MODERN CHURCH CHALLENGES: Ecumenism, Homosexuality, Yoga & More!



 

As priests, shepherds, and members of the Church, we face a new kind of believer, a new mindset, novel perceptions of sin, and new demands (…).  Take heed: We, the shepherds, belong to this generation as well. What then shall we do? Shall we follow the current of this new generation, or shall we remain steadfast in the teaching of Christ and His holy Church?” (Pg. 15)

 

Some sample chapters from the book. 

SECTION I - Concerning the Church 

2. Τhe Clergy Is Not the Church (pp 21-23)

 There is no Church without the clergy. However, the church is one thing, the clergy is another; they are not the same! “Fortunately!”...

Τhe Church as a divine-human organism consists of two elements; the visible and the invisible. The visible includes the temple, the clergy, and the faithful.[1] The invisible one is the Ark of Salvation; it is the one Church that exists in heaven.

What we see is the body of the Church; what we do not see is her soul.

We make a mistake when we equate the Church solely with her visible body. It is like reducing a human person to their physical form alone, short, overweight, thin, or dark-skinned.

Ηer visible elements fall into corruption: church buildings can become filled with cobwebs and mice; her members, clergy and laity, may live in sin. Yet the invisible Church always remains “intact and unharmed”.

No matter how many sins  are committed by priests or bishops they cannot drive away Christ the Savior from the Ark of Salvation. "And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Mt.16:18).

Not even the most fearsome heresies, which are the gravest threat to the Church, can destroy the Church, the Ark of Salvation.

There will always be salvation for the world. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” said Christ to His Apostles (Mt.28:20) even as He was departing from them and ascending into Heaven.

He was with them then; He is with us now, and will continue to be with us, through His Church.

This is the hope of the world.

SECTION VII - YOGA. MEDITATION. PRAYER 

1. Guru. Meditation (PP 89-92)

 (…)  “Get out of here!” the guru shouted to a young Greek Orthodox Christian.

     What had happened? Before visiting the guru in Tibet, the young man had made the sign of the Cross, unseen by the guru. And the Cross radiated an invisible divine power, that the guru could feel deep within himself. Ηere is another similar example.

   A woman, drawn by curiosity, joined a meditation group. From the very first session, she sensed that something was profoundly wrong. Determined to test it, she returned a second time. Silently, she recited the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer to the true God. Immediately, the atmosphere shifted: none of the participants could concentrate; their meditation was disrupted. The teacher’s gaze hardened, fierce as a storm, and he commanded, “You, get out.” (…)    

The essence is clear: they do not believe in the true God, in Jesus Christ, and Christ warned that whoever does not recognize His Divinity invites demons into his soul. (Μt.12:45.  Cf. Deut. 32:17)  (…) Given this, we can understand the turmoil in their souls, and all that this entails. (…). 

 

SECTION IX. ON HOMOSEXUALITY

1. Εvil Wearing  the Mask of Good (PP 125-128).

“There is a way that seems right in our own eyes, but its end leads to destruction.” (Prov. 14:12, 16:25)

Man as a creation of our benevolent God, carries goodness within him; in other words man is, by his very nature, good. For this reason, he proceeds toward an act of evil with sound reasoning. For example, when he steals, he does not focus on the act itself, but rather on the good he believes will come from it. He steals in order to support his family. When he wants to get revenge, he does not dwell on the act itself, but rather on the good that will supposedly result from it.

Even terrorists kill innocent people under the guise of good intentions, such as societal awakening or whatever other “noble cause” their minds can conjure up.

The message is that a person must keep his so-called good thoughts under scrutiny, so that he is not deceived by what appears to be good (…). .

What follows is just as interesting.

Because man is good by nature, he cannot accept or swallow the evil he commits. Once again, he tries to ‘deceive’ his own good nature by justifying evil with a seemingly good intention, in order to find peace; (yet no matter how much peace one may find, the peace of a cemetery is one thing, and the peace of a mountain summit is quite another). Paul, aware of the psychology and the reasoning of sinful man, issues a warning: “Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites will inherit the kingdom of God.” ( 1 Cor.6: 9 -10). (…) 

  

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