Source: Orthodox Christian Laity Being an Assembly of Bishops in a geographic area (USA) where the Church is administratively managed in a state of canonical disorder, allowing parallel jurisdictions and more than one bishop in one city; and, since the Council held in Crete in June 2016 did not address these issues; how will the Assembly proceed? Will it address the real issues that bring about canonical order? Will it establish clear rules of procedure and parliamentary order? Who will replace Bishop Basil of Wichita as Chair of the Secretariat? How will the dissenting Georgian, Russian, Antiochian and…
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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: The National Herald By Theodoros Kalmoukos Analysis The Holy and Great Council (HGC) of the Orthodox Church, which was held in Crete in June, left its mark on Church history. It was an event of great ecclesiastical importance and perpetuated a vision that has existed for many decades. The key consideration is that it managed to gather the local Orthodox Churches, even with four abstentions – specifically, the Patriarchates of Antioch, Bulgaria, Georgia and Moscow. Orthodox Church unity became an ontological reality and was evident during the concelebrations of the ten Primates and their delegations of bishops, priests, and…
Source: Orthodox Christian Laity The Assembly of Bishops will meet during the first week of October in Detroit. How will this meeting be different from all other such meetings? Where is the leadership? The work of the Holy and Great Council has been completed, and little action was taken to address the uncanonical situation of the parallel jurisdictions that make up the Orthodox Christian Church in the USA. This situation is unacceptable, because it keeps our message, outreach and mission fragmented and wastes the resources of the lay stewards of the Church. This fragmentation continues to cause a decline in…
Source: Inquirer.net By: Lito B. Zulueta LALIBELA, Ethiopia—Filipino Catholics who have resolved to visit the Holy Land at least once in their lifetime but are discouraged by the tinderbox situation in the Middle East may have found the next best option in this ancient mountain town in northern Ethiopia. Here, huge whole ancient churches carved from mountain rocks have been drawing, since medieval times, Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrims and, only lately, European, North American and other foreign tourists, especially since United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has inscribed the colossal structures in the World Heritage List. So impressive are…
Source: The Christian Post BY BRANDON SHOWALTER , CP CONTRIBUTOR Russia’s so-called “anti-extremism” law that restricts evangelism and missionary activities went into effect on Wednesday, and religious freedom advocacy groups say they are starting to assess the impact it will have on Christians in the country. “For Christian advocates inside the country, there are challenges and risks,” the American Center for Law and Justice’s Gene Kapp said in a statement to The Christian Post on Thursday. “Our team at the Slavic Centre for Law and Justice [ACLJ’s Moscow affiliate that has argued against the law] is in the process of evaluating…
Source: Orthodox Church in America SYOSSET, NY [OCA] Priest John Parsells, Rector of Christ the Savior Mission, Berlin, MD, and his associates at Orthodox Web Solutions have developed a new free app—“Orthodoxy in America”—for smartphones and tablets. “This app is much more than just a church locator,” explains Father John. “It brings together news, social posts, daily audio, and trending photos, as well as video and 360 tours from the various jurisdictions, agencies, seminaries, monasteries, and Orthodox media outlets, including Ancient Faith, Orthodox Christian Network, Pravmir, Pemptousia, Pravoslavie.ru, Patristic Nectar, Sister Vassa, Y2AM, and others. News from the Orthodox Church…
Source: AMERICA – The National Catholic Review Council of Crete embraces outward-looking leadership During the week of June 19 on the island of Crete, the first global Orthodox Council to meet in more than 1,000 years—known as the “Holy and Great Council”—brought together more than 290 delegates, mostly bishops, representing 10 self-governing local Orthodox churches. I was privileged to serve as an external correspondent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Press Office, headed by Rev. John Chryssavgis. Together with other members of my team, I lived through the dramatic events leading up to the council and was present at some conciliar sessions.…
Source: Crux Filipe Domingues July 9, 2016 SPECIAL TO CRUX Despite the fact that four of the fourteen independent Eastern Orthodox churches of the world opted not to show up, an expert on Orthodoxy insists that the “Holy and Great Council” in Crete in late June was significant, arguing that meeting together to hash out issues is part of the DNA of Orthodoxy. From June 19-26, leaders of ten of the fourteen “autocephalous,” or independent, Eastern Orthodox churches of the world met together on the island of Crete, marking the first time such a representative summit of Orthodox churches had…