Comments Posted By Andrew
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They Just Can’t Help Themselves, Can They?
Mike, I’m going to assume you’re American, as I once was. What has the Russian Orthodox Church done that is contrary to your faith? That will tell us more about you than about Russia, by the way. As for “your country” if you haven’t figured out yet that the US is the Bad Guys, you simply haven’t been paying attention. Sorry.
» Posted By Andrew On January 26, 2022 @ 6:32 am
One of the Greatest Crossroads in Political History
wow, this is so crazy and delusional. This website is advocating a coup d’etat. This is pure evil.
» Posted By Andrew On December 9, 2020 @ 2:48 pm
That article certainly proved a point. But not the one the honorable gentleman who wrote it was trying to make, I think. It clearly shows the complete estrangement from Christian faith that is so evident in the “important people” in the EP. He’s actually proud of the proofs he provides that shows him to be without faith. Ridiculing wonder working icons? Sure, whatever. Proud of empty churches where the “little people” have been expelled by their shepherds for “their own good?” Definitely apostolic behavior, that. Best of luck with your future endeavors, etc etc.
» Posted By Andrew On May 18, 2020 @ 2:27 am
Consider supporting this petition: https://ipetitions.com/petition/petition-to-remove-greek-orthodox-eparchial-synod
» Posted By Andrew On July 30, 2017 @ 4:58 pm
The Council of Crete: a Critique by Fr Peter Heers
If the Council was such a success then release the transcripts of its proceedings and the audio and video recordings of the Council.
Why the need for secrecy when it has almost a year later?
» Posted By Andrew On March 29, 2017 @ 10:08 am
Glory to God for all things. This is part of His plan, now we need to get on board.
» Posted By Andrew On November 9, 2016 @ 11:28 am
Lord help us! Forget about Orthodox unity in America. We can’t even wish each other a blessed feast of the Lord’s resurrection without quibbling over the wording!
» Posted By Andrew On May 7, 2016 @ 10:26 am
I would like to follow-up on the following statement:
“I repeat, unborn babies are NOT members of any society, and they become real complete human beings only through Baptism.. According to the teaching of THE ORTHODOX CHURCH.”
So might I ask….. 1)when do human rights begin?
And
2) Are people who are not baptized somehow less than real complete human beings who are not members of the human community.
Last time I checked the same person who is Bishop Tikhon today is the same human being who was once an embryo.
» Posted By Andrew On July 26, 2015 @ 7:46 pm
The Patriarch Invokes Natural Law
Annoyed, thank you for your concerns but I can assure you my observations are extremely reasonable and well founded.
Would you like to provide an example of how local or national campus ministry has addressed the issue of same sex marriage and helped college students better understand and defend Orthodox Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality?
And yes, I am asking for something more than a vague statement along the lines of “we deal with it”……
» Posted By Andrew On December 26, 2013 @ 8:28 am
I, too, was presently surprised by the Patriarch’s encyclical. It has an unusual and refreshing depth to it. The defense of the family and the embryo is most welcome. It is very obvious that there are new people writing at the Phanar.
Now that being said watch the GOA media channels. Sure this letter will be seen on the official GOA facebook page but what about other national ministries like GOA young adults, GOA youth ministry, HCHC, OCF, Y2AM or your local metropolis youth page? I bet you will conveniently not see this encyclical pop up in these places these years. Why? because more and more these ministries do no want to deal with the difficult issues that are raised in this encyclical.
What does it say that there are folks out there who have so little faith in our young people that they will not publish the EP’s letter for fear of the a real discussion on a serious issue breaking out.
» Posted By Andrew On December 24, 2013 @ 6:02 am
Ancient Faith Radio: Correcting a Canonical Anomaly
AXIOS POPE FRANCIS! And for me I would love a mess in the GOA!
