Predestination

Candles lighting

What if I were to tell you I believed in predestination? Would you call me a heretic? Would you say I have abandoned the ancient faith? Maybe you would say I finally fell over the sola scriptura cliff. Of course, none of these accusations would be true. The truth would be that we are required…

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Why we Need the Church

Ornate church interior with chandeliers and frescoes.

It is no secret we live in a self-oriented and self-justified society. We are the masters of our own destiny, or so we think. I hear it all the time. “I don’t need anyone to tell me what the Bible means.” This very phrase is totally without meaning. If you are reading the letters of…

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Learn the Way of God More Accurately

Card with "Incorrect" being cut in half.

In a society that lifts individuality and promotes self-reliance, it can be difficult to promote the Orthodox Church as the true Church. Since just about everyone can read, unlike the ancient days, everyone has received the gift of being able to read the Holy Scriptures on their own. The problem is, they don’t stop at…

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Don’t Be Led Astray

Ancient cliffside monastery with rugged landscape.

It is tempting to trust everything someone in authority says. We know intuitively that not everyone will speak the truth. In fact, many will speak lies to further their own agenda. This is true not only in politics, but also in the Church. For centuries the Church has been fighting against such realities, always remaining…

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Beware of False Prophets

Yellow caution tape with black lettering.

Living in a society in which truth has become relative has surely made life difficult. It seems we can no longer dare to assert any truth as universal without universal endorsement. Expressions like ‘your truth is your truth’ are only exasperated by sayings like, ‘we’ll just agree to disagree’. If we buy into the notion…

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Spiritual Obedience

A cross sign in the middle of a sunset

If we’re being honest, the idea of obedience to another human being is contingent upon our agreement with said human being. Every day we willingly place ourselves under obedience to those around us. It is what makes society civil. In the Church, it is what makes us worthy of the kingdom. BRETHREN, when you come…

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One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

Monastery of the Holy Apostles on the Sea of Galilee

We say in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed that we believe in “One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church” and we casually understand the idea of Apostolic Succession as the meaning behind this phrase. The Holy Apostles, through the laying on of hands, ordained bishops who ordained bishops who ordained bishops, all the way through to today. But…

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Standing Up for Truth

The End" text on black background.

Today the Church commemorates the removal of the relics of Saint Athanasios the Great, Patriarch of Alexandria. In practical terms, this means the day on which his body was exhumed from the grave. His accomplishments were great, but the example he left of patience and faith were greater. He offered the Church the first authoritative…

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Episode 347 – Truth Matters

Rev. Fr. Athanasios Haros

The question of ‘Who is Jesus Christ?” has been answered with more than 45,000 different answers. If Jesus is our Savior, Who He is, matters. We call that, theology, and on the Feast of Saint John the Theologian, the Church reminds us that we have known the answer to this question for more than 1700…

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