Praying To The Saints

{An excerpt from Prayer And The Departed Saints By David C. Ford, Ph.D
Full Treatment on this subject available on line HERE from Conciliar Press}

Question: But doesn't the Bible say, "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5)? Why do we need to ask the saints to pray for us?

Answer: Yes, Christ Jesus, both Man and God, is the only One who has reconciled fallen humanity to God the Father by His reconciling and redeeming life, death, and resurrection. But this does not mean that we never ask others to pray for us! We ask the departed saints for their prayers in the same way we ask our fellow Christians on earth to intercede for us. Since the departed remain alive in Christ, why should they cease to express their love and concern for us through prayer? Freed from the concerns of day-to-day survival on earth, unencumbered with the sinful tendencies of the flesh, and far more intimately knit together with Christ than we are, the departed are able to intercede for us much more frequently and powerfully than our friends on earth can pray for us. Those in heaven are able to do continuously what we on earth long to do, but usually only manage to do weakly and sporadically. No wonder, then, that Christians from the earliest days have asked the departed for their prayers. This in no way means that we can only reach Christ by going through the saints, as if they are absolutely necessary intermediaries between us and God. Such an idea is completely foreign to Orthodoxy. Saint Paul clearly states, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God . . . let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16). But just because we pray, on our own, directly to God, does not mean that we never ask other people for their prayers! Indeed, we are commanded many times in the Scriptures to pray for one another. Saint Paul says to Timothy, "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1; see also Colossians 4:2-4, Ephesians 6:18, etc.). And we are taught by our Lord Jesus that the power of prayer is greater when more people are praying together: "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19). So, just as we feel comforted and strengthened when we ask friends, family, and Church members here on earth to intercede for us in a time of need, how much more can we feel comforted and strengthened when we also ask the Church in heaven for her prayers! (And we should not neglect to ask the angels for their prayers as well, since they are expressly sent to us as "ministering spirits" [Hebrews 1:14; also Psalm 91:11 and Isaiah 63:9]). Asking the saints, both those on earth and those in heaven,12 for their prayers, and asking the angels, too, can all be understood simply as gathering the greatest amount of prayer support possible in a time of need!

Question: Can the saints answer our prayers directly? Is it within their power to grant our requests?

Answer: The prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ here on earth are only effective insofar as God answers them. It is the same with the intercessions of the saints in heaven for us. They can never answer prayers of their own accord or in their own power; they can only beseech Christ on our behalf. To imagine that prayer to the saints means that they can grant our requests apart from Christ is a totally unacceptable idea according to Orthodox theology and practice. So when we pray to the saints, the understanding is always clear that we are asking them to help us by praying to God, and not by their own power or actions apart from Him. For example, a hymn to Saint Nina (who as a young woman in the early fourth century brought the Christian Faith to Georgia, in southern Eurasia) concludes, "with the angels thou hast praised in song the Redeemer, praying constantly for us that Christ may grant us His grace and mercy".13 But as to their ability to hear our requests for their prayers, we ought not to limit the powers of spiritual perception of those who are now so intimately linked with God. If we on earth experience the help of the Holy Spirit praying in us and through us (Romans 8:26, 27), how much more must the Spirit's help be present in the saints in heaven? And we should remember that in heaven, in the spiritual realm, there are none of the limitations of time, space, or physical mortality which so restrict us as we live on earth.

Call No Man Father

Okay, if you are going to use Matt. 23:1 to say the Orthodox are wrong to call their ministers "father" then you must also call no man "teacher". That's the other part of the verse. Could it be that Christ was speaking in context to Jewish religious leaders? Paul refered to himself as "father." Was he disobeying the words of Christ? Look in to it.

Straight Talk On Icons

No, Orthodox don't worship icons. Don't be ridiculous and insulting. Here's the deal...Do you have a wallet or purse? Open it up. Pull out a photograph of someone. I assume the reason you have that photograph is because you want to remember the subject. Now, let's say in your remembering you are filled with a desire to express your love, honor and veneration by kissing the photo. In your kissing are you thinking about the paper and chemical compounds that make up the ink or are you thinking about the subject that is represented. The subject, of course. In thinking about the subject and in kissing are you worshiping the photo or the person it represents? Of course not. Icons have been referred to as the photo album of the Church. They are venerated not worshiped. They are used in worship as tools of reverence and honor to those who now worship in heaven. Just like in the photo you kissed. And because the Orthodox faith believes the subjects of the icons are still alive and they participate in the worship of heaven near the throne of God, then we can ask them to pray for us. And because the process of salvation or theosis (becoming like God in his attributes, not His essence), continues after we leave this earth, we can pray for them. No, it is not "prayers for the dead", it is prayers for those who have departed this earth and their mortal bodies. The reason venerating icons is so strange to you is that it is new to your experience. The walls of your house may have pictures hanging on them, well so do the walls of the church and they have for 100's of years.

Save the seals, kill the babies.

I had an interesting and spirited conversation last night with a young lady. She was a Peta member and expounded, with great passion, the need to be "humane" to animals and not slaughter them. She was driven by her belief but her reasoning was confused and slippery. After listening to her a bit, I told her I appreciated her compassion for living beings, but I had a question for her. "Are you pro-choice?" "Yes", she answered. "Well since you are so passionate about animals why don't you show at least the same passion for the millions of babies being slaughtered each year?" She was stunned and initially had no answer. She proceeded to attempt to rationalize her belief by talking not about the babies but about the mother's rights. "The babies would be raised in poverty", she said. "So kill them," I retorted. With each new flimsy piece of reasoning she offered, my retort was the same. I saw a bumper sticker that sums up the illogical thinking. "Save the seals, kill the babies."This illustration aside, the subject here isn't abortion, it is the art of skewed thinking. Skewed, unreasoned, passionate, dogma-driven thinking is pervasive when it comes to religious belief and denominationally derived theology.

"I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and the only source of doctrine and belief, but the Church who gave us the canon of scriptures became apostate right after Paul and the real church didn't resurface in its pure form until over 1500 years later." So you trust the Bible you have but not those who gave it to you? Save the seals, Kill the babies?

Which came first; the Bible or the Church? The Church. What did Paul say was the "Pillar and foundation of all truth? The Bible? No-The Church. ..."I write to you so that you will know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15) While the Scriptures are the inspired truth of God in human words, the Church is the pillar and ground of that truth (OSB p489)- the keeper, the preserver, the mainstay, the protector. The Bible in its present form didn't come into existence until about 400 years after the birth of the Church.

So here is the skew ideology, theology, methodology:

Premise One: The Church went apostate, dark, fell into sin and error and stayed that way until Martin Luther (Lutheren) or Alexander Campbell (Church of Christ) or John Smythe (Baptist) came to reestablish the purity of the faith some 1600 or 1800 years later.

