Read part one, two, and three of this four-part series. Having completed—albeit somewhat elliptically—my “itinerary” of the argument of That All Shall Be Saved, I have reserved the final installment of my report for a last, brief, bitter, even somewhat petulant and self-pitying complaint about some of the more belligerent readings the book has inspired. Perhaps...| Public Orthodoxy
In a moment of unprecedented closings and cancellations, how should the Orthodox Church and her members faithfully navigate the risks and complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic? For many Orthodox jurisdictions and individuals, the pandemic is an opportunity to show a panicked world the extraordinary steadiness of the Orthodox faith and of those who uphold it. One...| Public Orthodoxy
The Orthodox Church is generally not opposed to scientific knowledge and scientific endeavors. In fact, many early theologians and saints of the Church (including St. Basil and Ss. Cosmas and Damian) considered themselves to be scientists exploring nature and using nature’s pharmaceuticals to treat disease. When the Orthodox Church finds itself opposing science, it should...| Public Orthodoxy
This essay is part of a series stemming from the ongoing research project “Contemporary Eastern Orthodox Identity and the Challenges of Pluralism and Sexual Diversity in a Secular Age,” which is a joint venture by scholars from Fordham University’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center and the University of Exeter, funded by the British Council, Friends of...| Public Orthodoxy
Short Reads This Month| Public Orthodoxy
In the 21st century, the Georgian Orthodox Church faces a growing internal challenge: fundamentalism, which risks alienating younger generations. As the Church increasingly resists change, many young people find themselves disconnected from an institution that feels out of step with modern life and evolving views of faith. This rift goes beyond theological disagreements and touches... The post Fundamentalism in the Georgian Orthodox Church and Generational Estrangement appeared first on Publi...| Public Orthodoxy
What can time travel stories teach us about ourselves, the world, and our relationship to God?| Public Orthodoxy
In August 2024, the Ukrainian parliament adopted the law prohibiting the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and establishing a court procedure for banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) if the latter did not sever its ties with Russia. While announcing the promulgation of the law, President Zelenskyi stressed that the law would finally bring spiritual liberation... The post Dancing to the Ban appeared first on Public Orthodoxy.| Public Orthodoxy
Nestled on a hillside in the occupied West Bank, the village of Taybeh is a place of deep spiritual and historical significance. It is the last fully Christian town in Palestine, a rare sanctuary of quiet endurance amid a region marked by turmoil. Taybeh’s name appears in the Gospel of John as Ephraim, the place...| Public Orthodoxy
It has never been simple to discern the balance between new experience and received tradition. The process is messy, involves lots of questions, debate, pushback, dead-ends, wrong turns and periods of grey when the final outcome is not at all clear. And it is often slow—though not always. In my comments I’ll focus on this...| Public Orthodoxy
Short Reads on July 2025| Public Orthodoxy
The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council would not recognize the Church today because of the absence of women leaders. Seventeen hundred years ago, the bishops who made their way to Nicaea carried with them the memories of the great martyrs like Saint Barbara and Saint Katherine and the 20,000 martyrs of Nicomedia. They would... The post Where Are All the Women? appeared first on Public Orthodoxy.| Public Orthodoxy
“There have been two major types of ‘corruption.’ First, a great number of cases, primarily political, were removed from the jurisdiction of the courts and submitted to special forms of investigation and trial. Secondly, the independence of the judges was progressively curtailed, and the courts were placed in an ever more dependent position. The government...| Public Orthodoxy
The question “What do we fight for when we fight for religious freedom?” was at the heart of the International Religious Freedom Summit, held February 3–5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Its timing—coinciding with the advent of the second Trump administration—brought a mix of skepticism and cautious optimism about the future of religious freedom policy. People... The post Reflections from the International Religious Freedom Summit appeared first on Public Orthodoxy.| Public Orthodoxy
As an Orthodox Christian witnessing the systematic persecution of clergy and faithful in Russia, I find myself compelled to break the deafening indifference within our American Orthodox communities. My heart grows heavier each day as friends—priests I’ve known for decades—suffer for their faithfulness to the Gospel of peace. Here, I must acknowledge that Ukrainians are... The post Another Attempt to Break the Silence appeared first on Public Orthodoxy.| Public Orthodoxy
When Emperor Justinian decided to patronize the construction of a monastic complex at Sinai in the mid-sixth century, he was not exactly starting from scratch.[1] Already in the early fourth century, a church had been set up at the site of a bush identified as that which burned with fire but was not consumed, from... The post “The Place on Which You Stand is Holy Ground” appeared first on Public Orthodoxy.| Public Orthodoxy
Paul Ladouceur discusses Fr. Georges Florovsky's understanding of "mind of the Fathers" in Orthodox theology.| Public Orthodoxy
Short Reads on June 2025| Public Orthodoxy
From a young age, I have had instilled in me my father’s admonition, which he in turn received from his father: Αρχή Σοφίας Φόβος Κυρίου, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Prov. 9:10). This followed me through grade school, Sunday school, high school, college, seminary, graduate school ministry, and academia. It...| Public Orthodoxy
