The Romanian publishing house Editura Doxologia has published an excerpted edition of my 2017 edition of "Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy" focusing solely on Pentecostals, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.

This photo was sent to me by Simina, a kind reader in Romania.

My books and articles have been translated into Romanian, Lithuanian, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Russian. Recently, I learned of an effort to add Vietnamese to this list.

Get the new edition here: https://edituradoxologia.ro/penticostalii-mormonii-si-martorii-lui-iehova-semnele-unui-proroc-mincinos

Romanian translation of the full book: https://edituradoxologia.ro/ortodoxie-si-false-credinte-cum-sa-afli-calea-catre-hristos

More and more, I think the best advice for how to be a Christian navigating this nutty world is this:

Just be normal.

Freighting in some agenda along with one's Christianity -- even an agenda that sounds high and noble -- inevitably distorts Christianity and obscures Christ at least for oneself and probably for others, too.

A long contemplation of what humility and love really mean is deeply needed in this time and place.

Is injustice going to be done to me if I try to follow that path? Almost certainly. But in this world we will have trouble. Christ said that. A lot of our problems stem from trying to make His words not true for ourselves. Surely I ought to be exempted from trouble.

And many problems also come from trying to be of good cheer because we will overcome the world, not because Christ has overcome the world, as He said He did.

We do have something to overcome, though, and that is ourselves. That's the path to humility and love, and that's the path to the Kingdom of God.

And the first step on that path is just to be normal -- do your duties to the people in your life, give up your preferences a little more today than yesterday, set aside your resources for those who need them, and participate in the life of the Church.

I've just returned from 2 weeks back in Lithuania - with a quite notable evening in Latvia - and I'm now in the phase my wife calls "PPD," "Post Pilgrimage Depression." It's a sense of sadness and loss that comes after the wonders of pilgrimage fade in the face of the return to everyday life.

This is normal.

With every pilgrimage the story of life changes, and the challenge is to make the narrative of the pilgrimage constituent to everyday life.

Only a few ascetics live in permanent pilgrimage. For the rest of us, the task becomes integration, to turn our experiences on pilgrimage not into a "vacation" but rather into rites of passage and formational initiation to inform and shape the next chapters of life.

Many places one might visit on pilgrimage sell souvenirs. This word is from the simple French word meaning "to remember," and the goal of course should not be to accumulate tchotchkes but rather to form memories that are not only returned to with fondness but are for the enrichment of life.

God willing, every pilgrimage not only brings us a little closer to and deeper into the Kingdom, but also forms us a little more into its citizens.

(Photo: Next to a statue of the legendary Iron Wolf, an iconic image of Lithuania and of Vilnius in particular. Hear the story in Ep. 1 of "The Wolf and the Cross," my pilgrimage documentary about Lithuania: https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/wolfandcross/01_the_wolf_lithuania_before_the_cross/)

My new video asks the simple question: What is faith? It seems simple, but is it really?

https://youtu.be/2SxFyIvHwt8

YouTube

What is Faith? An Orthodox Answer

What actually is faith? Does it mean believing in something you have no evidence for? How is the word used in the Bible? What is the relationship between faith and belief? Do you have to do anything to have faith as a Christian? In this video, I give…

I just learned that Fr. James Bernstein passed away this morning.

He is known to many as the author of "Surprised by Christ," the memoir of his conversion story from Orthodox Judaism ultimately to Orthodox Christianity.

May his memory be eternal!

THE DIVINE COUNCIL OF NICEA

An image that accompanied the depictions in the Bible of the enthronement of the Son of God is that there are multiple thrones set next to His (Dan. 7:9). In the Old Testament, it is revealed in many places that there is a divine council which accompanies God and is presented with the image of a deliberative body that discusses what ought to be done and which also carries out the will of the One Who presides in that council – the Son of God Himself (Ps. 82:1, Is. 6:8).

Thus, when Christ ascends into heaven and sits on His throne, He is not alone. He is enthroned in His divine council of the holy ones. But since He is man, that means humanity is now present there as well. Furthermore, He is not the only human present.

FULL TEXT: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/asd/2024/06/16/the-divine-council-in-nicea/

ANCIENT FAITH MEN'S RETREAT AUG. 22-25

Register Today! Coming August 2024, our FIRST EVER Ancient Faith Men's Retreat! Read caption for details ✨?

REGISTER: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/a7f3fee5-70ee-4d9e-a53c-8ee532a24b4b

Forge enduring connections with Orthodox brothers, strengthen your faith, be encouraged, and challenge yourself this summer at Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA! This retreat features four engaging speakers, daily services and Sunday Divine Liturgy, fellowship with like-minded Orthodox men, and more.

This is a 4-day event, beginning Thursday evening and concluding after liturgy on Sunday.

Blessed feast of the Ascension, everyone!

On this remarkable day we participate in Christ's ascension into the heavens and enthronement at the right hand of the Father, an event depicted powerfully in both the prophetic book of Daniel and in the Apocalypse of St. John.

A blessed Leave-taking of Pascha to all!

Christ is risen! He truly is risen!

It seems to be nearly axiomatic now that for every somewhat notable Orthodox speaker online, someone will eventually ask when they will be interviewed by Joe Rogan.