» Posted By Andrew On July 26, 2013 @ 1:10 pm
Same-Sex Marriage Not Condoned by Eastern Orthodox Church: Messages of Faith
Father George writes:
Our bishops, unlike the Al Sharptons of the right, left or whatever, have other jobs, and many priorities bigger than making public statements about issues where Orthodox teaching is completely clear already.
Yes Father George, like Metropolitan Savas who has put thousands of hours playing on facebook instead of working with the Church and Society Committee…….
The majority of Orthodox Bishops live comfortable six figure suburban lifestyles at the expense of their flocks. If you do do not see this you are blind and more importantly numb to the Gospel.
» Posted By Andrew On July 10, 2013 @ 7:47 pm
Thanks for excusing Orthodox Christian mediocrity Father! Speaking out for issues and against evil is not something that is “American” or “Protestant” …….its called evangelism.
Honestly, Father it is flat out stupid for you and others to repeat the line “We do no need to speak out because the Church has always belived that”
People need to understand the faith and our leaders need to teach it.
» Posted By Andrew On July 10, 2013 @ 7:46 am
Anyone want to guess want the financial cost of this junket was to the faithful? I say in the range of $10,000-$12,000.
Now think of what this size of donation would do in the hands of a group like FOCUS North America.
The OCA would have gotten much more good press with a large donation in honor of the new Pope than with this bloated and waste filled junket.
More and more we see that a spiritual mature expression of the Orthodox faith means defunding the OCA bureaucracy.
» Posted By Andrew On March 25, 2013 @ 4:26 pm
I Say, “Have You Lost Some Weight Lately? There’s Something Different about You.”
This is one of the weirder things I’ve read on this blog (which is saying a lot). I read the story before watching the video, and was expecting some entertaining hysterics, but then I watch the video and it is more like the model of civility.
Feinstein (D) was speaking rationally and flexibly, and referencing modern judicial interpretations that most are pertinent to answering the constitutionality question. Cruz was exhibiting the usual monotone can’t-think-for-himself-because-everything’s-black-and-white Tea Party manerisms, and seemed unwilling the consent that there is such a thing as judicial interpretation of the constitution.
Everyone else who speaks on the video clip clearly thinks Feinstein made the better argument.
For the record, I have no particular opinion on the gun control question, and don’t know a thing about any of these people. But going by what I see in the video, George is making stuff up.
» Posted By Andrew On March 22, 2013 @ 2:37 pm
The Colloquium and Pope Francis
Axios! Pope of Rome Washes the Feet of Young Orthodox Christians.
Memo to Phanar and 79th Street…. this is what leadership looks like.
» Posted By Andrew On March 29, 2013 @ 9:31 am
Paging 79th Street and all GOA Bishops! Please pick up the white courtesy phone in the lobby…….
Now compare this to the six figure lifestyle of our GOA hierarchs and other bishops who live high off the people’s work in America. I know of bishops who even own vacation homes in Arizona and Florida.
When was the last time a GOA hierarch lived in community with his flock? Is it beneath the “dignity” of the office?
What is scripture and tradition says that Orthodox hierarchs (who are monastics) should live such exalted and unreasonable lifestyles using money that was donated by simple working people?
» Posted By Andrew On March 28, 2013 @ 9:28 am
Yes, I want bishops who serve others and not themselves at the expense of their flocks.
I want bishops who behave like shepherds and not absentee fathers.
We do not worship the typikon we worship Christ.
» Posted By Andrew On March 18, 2013 @ 10:47 pm
Bruce, can you name the last time a bishop of the GOA has directly served the poor in America where they live? Has a GOA Bishop ever washed the feet of AIDS patients?
The bottom line is that my comments are true, accurate and perfectly fair. The GOA episcopacy lives a suburban life of wealth and power and not one of service to the weakest among us. People see this and that is why more and more they are tuning out.
» Posted By Andrew On March 18, 2013 @ 9:59 am
Indeed he is a man Orthodox Christians can love!
