:: St. Stephen's Musings ::

:: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 ::

Communio Sanctorum

I was going through some old files today and I stumbled across this great quote from Bishop Kallistos Ware on the relationshiop of the Church and the Eucharist. Now that I am in second year Latin, I can see his point even more clearly:

"The correlation between Church and Eucharist is evident in the double
sense borne by two familiar phrases, *communio sanctorum* and "Body
of Christ." The word *sanctorum,* in the expression *communio
sanctorum,* can be either masculine or neuter; and so the phrase means
equally "communion of holy persons" (communion of saints) and
"communion in the holy things (Eucharistic communion)." "Body of
Christ," in the same way, signifies both the ecclesial Body of the Church
and the Sacramental Body of Christ received in Holy Communion. Certainly
the double sense of both these phrases is not fortuitous ambiguity, but
indicates an essential interconnection. In each instance there is no need for
us tomake a choice between the two meanings, but it is possible -- and, indeed,
necessary -- for us to assert *both* meanings simultaneously. We become a
part of the communion of saints by communicating in the Holy Gifts; we
become members of Christ's Body the Church through the common sharing
in His Body at the Eucharist."

Bishop Ware highlights the beauty of holding two paradoxical ideas or realities together at once. This is truly a profound mystery! It reminds me of the last lines of C.S. Lewis' essay "The Weight of Glory" where he points out that the two most holy objects in the world are 1) the Eucharist and 2) our neighbor!

I highly recommned you to read James' Dec 31st entry titled, A Touchy Feely Faith - Relics and Sacraments

Excellent musings on this idea of the Eucharist, the Incarnation, etc.

Happy New Year!

:: Karl :: 2:32:00 PM [Link] ::

On the Feast of St. Stephen

Today is the feast day of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, my patron saint.

Here is a short description of his life from Holy Transfiguration Monastery:

"Saint Stephen was a Jew, and as some say, a disciple of Gamaliel, the teacher of the Law mentioned in Acts 5:34 and 22:3. He was the first of the seven deacons whom the Apostles established in Jerusalem to Care for the poor, and to distribute alms to them. Being a man hill of faith and of the Holy Spirit, he performed great signs and wonders among the people. While disputing with the Jews concerning Jesus, and wisely refuting their every contradiction, so that no one was able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit whereby he spake, he was slandered as a blasphemer and was dragged off to the Sanhedrin of the elders. There with boldness be proved from the divine Scriptures the coming of the Just One (Jesus), of Whom they had become the betrayers and murderers, and he reproved their faithless and hardheartedness. And finally, gazing into Heaven and beholding the divine glory, he said: "Lo, I see the Heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God." But when they heard this, they stopped up their ears, and with anger cast him out of the city and stoned him, while he was calling out and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then, imitating the long-suffering of the Master, he bent his knees and prayed in a loud voice for them that were stoning him, and he said, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge," And saying this, he fell asleep (Acts 6, 7), thus becoming the first among the Martyrs of the Church of Christ."

I have always loved the story of St. Stephen and have seen in him a kindred spirit. I admire his tenacity and courage to stand up and proclaim the truth to people in his life who needed to hear it. His faithfulness, his meekness and his deep desire to see his brethren "come to the knowledge of the truth" is something I hope to emulate, with the help of his prayers.

But St. Stephen had another quality I hope to attain, by the grace of God--purity of heart.

He was a perfect example of someone who practiced a life of asceticism, service in the church, humility, and love of his brethren. Through this life lived in the Church, St. Stephen shows us fiery, intellectual, arrogant types how to bring our natural talents and desires under the reign of love and humility. He was able to chastise and teach others only after he had achieved a level of holiness that would enable him to do that work. Like the Psalmist says, it is only AFTER we experience and live out "the joy of thy salvation" that we are able to effectively bring others to the truth.

"Restore to me the joy of thy salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors thy ways,
and sinners will return to thee." Ps. 51:12-13.

At every Divine Liturgy, during the reading of the Beatitudes, I remember St. Stephen when I hear, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Purity of heart, ascetic labors, the sacramental life of the Church, our daily rule of prayer, almsgiving and many other ways of cooperating with God are needed before we try and teach others the truth of Orthodoxy.

When I was being enrolled into the catecumanate 5 years ago, my priest told me a saying he had heard at St. Vladimir's Seminary: A new convert to Orthodoxy should not write, teach, instruct, debate or in any way attempt to talk about Orthodoxy with others until they had actually LIVED THE LIFE of the Church for at least 3-4 years! A little tongue in cheek of course, but I've never forgotten it....and though I'm entering my 5th year as an Orthodox Christian, I feel as thought I still have a long way to go in holiness before I can ever do the works St. Stephen did. But with his prayers and the intercessions of the Theotokos and all the saints, I press on in truth and in love.

Troparion in tone 4 for St. Stephen--
O Protomartyr and mighty warrior of Christ our God,
You are victorious in battle and crowned with glory, O holy Stephen!
You confounded the council of your persecutors,
Beholding your Savior enthroned at the right hand of the Father.
Never cease to intercede for the salvation of our souls!

Kontakion in tone 3 for St. Stephen--
Yesterday the Master assumed our flesh and became our guest;
Today His servant is stoned to death and departs in the flesh,
The glorious Protomartyr Stephen.

:: Karl :: 9:39:00 AM [Link] ::

A Strange and Beautiful Encounter

As a convert to the Orthodox Faith, it always surprises me to encounter the perspective of cradles from the "old country." My wife and I had a strange but enlightening experience with one such woman on Sunday.

We were scheduled to make lunch for the parish after Liturgy this past Sunday (each family takes a turn 3-4 times a year making lunch for the parish). As we were cleaning up the last few dishes and locking up the parish hall, a refined older woman (60ish) came running up to the back door asking if the priest was still here.

When we told her "no," she was surprised and a little sad. With a Polish accent, she asked us why the church wasn't open all day. "In my country," she said, "Orthodox Church is open at all times." She then asked us if she could come in and write down a list of people she wanted prayed for at the next Liturgy. She said she needed to hurry because her (non-Orthodox) husband brought her on a special trip to an Orthodox Church and she didn't want to keep him waiting.

