true our dogmas about God never change, there are some things in our way of life that change. Some traditions are from the Apostles. Some traditions are newer but no less valid. Today is the commemoration of…
Read MoreWilling to Die Vs Wanting to Die
Living in a world that is antagonistic to our faith can be confusing. The world powers fight against Christ and His Church daily. We don’t see the fight as the ancients did, but the fight is there, nonetheless. The ancients were willing to die for Christ but never wanted to die. IN THOSE DAYS, the…
Read MoreNot Every Teaching is Correct
We call ourselves Orthodox Christians which has a double meaning. The word means both, upright worship and correct belief. The Orthodox Church has kept the correct teachings since the days of the Holy Apostles. No other church can claim the same reality. IN THOSE DAYS, Paul went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had…
Read MoreChristians Don’t Flaunt Freedom
There is a troubling trend in American Christianity to flaunt our freedom in front of everyone. I’m not sure what the reason is, but the desire for constant attention from ‘the opposition’ brings hatred rather than respect. If only we learned more lessons from the ancient Church. In those days, Peter went to the house…
Read MoreOnly God is Perfect
The Church takes another glimpse toward Great Lent today. We are just reaching the end of the first week of fasting (from meat only) and I pray you are getting excited about the Great Fast that begins on Monday. But before we get there, I have one more warning. Only God is perfect. Before I…
Read MoreWere the Ancients Wrong?
So many modern Christians look at the ancient customs of the Church with speculation and distrust. Many have been led to belief the traditions of the ancient Church led believers away from Christ. Many believe that only modern Christians can ‘save’ the Church from paganism. Today is one of those days that highlights the schism…
Read MoreThe Unchanging Changing Church
Our Divine worship is ancient. Our Scriptures are original. Our way of life was established by the Holy Apostles. As Orthodox Christians we like to tell everyone we are the ancient Church that never changes. That isn’t exactly true and today is a reminder of why. Today is the Feast of Saint Photios the Great.…
Read MoreThe Truth Always Wins
Whether it is politics, the workplace or even Church, being surrounded by others with different beliefs can be very stressful. We struggle to ‘convince’ others our beliefs are true. We are tempted to ‘shut down’ those who disagree with us, but that only creates battles. The Lord said to the Jews who had come to…
Read MoreFaithful to the End
Being faithful today is synonymous with being loyal. We are loyal to friends. We are loyal to family. We are loyal to our employers. If any of these groups betray us, our loyalty fades or even disappears. As Christians our loyalty is to Christ, who never betrays us. In those days, Peter said to the…
Read MoreNot Too Old to Learn
One of my favorite sayings is, “I grow old always being taught.” For that to be true, that would mean I must try to discover something new every day. I’m not always successful, but today was a good day. I learned something new today. Today is the Feast of Saint Katherine the Great Martyr. Her…
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