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Four Spiritual Principles

Four principles Orthodox America’s members seek to live by:

1) Daily Getting to know God by Prayer and Bible reading at least, the Epistle and Gospel of the day (see parish wall calendar or can be found at http://www.oca.org/Reading.asp?SID=25) and ideally, the Lives of the Saints (available among other places at http://www.oca.org/FSlives.asp?SID=4);

2) Getting to know one’s self and be purified thru regular Confession, which according to St. Kosmas of Etolia is (and as H G Bishop Kallistos of Dioklia (E.P.) recommends in The Orthodox Church) at least, every three months or whenever neededhttps://sharethefaith.net/wrdp/wp-admin/edit.php?post_type=page&page=pagemash/pagemash.php for spiritual healing;

3) Gaining strength & continual newness thru with a clear conscience, min. monthly but ideally — as taught by St. Nikodemos of Mt. Athos in his booklet “ s s”and countless others — continual Communion; and,

4) Truly helping our fellow man by keeping our part of the Covenant via at least, tithing, giving a min. 10% to God’s work – your choice as to where it is most needed and to which parish or Christian work you feel it should go to. Per so many Scriptures and fathers’ teaching, we in this way, gain God’s supernatural provision (see Mal. 3:7-12 esp. v.10, Mt. 23:23 and Acts 2:43-46).

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Book Review: From Baptist to Byzantium

From Baptist to Byzantium: How a Baptist Missionary Traveled Halfway Around the World to Find the Ancient Orthodox Faith
Father James Early
Regina Orthodox Press

By Lee Kopulos

(August 23, 2010) I first met Fr. James Early and Jennifer in Houston at St.Joseph Orthodox Church in 2005 after Liturgy during the churches annual picnic festivities. I was there along with Fr. Gordon Walker to preach to the congregation on Orthodox unity. The church was founded in 1994 by Fr. Matthew Mackay, a brilliant priest and former Episcopalian whom I got to know from my daughter Maria when she lived in that city. Fr. Matthew and I had a few long distance phone conversations and I knew that he was a “good one” and that his congregation mirrored ours at St. Luke.

At the church picnic that day. I was fortunate to pick up a conversation with Fr. James and Jennifer with their young children. Asking how he came to Orthodoxy, as I usually due to a convert, Fr. James exclaimed, “I was a Baptist missionary in Serbia (Bosnia) and frustrated over many unsuccessful attempts to get the Orthodox to Bible Study. After pondering what to do next and talking to my supervisor, I thought I would go to their worship services and see what goes on. With that my supervisor exclaimed, “Don’t do that you will never come back!” He was right Lee, I found a whole new way about the faith as I viewed inside my first Orthodox Church and that set me on a road to Orthodoxy with my wife and kids.”

I never thought I would be writing this Book Review on Fr. James and his road to Orthodoxy. I can tell you that after this meeting with him his unusual response stuck to me to this day. What a way to come to the Faith! However, his story is far more than just that entry into the local Orthodox Church and this fine book greatly enhances my Sunday conversation with him. He has a wonderful, moving story to tell and I am thankful that the Lord has motivated him in telling it. While the book mirrors Fr. Peter Gillquist’s brilliant book, Becoming Orthodox, it is different in that it is a testimony of one man (wife too) and his struggle to follow God’s will and seek the truth. As one of my great friends and a founding member of St. Luke Parish, Pat Dravillas, said many years ago, “Religion is about the truth, Lee.” This is a great story about finding the Holy Orthodox Faith while in foreign mission work. If you are a member of The Faith, I am sure this book will reaffirm your conviction in its truth. For those seeking the truth, this book will give you all you need to get started on the road.

The Struggle

We start with an account of a young man’s struggle to become a committed Christian in the Protestant arena. James Early was a product of a father, Cleland a Colonel in the Marine Corp. and mother Bettye with three children until, lo and behold, at age 45 she was to give birth to one more – James. “My parents were decent, moral people who imparted to me a strong sense of right and wrong. Still, neither of them had much interest in God or the Bible, and very rarely attended any type of church.”

James closest friends in high school were Southern Baptists. In college, he visited every church within walking distance and settled on the Baptist for its preaching and enthusiastic people. Soon he was attending a Friday night Bible Study Series drawing 50-100 students per week. Enter Jennifer whom he met there and married with both committing their lives to serving God. Two years later he enters a Seminary and struggles with income at Ft. Worth, Texas. While in seminary he learns the importance of a daily time of prayer and meditation. However, his intensive study of Scripture “…raised many questions about the meaning of certain passages, questions that my professors and pastors could not answer to my satisfaction.”