The first thing I learned was her definition of "hurry" was nothing like mine!

We sat down with her and for the next 20+ minutes, she wrote down a series of names (in Russian and English) giving me and my wife a brief explanation of who each person was and what was happening in their lives. It was amazing to me how she remembered so many different family members names in both languages. When she asked how much it was to submit the intercession requests, we tried in vain to explain it was free. But she insisted we take $5 for the priest and told us, in no uncertain terms, to "light a candle for me and all of my family" at the Christmas vigil.

Her manner was at once both curt yet gentle. Her facial expressions were somewhat severe, but also humble. It was clear how much she missed her family and how lonely she was. As I listened to her stories about growing up in Warsaw as a child during the war and about her struggles with trying to be Orthodox in a non-Orthodox country, it struck me that we American converts, who think that after a 40 day fast with no meat or dairy that we somehow have reached the heights of "Orthodoxy," have a LOT to learn about what it means to suffer! The loneliness, the suffering of those who are separated from their family....realizing her strength and humility just blew me away...

As she was getting ready to leave, she turned back and gave each of us a hug, saying "Christ is Born!" and "Merry Christmas." With a wistful smile on her cheerful face, she slipped out the door.

Merry Christmas, Nadia.....

We will pray for you and your family this Christmas.....

:: Karl :: 2:55:00 PM [Link] ::

The Drama is in the Dogma

I've been re-reading Dorothy Sayer's classic work "The Whimsical Christian" the last couple of days. Being a C.S Lewis devotee, I have always appreciated Sayers because of her clarity, intellectual honesty, and piercing insight.

Thinking more about my friend's dilemma with his pastor over doctrine and truth, I remembered Sayer's fantastic essay, "Creed or Chaos."

She says:

"Christ, in His Divine innocence, said to the Woman of Samaria, "Ye worship ye know not what" � being apparently under the impression that it might be desirable, on the whole, to know what one was worshipping. He thus showed Himself sadly out of touch with the twentieth-century mind, for the cry today is: "Away with the tendentious complexities of dogma � let us have the simple spirit of worship; just worship, no matter of what!" The only drawback to this demand for a generalized and undirected worship is the practical difficulty of arousing any sort of enthusiasm for the worship of nothing in particular. (Creed or Chaos?, 19)

This essay is now out in a new book format

Carol Olson, a Catholic writer, comments on Sayers' point:

"An often missed fact is that all people hold to dogmas � beliefs which guide their thinking and actions. G.K. Chesterton observed that "Man can be defined as an animal that makes dogmas � Trees have no dogmas." The person who boldly proclaims "Humanity needs freedom from dogma" is like a scientist confidently asserting that "People can live without oxygen." The issue is not whether dogma is good or bad, but whether a particular dogma (whether called such or not) is true or false. While people need oxygen to live, they can die if their air supply is poisoned. 'Dogma is boring and impersonal' is a common complaint today. Many Christians remark, or at least think 'I don't want to hear a bunch of theology. I just want to have a personal relationship with Jesus.'

[James, I'll be getting you a tract on that concept right away!]

"They might as well tell the doctor "I don't want to know anything about my heartrate, blood pressure and cholesterol level � I just want to be healthy." There is no opposition between Jesus and theology....When dogma comes across as dry and dull, it is usually due to either poor teaching or lousy listening, but it is not a fault of the dogma, as Sayers liked to point out. Besides, many Christians have attended church for years without hearing much real dogma. They have instead heard insipid messages about "being good" and declaring that "all we need is love" without any clear definitions of goodness or love, nor what they have to do with God, Jesus Christ, sin, and salvation."

Clifton recently wrote about this issue of dogma under the title Thinking About Salvation IV. He said:

"Now I know that some are [wary] of dogma, fearing it's divisive qualities. But truth divides. That's just how reality works. We may not be able to know everything infallibly, but there are things we can know certainly. Without dogma, Christians lose their identity. Indeed, if I understand 1 John right, they lose eternity. One either confesses Jesus as God in the flesh, or one does not. If one does not, one is not a Christian. That's John, not Clifton. Dogma is necessary."

The real problem with my friend's pastor is not that he believes doctrine isn't necessary. He most assuredly does! The problem is that he really wants to preserve "the cult of the nice."

"The cult of the nice" is a term I use to describe people who spend all of their lives and all of their energies refusing to deal with reality, never talking about tough, complex or embarrassing issues, and for the most part living a life in total fear of being persecuted, confused, controversial, or embarrassed. They want to be "nice," they want to be "tolerant," they want to have an easy life, full of material and spiritual comfort, with no struggle, no ascetical labors. The "cult of the nice" hates anyone who challenges this paradigm, who dares to be "mean-spirited" or principled, or who claims there is truth etc....
Sadly, most of the people I work with, most of my family, and almost all western Christians that I know are in varying degrees part of "the cult of the nice." And my friend's pastor is just one more in a line of "Christian" teachers and pastors who have spent a lifetime in this way of living and interacting with God, other people, and the world.

I could write for hours about the "cult of the nice"...but for sanities sake (both yours and mine), I think I'll leave it at that for now.

:: Karl :: 11:01:00 AM [Link] ::

A Resignation Letter

Early this week, a good friend of mine here at work abruptly quit in the middle of the day. He was well liked, outgoing, and a fantastic worker. Needless to say, the rumor mills have been cranking out false stories faster than the New York Times (*wink*).

Today, he sent some of us a letter explaining the reasons for his departure and I thought I would share part of it here. It shows that many of us Gen-Xers are starting to wake up from the rampant careerism and materialism that has come to dominate many of our values and priorities.

Here is what he had to say:

"In life, especially in business, there will always be irreconcilable differences....Some can be accepted, some based on principle, can not. The ultimate reason I decided not to come back and try, was for a paradigm shift in the way I think about my career. Since college, every minute of every hour I have worked was dedicated to making a client the most money humanly possible. No matter the day, no matter the hour, no matter the sacrifice my mindset was to strive to make money. To some people "sacrifice" is too harsh of a word and that's fine, but I'm confident in knowing I always gave a 110%. Well, a few nights ago, I received a phone call that will forever change my life in ways I can hardly explain in words.

