A New Man, A New Name, An Old Faith

Journey To Orthodoxy says, "Welcome Home" to Denzil Roland and his family who were chrismated into the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church last night in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Father Joseph Bittle of Holy Trinity in Little Rock, administered the sacrament under the the Bishopry of Bishop Antoun, using the Byzantine Rite. Denzil took the name, John, at his chrismation. The newly chrismated, John, continues to lead his church into the Orthodox faith. The former ICCEC church congregation will be chrismated soon. May the Holy Trinity continue to bless and prosper the work of their hands.

Addendum: The former Father Denny is now Deacon John. He was ordained to the Orthodox deaconate on Sunday.

Mary "Ever Virgin"

In my Protestant years which included being raised in a Baptist Pastor’s home and a BA in Religion from a Baptist University all I knew about Mary, the mother of Jesus, was what I saw in the pages of the Gospels. The mindset of Sola Scriptura, or the “scriptures alone”, did not allow for me to consider the fact that the historic figures who lived when Mary did knew how to write and indeed did so about the one they called “the Mother of God.” We cannot find within pages of the scriptures many historic and cultural factors about Mary that have been preserved by the Church for 2000 years. For instance:

• Did you know that the names of Mary’s parents were Johakim and Anna? 
• Did you know that when Mary was a baby her parents dedicated her to God as a Temple Virgin? 
• Did you know that Temple Virgins were devoted to lifelong chastity and abstained from sexual relations their entire life? 
• Did you know that when Mary was about three years old her parents took her to the Temple to turn her over to the care of the Priests and she bound up the stairs in anticipation of her calling to the traditional servitude of lifelong chastity? 
• Did you know that when she was about 12 or 13 years old Mary could no longer serve as a Temple Virgin because her impending menstral period would prevent her from serving in the Temple and thus became a “Virgin of the Lord.” 
• Did you know that in keeping with tradition, the priests looked for a righteous man who would become her protector and guardian and respect her vow of virginity? 
• Did you know that Joseph was an elderly widower with grown children when he agreed to wed and provide for the 13-17 year old Virgin of the Lord named Mary? 
• Did you know that the Church has always held that Mary was “ever virgin” and that she never had sexual intercourse with Joseph because doing so would have been against the laws and traditions? 
• Did you know that when the scriptures refer to the brethren of Jesus that the word “brethren” is a cultural usage which commonly means relatives, including cousins, step-brothers, uncles? 
• Did you know that even the Protestant Reformers such as Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and John Wesley all held that Mary was “Ever Virgin”? 
• Did you know that the idea that Mary gave birth to other children after Jesus is a Protestant view and a relatively new one? 

Let’s see what the early church fathers have said all along:

The Protoevangelium of James

"And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by [St. Anne], saying, ‘Anne! Anne! The Lord has heard your prayer, and you shall conceive and shall bring forth, and your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.’ And Anne said, ‘As the Lord my God lives, if I beget either male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God, and it shall minister to him in the holy things all the days of its life.’ . . . And [from the time she was three] Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there" (Protoevangelium of James 4, 7 [A.D. 120]).

"And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of priests, saying, ‘Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, lest perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord?’ And they said to the high priest, ‘You stand by the altar of the Lord; go in and pray concerning her, and whatever the Lord shall manifest to you, that also will we do.’ . . . [A]nd he prayed concerning her, and behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him saying, ‘Zechariah! Zechariah! Go out and assemble the widowers of the people and let them bring each his rod, and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be. . . . And Joseph [was chosen]. . . . And the priest said to Joseph, ‘You have been chosen by lot to take into your keeping the Virgin of the Lord.’ But Joseph refused, saying, ‘I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl’" (ibid., 8–9).

"And Annas the scribe came to him [Joseph] . . . and saw that Mary was with child. And he ran away to the priest and said to him, ‘Joseph, whom you did vouch for, has committed a grievous crime.’ And the priest said, ‘How so?’ And he said, ‘He has defiled the virgin whom he received out of the temple of the Lord and has married her by stealth’" (ibid., 15).

"And the priest said, ‘Mary, why have you done this? And why have you brought your soul low and forgotten the Lord your God?’ . . . And she wept bitterly saying, ‘As the Lord my God lives, I am pure before him, and know not man’" (ibid.). (Full Account)

Origen

"The Book [the Protoevangelium] of James [records] that the brethren of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former wife, whom he married before Mary. Now those who say so wish to preserve the honor of Mary in virginity to the end, so that body of hers which was appointed to minister to the Word . . . might not know intercourse with a man after the Holy Spirit came into her and the power from on high overshadowed her. And I think it in harmony with reason that Jesus was the firstfruit among men of the purity which consists in [perpetual] chastity, and Mary was among women. For it were not pious to ascribe to any other than to her the firstfruit of virginity" (Commentary on Matthew 2:17 [A.D. 248]).

Hilary of Poitiers

"If they [the brethren of the Lord] had been Mary’s sons and not those taken from Joseph’s former marriage, she would never have been given over in the moment of the passion [crucifixion] to the apostle John as his mother, the Lord saying to each, ‘Woman, behold your son,’ and to John, ‘Behold your mother’ [John 19:26–27), as he bequeathed filial love to a disciple as a consolation to the one desolate" (Commentary on Matthew 1:4 [A.D. 354]).

