Source: OINOS Consulting by Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D. “The contemporary world urgently needs the service of educational institutions which uphold and teach that truth is that fundamental value without which freedom, justice and human dignity are extinguished.” Pope John Paul II What are the hallmarks of Christian institutions of higher learning? What are the characteristics that should distinguish faith-based colleges and universities from their more secular-minded counterparts? The recent canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, foundress of the Missionaries of Charity, on September 4, 2016 by the Catholic Church provides a hint to an appropriate response. Mother Teresa was born…
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Source: Pan Orthodox United I co-founded Pan Orthodox United, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by young people for young people, because I believe in focusing on the good. I know that every year more and more young people leave Christianity, are filled with doubt and desire, and embark on spiritual or worldly quests to find themselves. I know this, because I am one of those people. I have doubted the existence of God, went months without going to church, and am always struggling for truth. I believe that most people that have left organized religion will one day be curious and contemplate things like their purpose in life,…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SOUTH CANAAN, PA [STOTS Communications/Jonathan Lincoln] Students and alumni of Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary here gathered on campus for a joint retreat—hailed as the most positive, successful seminarian-alumni gathering in recent memory—on September 1 and 2, 2016. The retreat afforded students the opportunity to meet those who had been trained at Saint Tikhon’s and now serve as stewards of Christ’s vineyard while providing a context in which both groups could grow together in fellowship and self-reflection. On Thursday afternoon, September 1, Priest Andrew Stephen Damick, Pastor of Saint Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church, Emmaus, PA…
Source: Christian Today Mark Woods – Christian Today Contributing Editor Is the thousand-year-old breach between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches a little closer to being mended? Given the history of suspicion, hostility, political game-playing and theological intransigence that has marked the process so far, it seems unlikely. But after a significant meeting between theologians from the two sides, there are signs that change is in the wind. The 14th Plenary Session of the Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church met in Chieti, Italy, and has just completed its work. What’s significant is…
Source: Pravoslavie.ru Every year hundreds of tourists visit the canyon of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River in order to admire the magnificent tenth century Christian temples built on the site of the ancient settlement of Nizhny Arkhyz. Most scientists identify this ancient settlement with Maghas, or Maas – the capital of the large kingdom of Alania which existed in the Middle Ages. The city grew and prospered because strategic routes of the Silk Road passed through it. Alania flourished the most in the mid-tenth century when the kingdom’s nobility embraced Christianity. It was then that over twenty churches were erected in…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA Youth] Every year, parishes across North America honor their college students at the outset of the fall semester. This year, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America has designated October 2 as College Student Sunday. “Orthodox Christian Fellowship continues to provide students with opportunities to encounter Christ and grow in their Orthodox faith through their growing network of campus OCF chapters led by talented students, clergy and lay advisors, as well as through programs such as regional retreats, college conference, ‘Real Break,’ and the summer leadership institute,”…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Hope to see you at the OCL 29th Annual Meeting! November 17-20, 2016 MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS: Call 801-890-1280 OCL rate $119.00 until October 15. Hyatt Place Salt Lake City / Cottonwood, 3090 E 6200 S, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 We have two relevant and important topics to consider. They will be presented by two distinguished Orthodox Christian theologians and devout parishioners of their parish families. Host Parish: St Anna Greek Orthodox Church, 3015 E Creek Road, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84093. FRIDAY EVENING, November 18 following Vespers: Professor Helen Theodoropoulos will present and have us…
Source: Christian Daily by Lorraine Caballero While Christian leaders hold an important role in protecting Christian presence in the Middle East, Orthodox Church Patriarch Theophilos III said Muslims also hold this moral obligation. In an exclusive interview with The Jordan Times, Patriarch Theophilos said it is high time for Christian leaders in the Middle East to realize their responsibility and obligation to encourage Christian presence in the region. He urged the spiritual heads to unite in encouraging the remaining Christians to stay in their homelands, especially at a time when migration and forced displacement are threatening to erase Christianity in the…
Source: Interfax New York, September 9, Interfax – Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York urges believers of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to fundraise for the Svyatogorsk Lavra located in the Donetsk Region of Ukraine. “I urge you to intensify your prayers for peace in the long-suffering Ukrainian land, to provide all possible assistance, and collect donations for the Svyatogorsk Holy Dormition Lavra, which became home for many refugees. The deadline of the collection is the end of October,” the metropolitan said in his address to believers posted on the website of the Russian Orthodox Church…
Source: Time An entire section of the visitors’ guide to the Holy Mountain of Athos is devoted to the subject of photography, and to summarize the gist of it – there are no pictures allowed. We learned about this a bit late in our trip. Yuri Kozyrev, TIME’s contract photographer, had already flown from Moscow to meet the rest of our trio in northern Greece. Otis, our Greek translator, had come from Athens. I had come from Berlin. And a few days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to arrive on the Holy Mountain for a pilgrimage. Photographing his…
Source: The Washington Post By E.J. Dionne Jr. Opinion writer Over the past several decades, those who view religion with respect regularly come back to the same question: What has happened to the religious intellectuals, the thinkers taken seriously by nonbelievers as well as believers? In this increasingly secular time, a natural follow-up question ratifies the point of the original query: Who cares? Why should the thinking of those inspired by faith even matter to those who don’t share it? Well, historically, secular and religious intellectuals often engaged in helpful dialogue, and Alan Jacobs, a Baylor University scholar, suggests that…
Source: Orthodox Church in America BROOKLINE, MA [OCAMPR] His Grace, Bishop Alexander of Dallas, the South and the Bulgarian Diocese of the Orthodox Church in America will deliver the keynote address at the annual conference of the Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology and Religion [OCAMPR] to be held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology here November 3-5, 2016. The conference theme is “On Pain and Suffering.” In addition to Bishop Alexander, other plenary speakers include Donald Jenkins, MD [medical perspective]; Albert Rossi, Ph.D. [psychological perspective] and Rev. Emmanuel Clapsis, Ph.D. [theological perspective]. The conference also will offer…