It was 7:56 pm on a Tuesday night and I had started work at 6:50 am. The day before I had worked from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm ...considering since deadlines we're upon us. The message was broken up from being made on a cordless phone and all it said was....."Daddy........IU........home". Kobi, my oldest son knows about 10 ten solid words and what my two year old had just said was "Daddy I love you, come home". I hadn't seen him in two days. My mind had been so geared on meeting this "deadline" that I hadn't even thought about eating let alone home. I looked around and thought to myself "what am I doing?" When they're older will Kobi and Ryan understand the reason daddy isn't home is because he is working on a twelve revision of a postbuy analysis? When I'm 80 looking back on everything will I be able to explain to them the how much I achieved in helping drive a clients CPO [cost per order] down? From that phone call on, I had lost my passion. A lot of you could tell and told me so....
I want to wish each of you all the luck in the world, you truly have been great work mates and friends."

:: Karl :: 9:11:00 AM [Link] ::

The Saga Continues

Remember last week I wrote about a pastor who lied to his congregation about a woman dying in a car accident to prove a point about sincerity?

Well, fueled by the incident, a friend of mine who attends that church has decided to step down from a leadership position and has left the church! The decision has created chaos in his marriage because his wife is still very much devoted to the pastor and the church.

My friend and his wife met with the pastor last week and my friend was told that the "people of the Orthodox religion" have "opened up a Pandora's box" by their influence in their life and have "brought a bad spirit into their house." The pastor continued, saying the Orthodox do "have a relationship with Jesus Christ but are deluded to be so exclusive."

Needless to say, my friend was furious. If doctrine doesn't matter, and all that counts is your sincerity, why are the Orthodox so evil?, he asked. "Anything that brings confusion or anxiety to your life and marriage must be a 'bad spirit.' the pastor said.

"But what if God is leading me into greater truth?" asked my friend.

"Doctrine doesn't matter," the pastor matter of factly replied.

"But if doctrine doesn't matter, then on what basis can you judge my search for truth or the Orthodox Church?" countered my friend.

The pastor said, "Because those who claim that doctrine matters and that they have the 'right' doctrine are by nature judgmental and exclusive."

Stunning......a Christian pastor (who is very big on missions work!) who claims that truth is nothing more than sincerity and that what you believe about reality has no bearing on your salvation, the way you should life your life, or anything at all. If this is true, what do you have to offer the "non-Christian" world? Why would they listen to you? This is the classic materialist argument that says with the authority of absolute truth that "There is no absolute truth."

Is this what postmodern Protestantism is coming to? A TOTAL repudiation of truth as an objective reality rooted in Jesus Christ who is Himself THE TRUTH?

In many ways there is no escaping this black hole of epistemological madness if 'sola scriptura' is the only bedrock you have. There are no weapons against which we can fight postmodern nihilism and relativism except Holy Tradition and the life of the Church. And, ironically, even Scripture tells us this (1 Tim. 3:15, Matt. 16:18 etc...)

I'm sure there will be more to this story as time goes on....please pray for my friend and his wife.

:: Karl :: 9:14:00 AM [Link] ::

Law Resigns

From (now former) Cardinal Law's resignation statement:

�I am profoundly grateful to the Holy Father for having accepted my resignation,� Law said in a written statement released by the Vatican. �It is my fervent prayer that this action may help the archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity which are so desperately needed.�
�To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes, I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness.�

My thought is why not just say "sins" rather than the PC terms "shortcoming" and "mistakes?" Very Clintonesque and very sad. One would hope this really might begin to heal what is wrong in the Catholic Church's clergy. One is also a realist...

By the way, there is a great article in the December issue of First Things by a Byzantine Catholic monk on the role of celibacy in the life of the church. Highly recommended!

:: Karl :: 1:14:00 PM [Link] ::

15 minutes on an ab machine, 15 minutes with your Bible

I heard a commercial on a Christian radio station yesterday that made me chuckle.

It was an ad for a Bible reading program that helps one read through the whole Bible in "just 15 short minutes a day." It was a harmless bit of advertising for the most part, but at the end the woman announcer made this startling statement (paraphrasing):

"The 15 minute a day Bible program is perfect for those who are too busy with every day life to keep up in their spiritual walk with God."

What?? Nobody should be SO busy that they don't have 15 minutes a day to read the Scripture! How much TV do you watch? How many magazines do you read? How do you spend your lunch break? Have we sold our souls to the busy pattern of this world that we have to "squeeze God in"?

I work for an advertising agency whose soul purpose is to figure out ways of convincing people they need more and more products and services for their busy and hectic lives....There is something wrong with us Christians if the advertising world doesn't have to alter the core of their message at all, whether they are pushing an ab machine, a garden tool or a Bible...

One more random thing....Here was a rather lame attempt at a pun:

A friend was complaining to me that too many of the praise songs in Protestantism are saturated with the words "I" and "me"....

Rather blithely, I responded: There is no "I" in Orthodoxy!

Ok, I think I need some sleep.

A blessed St. Spyridon and St. Herman feast day to all!

:: Karl :: 5:50:00 PM [Link] ::

Does Truth = Sincerity?


The epistle readings in the lectionary for the past few days have especially intrigued me. One passage in particular grabbed my attention, in light of a situation that is developing at a friend's church.

The passage is 2 Thess. 2:9-14 (RSV). It reads:

"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false,
so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

My friend attends a charismatic/evangelical suburban church here in the Portland area. Last Sunday, his pastor pulled a stunt that left me speechless and him so angry he is questioning the validity of his church.

The pastor preached a sermon on the Samaritan woman. His goal was to explain what Jesus meant by "the Father is looking for worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth." In short, his main point was that truth=sincerity. All you need to do as a Christian is love God and be assured of His presence in the "moving of the spirit" and have heart-felt sincerity.

If that isn't disturbing enough for you, what the pastor did next will be.