Athanasius

"Let those, therefore, who deny that the Son is by nature from the Father and proper to his essence deny also that he took true human flesh from the ever-virgin Mary" (Discourses Against the Arians 2:70 [A.D. 360]).

Epiphanius of Salamis

"We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of all things, both visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God . . . who for us men and for our salvation came down and took flesh, that is, was born perfectly of the holy ever-virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit" (The Man Well-Anchored 120 [A.D. 374]).

"And to holy Mary, [the title] ‘Virgin’ is invariably added, for that holy woman remains undefiled" (Medicine Chest Against All Heresies 78:6 [A.D. 375]).

Jerome

"[Helvidius] produces Tertullian as a witness [to his view] and quotes Victorinus, bishop of Petavium. Of Tertullian, I say no more than that he did not belong to the Church. But as regards Victorinus, I assert what has already been proven from the gospel—that he [Victorinus] spoke of the brethren of the Lord not as being sons of Mary but brethren in the sense I have explained, that is to say, brethren in point of kinship, not by nature. [By discussing such things we] are . . . following the tiny streams of opinion. Might I not array against you the whole series of ancient writers? Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and many other apostolic and eloquent men, who against [the heretics] Ebion, Theodotus of Byzantium, and Valentinus, held these same views and wrote volumes replete with wisdom. If you had ever read what they wrote, you would be a wiser man" (Against Helvidius: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary 19 [A.D. 383]).

"We believe that God was born of a virgin, because we read it. We do not believe that Mary was married after she brought forth her Son, because we do not read it. . . . You [Helvidius] say that Mary did not remain a virgin. As for myself, I claim that Joseph himself was a virgin, through Mary, so that a virgin Son might be born of a virginal wedlock" (ibid., 21).

Didymus the Blind

"It helps us to understand the terms ‘first-born’ and ‘only-begotten’ when the Evangelist tells that Mary remained a virgin ‘until she brought forth her first-born son’ [Matt. 1:25]; for neither did Mary, who is to be honored and praised above all others, marry anyone else, nor did she ever become the Mother of anyone else, but even after childbirth she remained always and forever an immaculate virgin" (The Trinity 3:4 [A.D. 386]).

Ambrose of Milan

"Imitate her [Mary], holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son set forth so great an example of material virtue; for neither have you sweeter children [than Jesus], nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able to bear another son" (Letters 63:111 [A.D. 388]).

Pope Siricius I

"You had good reason to be horrified at the thought that another birth might issue from the same virginal womb from which Christ was born according to the flesh. For the Lord Jesus would never have chosen to be born of a virgin if he had ever judged that she would be so incontinent as to contaminate with the seed of human intercourse the birthplace of the Lord’s body, that court of the eternal king" (Letter to Bishop Anysius [A.D. 392]).

Augustine

"In being born of a Virgin who chose to remain a Virgin even before she knew who was to be born of her, Christ wanted to approve virginity rather than to impose it. And he wanted virginity to be of free choice even in that woman in whom he took upon himself the form of a slave" (Holy Virginity 4:4 [A.D. 401]).

"It was not the visible sun, but its invisible Creator who consecrated this day for us, when the Virgin Mother, fertile of womb and integral in her virginity, brought him forth, made visible for us, by whom, when he was invisible, she too was created. A Virgin conceiving, a Virgin bearing, a Virgin pregnant, a Virgin bringing forth, a Virgin perpetual. Why do you wonder at this, O man?" (Sermons 186:1 [A.D. 411]).

"Heretics called Antidicomarites are those who contradict the perpetual virginity of Mary and affirm that after Christ was born she was joined as one with her husband" (Heresies 56 [A.D. 428]).

Leporius

"We confess, therefore, that our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, born of the Father before the ages, and in times most recent, made man of the Holy Spirit and the ever-virgin Mary" (Document of Amendment 3 [A.D. 426]).

Cyril of Alexandria

"[T]he Word himself, coming into the Blessed Virgin herself, assumed for himself his own temple from the substance of the Virgin and came forth from her a man in all that could be externally discerned, while interiorly he was true God. Therefore he kept his Mother a virgin even after her childbearing" (Against Those Who Do Not Wish to Confess That the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God 4 [A.D. 430]).

Pope Leo I

"His [Christ’s] origin is different, but his [human] nature is the same. Human usage and custom were lacking, but by divine power a Virgin conceived, a Virgin bore, and Virgin she remained" (Sermons 22:2 [A.D. 450]).