We Greek Orthodox like to complain about the pope in all kind of ways but this pope’s example really contrasts the lifestyle of Greek Orthodox Bishops in America who live six figure suburban lifestyles that are funded by the faithful. How on earth can we listen to our bishops talk about Lent and Asceticism when their very lives contradict this message. After all for the 79th street wizards of smart it is all about the “$Dignity of the Office$”.
When was the last time any GOA hierarch served the poor in a simple and uassuming manner? Are any of our GOA Hierarchs capable of riding the subway with the people to work?
And now in a turn of events we see a Pope of Rome who is more ascetic and missionary than any Greek Orthodox Bishop in America. A Pope from Argentina with the Hellenic mind of the Church Fathers and the missionary zeal of Cyril and Methodius.
There was a time ages ago when Greek Orthodox could raise up a man like Pope Francis. That time however has passed. At one time Greek Orthodoxy could change the world but sadly today Greek Orthodoxy is about omogenia (race) first and ethnic nostalgia for a world that is more fantasy than reality.
» Posted By Andrew On March 15, 2013 @ 2:25 pm
On the Retirement of Benedict XVI
Michael, is not inevitability a form of acceptance? Are we really to tolerate evil because we are Orthodox? This to me is being stuck on stupid.
» Posted By Andrew On March 1, 2013 @ 5:41 pm
I am amazed that there are folks who are more than willing to accept corrupt hierarchs and unhealthy church governance as the norm for Orthodoxy. Don’t we have an obligation to fix what is broken and does harm to people?
I guess corruption is just a normal part of Orthodox Tradition for some folks.
The fact that we are so far gone that people accept this as the new normal is scary indeed.
» Posted By Andrew On February 27, 2013 @ 9:52 am
The usual narrative we are told is that the Catholic Church is papal and authoritarian while the Orthodox Church is much more conciliar in its decision making and outlook. However an entire young Orthodox generation under 40 has only known two popes. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. These two popes are certainly not the monarch-like popes of the past. John Paul II’s theology of the body was a true gift to the world while Benedict’s reflections on the Church Fathers are a gift to any thinking Orthodox Christian.
Now a Conclave approaches to elect a new pope and more and more the old stereotypes crumble. Catholic hierarchs from around the world can gather as a body under short notice to address the needs of the Church while the Orthodox who pride themselves on being the true “Conciliar” Church seem totally incapable of convening of functioning in a conciliar manner even on the smallest scale. Meanwhile we see government subsidized Patriarchs, Metropolitans and Bishops who function in an manner that very much resembles the excesses of the papacy and its abuse of authority.
For those of us who are Orthodox and under 40 the word papal is not a dirty word. I would love a more “papal” Orthodox Church if it means raising up leaders like John Paul II and Benedict XVI in our ranks.
Meanwhile, we Orthodox will talk about conciliarity and cooperation but the truth is we are incapable in this age of technology to meet in Council and our bishops have become so disconnected from being shepherds that they are doing great harm to the faith of their flocks.
How can we expect for the Orthodox Church to be healthy if the instruments of governance and the people who govern the Church are broken?
How is that our hierarchs lack the basic humility and leadership to simply get on a plane and meet with one another at the same place and time?
Really, Come on
» Posted By Andrew On February 26, 2013 @ 1:45 pm
What Are the Qualifications for a Bishop?
Photius, I agree I am laughing so hard. I think these qualities maybe hit a little close to home for some. Despite statements to the contrary there is nothing un-orthodox in the questions posed by George Weigel.
» Posted By Andrew On March 10, 2013 @ 1:58 pm
I would like to quote George Weigel on the selection of bishops. There is nothing in the text that follows that is unacceptable to Orthodox Christians. These questions deserve to be asked of every candidate for the Orthodox episcopacy:
“The object of the selection process is to find apostles, men with the convictions necessary to undergird their own courage to be Catholic and the evangelical fire to inspire that courage in others. With that goal in mind, the following should be added to the standard list of questions asked of knowledgeable people about a prospective candidate for the office of bishop:
� In his life and ministry, does this priest manifest a personal conversion to Jesus Christ and a deliberate choice to abandon everything to follow Christ?