Premise Two: We believe every word of the Bible and it is the sole source of doctrine and faith.

Conclusion: You trust a Bible that was birthed, collected, maintained and canonized by men that were apostate, dark, fell into sin and error.

Question: If you accept and trust the Bible why can't you trust the men who gave it to you? And if these men are trustworthy, why can't you trust their interpretations of the Bible they gave you?

It always seems elementary to say, but the Bible didn't just fall out of the sky in leather back or hardback form. The Bible was birthed, interpreted and preserved by breathing men of faith, many of whom went to a martyr's death. These same men, you consider to be erroneous, sinful men who were not the real or pure church...yet you accept their Bible. Save the seals, kill the babies. Does that really make sense?

To understand the argument I put forth, I encourage you to set aside theology for a moment and simply, but throughly, look at church history. Church history began 2000 years ago not 200-400 years ago. See if you can find that the Church has always been there, not in small faithful groups hiding in caves, but in the open, always present, always speaking, not divided, keeping the faith as given to us by the Apostles. There was only one church, one doctrine, one faith for the first 1000 years - then the Roman Catholic schism. (another subject- another time)

A dependable rule of thumb for determining truth is to look for "what was believed at all times, in all places, by all people." Where does it say in the Bible or in history that the Church that Christ said "the gates of hell shall not prevail against" died less than 30 years after his ascension into heaven and that He would send a man later on in the 1600's or the 1800's to make all things right? Let's just start with the 7 ecumenical counsels (Free podcast on the Counsels). These are the meetings where all the Bishops of the church met to define and defend the faith from heretics. Read and hear what these men said and did. Point out where they were in error. Was it the first counsel, the second? If the Church went astray only to surface another day, where and when did it happen? Read the volumes on The Early Church Fathers, some of whom were discipled by the Apostles themselves. Read their own words. Where did they go astray? To keep from throwing the seals out with the babies don't just rely upon partial historical interpretations such as "Constantine humanized the church and there it was lost." So one man had the power to kill the church? If this and other presuppositions cannot be validated in your study of history, perhaps the authentic Church is found in a place other than you thought-The Orthodox Church. "To be deep in history is to cease to be Protestant. "

The "Church of Christ"

My thanks to Church of Christ apologist Tom M. Roberts, for confirming, from omission, the validity of the original Church of Christ, which many today refer to as Eastern Orthodox. Orthodox is not a denomination. Orthodox is not a noun, it is an adjective meaning "right teaching" or "right glory." The word "orthodox" began to be used in the early Church to distinguish the church of Christ from heretical groups who questioned the divinity of Jesus. In other words it refers to where the true church of Christ, the "pillar and foundation of truth" is found.

In an effort to prove the sole validity of Alexander Campbell's movement, Mr. Roberts lists the origin of several groups. His omission of Eastern Orthodox is glaring and peculiar, especially since Eastern Orthodox Christians are the second largest group on the planet. Is it possible the Mr. Roberts suffers from the same narrow vision that Mr. Campbell did? Is it possible that they are cousins to Martin Luther who also, in an admirable effort to return to the purest from of the New Testament Church, ignored or didn't know of the existence of the Church in the East, and set out to reinvent what already existed?

Notice the incomplete premise on which Mr. Roberts bases his argument where he omits Eastern Orthodox:

"No church, Catholic or Protestant, can trace its historical lineage to New Testament times. The oldest denominations are too young in age to be a New Testament church. How far back can the roots of denominations be traced? Notice the following dates of origin:

Roman Catholic Church - Rome, 606 A.D., with Boniface III as pope.
Lutheran Church - 1520 A. D., Germany, with Martin Luther's writings as authority
Episcopalian - 1534, England, when Henry VIII broke with Roman Catholicism
Presbyterian -1536, Switzerland, led by John Calvin
Congregational -1550 A.D., England, by Robert Browne
Baptist - 1607, Holland, by John Smythe
Methodist - 1739, England, by John Wesley
Latter Day Saints (Mormons) - 1830, America, by Joseph Smith
Adventists - 1830, America, by William Miller
Christian Scientist - 1866, America, by Mary Baker Eddy
Jehovah's Witnesses - 1872, America, by Charles T. Russell"

Such a list is a valid way of pointing out that denominations have sprung from men's own devises, but the ignoring of Eastern Orthodoxy is birthed out of ignorance or dishonesty. I want to think the best of the aforementioned cousins, so in this case calling them ignorant is complementary. Mr. Roberts is correct, however, when he states that "No church, Catholic or Protestant, can trace its historical lineage to New Testament times." Catholics may argue the point, but the fact is the Roman Church separated itself from the Orthodox faith thus beginning a separate religion. Their doctrines and practices, which are removed from the original orthodox faith, attest to this. Protestants stem from Roman Catholicism.

Mr. Robert goes on to say that no group outside the Church of Christ, as defined by Campbell, can trace their roots to the origin of the Church. For the sake of all those who have been taught by these christened cousins, especially for my Church of Christ brethren, who are closer to the Orthodox faith than they know, here is a list of the of Bishops from just one of the churches in the East- Antioch, where "they were first called Christians." Scroll quickly if you want. It takes a lot of space to cover 2000 years of historically, verifiable tracing.