In their own words…

Are Baptists Protestants? (Part Two) "The Mason Connection"

The Baptist's claim that they are not and never were Protestants may become moot as one wonders whether or not their evolution toward Paganism will in the future even merit the term "Christian Body". How is it that Baptist Pastors, Deacons and Laymen defend with all their might that the Baptist Church is the Original New Testament Church, and yet Baptists make up over 37% of the Masonic membership in the United States? Why do 14% of the SBC Pastors and 18% of the SBC Deacons, worship at the altar of a pagan God as Masons and why are they unequally yoked with other religions who make up the Masonic brotherhood and why do they find fellowship in a pagan Masonic Temple? Something is amiss. Could it be that the autonomy of which Baptists are so proud, is actually a result of the rebellion born of the Reformation and has opened wide the door to deception? The Orthodox Church, which is the historically verifiable unbroken Church of the Apostles, does not allow membership in a secret society, especially the Masons. To their credit, many Baptist writers and theologians recognize the nature of the Masonic order as a false religion with oaths, creeds, temples, and secret initiations dating back to the Pagan Babylonian Religions. Though it be cloaked in good deeds, the Masonic order is a type of the biblical wolf in sheep's clothing. It is a lion roaming to and fro seeking whom it may devour. My challenge to Baptists who claim to be the one, true, church of the Apostles, is to go to your own Baptist Bookstore, now called Lifeway, and pick up a good book on the Masonic order. You will find it in the "cult" section. If you are the true church, there is a cancer among you. Every individual Baptist who practices the Masonic Religion should renounce any association with it. Should they refused to do so, they should be driven out from among you, especially the Pastors and Deacons who do "feed the flock".

Notes on The Masonic Order by former Mason Charles Finney

Masonic Oaths Procured by Fraud

"I found that in taking these oaths I had been grossly deceived and imposed upon. I had been led to suppose that there were some very important secrets to be communicated to me; but in this I found myself entirely disappointed. Indeed I came to the deliberate conclusion that my oaths had been procured by fraud and misrepresentations; that the institution was in no respect what I had been informed it was; and as I have had the means of examining it more thoroughly, it has become more and more irresistibly plain to me that Masonry is highly dangerous to the State, and in every way injurious to the Church of Christ."

Features of an Anti-Christ
"Judging from unquestionable evidences, how can we fail to pronounce Freemasonry an unchristian institution? We can see that its morality is unchristian. Its oath-bound secrecy is unchristian. The administration and taking of its oaths are unchristian and a violation of the positive command of Christ. And Masonic oaths pledge its members to some of the most unlawful and unchristian things:

1. To conceal each other's crimes.
2. To deliver each other from difficulty, whether right or wrong.
3. To unduly favor Masonry in political action and in business matters.
4. Its members are sworn to retaliate and persecute unto death the violators of Masonic obligations.
5. Freemasonry knows no mercy, and swears its candidates to avenge violations of Masonic obligations unto death.
6. Its oaths are profane, taking the Name of God in vain.
7. The penalties of these oaths are barbarous, even savage.
8. Its teachings are false and profane.
9. Its designs are partial and selfish.
10. Its ceremonies are a mixture of puerility and profanity.
11. Its religion is false.
12. It professes to save men on other conditions than those revealed in the Gospel of Christ.
13. It is wholly an enormous falsehood.
14. It is a swindle, obtaining money from its members under false pretenses.
15. It refuses all examinations, and veils itself under a mantle of oath-bound secrecy.
16. It is virtual conspiracy against both Church and State."

Don’t think the Masonic Lodge is a church? Read this:

From the
Entered Apprentice Degree of Freemasonry

“The word Lodge is analogous to that of church, referring not so much to the place of meeting as to the persons assembled. A lodge may therefore at this time be defined as a certain number of Free and Accepted Masons, duly assembled, furnished with the Holy Bible, the Square and the Compasses, together with a Charter, or Dispensation, from one Grand Body of competent jurisdiction empowering it to work.”

Based on this ceremonial Masonic Oath, the Lodge is a church which uses the Bible with the Square and Compass and a Charter or Dispensation. It is the Charter and Dispensation that should give every Baptist pause. By whose dispensation do you worship and take oaths? By whose charter do you order your life? Even the seemingly reverential kissing of the Holy Scriptures is done through the Masonic Square and Compass that is lain on top.

I challenge you to research further the truth of what I say. The site below is the best that I have found that lays bare the this pagan society's secrets. Baptists, until you have removed yourself from paganism and removed the paganism from your midst, your claim to be the original church in faith and doctrine will fall on deaf ears.

Finally, lest you are too angered by my diatribe, know that I am a fourth generation Southern Baptist who found out only a few years ago that my own highly respected Baptist Pastor Grandfather was a 33rd Degree Mason. I have earned the right to speak frankly on this matter.


To read further click on: www.Ephesians 5-11.org
For a "Church of Christ" Perspective Click Here

Are Baptist Protestants?