Right in the middle of the concluding "praise and worship" segment, a woman ran up to the podium and gave the pastor a piece of paper. After reading it silently, he stopped the worship band and asked if there was a woman named Cinda in the congregation. She raised her hand. He then said to her, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your sister has just been in a fatal car accident and your family would like you to go home as fast as you can."

The response was immediate. People stood up to console her. Those around her began laying hands on her and praying. People began to fall down and weep and pray in the isle.

After a couple of minutes, the pastor stood up and asked for silence. He then announced that the whole thing had been set-up. Her sister wasn't dead! He concluded the service, saying, "I did this to prove to you that your worship and prayer was "in spirit and in truth" because you felt the spirit move and you were fully sincere EVEN THOUGH IT WAS BASED ON A LIE."

Unbelievable....

Coincidently, this very friend asked me a few weeks ago why our priest wasn't able to be "led by the spirit" to change the liturgy whenever he wanted.

Now he understands why all too well.

:: Karl :: 11:59:00 AM [Link] ::

Correction

In a previous blog, I misunderstood the blog I was quoting and attributed to Mark Shea made up slogans for Planned Parenthood that were actually invented by Jeff Miller of the Atheist to a Theist blogsite. Sorry Jeff!

:: Karl :: 11:34:00 AM [Link] ::

Can we be Holy?--The Ramifications of the Incarnation

My wife and I hosted a local evangelical church's Gen-X discussion group at our house on Saturday. Most of group members are between the ages of 21-27. Two of the members are good friends of ours from college. Although they know we are Orthodox they have invited us with open arms to participate in their discussion group. (Sadly, there are very few Orthodox in Portland between the ages of 19-30).

The way the group works is each person writes down a question about anything that is on their mind in regards to the spiritual life, Christian doctrine, politics, etc. Then we randomly select a question out of a hat and discuss until the person who wrote it feels we have helped them answer it, or at least gets a better understanding of the issues surrounding the question. Then on to the next question...

The last time we were invited to this group's discussion night, we ended up staying up until 1am talking about the Nicene Creed, church history, and the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. (All stemming from the question, "How can individual Christians, who have the Holy Spirit, come to such radically different interpretations and applications of Scripture?")
That night was powerful and challenging for several people, as many had never before heard anything about church history, the councils, etc...But for this night, my wife and I decided to try and be a bit less vocal and let the group fight through things without our input.

The first questions we drew on Saturday night was, "Can you become holy on earth? If so, what would it look like?"
Now for the Orthodox, this question should like Barry Bonds getting a fat 79 mile an hour fastball....

Interestingly, what started out to be a fairly easy question turned into a full blown philological struggle over what the word "holy" means. The knee jerk reaction for many was "Of course not!". One girl really had problems with it--"Is that even in the Bible?" she asked. When pointed to the verse "Be holy, even as your heavenly Father is holy," she weakly conceded, but said she still didn't want to even hear anyone use the word!

From there the descent into madness continued--the conversation quickly turned to the classic "faith vs. works" debate with people furiously turning to Bible passages, flipping through concordances and dictionaries, trying to reconcile the seemingly contradictory passages and teachings. Some wanted to use the word "fruits" rather than works, while others pointed out that they might be the same thing. Some talked of God "doing all the work that is needed on the cross," while others tried to bring up how we seem to play a part as described in the book of James and 1 John. All the while church history, and the lives of the saints were totally absent from the discussion. I continued to hold my tounge....

At one point I finally made a quick observation. I said reaching a level of holiness where raising the dead, weeping unceasingly for one's sins, and performing other miracles is what is expected in Orthodoxy. One girl looked at me and asked with longing in her voice, "Have you ever met anyone like that? Just once, I wish I could meet someone like that!"

By the end of the night, as people exhaustedly put away their Bibles, someone finally and very quietly asked "If we are to be holy on earth, with God's help and grace, WHAT should we do and HOW should we do it?"

And that was the end of the discussion because no one had an answer for that!.....For those who have no experience or tradition of true holiness as the goal and norm of the Christian life, that humble question seems to be the show stopper!

Someone in the group had brought up 1 John 4:2-3: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God."

How can one believe that Jesus Christ "came in the flesh" but then turn right around and say that the uniting of the divine with the human is impossible on earth now? St. Symeon the New Theologian and St. Cyprian had VERY harsh things to say about this belief!

How can one "accept Jesus" but turn around and say that His Body, the Church, is only a spiritual reality that has no incarnated, visible, holy body on earth? How can one say they believe Jesus came in the flesh, but be members of churches that don't believe in regular Eucharistic worship and believe the sacraments are only "symbols?" Was Jesus on earth just a symbol?

It was a hard night for my wife, who continues to deal with the loneliness of leaving her Protestant background and the friends who are still there. In many ways the discussion night seemed to highlight how much separates her from them. And what was becoming clear was that they have radically different experiences and beliefs of what it even means to be a Christian (both the process and the telos).

Ok, enough ranting and pontificating for today! I have to study for my Latin final tomorrow!

Factus est Deus homo ut homo fieret Deus gratia!

:: Karl :: 3:37:00 PM [Link] ::

A Strange Mix

An 82 year old staunch Baptist, three 20 year old Quaker college students, one thirtysomething Catholic, and a handful of Orthodox: These were some of the participants at an Orthodoxy Seminar hosted by my in-laws last night. And what a night of discussion and discovery it was!

The Orthodoxy Seminar is an idea cooked up by Fr. Peter Gillquist as an attempt to help introduce the Orthodox Church to those who may not have ever attended an Orthodox service, but wanted to find out more about the Church from something other than a book.

After a couple of people gave a brief description of their journey to the Church, Fr. Theodore from the Greek church here in town gave a 30 minute talk on how the Incarnation is lived out in the every day life of an Orthodox Christian. (30 mintues for the Incarnation?--You'd be suprised how much he actually covered!) Then we just talked informally with one another for the rest of the night. My poor in-laws had to kick the last 3 or 4 of us out of the house at 12:30 so they could go to bed!