1 45-53 The Episcopacy of St. Peter, the Apostle, in Antioch.
2 53 The Episcopacy of Eudoius in Antioch.
3 68 The Episcopacy of St. Ignatius (d. 107) in Antioch.
4 100 The Episcopacy of Heros in Antioch.
5 127 The Episcopacy of Cornelius in Antioch.
6 151 The Episcopacy of Heros II in Antioch.
7 169 The Episcopacy of Theophilus (d. 181/182) in Antioch.
8 188 The Episcopacy of Maximianus (d. 190/191) in Antioch.
9 191-212 The Episcopacy of Serapion in Antioch.
10 212-218 The Episcopacy of Aslipiades in Antioch.
11 218-231 The Episcopacy of Philetus in Antioch.
12 232 The Episcopacy of Zebinus (a.k.a. Zenobius) in Antioch.
13 240 The Episcopacy of St. Babylas in Antioch.
14 253 The Episcopacy of Fabius in Antioch.
15 256 The Episcopacy of Demetrian in Antioch.
16 263 The Episcopacy of Amphilochius in Antioch.
17 267 The Episcopacy of Paul of Samosata in Antioch.
18 270 The Episcopacy of Dmonus in Antioch.
19 273 The Episcopacy of Timaeus in Antioch.
20 277 The Episcopacy of Cyril in Antioch.
21 299 The Episcopacy of Tyrannion in Antioch.
22 308 The Episcopacy of Vitalius in Antioch.
23 314 The Episcopacy of Philogonius in Antioch.
24 324 The Episcopacy of Paulinus in Antioch.
25 325 The Episcopacy of Eustathius in Antioch.
26 332 The Episcopacy of Paulinus in Antioch.
27 332 The Episcopacy of Eulalius (5 months) in Antioch.
28 333 The Episcopacy of Euphronius in Antioch.
29 334 The Episcopacy of Placentius in Antioch.
30 341 The Episcopacy of Stephanus in Antioch.
31 345 The Episcopacy of Leontius in Antioch.
32 350 The Episcopacy of Eudoxius in Antioch.
33 354 The Episcopacy of Meletius in Antioch.
34 354 The Episcopacy of Eudoxius in Antioch.
35 357 The Episcopacy of Annias (a.k.a. Ammianus) in Antioch.
36 360 The Episcopacy of Eudozius in Antioch.
37 370 The Episcopacy of Dorotheus in Antioch.
38 371 The Episcopacy of Paulinus in Antioch.
39 376 The Episcopacy of Vitalius in Antioch.
40 384 The Episcopacy of Flavian in Antioch.
41 404 The Episcopacy of Porphyrius in Antioch.
42 408 The Episcopacy of Alexander in Antioch.
43 418 The Episcopacy of Theodotus in Antioch.
44 427 The Episcopacy of John in Antioch.
45 443 The Episcopacy of Domnus II in Antioch.
46 450 The Episcopacy of Maximus in Antioch.
See elevated to dignity of a Patriarchate by the Council of Chalcedon in 451
47 459 The Patriarchate of Basil in Antioch.
48 459 The Patriarchate of Acacius in Antioch.
49 461 The Patriarchate of Martyrius in Antioch.
50 465 The Patriarchate of Peter the Fuller in Antioch.
51 466 The Patriarchate of Julian in Antioch.
52 474 The Patriarchate of Peter the Fuller in Antioch.
53 475 The Patriarchate of John II in Antioch.
54 490 The Patriarchate of Stephen II in Antioch.
55 493 The Patriarchate of Stephen III in Antioch.
56 495 The Patriarchate of Callandion in Antioch.
57 495 The Patriarchate of John Codonatus in Antioch.
58 497 The Patriarchate of Palladius in Antioch.
59 505 The Patriarchate of Flavian II in Antioch.
60 513 The Patriarchate of Severus in Antioch.
61 518 The Patriarchate of Paul II in Antioch.
62 521 The Patriarchate of Euphrasius in Antioch.
63 526 The Patriarchate of Ephraim in Antioch.
64 546 The Patriarchate of Domnus III in Antioch.
65 561 The Patriarchate of Anastasius the Sinaite in Antioch.
66 571 The Patriarchate of Gregory in Antioch.
67 594 The Patriarchate of Anastasius the Sinaite in Antioch.
68 599 The Patriarchate of Anastasius II in Antioch.
69 610 The Patriarchate of Gregory II, in Antioch.
70 620 The Patriarchate of Anastasius III in Antioch.
71 628 The Patriarchate of Macedonius in Antioch.
72 640 The Patriarchate of George in Antioch.
73 656 The Patriarchate of Macarius in Antioch.
74 681 The Patriarchate of Theophanes in Antioch.
75 687 The Patriarchate of Sebastian in Antioch.
76 690 The Patriarchate of George II in Antioch.
77 695 The Patriarchate of Alexander in Antioch.
78 742 The Patriarchate of Stephen IV in Antioch.
79 748 The Patriarchate of Theophylact in Antioch.
80 767 The Patriarchate of Theodore in Antioch.
81 797 The Patriarchate of John IV in Antioch.
82 810 The Patriarchate of Job in Antioch.
83 826 The Patriarchate of Nicholas in Antioch.
84 834 The Patriarchate of Simeon in Antioch.
85 840 The Patriarchate of Elias in Antioch.
86 852 The Patriarchate of Theodosius in Antioch.
87 860 The Patriarchate of Nicholas II in Antioch.
88 879 The Patriarchate of Michael in Antioch.
89 890 The Patriarchate of Zacharias in Antioch.
90 902 The Patriarchate of George III in Antioch.
91 917 The Patriarchate of Job II in Antioch.
92 939 The Patriarchate of Eustratius in Antioch.
93 960 The Patriarchate of Christopher in Antioch.
94 966 The Patriarchate of Theodorus II in Antioch.
95 977 The Patriarchate of Agapius in Antioch.
96 995 The Patriarchate of John IV in Antioch.
97 1000 The Patriarchate of Nicholas III in Antioch.
98 1003 The Patriarchate of Elias II in Antioch.
99 1010 The Patriarchate of George Lascaris in Antioch.
100 1015 The Patriarchate of Macarius the Virtuous in Antioch.
101 1023 The Patriarchate of Eleutherius in Antioch.
102 1028 The Patriarchate of Peter III in Antioch.
103 1051 The Patriarchate of John VI in Antioch.
104 1062 The Patriarchate of Aemilian in Antioch.
105 1075 The Patriarchate of Theodosius II in Antioch.
106 1084 The Patriarchate of Nicephorus in Antioch.
107 1090 The Patriarchate of John VII in Antioch.
108 1155 The Patriarchate of John IX in Antioch.
109 1159 The Patriarchate of Euthymius in Antioch.
110 1164 The Patriarchate of Macarius in Antioch.
111 1166 The Patriarchate of Athanasius in Antioch.
112 1180 The Patriarchate of Theodosius III in Antioch.
113 1182 The Patriarchate of Elias III in Antioch.
114 1184 The Patriarchate of Christopher II in Antioch.
115 1185 The Patriarchate of Theodore IV (Balsamon) in exile in Constantinople.
116 1199 The Patriarchate of Joachim in exile in Constantinople.
117 1219 The Patriarchate of Dorotheus in exile in Constantinople.
118 1245 The Patriarchate of Simeon II in exile in Constantinople.
119 1268 The Patriarchate of Euthymius II in exile in Constantinople.
120 1269 The Patriarchate of Theodosius IV in Antioch.
121 1276 The Patriarchate of Theodosius V in Antioch.
122 1285 The Patriarchate of Arsenius in Antioch.
123 1293 The Patriarchate of Dionysius in Antioch.
124 1308 The Patriarchate of Mark in Antioch.
Patriarchal See transferred to Damascus in 1342
125 1342 The Patriarchate of Ignatius II in Damascus.
127 1386 The Patriarchate of Pachomius in Damascus.
128 1393 The Patriarchate of Nilus in Damascus.
129 1401 The Patriarchate of Michael III in Damascus.
130 1410 The Patriarchate of Pachomius II in Damascus.
131 1411 The Patriarchate of Joachim II in Damascus.
132 1426 The Patriarchate of Mark III in Damascus.
133 1436 The Patriarchate of Dorotheus II in Damascus.
134 1454 The Patriarchate of Michael IV in Damascus.
135 1476 The Patriarchate of Mark IV in Damascus.
136 1476 The Patriarchate of Joachim III in Damascus.
137 1483 The Patriarchate of Gregory III in Damascus.
139 1497-1523 The Patriarchate of Dorotheus III in Damascus.
140 1523-1541 The Patriarchate of Michael V in Damascus.
141 1541-1543 The Patriarchate of Dorotheus IV in Damascus.
142 1543-1576 The Patriarchate of Joachim IV (Ibn Juma) in Damascus.
143 1577-1581 The Patriarchate of Michael VI (Sabbagh) in Damascus.
144 1581-1592 The Patriarchate of Joachim V in Damascus.
145 1593-1604 The Patriarchate of Joachim VI in Damascus.
146 1604-1611 The Patriarchate of Dorotheus V in Damascus.
147 1611-1619 The Patriarchate of Athanasius III (Dabbas) in Damascus.
148 1619-1631 The Patriarchate of Ignatius III (Attiyah) in Damascus.
149 1635-1636 The Patriarchate of Euthymius III in Damascus.
150 1636-1648 The Patriarchate of Euthymius IV in Damascus.
151 1648-1672 The Patriarchate of Michael III (Zaim) in Damascus.
152 1674-1684 The Patriarchate of Neophytos I in Damascus.
153 1686-1694 The Patriarchate of Athanasius IV (Dabbas) in Damascus.
154 1694-1720 The Patriarchate of Cyril III (Zaim) in Damascus.
155 1720-1724 The Patriarchate of Athanasius IV (Dabbas) in Damascus.
Separation of the Melkites. The Greek Patriarchs
156 1724-1766 The Patriarchate of Sylvester I in Damascus.
157 1766-1767 The Patriarchate of Philemon I in Damascus.
158 1767-1791 The Patriarchate of Daniel I in Damascus.
159 1792-1813 The Patriarchate of Euthymius I in Damascus.
160 1813-1823 The Patriarchate of Seraphim I in Damascus.
161 1843-1859 The Patriarchate of Methodius I in Damascus.
162 1850-1885 The Patriarchate of Hierotheos I in Damascus.
163 1885-1891 The Patriarchate of Gerasimos I in Damascus.
164 1892-1898 The Patriarchate of Spyridon I in Damascus.
Restoration of the Arab Patriarchs
165 1899-1906 The Patriarchate of Meletius II (Doumani) in Damascus.
166 1906-1928 The Patriarchate of Gregory IV(Haddad) in Damascus.
167 1928-1958 The Patriarchate of Alexander III (Tahan) in Damascus.
168 1958-1970 The Patriarchate of Theodosius VI (Abourjaily) in Damascus.
169 1970-1979 The Patriarchate of Elias IV (Muawad) in Damascus.