In an attempt to validate their authenticity and their very existence, some Protestant denominations acknowledge the importance of having a historic line to the New Testament Church. Much of their foundation is built around proving that they are that Church. Growing up a Baptist I was well aware that we believed we were the "one true church", the original, and that all others were tainted, but it was not until after I became Orthodox that I heard the words "Baptists are not Protestant." This was especially surprising to me because I first heard it from the mouth of my Baptist Pastor Father. I had attended a Baptist University and had earned a baptist degree in Religion and had not heard it. I knew that the Baptist seminaries didn't teach it. The existence of the belief that Baptists are not Protestant should not have taken me by surprise since there are hundreds of different types of Baptist groups all with varying "baptist" doctrinal views. It follows that there would be differing views as to the history and origins of baptists. The problem lies with the fact that few Baptist pastors are theologians and even fewer are historians. These less than scholarly men are quick, however, to embrace the writings of a fellow pastor whose pamphlet, "The Trail of Blood", written in the 1930's has been elevated to a status, it seems, greater than that of the councils of the church, the church fathers or the great church historians. Their entire premise is based on a belief that Baptists have always existed but at times were persecuted and driven underground, their documents and verifiable proof of their existence destroyed by the Roman Church. They point to several groups who they say were Baptists. Rather than cover territory that has already been thoroughly charted I refer you to the article by Steve Ray. If after reading his article you can still believe that Baptists existed before the 1500's, then your greatest attribute is faith...blind faith.

Praying to the Saints

Okay, yes, it is semantics. The usage of the word "pray" has been altered in today's American vernacular. Keep in mind that Orthodoxy has not been Americanized, thanks be to God, neither has it been culturized. The old English usage may help to understand how we as Orthodox have the audacity to "pray" to anyone other than God. Do you remember the old "pray tell"? It simply means "please do tell". The root usage is to talk to or speak. Praying to the saints is to talk to them. It does not suggest that they have the independent power to answer or move matters on earth or take on any of the attributes of God. Now, what do we talk to them about? We ask them to pray for us. They are not dead. They are the faithful of all the ages who exist around the throne of God. It is these same saints who are present in the Liturgy as the "windows of heaven" open to touch we who are in earthen vessels through the Eucharist. They are worshiping with us and we with them. The most common objection I receive from my Protestant friends is, "Why do I need them to pray for me when I can go to God directly?" My answer has never been misunderstood nor rejected by the questioner, "Do you ever ask anyone to pray for you? Why do you do that if you can go directly to God?" These same questioners go to counselors or ask advise of others. Why do they do this if they can go directly to God? The fact is that we all recognize that we need each other. We bear one another's burdens. We are to "confess our faults to one another". We are to "pray for one another", and the Saints are not dead! They remain that "great cloud of witnesses' to all that occurs in the Kingdom of God, including that which occurs to we who are still in our mortal bodies. Who better to pray for us than those who have "run the good race, and fought the good fight" and who now dwell in their heavenly bodies? So, we who are Orthodox stand before an Icon or picture of a Saint who we know may have endured the same that we are going through and ask them to "pray to God for me". My prayer to my patron Saint is:

"O saint of God, Paul, pray to God for me, for my home and my family. Amen. Pray to God for me, O Saint Paul, well-pleasing to God, for I readily recommend myself to you, who are the speedy helper and intercessor for my soul. Amen."

The Spirit Of Lent

O Lord and Master of my life take from me

the Spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of
power, and idle talk.

But give rather the Spirit of chastity,
humility, patience, and love to thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King grant me to see my
own sins and not to judge my brother; for
Thou art blessed unto the ages of ages.

Amen

Contribute to Missions

UPDATE: 1/12/2010 This article was written in 2007. It is my understanding that the local ministry and mission efforts of this church have been put on hold. Those wishing to give to missions may give to: The Haitian Orthodox Mission Effort.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters In Christ,

I have the privilege of introducing you to one of my dearest friends and one whom I consider a Father in the faith, Father Denzil Roland. Father Denzil is a trail-blazer and a visionary who, with his entire church, is in transition to the Antiochian Orthodox Church. He is under the care and guidance of our Arch-Diocese and was recently made a catechumen along with all the members of his church. He is making steady progress under the tutelage of Father Keiser as he heads toward chrismation and ordination.

Saint Paul’s Mission in Hot Springs, Arkansas was established as a Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC) about five years ago. The historic building in the historic tourist town and boyhood home of Bill Clinton, is perfectly positioned to make a great impact for the Kingdom of God in our neighboring state as a Western Rite Antiochian Orthodox Church. Father Denzil’s desire to follow God to the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, required that he leave the communion of the ICCEC, and has created great financial need both for the Mission and for his family.

Cynthia and I ask that you join us in supporting Saint Paul’s mission in whatever way possible until they are firmly rooted and fully included into the faith. Please look at the information provided here and consider how you may help to support this great cause for the Kingdom.

Sincerely Yours,

Nathan Lee Lewis

Member Saint Ignatius Orthodox Church

Father Denny (on the left), Bishop Antoun and Terrell Metheny (on the right), share a meal after the Liturgy at Saint Paul’s Mission. Terrell Metheny and his wife Carol are products of Father Denny’s ministry. Terrell, a retired radio executive, has housed another ICCEC mission in the town of Fort Smith, three hours from Hot Springs. Father Denny journeyed twice a month on Sunday afternoon for several years to Fort Smith to minister. Terrell and Carol Metheny have followed Father Denny as he has led them to the Orthodox faith. They were the first to be chrismated late 2006 and are active members of a Russian church in their city. Father Denny continues to be the catalyst bringing others to the faith as he communicates and encourages other former ICCEC churches and their priests in Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia to become part of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, Western Rite. Should all continue in their process it will be the largest inclusion of established churches into the Antiochian Church since the movement that brought Saint Ignatius to the faith 20 years ago. Father Denny has had the privilege of meeting personally with Father Stephen Rogers, Father Gordon Walker, Father Peter Gilquist and others as he continues toward chrismation and ordination. The Diocese is also flying in Father Keiser to Hot Springs once a month to personally train Father Denny and assist Saint Paul’s Mission in its transition. Above: Father Denny at the Altar at Saint Paul’s.

