Yes, we have to be careful to "travel sea and land to make a proselyte, then make him twice as much a son of Gehenna" as we are
Balance and intention are paramount.
Christianity In The USA
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Balance and intention are paramount.
Jeremiah Branch
Orthodox Catechumen
I agree that all of us need to be working on ourselves, repenting, and being sure to focus more on our own sins than on criticizing those of others.
That said, there is a place for commenting on the madness that passes for "Christianity" today, such as what TrainedLogosmotion is pointing out here. The church needs to have boundaries. Right now, things are so out of control that the word Christianity is losing its meaning. If it can be anything, then it is nothing.
To connect this with the "jesus mansion" incident elsewhere on the forum recently, this is why I don't think that guy was a glowie or a fed. He is simply one more among the many who turn Christianity into their plaything.
This can happen on the "left" as with the chaotic, anything goes, "tolerant" and inclusive and morally-anchorless "Christianity" of Cardi B (whoever that is...).
But it can also happen on the "right", where jesus mansion types, who are probably legitimately fed up with Woke Clown World, cobble together their own ersatz philosophy of freedom, personal sovereignty and individual empowerment based around crypto, web 3.0, location independence, entrepreneurship, and a more-pagan-than-Christian, "traditional" (really feral) notion of male-female roles and relations. As "based Christianity" is -- in this day and age -- a form of rebellion, they add that on to their framework as an assertion of independence from and rejection of Clown World. But it really has nothing to do with real Christianity, and is simply a pagan and instinctive rejection of modern madness.
Anyway, my point is that Christianity has to have boundaries and some relatively fixed meaning. Church councils were held over decades to decide what many see as minor points.
Perhaps it is not the place of ordinary laypeople to get overly involved in fighting those battles, but there is a place for voicing up a defense of the idea that Christianity means something, and not anything, and certainly not the worldly and Luciferian things it is made to mean in much of modern day American Christianity, "left" and "right".
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matt. 7:21-23
I think this is why Fr. Seraphim Rose said so many things would be jumbled up and psychological warfare would be to the extreme. In many ways, the world is getting smaller and that is what allows for such propaganda and living in fantasy realms.
I had to unjoin the Orthodox Christianity sub on reddit because I said something that violated their antisemitism rules. There is nowhere to go except here to find anyone who is willing to discuss the damage the Jews have done to Christian nations.
Can you share what you posted that they said violated their rules?
I don't want to dox my reddit account but I basically said something to the effect of asking someone if they thought the Jews loved Christ (in relation to Christmas not feeling like Christmas).
When I talk about the Jews I try to distinguish between non-religious Ashkenazis, Orthodox Jews like Ben Shapiro, and everyone in between. I tend to view those indifferent to Christ, as opposed to hostile, the same as I would Gentile agnostics.
A basic affirmation of the Orthodox faith probably gets you banned from there
I posted links to Father Spyridon's books and Father Kosmas's podcasts. They were both removed. The former for being an "antisemitic" writer, and for the latter they didn't even give an explanation. They just don't like Father Kosmas because he's so conservative and didn't tolerate their coof virus paranoia.
This happened in the USA.
It's lucky he was male. If he was a daughter, it would have been an honor killing most likely.
This is more for Christianity in the west in general: I found this great sermon that is written down as well about the modern attitude with the publican and the pharisee parable. You see modern people subconsciously view the publican as some kind of underdog, and the pharisee as an irredeemable wretch that (apparently) could not possibly have repented of his pride in the future.
https://orthodoxlife.org/sermons-and-homilies/the-anti-pharisaical-pharisees/
https://orthodoxlife.org/sermons-and-homilies/the-anti-pharisaical-pharisees/
People today use this parable as an excuse to sin, and I'm not saying I'm any better. "It's okay, I can give in to this temptation because I'm so humble and I know I'm a sinner and worthless without Christ." Well, if you were truly humble, you would do your absolute best to do what He asks of you. But people only hear what they want to hear from Scripture.
What Jesus said: "Judge not lest ye be judged."
What people hear: "Don't call me to repentance as I continue in my sin."
They twist the Scriptures to their own destruction.
What people hear: "Don't call me to repentance as I continue in my sin."
They twist the Scriptures to their own destruction.
Yes, if one is trapped in the throes of sin and unable to quit, it is better to admit to God your sin, and apologize for the future transgressions both you and God know you will do.
If one stumbles, the saving move isn't to grow with despair of not being good enough, but to pray to the Lord for deliverance from Evil.
El Dorado
Other Christian
The Southern Baptist Convention is currently holding its annual meeting in Indianapolis. Today they're voting on banning women pastors. Let's hope they vote the right way, The Lord's way. Any woman who thinks that she's a pastor/priestess is a woman in open, wilful rebellion against the Lord, with one foot in Hell.
As soon as I read this, I knew that they weren't going to do the right thing. Never been a fan of the SBC.