A first encounter with Orthodoxy is a history course on “Missions in Eastern Europe” by a Baptist Romanian professor who had them read The Orthodox Church by Kallistos Ware. While he whipped through it in a weekend, it would be seven years later before he would read it again with very different results. In Bosnia, James and Jennifer matriculate to the city of Banja Luka which is mostly Serbian-controlled. Soon their study of Orthodoxy became more serious. They are to become career missionaries. However, they found out that many previous missionaries were able to get some Serbs to make “a profession of faith,” yet none would leave the Orthodox Church. James decides to dig deeper into this problem. He asks himself, “What is it about this faith that inspires such loyalty? Few of the people ever darken the door of a church, and yet they will not leave their tradition. In fact many have been willing to fight and die for it.”

Dangerous Reading

James begins going in more depth on Orthodoxy and one day receives a telephone call encouraging him to read Becoming Orthodox:
“It is about a group of men that used to work for Campus Crusade for Christ but who all converted to Orthodoxy” I thought to myself, “Why on earth would anyone want to do that? I just had to read the book and find out.”

Nearly all evangelical missionaries held Campus Crusade in very high esteem. Its workers were practically viewed as saints.

The book goes on to describe the truths of Orthodoxy in an easy-to-read and nicely detailed fashion. James review of Orthodoxy is based upon the truths of bible, liturgy, hierarchy, sacraments, Holy Tradition, baptism and Mary using a number of other good books. And, as is the case in of all evangelism, step two requires mentoring and he is especially thankful for help from these people along the way: Fr. Matthew Mackay, Fr. Gordon Walker and Bishop Basil.
An added feature of the book is the Appendix where Fr. James outlines his recommended reading on “How to Turn an Evangelical Protestants into an Orthodox Christian in Four Easy Steps” and recommended reading for Roman Catholics.

This book is a MUST READ for all Orthodox Christians for it a good general introduction to the Faith and is well written. Even better and more important, from a “grass-roots evangelistic standpoint, it is a perfect book to get one on the road to Orthodoxy. The journey is another enlightening testimony with much needed encouragement for everyone. Ancient Orthodoxy gets to the heart which is a way to the soul and to our salvation. Fr. James and Jennifer have shown us another unique but heart-warming story of the road-less-traveled these days. We thank the Good Lord for it!

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ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ ΛΕΟΝΤΟΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΙΟΣ

ΓΕΝΙΚΟΣ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΙΚΟΣ ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΟΣ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΕΙΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ

Patriach of Alexandria
Patriach of Alexandria
«Η διάδοση της Μουσουλμανικής θρησκείας γίνεται με έναν τρόπο εύκολο. Δεν απαιτεί από τους ανθρώπους αυταπάρνηση, προσφορά και θυσίες. Ούτε αλλαγή τρόπου ζωής και αναγέννησης, όπως ζητά ο Χριστιανισμός από τους πιστούς του. Αρκεί ο προσερχόμενος στον Μουσουλμανισμό, να πιστέψει στον Αλλάχ (θεό) και στην αποστολή του Μωάμεθ, ως τον προφήτη του θεού. Την πίστη του αυτή, θα την ομολογήσει τρεις φορές και κατόπιν θα ακολουθήσει ορισμένα καθήκοντα, που επιβάλλει το Κοράνιον.

Ο Μουσουλμανισμός είναι μία θρησκεία με πολύ μικρές απαιτήσεις. Είναι εύκολη στην τήρηση των εντολών και ικανοποιεί τας υλικάς επιθυμίας του ανθρώπου. Έτσι εξηγείται και η γρήγορη διάδοσή του ανάμεσα στους αραβικούς λαούς και στον κόσμο. Οι ηθικές ιδέες του Ισλαμισμού δεν διακρίνονται για την πρωτοτυπία τους και δεν γίνονται εμπόδιο για εκείνους, που θέλουν να ζήσουν ελεύθερα και μία ζωή χαλαρή και υλιστική. Ακόμη και την ουράνια ζωή, στον Παράδεισο, τη συνδέουν με υλικές απολαύσεις. Επιτρέπουν την αρπαγή και την λεηλασία κατά τους ιερούς πολέμους εναντίον των απίστων. Αναγνωρίζουν την δουλεία και δέχονται το εύκολο διαζύγιο, μόνο από τον άνδρα. Δίδουν το δικαίωμα στον άνδρα να έχει τέσσερες γυναίκες, ενώ ο Μωάμεθ είχε επτά, μεταξύ αυτών ήταν και η Αήσια, που ήταν μικρής ηλικίας οκτώ μόλις ετών… Έγκλημα φοβερό. Δεν ήσαν μόνον αυτές οι γυναίκες του, είχε και άλλες, που του είχαν δωρίσει φίλοι του». [Εφημ. “Oρθόδοξος Τύπος”, φ. 1817, 29 Ιανουαρίου  2010]

