Why, you might ask, was the article removed? We removed it because a book containing the article will be published on Amazon. One the rules Amazon has is that nothing in the book can be published elsewhere. So we took it down. MEANWHILE...you can take a look the offering on Amazon here (click the image). … [Read more...] about Freeing the Soul: Reflections on Thirty Years as an Orthodox Confessor Part I of II
The Hesychast Way
An American Experience of Romanian Hesychasm [VIDEO]
In this insightful short video Dr. John Farina, Professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University, opens to us the rich spirituality of Orthodox Romania through the simple but profoundly authentic lives of ordinary people. Farina speaks of Hesychasm, the practice of acquiring inner stillness primarily through the practice of the Jesus Prayer. "Be still and know that … [Read more...] about An American Experience of Romanian Hesychasm [VIDEO]
On Salvation — From the Elders of Optina Monastery
Beginning in the nineteenth century, a remarkable succession of illumined elders residing in Optina Pustyn Monastery helped bring about a spiritual renewal in Russia. Figures from Dostoevsky and Soloviev to Khomiakov and Kireyevsky to Gogol, Tchaikovsky, Turgenev, and even Tolstoy sought their advice. This collection of sayings from the Optina Elders, focuses upon the path … [Read more...] about On Salvation — From the Elders of Optina Monastery
Met. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos (and Fr. John Romanides) – On The Mystery of Pentecost
“Why was it necessary for the Ascension to happen and for the Holy Spirit to descend?” In two volumes of Empirical Dogmatics, Metropolitan Hierotheos offers us a once-hidden treasure: the unwritten teachings of Fr John Romanides, one of the greatest Orthodox theologians of the last century. These “spoken teachings” (recorded from lectures at the … [Read more...] about Met. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos (and Fr. John Romanides) – On The Mystery of Pentecost
Understanding Orthodoxy
Dogma, Fr. John Romanides taught, exists to guide the faithful and to safeguard against false teaching. Dogmas don't contain the substance of the encounter with God, they describe and direct it. Dogma itself must be experienced, lit with the fire of Divine Life to effect salvation -- the healing, redemption, and restoration -- of the believer. Theology, in other words, must be … [Read more...] about Understanding Orthodoxy