One sometimes hears the assertion that the Orthodox Church has what has been called “a woman problem”. Usually the assertion comes from people (most often women) from other churches who cannot understand Orthodoxy’s refusal to ordain...
Thirty-eight years ago last Monday, Fr. Alexander Schmemann reposed in the Lord on the feast day of St. Herman of Alaska. His family lost a beloved husband, father, and brother; his Seminary lost a revered teacher, and all the Orthodox...
Second Temple Judaism was a many-splendoured thing. That is, it included many different elements—so many elements in fact that some people talk not just of Judaism, but Judaisms (in the plural). While the use of the plural might be a...
Recently I was reading about two very different people: William Barclay (whose works I have been familiar with since high school; inset left) and Wendy O. Williams (who I had never heard of until recently; inset right).William Barclay...
One of the most exciting stories in all the Bible is the story of Samson—made culturally famous by the penultimate episode of the story, that of “Samson and Delilah”. His story forms a significant part of Israel’s history, occupying an...
There is one woman in the Bible who is consistently ignored. That is perhaps not unexpected, since her name is not given. Her presence can be first detected by the exegetically keen-sighted in Isaiah 7. On the eve of an expected...
In earlier blog posts we spoke of the challenges to be faced in understanding the Bible in all its rich complexity. We spoke of the necessity of recognizing that the Bible contains many literary genres and that it is a very old book. ...
In an earlier blog post we spoke of the necessity of recognizing literary genre as one of the essential keys to understanding the Bible. A second key to understanding the Bible is recognizing its antiquity—that is, acknowledging that...
Odd as it sounds, the first step to understanding the Bible is to realize that there is no such thing as The Bible. Or, to state it somewhat less paradoxically, we must realize that the Bible is not a single book written by a single...
This is a quick note and unashamed announcement that my book on Mary the Mother of God is now available for purchase. It can be found at Amazon and also and also at Sebastian Press. Dr. Bradley Nassif wrote of it: “In just a few short...
If one wants to grow and mature in Christ, as well as adhering faithfully to one’s daily rule of prayer, it is necessary also to faithfully read the Bible. This is not the word of the Evangelical Dr. Billy Graham, but of the Orthodox St....
Once upon a time I had the privilege of being at a lecture given by the very wonderful Father Michael Oleksa, well-known author of the book Orthodox Alaska. Fr. Michael was giving a lecture to a group of us Canadian Orthodox clergy, and...
Recently I read an article on 1 Peter 3:1-7, which passage contained advice to Christian women married to non-Christians. In this passage the apostolic author counselled the women to “be submissive to your own husbands so that even if...
The Book of Judith is a war story. It may be difficult for us to appreciate it fully, since most of us have never experienced the danger and horrors attending the invasion of one’s country—especially the dangers and horrors for women...
This last Monday Canada had (or rather “endured”) another federal election. It was called in the midst of a pandemic and at a time when the country was badly divided. Given this, feelings have been running high all over, and the Church...