� Does this priest preach the Gospel with conviction and clarity? Can he make the Church’s proposal to those who do not believe? With charity, can he instruct and, if necessary, admonish Catholics who have embraced teachings contrary to the Gospel and the teaching authority of the Church?
� Has this priest ever been a pastor? Did the parish grow under his leadership? If his primary work has been as a professor in a seminary, did his students flourish under his tutelage?
� How does this priest celebrate Mass, in concrete and specific terms? Does his liturgical ministry lead his people into a deeper experience of the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen?
� How many men have entered the seminary because of this priest’s influence? How many women have entered consecrated religious life? Does he encourage lay movements of Catholic renewal and the development of popular piety? In sum, is he a man who can call others to holiness because he manifests holiness in his own life?
� Does this priest have the strength of character and personality to make decisions that will be unpopular with other priests and religious, because those decisions are faithful to the Church’s teaching and liturgical practice?
� Is this priest well-read theologically? Does he regard theology as an important part of his vocation? Can he “translate” the best of the Church’s theology, ancient and contemporary, into an idiom accessible to his people?
Answers to these more pointed questions will help the responsible authorities of the Church determine whether a candidate is a man of conviction and courage. A 21st-century Catholic bishop in the United States must have the courage to be countercultural, but in ways that call the Church and the culture to conversion. The task is not to find men who will lead us into the catacombs. It is to find men who will be apostles, leading the Church toward a springtime of evangelization. “
» Posted By Andrew On March 8, 2013 @ 6:02 pm
The Assembly of Bishops on Abortion: Cause for Hope?
There are in fact three primary sources that describe the murder of Peter the Aleut. They don’t describe it in detail, but there can be little doubt that he was real and was murdered. This is more than we have to go on for many of the most popular early Christian saints.
I agree that the story of him being murdered by Franciscans for his faith seems historically unlikely. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t exist or that he wasn’t a martyr. It may be that details of the murder changed in the retelling. I’m sure like most scandles in the RC church, the real story is very complicated and obscure and involves people outside the church, and the church takes all the blame.
Anyone interested in St. Peter’s historical documentation should contact Hierodeacon Herman at SVS, who has researched him and written an Akathist.
» Posted By Andrew On January 31, 2013 @ 4:37 pm
Hey Peter, did the GOA believe in the “Separation of Church and State” when Abp Iakovos Marched with Martin Luther King? Or was that “different” somehow. And why are some issues ignored but other political issues like Global Warming embraced?
The GOA believes in separation of Church and State? Then why do they jump everytime they are invited to the White House?
» Posted By Andrew On January 30, 2013 @ 9:08 pm
George, while I appreciate the words of the assembly it should be noted that this statement along with the previous one on religious freedom are both unsigned statements. This is a deliberate tactic used by 79th Street to avoid responsibility for issues that may be politically incorrect. After all, a signed statement along this line from Archbishop Demetrios could easily get him uninivted from White House like other pastors have been.
Neither the President of the assembly nor the Secretary signed their name to this statement. There are no quotes from assembly members as well. This gives every member of the assembly the opportunity to avow of disavow this statement. After all, the views the assembly may not reflect the views of the Greek Archdiocese etc etc.
So while the words are nice I would be even more impressed if the assembly would move away from unsigned statements. At mimium the president of the assembly or secretary of the assembly should have the basic decency to sign their names to such important words.
» Posted By Andrew On January 29, 2013 @ 11:31 am
How Not to Win Friends and Influence People
Can any of us honestly say we are a conciliar Church when we see bishops behave like this time and time again.
» Posted By Andrew On October 4, 2012 @ 3:21 pm
Removing Metropolitan Jonah Hurt the American Orthodox Church
«« Back To Stats PageThank you its best this discussion just comes to an end. In the end Father, I hope things turn out well for you.
» Posted By Andrew On September 8, 2012 @ 6:31 pm
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