One of the things that facinated me about the participants was how many different aspects of the Church first drew them; whether it was the sacramental life, history, spiritual fatherhood, prayer and fasting, or whatever. Each person had very unique issues and questions and yet they all came away with, both a better understanding of Orthodoxy, and surprised how the Church seems to have what they are missing. But at the same time, Fr. Theodore made it clear that the Church is not a "spiritual encyclopedia" where you show up, get your fill, get the "answers," and then go on your merry way. This is one of the flaws of western Christendom, where the church is used as a kind of spritual self-help seminar... There is no apophatic theological way of life there and no experience of community and relationship.

As Matthew Gallatin in his new book "Thirsting for God in a Land of Shallow Wells" points out, most Christians have been so infected with Enlightenment rationalism that they want their spiritual experinces to be nothing more than a series of lessons, morals and teachings, or just simply emotional highs. But while Orthodoxy offers all these things, it does so in a radically different way than what most Christians are used to. It does so within the context of a *lifestyle* and *communal relationship* within the Body of Christ.

Much more could be said...

Has anyone else read the Gallatin book? It seems to be an excellent introduction to the major issues someone will face: sola scriptura, rationalism, history, liturgical worship, saints etc....I have a couple friends who are reading it and are finding it very thought provoking.

:: Karl :: 5:05:00 PM [Link] ::

A little infantile?

This is from David Mills at Mere Comments where he relays something funny from Mark Shea's blog.

"Responding to Planned Parenthood's raising money with cards carrying the slogan "Choice on earth," Mark Shea's blog � a fruitful source for all sorts of interesting things � offers some alternative versions. Among them is a new child's hymn:

"Red and yellow, black and white/they are worthless in our sight./PP kills the little children of the world!"

and various slogans:

Depopulating the world one person at a time.

Reach out and abort someone

Betcha can't kill just one

Giving breath to the culture of death

Just enough of us, way too much of you.

Thanks for letting me live so *I* can kill *my* child, Mom!.

:: Karl :: 3:21:00 PM [Link] ::

Thanks

Thanks to to all those who have linked to me!

James, Huw, Clifton, et al.

Send me an email if you've linked to me...I'd love to hear from you and add you to my list if I haven't already!

:: Karl :: 2:13:00 PM [Link] ::

Trying to See

I've had the worst eye pain the past few days....itching, burning, dull pain....the kind of thing that is just bad enough to make me lose my concentration and unable to think of much else; yet not quite bad enough to force me into the doctor's office. I'm not sure if it is allergies or what--maybe spending too much time in front of a computer, perhaps!

With my thoughts mostly on my eyes, I've been pondering about what it means to "see." I've spent gobs of time and money on trying to fix my eyes--drops, allergy medicine, herbal eyewashes, vitamins--you name it. But I have to ask myself: am I spending the same energy and resources in trying to clear up my spiritual eyesight? Am I combating the itching of the lust of that second, or third look at a beautiful woman? Am I taking in the "vitamins" of prayer and fasting to clear up the dull pain of despair? Am I willing to go out of my way to take that plank out of my own eye when I'm tempted to judge my neighbor? Do I run to the hospital of the nous, the Church, when I am unable to see the blessings and love of God in the world?

It is amazing how I take for granted the blessings in my life! Both physical and spiritual!

:: Karl :: 2:10:00 PM [Link] ::

The Sweet Wood of Sacrifice

As I sat by the fire the other night with my wife and watched the once dead, cold piles of wood and kindling become small glowing embers, I was reminded of this quote by one of my favorite saints, St. Seraphim of Sarov, a 19th century Russian mystic and monk:

"For good relationships are heaven anywhere. Monotony and misery cannot
exist where there is love. But the fire of love must be kept burning warmly
and brightly with the sweet wood of sacrifice."

How often it is in our culture that marriage is seen as something that fulfills us rather than us fulfilling, what Fr. Thomas Hopko calls, "the debt of love." This debt of love is precisely that life of sacrifice and service we see time and again in the life of Jesus. For Him, the "sweet wood of sacrifice" ended up as actually that--the Cross! But while physical martyrdom is a calling few of us experience in this life, we are all called to what the ancient monastic fathers called a "martyrdom of conscience." This is the daily, even hourly, choice to lay aside our own desires and live our lives for the Other; the person(s) whom God has put into our lives.

But there is something else about this metaphor that strikes me--that without constantly adding new wood to the fire, the fire will go out! Many of us Gen-Xers grew up with an idea of marriage that said the only work involved in marriage was finding "the person God has for us." After that, God would take care of the rest! There is a pervasive idea in our culture that says if you have to work for something, or if you have to sacrifice of your own [fill in the blank here: time, money, etc] to make a marriage work then there must be something wrong with your marriage!
How said this is!

A friend of mine and I were discussing ideas about marriage a few years back and he said (paraphrasing), "Our crowns are in heaven with God and there is very little I need to actually do to insure my marriage won't fail. God will fulfill what is lacking."

Yes, He will fulfill what is lacking--but by giving us the power and ability to love as He loved us, not by loving "in our place." He loves us and we in turn, shower His love on those around us. In the Lord's Prayer we say, "thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven," praying for the ability and grace to live and love on earth, as love and life exist in union with God in heaven.

There will always be enough dead wood in our souls. I hope I can remember to be constantly working with God, stoking the fire of my soul with the "sweet wood of sacrifice", so that I can love others with the love of God who is Himself Love.

St. Seraphim of Sarov, pray to God for us!

:: Karl :: 3:01:00 PM [Link] ::

A plug for NetFuture

I would be willing to bet that many of you are interested in the continuing debate and discussion surrounding the philosophy of computers and Internet technologies.

My uncle is a high profile player in this arena and he publishes an excellent newsletter titled "NetFuture." In his current issue he continues his infamous debate with Kevin Kelly, editor of "Wired" magazine.

His name is Steve
Talbott and he is the author of *The Future Does Not Compute: Transcending the Machines
in Our Midst*

Check him out at NetFuture

:: Karl :: 5:06:00 PM [Link] ::

Denominational Hermeneutics

This was posted on a discussion list I am a member of....I found it amusing:

Reprinted from Clergy/Leaders' Mail-list No. 437

How would the Uniting Church deal with "the cat sat on the mat" if it
appeared in the Bible?