170 1979- The Patriarchate of Ignatius IV (Hazim, 1921- ) in Damascus.

And below is His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. First among Bishops of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Alexander Campbell
1788-1866

Now, does the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch, with his clothing and long white beard, look all that much different from Alexander Campbell? Holy Trinity has blessed what Alexander Campbell birthed- millions leaving the mire of denominationalism and journeying back to the original New Testament Church. He just didn't go back far enough. You can. Come all the way home to the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the faith of our fathers, the Apostolic Faith, the Orthodox faith- The Eastern Orthodox Church.

To Creed Or Not To Creed....

To all of my anti-creedal brethren:

"No Creed But Christ"

Is A Creed

It's Great To Be A Christian!

The joy and celebration of the resurrection of our Lord is evident in the faces of those present at Pasca. Father Gordon Walker, priest emeritus of Saint Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox church, proclaims, "Christ is risen!", as he symbolically carries the light of the world into the midst of the people. The people respond,"He is risen indeed!" This electrifying moment in the life of the Church follows 40 plus days of fasting and lamenting our sins. This celebration starts at midnight and is followed by a feast where food and libations abound.We all go home about 4 AM, sleep as long as we want, then return for another feast about 4 pm. Its great to be a Christian! Who said Christians don't have any fun?

To All Generations

Teach them the way to go and when they grow old they will not depart from it.



Thanks to Dan Rudder of St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral in Dallas, Texas, for this video.

Announcing A Motion Picture

I want my Journey To Orthodoxy readers to be the first to know that my Film and Television Production Company has optioned the book, The Woodland Hills Tragedy, by S. Rickly Christian. Over ten years ago I was perusing the used book section of a second hand store and discovered this out of print book. Several false starts, a move, a reincorporation of my company, a lot of prayer, a whole lot of patience, and the contracts have been signed.

Kingdom Films Inc. will produce the book into a feature film with a goal of theatrical release. The riveting true story of the discovery of 16,433 aborted fetuses in a rented trash container in Woodland Hills, CA in he 80's, is seen through the eyes of an investigative reporter (Rick Christian). Rick's real-life experience with this bizarre episode in the annals of the abortion debate unveils the abortion industry, Planned Parenthood and government involvement in an Erin Brokovitch manner. The story is void of religious dogma and is driven by fact-based social commentary. The working title of the film is Ausrotten-German for "exterminate."

"This is the journey of one man’s soul from detachment to involvement, from apathy to deep concern. On a larger scale, it is a reflection of what it means to live in a society that routinely destroys its own sons and daughters-not merely statistics, but flesh and blood people. In the end, Rick is faced with the unsettling discovery that the perpetrators of such evil and heinous acts do not always appear as monsters. More often than not, they look just like you and me."

I challenge all JTO readers to rise from detachment to involvement, from apathy to concern. Help Kingdom Films Inc. bring this project to the screen. Pray for me personally and for all KFI personnel who will be spending countless hours in pre-production, production and post- production, taking this film from development to distribution. As you might surmise, KFI won't be met with open arms in the film industry but neither was Icon Pictures and Mel Gibson. If I make no other film the rest of my life, this will be enough. It may be the sole reason God has graced me with being in this industry.

We will enter the script phase and the investment phase simultaneously. Pray that both are blessed. I intend to personally write the script, but am also considering a co-writer. Let all in the JTO family know of our needs.

Lord Jesus Christ Son of God Be Merciful To Me A Sinner.

Starting An Orthodox Church?

