"I am the door. By me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:9 At every parish where I have had the pleasure of attending services, there is always a small group of people who find their way all the way up to the church building but don't actually attend services. At one parish it was a group of male gypsies who talked on cellphones or smoked cigarettes. At another it was a few Protestant husbands who, though they never attended services, opened the parish doors for people as they filed in. At yet another parish the men stood in the narthex and chatted until it was time to receive and then got in line. Latin or Greek Catholic, Eastern or Oriental Orthodox I see the same small throng of men standing next to the front door, but not standing, sitting, or kneeling amongst the people. If it were me (and I can only speak for myself here) this option would be an unsavory one. The boredom would be immediate. The anxiety of som...
This is a video each and every Eastern Orthodox Christian Bishop, Priest and layperson needs to see. No black robes, ( except for the patriarch), no unkempt beards, no straggly hair, no thick accents, very articulate in the English language. They are an ancient church with a vision of a modern day ministry focused on making their youth proud of their heritage and faith instead of keeping a barrier to dialog with these Christians,, we should be seeking to not only create a bridge of understanding, but also learn from their image and ministry in growing and retaining membership in the modern society. Their message and principles have not been sacrificed, but their image has been revised to increase their credibility as a viable church. I have followed them and their plights and growth for some 70 years. they have learned a lot and progressed a lot over those years. Kudos to their vision and their seminary establishment. I know there are major theological differences, but aren't there also differences with the Roman Catholics and Protestants. Yet some us have a romance with the Roman Catholics. A romance, which at least doesnot meet my sanity test.
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