Bishop Antoun and Father Denny Roland see eye to eye in more ways than one. Two mighty men of God blessed above their stature! Father Denny and Saint Paul’s Mission are in transition to the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Father Denny spent ten years in the International Communion of the Charismatic Church (ICCEC), until integrity and desire for truth compelled him to solicit his ICCEC Bishop to release him from his Holy Orders. This brave act requires that we, as his fellow brothers and sisters, pray for him and support Saint Paul’s Mission financially until they are established and self supporting. Please pray about what you can do to assist.

Father Denny Roland and his family had a recent visit from Bishop Antoun. Bishop Antoun spent the day with Father Denny and was excited to see the sights in Bill Clinton’s boyhood home town. The photo was taken in the fellowship hall of Saint Paul’s. Bishop Antoun also visited Holy Trinity Church in Little Rock whose Priest, Father Joseph Bittle, has befriended Father Denny and lends him brotherhood and encouragement. Holy Trinity, Eastern Rite, is also a small and growing Mission in Arkansas. Holy Trinity is the first Church where the me and my family were introduced to the faith and first started inquirer’s classes. Interestingly, Father Bittle is from Tennessee and was ordained a deacon at Saint Ignatius in Franklin. Saint Paul’s Mission and Holy Trinity Mission are about 1 hour from each other.

Saint Paul’s Mission, in transition to the Antiochian Orthodox Church-Western Rite, is housed in a historic building in the heart of Hot Springs, Arkansas on  Central Avenue. Directly behind then building, is the rectory where Father Denny, Ellana and their 6 children live. The building was built in the 30's as a Lutheran Church. When Father Denny led his congregation to purchase the building, it was being used as an antique store.

Some interesting facts:

• The house next door is a Palm Reading business.
• The motel across the street is used for prostitution and low income renters.
• The Mission is a couple of miles from the Horse Tracks.
• The building houses a ministry for recovering Meth addicts as well as an on-going ministry to occultists and Wiccans.
• All members of the congregation, formerly Charismatic Episcopalians (ICCEC), were made catechumens in late 2006 under the direction of Bishop Antoun.
• Father Denny Roland has a wife and six children.
• Although he just completed 8 years of education in the ICCEC, spending thousands of dollars, Father Denny must start all over again in order to fulfill his educational requirements in the Antiochian Orthodox Church through Saint Steven Seminary.

Elanna Roland gave birth to their sixth child December of 2006, yet she is actively attending nursing school through Pell Grants. Father Denny watches the children, studies for seminary and fulfills his pastoral duties while she is in class. There are currently about 15 regular members at Saint Paul’s, including Father Roland’s Family. Few of these are able to give financially to the Mission. Average giving from all sources is currently only $1300 to $1400 a month. They must also maintain the parsonage where Father Denny and his family live. The basic monthly bills of the Church are about $2000. This does not include seminary expenses or salary for the priest. Father Denny must do odd jobs and commissioned art work (icons) to supplement and purchase groceries. Saint Stephen Seminary alone costs $750 a year for three years. Books are about $250-$300 a semester.

I recently had the privilege of returning to Saint Paul’s, my former ICCEC church whose members are now catechumens in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. At Father Denny’s invitation, I gave the homily and encouraged the people in their transition to the faith. The historic Spanish architecture building, currently being considered for placement on the National Register of Historic Places, is a wonderful addition to the Antiochian Diocese, and a perfect setting to grow a thriving church in the heart of this tourist town. Both the Church and the Parsonage were purchased for the

amazing price of $150,000 but $120,000 is stilled owed. The monthly payment is about $1200. Helping pay off this debt will allow this small congregation to spend its sparse recourses on other vital aspects of the work of the ministry and support of the priest and his family.

How can you help?

You can commit to:

[ ] $375 for a semester of seminary

[ ] $750 for a year of seminary

[ ] $2250 for full three year seminary

[ ] $300 for a semester of books

[ ] $1200 for all seminary books

[ ] $1200 for a month of mortgage payments

[ ] $800 for one month of utilities and insurance

[ ] $125,000 to pay off mortgage debt

[ ] $_________ for monthly groceries or other needs.

Make Checks payable and mail to: (See Update Below)

Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Mission

1700 Central Avenue

Hot Springs, AR. 71901

God Bless.

UPDATE: 1/12/2010 This article was written in 2007. It is my understanding that the local ministry and mission efforts of this church have been put on hold. Those wishing to give to missions may give to: The Haitian Orthodox Mission Effort.