Well, actually the Church "started" about 2000 years ago. Being from a Protestant background, I recognize the phrase "starting a church" has certain connotations that don't really apply to the establishment of a local Orthodox parish. Usually when you hear "start a Church" you think of some well-meaning individuals or groups who have a heart for God and a heart for people and feel as if they have a better way of doing things. So, they infuse their personality and methods, decide which of their doctrines or practices they will emphasize, get a place to meet and start advertising. The thing that separates this method from the Orthodox Church is the fact that we have already been at the Church planting thing for over 2000 years and the local parishes we establish are not the work of an individual or independent group. We are not reinventing the wheel, we are providing the whole vehicle. There are over 250 million Orthodox around the world and we are made up of various cultures so be prepared to experience what the church is supposed to look like: Multi ethnically diverse.

If you are Native American you are welcome and may be interested to discover that some of the first converts to Orthodoxy on this continent were from your culture.

If you are Hispanic the door is wide opened to you, especially if the door to the Roman Church has been closed to you for some reason. Remember, the Pope recognizes the authenticity's of our Apostolic succession and the validity of our Eucharist. If there is a language barrier we will close that gap quickly. Maybe you or someone you know could help interpret. Remember the Orthodox faith is the faith and you are a very important part of it. The Orthodox faith is compassionate toward the issues involving illegal immigration and the families who are affected. In North America, there are more Orthodox immigrants than European converts.[Si usted es hispano la puerta es amplia abierto a usted, sobre todo si la puerta a la Iglesia romana le ha estado cerrada por la razón que sea. Recuerde, el Papa reconoce la autenticidad de nuestra sucesión Apostólica y la validez de nuestra Eucaristía. Si hay una barrera de los idiomas cerraremos aquel hueco rápidamente. Tal vez usted o alguien que usted conoce podrían ayudar a hacer de intérprete. Recuerde que la fe Ortodoxa es la fe y usted es una parte muy importante de ello. La fe Ortodoxa es compasiva hacia las cuestiones que implican immig ilegal.]

If you are African American you are invited to come home to the church of your ancestors. History show us that the continent of Africa was extremely important to the establishment of Christianity. In fact, many of the slaves who were brought to America were Orthodox Christians. Many Orthodox churches display icons of those Africans who have been made saints by the church such as St. Moses The Black. The Ancient Christianity and African American Conference is held annually as an effort to introduce African Americans to the Orthodox Faith. You are a vital part of the life of the church.

If you are European it was you who preserved the faith when the East was in such political turmoil and who originally brought the church to this continent. It is also out of the European culture that the Western Liturgy was birthed.

If you are Asian you will be interested to know that Asia had over 500 Orthodox Bishops by the year 901 and was instrumental in propagating the gospel in many other countries. The Asian Orthodox Churches are continuing to flourish today.

If you are a former Roman Catholic and for some reason cannot return to the RCC, we say "come home" to the Orthodox Faith. The RCC and the Orthodox Church were one body before 1054. The Western Rite Liturgy will be very familiar to you. The Eucharist is available to you even if you have been divorced. You may be interested to know that our Orthodox priests may marry, much value is put on the role of women, and although we highly respect the role of the Pope, the Orthodox Church is governed by consensus of bishops not by one man rule.

If you are Church of Christ know that of all the non-catholic denominations you are probably closer to the original church than any. Campbell has the right idea to go back to the original, early church. He just didn't go back far enough. Like Martin Luther he opted to establish what he thought to be the purest form of Christianity. Neither realized it was found and is found in the Eastern Church-the Orthodox Church. Come all the way home. You will find liberty and not legalism.

If you are a pagan your heart has cried out for meaning, ritual and design. You have come up empty in the ever changing evangelical world. You will identify with the Orthodox Celts and all cultures who have found their way to the original church. You will find the church to be the real container of mysticism that is valid and spiritual. You will see that Christ is really The Eternal Tao.

عرفت إن أنت تكون عربيّة ويكون يفكّر حول مسيحيّة, أنّ أسقفنا عربيّة [لبنس] والأبّنا في دمشق, سوريا. هم, مثل أنت, مرّة اضطرّ رأيت مسيح ك ال [مسّيه].

If you are a Charismatic or Pentecostal you will find the real meaning of the charisms are found within the Orthodox faith. Many of our saints are recognized through the miracles that resulted from their lives. The demonstrations of God's power over flesh is quiet and holy, not boisterous and showy.

If you are a human being come home to the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. It is the shelter of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Creator of the universe and of all there is. He knows your name and every hair on your head is numbered.

"The Down Slope Home" Letters From A Soldier

Number five in a series of letters from SGT Daniel Nuoffer

Mr Lewis

I had some time to burn before I had to go back to work, and I was playing around on the Internet. I went to your web page and saw where you have another grandchild. Congratulations I am so happy for you and your family. You looked so happy in the pictures. I hope all is well and that you and your family are as happy as you seem.

I am on the down word slope home. I am about 3 weeks out from my fly date. We have been working nonstop to get this new unit ready to take over the duties and responsibility's of this mission. It has been a bumpy ride. I have had to put myself in harms was more then once to keep these guys from getting hurt. But they lack experience here. And that is enough to get you hurt. There is hope they are learning and it will come. I will keep praying for them and they will make it.

God bless you sir. I will keep you in my prayers and lift you up to the father.

Sgt Nuoffer

Note: Sgt Daniel Nuoffer is on his second tour in Iraq. His duty is to command the lead gunnery vehicle that guides our troops in convoy down treacherous roads from Kuwait into Bagdad. He will be gone for 15 months. His new wife awaits his safe return as do we all. Send him your love and support. You may e-mail him at chemicalninja@yahoo.com.

Tribute For Charlton Heston

[While I was formulating my own thoughts at the passing of Charlton Heston I received this e-mail. I couldn't say it any better:]

Dear Friends,

Perhaps many of you remember the late Charlton Heston as Moses from Cecil B DeMille's "The Ten Commandments" or even as Judah Ben Hur from the movie based on Lew Wallace's novel: "Ben Hur" or even as Rodrigo de Vivar in "El Cid" or even as John the Baptist in "The Greatest Story Ever Told". Personally, I have always remembered him as all of those roles and much more.

However, few people remember him as a man of upright morals and of upstanding Christian faith. Of the many celebrity actors in Hollywood, he was one of the few who has stood by his spouse for a good 64 years without ever going off the rails maritally or in any other way. Very few actors within the industry of Hollywood would have stayed as long in their marriages as he did. In fact, this has been his one and only marriage faithful to the end. In addition to this, Charlton Heston has stood very strongly against the sins of abortion and sodomite/homosexual behaviour and upset the apple cart of political correctness due to his strength of stance as a moral man.

