The doors of the Sumela Monastery reopened in June 2010, after 88 years. The Turkish government had given permission to the Ecumenical Patriarchate to have a patriarchal liturgy for the Feast of the Assumption every year. That permission has been suddenly revoked, perhaps permanently. That the Greek Orthodox need special permission to celebrate divine services […]
On Refugees, Be “Wise as Serpents”
Muslim migrant influx strains Christian world’s tension between being “wise as serpents, innocent as doves.” Bulgaria offers a way forward. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has announced it will help migrants who have arrived in Bulgaria, but has urged authorities not to let any more migrants in, clarifying sharp differences between Eastern European Christian nations and […]
Debunking the Religious Equivalency Fallacy
Or, Why there are no ‘Podvig’ terror attacks. On the Islam and Christianity blog, the author, Abu Daoud (a Christian evangelist living in the Middle East), offers critical remarks regarding an interview given by an Orthodox Christian priest/professor/author, who was presenting guidance for Christians in their interactions with Muslims. Some of it was useful, some […]
Bishop Mark of Berlin: A Voice in the Wilderness
Orthodox Bishop Mark (Arndt) is that rare example of a Christian hierarch speaking the truth about Islam. Islam is at its core anti-human… Reading the Quran, you will see that all of this [extremism] lies at the foundation of Islam. One must look truth in the eye: this is all anti-human, it is directed against humanity… Yes, there […]