The De-Christianization of America

(Click the flag for a history lesson)

For those who would revise our nation's history. For the 70% of those who voted for John Kerry who said they attended no Church at all. For the Democratic National Committee who just allowed a Muslim cleric, anti-Christian, and supporter of terrorism to pray this prayer at their winter meeting:

"In the name of God the most merciful, the most compasionate. We thank you, God, to bless us among your creations. We thank you, God, to make us as a great nation. We thank you God, to send us your messages through our father Abraham and Moses and Jesus and Mohammed. Through you, God, we unite. So guide us to the right path. The path of the people you bless, not the path of the people you doom. Help us God to liberate and fill this earth with justice and peace and love and equality. And help us to stop the war and violence, and oppression and occupation. Ameen."

For all who have forgotten that our national anthem has more than one verse, please sing along on the third stanza:

"O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation!

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n

rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us 

a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is

just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"

And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph

shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the 

brave!"

God has enemies, be they the godless, faithless pagans of our own nation, or the heretic Muslims who are murdering Christians all over the world. It seems they are uniting as one. Pray that the Orthodox Faith may be preserved in this nation and throughout the world.

"Love your enemies and pray for those who despitefully use you."

An Orthodox Prayer for Your Enemies

Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst command us to love our enemies, and those who defame and injure us, and to pray for them and forgive them; Who Thyself didst pray for Thine enemies who crucified thee: grant us, we pray, the spirit of Christian reconciliation and meekness, that we may heartily forgive every injury and be reconciled with our enemies. Grant us to overcome the malevolence and offenses of people with Christian meekness and true love of our neighbor. We further beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant to our enemies true peace and forgiveness of sins; and do not allow them to leave this life without true faith and sincere conversion. And help us repay evil with goodness, and to remain safe from the temptations of the devil and from all the perils which threaten us, in the form of visible and invisible enemies. Amen.

Homily at Saint Paul's

I was ordained as a Southern Baptist Minister in the early eighties. I spent many years in various staff positions in various denominations and independent churches. I was known as the golden child, the orator, the talent, my Dad's son and his greatest hope to fill his pastoral shoes. I could speak impromptu with limited notes and could move a crowd by the power of my appeal. I gladly and arrogantly accepted my anointed role as a chosen spokesman for God. "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." 

On April 21st, 2007, I stood in the pulpit of Saint Paul's Mission as an Orthodox layman. I have never been more fulfilled. Notice the position of the pulpit in the photo. The speaker is not the center of the work of the people (liturgy). The altar of Christ is the center. We must decrease and He must increase. Saint Paul's is one of several former Charismatic Episcopal Churches now on its way to the Antiochian Orthodox Church, its members having been received as catechumens. Being a former member of Saint Paul's, I was asked by Father Denny Roland, priest of Saint Paul's, to speak the homily. I read from a prepared text, no longer dependent on my abilities to move anyone and fearful of the real presence of Christ at the Altar. My purpose and the request of Father Denny was to tell my story and encourage his people who are in transition to the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Here is the text of my message to the church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a combination of several BLOG articles as it specifically relates to the people of Saint Paul's.

Text of Homily:

"Father Denny once told me he thought he might be a contented man just to live in the hills and raise chickens. He said he was "the most unlikely of men to serve as a priest". I have always lovingly referred to him as a "sawed-off hobbit of a priest". His short stature and robust build, his burly beard and personable demeanor, his cultural speech interlaced with an occasional "I seen it" and "I done it", causes some, at first glance, to miss the powerhouse of a man he is. But, I have discovered that his power doesn't come from his keen mind, or his uncanny literary retention, from his masterful ability as a wordsmith or his relentless pursuit of truth and holiness, but, it comes from his unwavering heart of servanthood. The very pews you sit on were painstakingly assembled, sanded and stained by his hands. Several of us in this room have labored with him but we always found it hard to match his pace. The roof on the parsonage, the whole of the rectory, the paint on the walls, he has labored to build up, repair and restore to health. This is a physical demonstration of how he labors for the souls of men, women and children, how he labors for your souls. Christ said the servant is the greatest of all. 

That being true, I deem it an honor to have served at this very altar with one such as him. I exhort you to realize, at this time in your life and in the life of the Church, it is God who has ordained that you should be under the care and pastorate of this priest. Honor him. Pray for him. Give financially and see the hand of the Lord in your midst.

Father Denny celebrated his 10th year in the Charismatic Episcopal Church July 1, 2006. On that day, at his own request, he was released from his Holy Orders as a priest in the CEC to pursue Holy Orders with the Antiochian Orthodox Church. Little did I know or even dream possible that when we, about two years ago, asked him to release us from his pastorate in the CEC Church so that we might become Orthodox, he too would soon step over into the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church which is the Orthodox Church.

I am humbled and amazed at the work of God in the life of Father Denny and to see what God is doing in the life of this Church. I am especially thrilled that the Bishop of the Orthodox Diocese in which we serve, Father Antoun, is getting to know Father Denzil Roland as I have known him. The Church has been blessed this year by his entrance into the undivided faith of our fathers. I long for the day when I attend Father Denny's Chrismation service and am able to utter the words, "Welcome home Father. You have reached the destination and now the real Journey To Orthodoxy begins." Father, I am honored that you count me worthy to stand here today. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on me a sinner.