In terms of his Christian faith, it is recounted that when he was scheduled to play "Moses" in Cecil B DeMille's "The Ten Commandments", the producer, Cecil B DeMille, had fallen from a four foot ladder and had injured his back. This would have halted the production of this movie, but instead, the next day Cecil B DeMille turned up at work well and gave every body on the cast and crew a copy of the New Testament. He then testified before everyone that Jesus Christ had healed him and could do wonderful things in their life. It is probable that he became a Christian from that period onwards. In addition to this, Charlton Heston many years later after retiring from the film industry, personally produced a 4 part documentary series defending the historicity of the Holy Scriptures called: "Charlton Heston Presents The Bible" on location in the Middle East. At the end of it all, he gave a challenge: "If you seek the Lord, you will surely find Him." Furthermore, he has been involved often when he was alive with the Christian Film and Television Commision.

Those who knew him personally always recalled him as this: "self controlled, gentle man" and also in the words of both Presidents George W Bush and the wife of late former President Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan respectively as: "man of character and integrity, with a big heart" and "I will never forget Chuck as a hero on the big screen in the roles he played, but more importantly I considered him a hero in life for the many times that he stepped up to support Ronnie [Ronald Reagan] in whatever he was doing".

In the words of our Orthodox Liturgy for the dead (Trisagion), we as Christians say this: "O God, most merciful and giver of life, may you forgive Charlton Heston of his sins, both voluntary and involuntary, and grant him peace." May God grant him a place in paradise and give comfort and rest to his family and loved ones.

Yours Sincerely,

Timothy Kwoh

Devotional Reading From Bill H. Lewis

Strength From God's Word
April 7, 2008

Who Orders for You?

The first prayer I utter each morning is “Lord, order my steps.” Actually I am saying, “Lord, you are in charge.”

How important is this for our daily walk? Some still have small children, while those of us who are older have already reared ours. While our children were young, we would sometimes go to a restaurant to eat. Never did we hand the menu to our children and depend on them to just “order what you want.” They would naturally order the pie, the cake, the ice cream, etc., and never order the things that were really good for them.

The prayer, “Lord, order my steps today” or “Lord, I really do not know what is best for me today. I will depend on you to order for me” is a “catch all” prayer. This prayer will include praise for all the good things that occur in our day, and also eliminate all the gripes about what we may feel are the bad things.

Sometimes the bad things may actually be the good things. For instance, have you ever griped when you overshot your exit and said, “Why did I do that stupid thing?” when God replies, “I caused it, because if I had not done that and you had gone on your usual way, you would have met up head on with an 18 wheeler.”

Let’s just praise the Lord. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” (Psalm 37:23 NKJV) You don’t need to “watch your steps” if you have already turned them over to the Lord at the beginning of the day and continue to trust Him to guide you throughout the day. God promises to guide [watch] your steps when you give Him the opportunity and commit to follow Him.

-- Bill H. Lewis

Note: Bill H. Lewis is father to Journey To Orthodoxy's Nathan Lee Lewis. Reverend Lewis is a Southern Baptist Pastor living in Arkansas, USA.

Joy To The World!

Raeleigh was born weighing 8 pounds 14 ounces. She is Cynthia and my third grandchild. Her proud momma is the third of our five daughters. Our little papoose is all American. She is Apache, Spanish, Irish, German. There are few joys like this and few experiences surpass it. Do we have any idea of how much God loves us? God truly is love and we are His children.

How God Keeps Us Humble

The following is a short essay I wrote for acceptance as a volunteer at our summer youth camp.

Camp St. Thekla Essay
Volunteer Applicant
Nathan Lee Lewis

"As a former youth pastor in several churches I have found my camp experiences to be the most memorable and rewarding. Camp allows for a focused environment away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It allows the business of distracting activities to be put on pause. One’s heart and mind can be tuned in to the yearnings of one’s soul and to the prompting of the Spirit. I have watched young people who are on the fringe of a spiritual awareness step over into understanding and faith. I have seen the hardened heart of a troubled youth soften and receive truth and understanding. I have seen individual lifelong relationships forged and fragmented groups become community. The most rewarding memory is of those who say that their camp experience was the pivotal moment in their quest for God. To know that I had a part in that, to know that I was allowed the privilege of watching lives transformed, truly changed for a positive eternal destiny, is incomparable. It has been many years since I have worked with youth in a camp setting. The thought that I would have this opportunity again has not occurred to me in recent years. I find my heart coming alive with the resurgence of the gifts of ministry and the heart for youth that I once treasured. To be allowed the blessing once again to share in the camp experience is an unexpected joy. Perhaps, I will find myself a wiser more measured man than I was in the sincere, yet ignorant early years of ministry where I was very much a youth ministering to youth. Perhaps now that I have put away youthful things I can offer myself as a more refined instrument to speak wisdom and mold young lives. God grant that it be so. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner."

I was accepted. When I got there they put me in the kitchen for the whole week. I had no contact with the youth.

We Gave Him A Stone

The Press Release Reads:

”On Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 Fr Gregory Momongan 32 years of age was hit by a car. He died today, Thursday, Feb 21. Fr Gregory was the only Orthodox priest serving on the huge Indonesian Island of Sulawesi also called Celebes. He served the town of Manado. He leaves behind a wife and one year old daughter. Fr Gregory had been riding a motorcycle which is a common means of transportation there when he was hit by the car.” This morning at the end of Liturgy, our priest emeritus at St. Ignatius in Franklin, Tennessee told us of the tragic news. What the above press release does not say is that Fr. Gregory was using his motorcycle as a taxi to earn “a few pennies” to support his family. I have never come so close to shouting out in a church, especially since becoming Orthodox. I had to restrain myself from shouting out, “Why? Why was this dedicated priest, our priest, having to try to earn a few pennies to support his family? Why wasn’t the church giving him what he needed? Why weren’t our Bishops who sent him there providing for his needs? Where is the heart for missions? Our priests are our missions.”

So I will shout now. Shame on us, Bishop and Layman alike for allowing such to happen!

This young priest and many like him on foreign soil and on our own soil risk their lives everyday to serve our Lord at the bidding of their Bishops. Some dodge Muslim terrorists in foreign lands. Some work among the meth addicts and prostitutes with their wives and young children by their side while we fill our coffers and simply “pray” for their welfare.

Selfishness! Greed! Apostate! Shame! All are to blame, every man woman, child, who does not give to missions either through the Church or directly. Missions is not a program, it is real people with real names. Father Gregory’s wife has a name, Maria, and so does his infant daughter, Paskhalita, who will never know her father on this earth.

”Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread,will he give him a stone?” Father Gregory and other dedicated Orthodox priests do not even ask for bread and yet we still give them a stone. If we allow our priests to continue to suffer need it would be better for a millstone to be hung around our own necks.

The four orders of the priesthood are Bishop, Priest, Deacon, Laymen. If the Bishops, Priests and Deacons fail to support our mission priests, then it is left to all laymen to give directly to our mission priests. A good first step might be to give to Gregory’s wife and child and to the support of his church in Indonesia.