The liberal theologians would point out that such a passage did not of
course mean that the cat literally sat on the mat. Also, cat and mat had
different meanings in those days from today, and anyway, the text should be
interpreted according to the customs and practices of the period.

This would lead to an immediate backlash from the Evangelicals. They would
make an essential condition of faith that a real physical, living cat, being
a domestic pet of the Felis Domesticus species, and having a whiskered head
and furry body, four legs and a tail, did physically place its whole body on
a floor covering, designed for that purpose, and which is on the floor but
not of the floor. The expression "on the floor but not of the floor" would
be explained in a leaflet.

Meanwhile, the Catholics would have developed the Festival of the
Sedentation of the Blessed Cat. This would teach that the cat was white and
majestically reclined on a mat of gold thread before its assumption to the
Great Cat Basket of Heaven. This is commemorated by the singing of the
Magnificat, lighting three candles, and ringing a bell five times. This
would cause a schism with the Orthodox Church which believes tradition
requires Holy Cats Day [as it is colloquially known], to be marked by
lighting six candles and ringing the bell four times. This would partly be
resolved by the Cuckoo Land Declaration recognising the traditional validity
of each.

Eventually, the House of Bishops would issue a statement on the Doctrine of
the Feline Sedentation. It would explain, traditionally the text describes a
domestic feline quadruped superjacent to an unattached covering on a
fundamental surface. For determining its salvific and eschatological
significations, we follow the heuristic analytical principles adopted in
dealing with the Canine Fenestration Question [How much is that doggie in
the window?] and the Affirmative Musaceous Paradox [Yes, we have no
bananas]. And so on, for another 210 pages.

The General Synod would then commend this report as helpful resource
material for clergy to explain to the man in the pew the difficult doctrine
of the cat sat on the mat.

:: Karl :: 8:48:00 AM [Link] ::

Living in Community

My father-in-law (who is Orthodox) and I spent several hours last night deep in discussion about the merits and possibilities and issues surrounding the idea of living more authentically in community. We also discussed how our American individualism has crept into the every day life of many Orthodox parishes in this country, especially in the larger cities and suburbs.

He raised several interesting questions for me to ponder:

1) Why is it that so many of our churches have members who don't live close to one another, even preferring to live far away from the church and other members so as to better reach their material goals (job, school etc)?

2) Why is it that very few Orthodox decide to voluntarily give up the gratuitous car or van they own? (Does each family really NEED 2, 3 or even 4 cars?)

3) How are we effectively witnessing and experiencing the joy of being part of the Body of Christ if we only see one another at the Divine Liturgy (and maybe for 20-30 minutes for brunch or coffee hour afterward?)

He pointed out that if we are going to really be Orthodox, one of things that should be evident is that we live our lives as "members one of another" in a way radically different than the world. One of the ways our lives should be different is a refusal to live the radical individualism our culture says is required of us. Orthodox theology and life can only be lived in a shared life and community. Do we really think it is enough to have good liturgy, sound theology, beautiful icons and all the other the "smells and bells," and think this is what Orthodoxy is about? That we come together a few times a week (at most!) and not share much of anything else about our lives? That we continue to pile up material goods for ourselves rather than livng in such a way as to make sharing these goods with others an organic part of our daily existence?

I must say, this is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black--for I have not attempted to reject our culture's way of life in the way I want to--and the way, I would dare to say, is expected of those who profess to live an Orthodox life.

:: Karl :: 4:51:00 PM [Link] ::

The Jesse Tree--Continuing an Advent Tradition:

My wife and I cut down our first Christmas tree as a married couple on Saturday. (It is amazing how fast one year goes by!) It was an unusually crisp and sunny winter day in Oregon and we took advantage of the great weather to look for our tree at a local tree farm near our house.

In years past, my family would always get our tree the weekend of Thanksgiving, rain or shine. I have more than enough childhood memories of being dragged out into the rain on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving, trudging through the 3-4 inch high mud, going past dozens (or was it hundreds?) of perfectly good trees, wishing my father would just pick one and hurry us home for hot chocholate in front of the fire. Needless to say, I was thrilled when the weather held as Carrie and I went to look for our tree without all of the usually necessary rain gear.

The reason my father insisted on getting the tree up by Thanksgiving weekend was because of our tradition of decorating our tree with Jesse Tree symbols. Every day of Advent there is a specific Scripture reading and an appropriate symbol corresponding to some aspect or person in each reading. (Look up "Jesse Tree" in Google for tons of info on this tradition). These Jesse Tree symbols are typically made out of felt, but can be made out of any material that is sturdy yet light enough to hang on a tree branch. Throughout Advent the daily readings guide us through all of salvation history, culminating in the Incarnation. The Jesse Tree tradition is a favorite among western Christians (especially Catholic and Anglican) and it is one tradition I have been excited about continuing in my own family.

So last night Carrie and I put up our humble 5 foot Douglas fir in our living room. After stringing it with a simple strand of white lights, I read the first reading. Isaiah 11:1-4 describes Jesus as coming out of "the root of Jesse"....and the tree itself, as the first symbol of the Jesse Tree readings, is a continual reminder this Advent of how we are called to have this "root of Jesse" in the very heart of our homes and our lives.

It struck me again this morning how powerful the Jesse Tradition has been in helping me be mindful of the true point of the Advent season. As I got out of bed and went into the living room, there in the dark stood the tree; silent, yet unmistakable. For the next 24 days, it will remind me of how Jesus is silently present in each of our homes and our hearts.
And every night, after Carrie and I do Vespers in our icon corner together, we will come into the living room to read the Jesse Tree reading of the day and to hang up the symbol on the tree. Such a simple and yet profound way of making every part of the Christmas season a way of keeping us mindful of the love God has for us. And it is such a great way of "re-baptizing" our society's typical Christmas tree traditions--no more "Beauty and the Beast" Disney ornaments, no more cheesy Hallmark ornaments of Frosty the Snowman purchased for $9.95....etc.

