Sophia: Secret Wisdom

A documentary on the Orthodox monastic tradition entitled, Sophia: Secret Wisdom, is currently in production. Fr. John McGuckin, an Orthodox priest and scholar, is associated with the project. This film may not only help people understand something about Orthodox monasticism, but also the heart of the Orthodox Church and the spiritual way of life experienced by those of us who are Orthodox Christians.

You can see footage from the film on the website for the project: http://sophiasecretwisdom.com/

The House of Caesar Augustus

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled." - The Story of the Birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 2.1, RSV).

The house of Emperor Augustus (aka Gaius Julius Octavius) has opened in Rome. Check out the video segment from BBC News.

Information on Augustus is available at roman-empire.net.

Mormonism & American Culture

The Asia Times recently published an article by Spengler entitled "Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause." The article isn't as much about Mitt Romney, who has now withdrawn from the Presidential race, as it is about Mormonism and American culture. This is a well-written article worth reading.

NPR produced the segment, "Mormon's Confront Negative Ideas About Their Faith," by Howard Berkes (Morning Edition, February 12, 2008), which is also related to Romney's campaign, but like Spengler's article, is about more than politics.

The photograph from Wikipedia is in the public domain.

Biblical Illiteracy in America

In America, there is rampant ignorance concerning what the Holy Scripture says and a failure to interpret the text correctly in its proper context, the Orthodox Church who wrote it, compiled it into a canon, and has preserved and passed down the text with the proper interpretation for 2,000 years.

Listen to "Understanding the Gospel According to Huckabee" from NPR's All Things Considered (February 8, 2008). This story isn't just about politics. It's about biblical illiteracy.

Podcast: Discussion on Orthodox Christianity

I recently discovered a True Convergence podcast on the Icon New Media Network with Bishop THOMAS (Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, Oakland, and the Mid-Atlantic in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese), Fr. Peter Gillquist (Dept. of Missions and Evangelism, Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese), and Fr. Patrick Cardine (the Western Rite priest of St. Patrick's Orthodox Mission in the Antiochian Archdiocese). Although the discussion, including those mentioned above and others, specifically addresses members of a particular Protestant denomination called the Charismatic Episcopal Church, the discussion may be valuable for anyone who is looking for the original, historic Church wherein the living Faith of the Apostles has been lived for 2,000 years.

Check out the podcast here.

Thanks to Jason for pointing me to the podcast.

The Real St. Nicholas

On Christmas day, a new motion picture trailer for the upcoming movie on St. Nicholas of Myra (the "real Santa Claus") was released. Watch the trailer (small, medium, or large format) on the St. Nicholas of Myra movie website.

For information on the life of St. Nicholas, visit the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America or Orthodoxwiki.


(The photo is in the public domain.)

Merry Christmas!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

To find out about the place where Christ was born, read In a Bethlehem Cave.

Go to the Greek Archdiocese or Antiochian Archdiocese websites to learn about the meaning of the icon of the Holy Nativity.

You may listen to Frederica Mathewes-Green read the Kontakion of the Nativity or read selections from ancient sermons for yourself. (These resources and others are found at the Antiochian Archdiocese website). You may also read St. Ephrem the Syrian's Hymns on the Nativity. All of these texts express the true meaning of Christmas.