You may give directly to this specific need by going to the Friends of Indonesia website. Or may also send a check to:

Friends of Indonesia

P.O. Box 9484

Baltimore, MD 21228

Place "Father Gregory" on the Memo line.

100 % of all emergency donations will go directly to pay outstanding hospital bills, funeral expense, and long term provisions for Father Gregory's wife and infant daughter.

Addendum added 5/16/09:

59. If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon does not supply the needs of any of the clergy who is in want, let him be excommunicated. If he persists, let him be deposed as one who has killed his brother.This Canon applies to the distribution of gifts brought to the Church for the purpose of supporting the clergy (Canon 4 of the Holy Apostles).

Life Takes A Holiday

FROM THE UK TELEGRAPH
Last Updated: 2:03am GMT 22/02/2008

An artist killed herself after aborting her twins when she was eight weeks pregnant, leaving a note saying: "I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum."

Emma Beck was found hanging at her home in Helston, Cornwall, on Feb 1 2007. She was declared dead early the following day - her 31st birthday.

Her suicide note read: "I told everyone I didn't want to do it, even at the hospital. I was frightened, now it is too late. I died when my babies died. I want to be with my babies: they need me, no-one else does."

The inquest at Truro City Hall heard that Miss Beck had split up with her boyfriend, referred to as "Ben" after he "reacted badly" to the pregnancy.

She saw her GP before the termination, but missed an appointment at a hospital in Penzance. She then cancelled, but later turned up to an appointment at a clinic at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Treliske. The counsellor was on holiday so a doctor referred Miss Beck to a pregnancy counselling telephone service eight days before carrying out the abortion when she was eight weeks pregnant, the inquest heard.

The coroner, Dr Emma Carlyon, ordered that the identities of the doctor who performed the abortion and her lead consultant be kept secret.

The inquest heard that Sylvia Beck, the victim's mother, wrote to the hospital after her daughter's death, saying: "I want to know why she was not given the opportunity to see a counsellor.

"She was only going ahead with the abortion because her boyfriend did not want the twins.

"I believe this is what led Emma to take her own life - she could not live with what she had done."

The doctor said: "I discussed Emma's situation with her, and wrote on the form, 'Unsupported, lives alone, ex-partner aware'.

"It is normal practice to give a woman the number for telephone counselling when a counsellor is not available.

"I am satisfied that everything was done to make sure that Emma consented to the operation.

She added: "We have since appointed more counsellors so there is more holiday cover."

Katie Gibbs, Miss Beck's GP, told the hearing: "She was extremely distressed by the abortion procedure, and I didn't think she ever came to terms with it.

"She had a long history of anxiety and depression. Despite my best efforts, she was not willing to see a counsellor after the termination."

Her boss at the clinic, said: "The time that can be given to a woman by a counsellor is limited in a busy hospital.

"I am satisfied everything was done to make sure Emma was consenting to surgery. I don't feel there was any gap in the counselling service.

"There were lots of individuals who would be alert to any doubts. The comments made by Emma's mother are not about a doctor I recognise."

Mrs Beck told the court: "Emma was considered a talented artist, and sold a number of paintings.

"She was pleased when she became pregnant, but Ben reacted badly to the news."

Recording a verdict of suicide, Dr Carlyon said: "It is clear that a termination can have a profound effect on a woman's life.

"But I am reassured by the evidence of the doctors here."

A Motion Picture For Life

If you have not had the opportunity to thread the needle of the blogging world you may not know that I am a film producer. I am the Executive Producer of Kingdom Film, Inc. That may sound impressive, but in actuality KFI is one of thousands of such independent film companies across the world. The uniqueness of KFI however is the creed that guides our artistic endeavors and the fact that, although I am an Orthodox Christian, KFI is NOT a "Christian Film Company." What is a Christian Film anyway? Does that mean that if it dies at the box office it goes to heaven? I am a Christian who makes films. I do not make Christian films. I have seen Christian films and most are not a pretty sight.

In the grand scheme of things, KFI seems to be filling the void that exists because of the lack of vision the Church has had in communicating the mind and will of God through the art form of film making. In fact, the Orthodox Church has barely discovered the technology called television. So, alas, we artistic types, realizing that we too are called to, "Go into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature..." , find ourselves in the wild world of the film industry surrounded by peculiar creatures indeed. Many of our Christian brethren do not like the fact that we are sitting at the table of the publicans and the sinners, but Christ does because He did. We eat their food, drink their beverages and smoke their leaves (at least the legal ones). We have become all things to all people so that we might win a few, while holding to the tenant, "being in the world but not of it...". We love people into the Kingdom by accepting them as the King does. No guilt, no condemnation, no judgment. The Love of God is shed abroad...to all people.

To display the Love of God to the world in which we live, KFI chooses projects that speak to the spiritual and physical needs of all mankind. One such project is the true story of several thousand aborted fetuses found in a rented trash container. This pro-life look at the abortion industry is seen through the eyes of an investigative reporter. Without divulging the title or the book on which the film is based, let me invite you to support KFI and its producers in this valuable effort. Such a film is missions 101. The film project is non-religious, void of demagoguery, and designed to be a cutting edge message to all fabrics of society. With the new open environment to "faith based films", this KFI feature film project is positioned to be controversial and poignant in a way that will rally ticket buyers on both sides of the abortion issue.

KFI welcomes qualified investors to participate financially in bringing this film to the screen. http://www.kingdomfilmsinc.com/ will provide you info on my company and a couple of our endeavors. You can contact KFI at that site. There has never been a better time than right now for such a project.

[Update: Kingdom Films Inc. has been dissolved. Current projects by Nathan Lee Lewis can be seen at http://www.nathanleeelwis.com/]

I look forward to hearing from you.

Letter From A BLOG Reader Down Under

Greetings to my Brother in Christ,

I am so pleased to discover that I have not been alone in finding the Church of Christ as contained in Orthodoxy from a Baptist background.

Allow me to tell you a bit about myself. I do not come from a Christian family. In fact, I was originally a pagan who worshiped false gods before accepting Christ as the Way, Truth and Life. I was originally a follower of these Eastern religions: Buddhism (Theravada school); Hinduism and Taoism. God was patient with me despite my wanderings and opposition to him by allowing me to go to Christian schools as well as a Christian Sunday school. (Oddly enough, this was introduced to me through my non-Christian family who wanted me to get some religion. God was merciful in allowing a Christian friend of the family to introduce me and my sister to Christian Sunday School). In the beginning, due to some very bad examples shown to me in "Christian" schools (in this case, Seventh Day Adventist in the beginning), I was opposed to Christianity. As time passed, I was sent to a different school, where I encountered at least some semblance of orthodox Christianity, and was beginning to be challenged to consider the Bible and Jesus Christ as true or not. My faith in Christianity was not finalised until 2 events occured in my life. The first was a coma caused by my chronic asthma condition. This shook me up since I was actually at the door of death and made me consider that there is more to this physical world than we see it. This made me consider and practice the above mentioned religions. It made me read all the different scriptures of the different religions. It left me with one certainty: these religions have some elements of truth but have tainted error into it. What was now certain was that there had to be one God who is true, the question is who is He?