Now, if only I could figure out a way of getting Kenny G's rendition of "Silver Bells" out of my head, I think this will be a pretty good Advent!

:: Karl :: 2:05:00 PM [Link] ::

Freedom within structure--becoming communal selves:

A friend of mine has recently become interested in Orthodoxy with an intensity I find almost shocking.

Considering his lack of experience in liturgical worship as well as the little amount of reading he has done, it is a true work of God that he is where he is at. We have stayed up into the wee hours of the morning on more than one occasion, discussing the spiritual life, Orthodox theology and the desire for authentic worship. I am amazed at God's providence as I find out more about my friend's journey and the truths of the Church he has stumbled upon. I can only attribute his incredible desire for God and his deep hunger for holistic truth to be from God.

One of his deepest struggles at this point is the idea of freedom, specifically in regards to worship. He was raised in a conservative Baptist church and has since found a home in a Foursquare church, where "pushing into the Spirit" and "freedom in the Lord" are heavily emphasized. He feels this has been a good antitode to his past worship experiences at the Baptist church. And yet, he is intriqued and facinated by liturgical worship especially with the communal and reverent aspects of the Liturgy.

As I sat down today to read the December issue of "First Things," I found this section from an article by Ralph Wood entitled "Ivan Karamazov's Mistake" to be pertinent to the issue of how Orthodox view "freedom."

"...we are not made into free persons by becoming autonomous selves who have been immunized from all obligations that we have not independently chosen. Our freedom resides rather in becoming communal selves who freely embrace our moral, religious, and political obligations. These responsibilities come to us less by our own choosing than through a thickly webbed network of shared friendships and familial ties...[and] religious promises. In a very real sense, such "encumbrances" choose us before we choose them. There is no mythical free and autonomous self that exists apart from these ties. There are only gladly or miserably bound persons--namely, persons who find their duties and encumbrances to be either gracious or onerous."

It amazes me to talk with my Protestant friends who really believe worship is something you yourself make up as you go along. Many have no sense of the communal nature of liturgical worship--the "plugging into" the worship of heaven with all of the angels, heavenly hosts and saints. They find it hard to reconcile the ideas of "structure" and "freedom." But what they don't see is that, like so many other things in the Christian life, the paradox of structured, formal, set prayers and total freedom in worship are NOT antithical realites. The freedom we Orthodox find in worship is neccesarily and organically connected to the structure itself. Freedom is found, not by creating "worship," but by choosing, in obedience to the Church and her teachings and Holy Tradition, to FREELY enter into these God-ordained structures.

The Orthodox idea of freedom and the relationship it has with obedience is described beautifully by Bishop Ware in an essay entitled, "Lent and the Consumer Society." He says:

"For freedom, as well as being spotaneous, is also something that has to be learned. If you were to ask me, 'Can you play the violin?', and I replied, 'I'm not sure, I've never tried,' you might feel that there was something odd about my answer. For I am not free to play Back's sonatas on the violin unless I have first learned, through a prolonged and ardous training, how to handle the violin....I am not truly free unless I have first learned how to use my freedom rightly and this process of learning presupposes obedience, discipline and self-denial. Freedom is not only a gift--it is a task."

God, in his love for us, knows we will abuse our free will without his guidance and protection. The structures of the Church, that from the outside look constraining, turn out to be the very avenues we learn to actually become free! It is within the arena of submission and humility that we find true freedom. But it is hard to explain this truth--sometimes it is only by experiencing it directly that we can see the beauty of the freedom of liturgical worship as well as many of the other "structures" of the Church. I pray my friend will continue his search and I am confident he will not stop until he has found the fullness he is looking for.

:: Karl :: 1:40:00 PM [Link] ::

Giving thanks for the love of a wife:

This Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for.

But this morning, I was reminded again how much I depend on the purity and devotion of my wife. Although I have been Orthodox for more than four years and my wife for a little more than one year, she is far and away acheving a level of holiness that I can only hope to attain! For some reason, the attacks of the evil one were strong as I got up this morning and I just did not feel like getting ready to go to Liturgy. After going to the beautiful Akathist last night, one would think I would be in a state of anticipation for worship the next morning. But thoughts of reading the paper, or of devouring the new edition of "First Things," or a hundred other more interesting things leaped into my mind as better alternatives than Liturgy.

But Carrie's gentle spirit as she prepared for Liturgy reminded me of why every day should be a day of thanksgiving....and what better way to celebrate it than by participating in the worship of the Trinity!

Glory to God for the love of wives!

:: Karl :: 2:46:00 PM [Link] ::

The Akathist of Thanksgiving:

Tonight (11/27) my wife and I will be participating in the Akathist of Thanksgiving at our church here in Portland (St. Nicholas Orthodox Church).

This particular Akathist has become quite popular within Orthodoxy in recent years and more parishes every year are making an effort to present this beautiful service to the faithful. It has become one of our favorite services throughout the year (however, it still not in my top ten, as many of the Lenten and Paschal services still dominate my "favorite" list!)

This Akathist, also called the "Akathist of Thanksgiving," was composed by Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov shortly before his death in a prison camp in 1940. The title is from the words of Saint John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile.

I was reviewing the text this afternoon and was blown away by the sheer JOY that exudes from the service....Just meditate on these words:

Kontakion 10: "No one can put together what has crumbled into dust, but Thou canst restore a conscience turned to ashes. Thou canst restore to its former beauty a soul lost and without hope. With Thee, there is nothing that cannot be redeemed. Thou art love; Thou art Creator and Redeemer. We praise Thee, singing: Alleluia!"

"A conscience turned to ashes"....I love that image!

How often it is I feel this is true of my soul! How often I let the passions burn and rage within until I am in ashes! It reminds me of Ps 51:8--"Fill me with joy and gladness;
let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice."

It is better to let God "break" us, than to let the bones of our soul be turned to ashes by negligence!