On April 12th, 2006 I celebrated my 50th birthday. Several of my closest friends were able to make their way to Tennessee to join me personally while several others called or sent greetings and congratulations. It was a wonderful time of hope and gratefulness for the preceding years. Much was put into perspective… 

Ten days later on April 22, 2006, Holy Saturday, I was chrismated into the Eastern Orthodox Church. Here are three common questions:

"So what's a good former Southern Baptist boy doing in a place this? 

And after 50 years of life shouldn't you know better?

...by the way what is the Eastern Orthodox Church?" 

I have yet to meet one person in casual conversation who knows what the Orthodox Church is. I always give this 60 second explanation:

'The Orthodox Church is the original church of the Apostles. There is the Roman Catholic Church in the west and then there is the Orthodox Church in the east. The Orthodox Church has over 250 million members and is the second largest Christian group on the planet although there are currently only about 6 million members in the United States. For 1054 years there was only one united church on the planet with five main locations, Rome (Italy), ConstantinopleTurkey), Jerusalem (Palestine), Antioch (Syria), and Alexandria (Egypt), each pastored by a Bishop. Then the Bishop of the Roman church in the west claimed he had full authority and jurisdiction over the whole church. This unprecedented move was not well received by the rest of the church in the geographical east. The churches in the east remained in communion and unity with one another, while the Roman church in the west broke from that unity and became an independent body- the Roman Catholic Church. All existing protestant denominations, some 25,000 of them in the United States alone, extends out of the Roman Church during the reformation period almost 600 years after the Schism.'

Recently one of my five daughters asked me of our move to Orthodoxy. I told her I have been asking the same question of God since I was 17, "Where is the church?" That desire to find and be a part of the true church has led me on a path with many forks and dead-end. From Baptist, to Independent Bible Churches, to Charismatic Churches, to the Jewish Synagogues, to Messianic Fellowships, to the Charismatic Episcopal Church, and to the Roman Catholic Church. My puzzled Southern Baptist Father once referred to my journey as "the religion of the month" club. Perhaps now that I have traveled this road and am familiar with the paths and the dead-ends, I can, in some humble way, be a pathguide for others who are coming this way, and coming they are. Seeking evangelicals who, like me, have no idea or concept that they were born into a religious world with doctrines and practices that look very little like the church of our fathers. I have a degree in Religion from a Southern Baptist University and yet not once in any of my studies was I required to read or even informed of the writings of the Early Church Fathers. These were the men who formed and shaped the church, who knew and were ordained by the Apostles themselves, who continued to pastor the churches of Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the other disciples after their deaths. In fact I was advised against reading anything other than that which was contained within the pages of the bible, the mantra being "sola scriptura", the bible alone. To look at church history or "tradition" was not necessary. The day I decided to consider what men such as Ignatius, Clement, Iraneus, Polycarp, and Justin Martyr wrote, preached, and shed their blood to preserve, the day I decided that that which was believed and taught by the undivided Church in the first 1000 years was more reliable than the latest popular author, religious leader or set of commentaries, was the day my religion was ruined. But MY religion needed to be ruined, for it was not the faith of our fathers. Could it be that my protestant university knew that if I read the writings of those so close to the apostles that I would discover a different church, a different doctrine, a different shape of worship, a different history than was being espoused in the institutions and churches throughout evangelical Protestantism which was birthed only 400 years prior? God forbid. Ignorance is much more easily accepted than intentional deception. 

It has helped me to see where the Church physically exists today, for the Church isn’t only seen in some mystic, nebulous unity of all who profess Christ, it is also a visible entity, established and indwelled by Christ for 2000 years. This priest, Father Denny, when the hands of ordination are laid upon him, will be listed with the succession of those who have come before him. We know who they are. We have their names and addresses. They are the Bishops and Priests of the Church of Antioch, where “they were first called Christians”. The Church established by Peter. You are becoming part of this Church, the church of our fathers. The Church of the Apostles… 

When Peter died, Eudoius became bishop. When Eudoius died Ignatius became bishop. When Ignatius died Heros became Bishop. When Heros died Cornelius became Bishop. There isn’t time here to list the names of all of the 169 successive Bishops who have pastored the Orthodox Church in Antioch. There were 97 Bishops in the first 1000 millennium. There were 73 in the second millennium. On June 2, 1979, His Beatitude Ignatius IV, was elected by the Holy Spirit to be Patriarch of Antioch. It is under his pastorate that we all have the honor of serving our Lord in His Church.

