Questions and Answers 171 - 178

 

Question 171: I'm a recent convert to the Orthodox Church, but have noticed the same troubling dichotomy in the Orthodox Church that I find in all other Churches, where people are divided into conservative and liberal, particularly the clergy in social media I follow. I can't really put my finger on it, so I was wondering if you, who I find to be balanced, could help me understand how to distinguish between a conservative and liberal cleric.
 
Answer: The easiest way to make the distinction is to observe who they target as "enemies". A conservative Orthodox will usually target Catholicism and have an Evangelical leaning, while a liberal Orthodox will usually target Evangelicalism and have a Catholic leaning. - I'm sort of joking when I say this, but there is some truth to it. - Though there are indeed issues with both, you will be much happier as a newly-illlumined Orthodox Christian if you are "friends" or "followers" with clergy who focus more on bringing fellow Orthodox together rather than letting their politics manifest. Clergy on social media should not be heresy hunters, but church gatherers. If at the end of each day a cleric on social media helps to inspire and strengthen you in your daily path and life in Christ, then keep him as a "friend". If not, run for the hills.

Questions and Answers 155 - 159

Question 155: Have you read the following articles? My name is Irene and I'm an Orthodox Christian who is confused on what to believe regarding disease transmission via shared Holy Communion. These articles below have me a bit concerned and there seems to be no general consensus in the Church as of yet. I read your top 10 article about this matter and am in the process of reading your other one on Bio-Orthodoxy. Maybe you can post a response discussing these articles if you are so inclined as I really enjoy your writings.

Do the Sacraments prevent illness?
https://ocl.org/do-the-sacraments-prevent-illness/

A Note on the Common Communion Spoon
https://ocl.org/a-note-on-the-common-communion-spoon/

Questions and Answers 149 - 154

Sainthood of Constantine the Great

Question 149: Do you think we should reevaluate the sainthood of Constantine the Great?

Answer: People that tend to question the sainthood of Constantine the Great seem to be ignorant of his historical contribution, ignorant of the facts regarding his life, ignorant of what sainthood is, ignorant of what he has meant to the Church throughout the ages, and/or ignorant of the power of repentance. All of these are addressed at my Saint Constantine the Great Resource Page, and there is still much more to say, so look for updates there. With that said, there are certainly saints in the calendar that should be reevaluated, and I've addressed those on various occasions, but Constantine is not one of them.

Questions and Answers 143 - 148

A Saintly Example During the Coronavirus Crisis

Question 143: In Question 140 you mentioned that St. Mary of Egypt was not a good example to bring up that matches our situation with not receiving communion and going to church during quarantine. I was wondering if there is another example you could recommend?

Questions and Answers 134 - 142 (A Coronavirus Special Edition)

I received an email with a series of questions from a certain individual regarding the events we are currently going through with the coronavirus. I thought they were good questions that many Orthodox Christians are having right now and want some clarification about, so I selected some of them I believe are of general interest and provide my answers below.

Question 134: Is there an historical precedent for the closure of churches due to an epidemic? It doesn't seem right to me.

Questions and Answers 1 - 7

Clergy and Wedding Rings

Question 1: I am about to be ordained a deacon and have been married for five years. Do you know if I should remove my wedding ring during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy? This was a tradition I was told about.

Answer: In the tradition of our Church before ordination the candidate takes off his wedding ring and no longer wears it. One can explain this, first, that one has been raised to a new rank: he’s symbolically betrothed to the Church. Second, clergy should not wear any worldly jewelry, even if it symbolically demonstrates his marital relationship.