So in the spirit of this Akathist, let us remember this Thanksgiving weekend to not only give thanks FOR SOMETHING, but to give thanks TO SOMEONE....Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

:: Karl :: 3:44:00 PM [Link] ::

Theology with your clothes on:

He who dabbles in theology while still in the passions is like one who tries to swim with his clothes on.
- Saint John Climacus

This quote (and a past article in regards to this quote) was posted by James

I've always loved (and hated!) this quote because it so quickly and devastatingly hits home for me. (Thanks, James, for reminding me of it!)

For many of us Orthodox who come to the Church from Protestantism, it is an almost overwhelming temptation to become self-proclaimed apologists and champion defenders of Orthodoxy. But the Fathers constantly warn us against this kind of pride, a specifically dangerous temptation for those of us who tend to be fascinated by intellectual pursuits.

Orthodoxy has always held a special place for the intellect in the life of the Church--but only the sanctified mind is able to speak correctly about divine realities. Evagrius said it so beautifully with this quote:

"Those who pray truly are theologians and those who are truly theologians pray."

As I prepare for the Thanksgiving weekend, I hope I can remember St. John and Evagrius' words in my discussions with family and friends over the next few days. We should spend more time in prayer for others than we do in discussion with them! (I will have more to say on this issue later)....

:: Karl :: 12:26:00 PM [Link] ::

First Lines of Books:

Jay Nordlinger writes a column at http://www.nationalreview.com titled "Impromptus".....This is a sampling of some of his readers' favorite first lines from books--Enjoy!

Margaret Mitchell: Gone with the Wind: �Scarlett O�Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.�

And this is not a first line, but an epigraph: L. P. Hartley: The Go-Between: �The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.�

Robert Louis Stevenson, The Master of Ballantrae: �The full truth of this odd matter is what the world has long been looking for and the public curiosity is sure to welcome.�

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker�s Guide to the Galaxy: �Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.� (One of the funniest books ever written, IMHO!)

From Charlotte�s Web: ��Where�s Papa going with that ax?� said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.�

Here are the opening two sentences from Ring Lardner�s Champion: �Midge Kelly scored his first knockout when he was seventeen. The knockee was his brother Connie, three years his junior and a cripple.�

From Allan Bloom�s Closing of the American Mind: �There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative.�

From Gravity�s Rainbow: �A screaming comes across the sky.�
Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: �We were an hour outside of Barstow when the mescaline kicked in.�

Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry: �When I was seven, I hid under a table and watched my sister kill a king.�

�Sing, Goddess, Achilles� rage / black and murderous, that cost the Greeks / Incalculable pain, pitched countless souls / Of heroes into Hades� dark / And left their bodies to rot as feasts / For dogs and birds, as Zeus� will was done.� � Iliad, Book I, Lombardo translation

�Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, �and what is the use of a book,� thought Alice �without pictures or conversation?�� � Lewis Carroll, Alice�s Adventures in Wonderland.

Robert Heinlein, Year of the Jackpot: �At first, Potiphar Breen did not notice the girl taking her clothes off.�

Kurt Vonnegut, �Harrison Bergeron�: �The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal.�

:: Karl :: 11:30:00 AM [Link] ::

Truth: For God or for us...or for no one?:

In a recent workshop for Gen-X Evangelical pastors and youth leaders, John Franke, of Biblical Theology Seminary in Hatfield,
Pa., described two major streams of thinking among current theologians. The
first group says there is absolute truth, but only God can know it;
human beings, coming from their own social and cultural perspectives,
have to be open to learn from one another. Those in the second group
say that not only is it impossible for humans to know absolute truth,
it's not desirable, because such claims often result in attempts to
control or repress others."

My first thought after reading this was that the dichotomy set forth here is almost begging the issue. What is the point of being a Christian if one at the same time claims that either we can never really know truth because of our "cultural perspectives" or that we can never know the truth because it doesn't even exist?

The Church Fathers have always taught that not only do humans have the capability to know truth, but it is the very purpose of our life! Even St. Paul writes that "what can be known about God is plain..." (Romans 1:18-21).

Truth is never a concept to wrap our intellect around and neither is it an emotional state one desperately tries to hold onto....Truth is a Person. And Truth is Personal! It implies relationship....("God does not desire the death of a sinner, but that he should repent and come to the knowledge of the truth"). And of course, the word "know" in Greek has very, almost nuptial connotations....(Adam "knew" his wife...) etc. To know something or someone implies a deeply personal and communal LIFE.

In "The Abolition of Man," C.S Lewis makes it clear that our social and cultural heritage in no way tarnishes our ability to pursue and recognize truth. Theologians who capitulate to the zeitgeist that says that humans by nature of their "cultural perspectives" are unable to see truth, do their protestant brethren a gross disservice. For if this is true, what purpose do missions work have? And of course how could we know that this is true? Could it be our own modern American society is a cultural perspective that blinds us to things as well? When does that epistemological roller coaster ever end?

:: Karl :: 8:15:00 AM [Link] ::

Welcome to St. Stephen's Musings!

St. Stephen, the Protomartyr, is my patron saint--while I'm certainly not worthy of his name, I decided to name my blog after him. His eloquence and his zeal for the truth continue to be an inspiration to me.

After being a "blog" surfer for a couple of years now, I've decided it is time to start one of my own....

I will be writing about issues related to Eastern Orthodox theology, general philosohpy, social commentary, politics and just random thoughts or musings.

A little personal background....I am an Orthodox Christian, having been received into the "One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church" by baptism and chrismation in June of 1998....I am 26 years old, married for one year to an amazing Orthodox woman, still working on a B.A degree in English with a Philosophy minor from PSU....was raised Anglican and Foursquare then dabbled in Buddhism for a year in college before finding Orthodoxy....

I currently work in the advertising industry and have spent time over the past 7 years as a journalist, film production coordinator, and restaurant manager....

Some of my favorite books are: G.K. Chesterton's "Orthodoxy"; C.S Lewis' "That Hideous Strength"; Bishop Ware's "The Orthodox Way"; Richard Weaver's "Ideas Have Consequences".....and MANY others!

More to come soon....

Karl

:: Karl :: 9:07:00 AM [Link] ::