This led to the second point in my life: a visit to a Christian friend's house. When I entered that afternoon, I was treated to lunch and also some interesting Christian literature. In fact, it was a box filled with comic tracts by Jack Chick. Being someone who had searched through every religion (including the monotheistic religions that are not Christian.ie Islam and Judaism as well as Zoroastrianism), it intrigued me to devour the contents thereof. After going through every tract in the box, God brought this truth home: Jesus Christ is God and He is the Only One who can save you from hell and a sin filled life. I thus fully believed and accepted Jesus Christ as my salvation that day and expressed my willingness to follow Him further by going back to the church I was first introduced to with renewed vigour to study and follow the Scriptures. (The church was a Evangelical Anglican church).

However, it does not end here. After this, I experienced many waverings in the faith by getting involved with both Roman Catholicism and neo-evangalicalism as well as Charismaticism. After being confronted by the actual pitfalls they would lead a Christian into, I investigated further and thoroughly rejected both and decided to leave my environment to start a new Christian life based on unchanging truth without compromise. This led me to encounter a Fundamental Baptist Church. I thought I was home. They had come to the same conclusions that I had come to but with much more Biblical knowledge. I thus became a fully involved Fundamental Baptist and got baptised in a Fundamental Baptist Church. We opposed the same things: Roman Catholicism; Masonry; Islam; ecumenism; left-wingers and homosexual rights groups; Charismaticism; Calvinism; all the cults (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christadelphians, Seventh Day Adventists, etc.); modern-day 'bibles'; neo-evangelicalism;Communism and humanism;evolution and loved what was good and right. However, there was another pitfall. Whilst the Biblical knowledge and teaching was for the most part accurate, and our conclusions were there, yet hypocrisies and quasi- denials of sin occuring within our camp was evident.

In the midst of that time, I had unexpectedly come into contact with the Orthodox faith through a Jewish friend in university! Prior to that, as a strong-headed Fundamental Baptist, I was not intent on even considering the prospect of converting to Orthodoxy. However, before that meeting, I had just been listening to a set of lectures by a Croatian atheist on the Orthodox Faith, since I was doing a course on the history of Russia. Irony of ironies indeed if one was not enough! As a strong headed Baptist, I was skeptical of Orthodoxy as "another form of Roman Catholicism". However, after listening to this atheist professor present lectures on Orthodoxy as well as talk with my Orthodox friend of a Jewish friend, I came away thinking: "It seems Orthodoxy and Fundamental Baptist teaching are more agreeable than disagreeable on many issues."

After establishing a friendship with this Orthodox friend, I decided to go to an Orthodox Bookshop. As I entered the store, I was warmly greeted and sat down to explain my situation to the workers. They recommended me to go to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia rather than the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, even though they were Greeks themselves. The reason being the purity of the faith generally retained by ROCOR as opposed to the involvement with ecumenism and World Council of Churches on the part of GOA. I even arranged to speak with the Archbishop of Australia, His Grace, Hilarion.

After much discussion and investigation into Orthodoxy, I came to the conclusion (in conjunction with the Church Fathers) that the Church of Christ Visible is One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church retained in Orthodoxy. What also helped in my search at the time was the life and works of Father Seraphim Rose, whom I felt I had a lot more in common with. I have got involved with ROCOR, whilst not being a blind zealot. (I dislike strongly the anti-Jewishness and Israel-bashing stance taken by a number of both laymen and clergymen in ROCOR. I also believe that whilst there are many genuine converts, there are a number of converts who are still humanistic through and through with not one wit whole). Orthodoxy is the way of unchanging conviction in Christ being lived out in an ever-changing world.

It is a blessing that I have come across your blog. You share many of the heart felt issues I share and I do hope to hear from you.

As the Church of Christ, it is better we wash out our dirty laundry than to let the stench stink to the nostrils of heaven. We can deal with our dirty laundry much better than the Protestants and Roman Catholics can.

In the heart of every hardcore Fundamentalist is someone who is truly Orthodox. They just do not know it yet.

God bless and hope to hear from you soon.

Timotheos Kwoh

A Blight On Christianity

As the world watches, the self appointed "Reverend" Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church continues to drive people away from the gates of heaven through his hatred for those God loves. This time he plans to protest at actor Heath Ledger's memorial service. As Orthodox Christians we are to pray for the soul of Heath and for his family who grieves. The old adage is missed by Phelps that we are to love the sinner but hate the sin. How dare Jesus eat with the publicans and sinners! Phelps is not the face of Christianity. His is the face of an arrogant, maniacal pharisee. But Phelps' own estranged son Mark, says it best:

"I believe in God and the Bible, and my father's behavior doesn't fit the description of behavior that would show in the life of one who loves God; behavior characteristics such as Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control. Instead, my father's behavior characterizes, I believe, Hate, Outbursts of Wrath, Contention, Jealousy, Vengefulness, Misery, Harshness, and Selfish ambition. He mis-states the truth about his own behavior, about others, about the Bible, with apparent ease and regularity. He behaves with a viciousness the likes of which I have never seen. He accepts no genuine accountability in his life and is subject to no one. His lifestyle betrays the sacred trust of what a pastor, husband, father and grandfather should be. I suppose if a comparison were made between the life of Jesus Christ and my father, there would not be much to compare.I believe that Topekans are making a good effort to try and stop him and should continue to do so. He can seem very intimidating. He can use foul language and come across with a booming voice to the community, but the truth is, like the Wizard of Oz, when Toto pulls the curtain back, instead of this big powerful individual, it's only a small, pathetic old man. I feel sorry for my father as I would for anyone who displays this kind of hate and evil viciousness. These can only be the manifestations of tortured, injured and agonizing souls."

Former Charismatic Epicscopal Churches Continue Their Journey

I was thrilled to hear today from my former CEC priest Father Denzil Roland. Father Denzil is now Father John Denzil and priest of St's Peter and Paul Orthodox Church (Western Rite) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Father John reports that there are three to four other CEC churches about to come into the Orthodox faith through the Western Rite. This multiple movement of individual churches is unprecedented on this continent. Pray for those who are coming and those who will come. Pray for the Nashville Tennessee area, that a Western Presence will be established here as well.