Today there are 14 equal, independent and self-governing Orthodox Churches who work in communion and unity with one another across the earth. Communion and unity do not mean an absence of human conflict born of flesh or selfish endeavor. I like what my Priest, Father Stephen Rogers told me when I first met with him. As we sat in his office in a separate building, he pointed in the direction of the Temple and said, 'Remember Nathan, there are people over there.' That has been true of the Church from day one. It amazes me the narrowness of some who always use the examples of the human element of the faith as fodder to discredit the relevance of the historic governance in the body of Christ. The Orthodox Church is well aware of issues facing it and speaks to these issues often. For instance there is not yet a North American Autocephalous Church. The Orthodox Church in this hemisphere is represented by several Churches in the East, such as the Greek, the Russian, and the Antiochian. All are still the same Orthodox Church but governed by individual entities which carry with them their own cultural flavors. We are moving toward having all of these cultural Churches unite into one American Church. I am delighted however, when I visit a local Orthodox Church with cultural elements different from mine, that I feel at home because the shape, ethos, and worship experience is familiar. The Orthodox Church is the original Church and has preserved the faith of the Apostles. It is unchanging and in this way has prevented in every century and culture the propensity to 'change with the times'. While 'change' may be a good word to some religious cultures, "change" is equal to heresy in the Orthodox faith. While other religious cultures are given to the newest movements or doctrines, you can be assured that when you enter the Orthodox faith, you are receiving the original doctrines of the faith of our fathers without mixture.

If I can be a little presumptuous, allow me to welcome all you who have been made catechumens in the Church. Though the CEC was a blessed bridge for many of us, into the historic faith, we now watch with great remorse as it disintegrates into disarray and confusion still locked into the false idea that any group or individual can exist separated from the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. You are not alone in your Journey. There are other CEC churches coming this way and you have led them. You are the first and history will record it so. The mission of this Church extends beyond these walls. Though men may not remember your individual names, heaven has recorded that you in this holy temple, reached, with this priest, for the hand of God and felt his touch. You are not alone anymore. You are joining with over 250 million of your brothers and sisters to worship and serve God in unity of worship and doctrine. Guess what. You are becoming a part of the Church that believes the same doctrine and worships the same way. You can spend the rest of your life, not trying to figure out what is true, but in learning what the Church has already established to be true. For the Orthodox Church is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church the pillar and foundation of all truth.

So, come on in. Let us reason together. But I will tell you right now that your closely held doctrines of the church, authority, salvation, the Eucharist, veneration of Mary, baptism, shapes and forms of worship, music, gifts of the spirit, and many other things will be challenged. You might get uncomfortable, angry or afraid. That’s understandable. God knows our frame. We die in order to live. Here are the words of Your Patron Saint-Paul. These words should be the core of your heart and attitude during this exciting time of Journey.

'For I have been crucified with Christ, yet never the less I live, yet it is not I who live but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.' "

CEC World News

"Good evening. This is the CEC World News Report. I'm Harry Mouse. Thanks for joining us. Leading our top story tonight: the exodus of both priests and bishops from the Charismanic Episcopill Church. Joining us via satellite is Patriarch of the CEC, Gandolf Sadler. "

HM: Your Eminence...should I call you "Your Eminence"?
GA: Yes. You should.
HM: I 'll get right to the point. To what do you attribute the recent exodus?
GA: Well, Mouse, there was obviously sin in the camp.
HM: Whose camp?
GA: Why theirs of course. The bishops and priests that have stepped out from under my authority obviously have fallen into deep error and we pray for their souls.
HM: Your emin..emin.. Is it okay if I just call you "Gan" for short?
GA: Sure, we're loose here, but those who know me best just call me "Sad".
HM: "Sad"...uh.. Your Eminence, our sources say that your own, and I quote, "unbridled moral conduct", was the catalyst for the exodus.
GA: What's that?
HM: "Unbridled"? Well...
GA: No, "moral conduct".
HM: Oh. Well, moral conduct is when you live out your life in the view of others, preferably in a manner in which no one can rightfully accuse you. It has been reported that you abuse alcohol and drugs and that you..., forgive me your Eminence..., are a womanizer.
GA: That's preposterous! It was one woman and I was drunk at the time!
HM: I stand corrected. Our sources also say that you encouraged the parents of your parish to allow their children to smoke cigarettes as some kind of statement to society?
GA: Yes. I guess we showed them. This is God's Kingdom. We are beholden to no government intrusion.
HM: So you had your children start smoking cigarettes?
GA: We just sent up a few smoke signals, that's all.
HM: And you don't see that as a little bizarre?
GA: Bizarre? Where you from son? I'm from California!
HM: Of course not all of your Bishops and Priests are from California. To what do you attribute the fact that they met with you in an emergency council to appeal to you to step down and get some help?
GA: How'd you know about that?
HM: It's my job.
GA: They are all rebellious sinners I tell you! Turn Coats! Mavericks. To step down would have hurt the CEC and brought shame to the name of Christ.
HM: But sir, isn't what exactly what happened anyway?
GA: [cricket...cricket]
HM: Sir?... Your Eminence?... Gan?... Sad?
GA: I need a drink.

"When the CEC World News continues, we'll be talking with Swimmy Jaggart, the fallen Charismaniac pastor. We'll hear how his decision to NOT step down brought his international ministry to a standstill, decreased his church membership by 100's, and led him to get caught in two more subsequent trysts with prostitutes. And we'll ask him why the pop tune "Whoops, I did it again", has been such an inspiration to him."

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