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Learning from God-fearing layman calling all to repentance

Source: Orthodox England

Calls for Spiritual and Moral Reform in Russia

Pat. Kyrill
Pat. Kyrill

Patriarch Kyrill of Moscow and all the Russias has urged Russians to think about the ultimate causes of the fires that continue to rage in Russia and draw appropriate conclusions. ‘The most important thing for us today is to spend more time thinking about our responsibility before God for ourselves, for our neighbours and for the natural world around us’, said His Holiness after serving the liturgy and blessing the new church at the St Stephen the Wonderworker Convent near Vladimir.

The Patriarch noted that the ultimate cause of the fires was deliberate misconduct of which the root was in barbaric attitudes towards the natural world. It was a result of the inner nature ‘of those accustomed to satisfying their lusts’. ‘They are quite indifferent to the consequences of their acts. All those who have polluted our forests and environment are responsible for the destruction of property and the deaths in the fire’, emphasised the Patriarch.

‘Everywhere you walk in the woods outside any city, you see piles of rubbish, huge amounts of broken glass, plastic bottles and bags…all things that focus the power of the sun. This has contributed to the spontaneous combustion of the forest in the heat wave. We have burned ourselves, the forest fires were the response of nature to feckless human behaviour, the root of which is human sinfulness. Our national wealth has diminished before our eyes, we have become poorer, we have lost lives, and not just those who died in the fires… after all, how many sick people died of asphyxiation from the smog that invaded our cities?’ asked the Patriarch.

He expressed his hopes for the future, saying, ‘This sign was given to us by Heaven, it should at last force us to reconsider things and make a fresh start in life. We fervently pray that the Lord will send rain on our land and we believe that those rains that have occurred were a small, but still real, sign of God’s mercy to us. We believe that the Lord will sustain us through this ordeal. Human wisdom comes from the ability to learn lessons from life. May God grant that our people pass through the fiery trial of the long hot summer of 2010 and that they learn the spiritual lessons of this self-imposed calamity’, concluded the Patriarch.

Meanwhile, the head of a large dairy company near Moscow has informed his 6,000 workers that company policy will require all employees to follow closely the teachings and precepts of the Russian Orthodox Church. Vasily Boiko-Veliki, director of Russkoe Moloko (Russian Milk), told a local radio that the company had been set up to promote the revival of Orthodox Russia and the rules were meant ‘to prevent future sins by employees’. He added: ‘We have about 6,000 employees, most of whom are Orthodox, and I expect them to be faithful and to repent’.

Answering the question if he employed only Orthodox believers, Boiko-Veliki said, ‘There are no restrictions, but it is mostly baptised people who come, whose goals in life coincide with ours, the Orthodox transfiguration of Russia’. The new rules require all Orthodox Christian employees who are civilly married or living together to be married in Russian Orthodox Church ceremonies by 14 October, the feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, or face the possibility of dismissal.

Newly-hired Orthodox employees who had been married in civil ceremonies would be given three months to have a religious wedding. Mr Boiko-Veliki explained that those who are not baptised do not have to marry in the church, but all employees will be able to take an educational course in basic Orthodox culture. The new rules also state that anyone procuring or counselling abortion would face dismissal from work. ‘Abortion is the murder of someone. We do not want to work with murderers’, said Boiko-Veliki.

The Russian businessman commented on the prolonged heat wave and resulting forest fires that are plaguing the Western part of the country and said that a return to the practices of the faith, such as the sacrament of marriage, could improve things. ‘This summer of abnormal heat and drought is a judgement on Russia’s godless ways, said Mr Boiko-Veliki to Gazeta.ru. ‘Our prayers are probably too weak and there is no repentance in our hearts’.