Church

Prot. Victor Harakas23.12.2025

The Ukrainian state’s persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has caused much sorrow among our congregation, as has of course, the war itself. Last month, a small delegation of clergy from four Orthodox [jurisdictions] in the United States went to our nation’s capital to advocate for our persecuted brothers and sisters. The meetings were […]

Prot. Victor Harakas15.12.2025

There are different interpretations of the biblical materials. Jews of today often identify themselves with the Israel of ancient days. With the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel, it is not unexpected that Jews should see this as a fulfillment of the Old Testament covenants and promises. Some evangelical and fundamentalist Protestants make little […]

Sergey Stankevich01.12.2025

Pope-Leo-XIV-and-Archbishop-Bartholomew-signed-a-joint-declaration.jpg

During his visit to Turkey, Pope Leo XIV met with the current Archbishop of Constantinople, Bartholomew, the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Constantinople in Turkey. Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop Bartholomew signed a joint declaration calling for reconciliation and unity. They spoke out against any use of religion to justify violence. The peace-making […]

Prot. Victor Harakas15.11.2025

To begin to repent, you should first understand what repentance is. What is Repentance? The English word “repent” is based on a Latin word which means to “change or reform one’s mind.” In Greek, the same idea is expressed by the word “metanoia.” It means that you want to, and do in fact, change. But […]

Prot. Victor Harakas03.11.2025

The Orthodox Church has many times expressed its philosophy of ecumenical involvement. The ultimate purpose is to fulfill Christ’s will that there be “one flock, one shepherd’ (John 10:16), so as to reunite separated and divided Christians into the one Church of Jesus Christ. This is a long and difficult goal to fulfill. It may […]

Victor Aliyev19.10.2025

Dreams, spiritual visions and revelations in the Lutheran tradition: from Luther and Böhme to modern Protestants. The Orthodox tradition, recognizing in principle the possibility of divine revelations through dreams (this is stated in the lives of the saints), in ascetic practice treats them with deep “sobriety”, as a potentially dangerous area of delusion. The Lutheran […]

Prot. Victor Harakas15.10.2025

The Orthodox teaching on dreams is that we shouldn’t believe them and interpret them, but dismiss them, because they may come from the devil. SPIRITUAL VISIONS Does the Orthodox faith believe in revelation of spiritual visions through dreams? The answer to this question is a bit on the complex side. The Church could hardly deny […]

Victor Aliyev08.10.2025

Fifteen years of pastoral ministry have taught me a simple truth: being a Lutheran in Russia means constantly answering the question of what Russian Lutheranism is. There is no answer—there are six different answers, six paths that seem to lead to the same goal. The history of this diversity goes back centuries. The first Lutheran […]

Vladimir Grigoryan24.09.2024

I had a friend who was convinced that if you launch an Orthodox satellite and broadcast something Orthodox on all TVs, the country will very quickly return to faith, become a churchgoer in a matter of years. I remember when I hear from priests again that most teenagers who grew up in Christian families completely […]

Prot. Victor Harakas21.05.2020

Many of our Greek Orthodox Christians in the US have become members of Masonic lodges. They hear of criticisms leveled against Masonry and are puzzled by them, especially because they understand Masonry to be on the side of God and morality, in general. They find it difficult to understand the charges leveled against Masonry which […]

Reflections on My Trip to Washington, DC

One Nation Under God

The Vatican in a Difficult Search

Repentance

Ecumenism

Dreams in Contemporary Protestantism

Common Questions

6 Lutheran Churches in Russia

How I became Orthodox

Masons and Orthodox Church

The Michael Jackson Biopic is Missing its Most Controversial Story

Madama Butterfly and the Japan of the Western Imagination

The Spanish Civil War at 90: the Republic’s Response

Terminator Is about 80 Years Old