A Response From an Orthodox Priest Who Was Once Protestant There are criticisms of Orthodoxy by some Protestants that deserve serious answers. I find that oftentimes most people are coming from a good place with well-meaning intentions and are curious about ancient Christianity in its expressions that greatly differ from…

I have met many sincere Christians who are terrified by their own questions. They love Christ. They pray. They come to church. They want to be faithful. Yet somewhere along the way, a question enters their mind that they cannot answer, or they go through a season where God feels…

The Cross, the Fellowship of Christ’s Sufferings, and the Way to Resurrection There are few questions more difficult to answer than this one: Why does suffering exist? It is one thing to discuss suffering when life is going well. It is another thing entirely to ask the question while sitting…

There is a criticism of Orthodoxy that I think Orthodox Christians need to stop avoiding. It goes something like this: If theosis is true, where is the fruit? If the Orthodox Church really possesses this ancient understanding of salvation as participation in the life of God, why are Orthodox Christians…

Fasting is one of those ancient Christian practices that can seem strange to modern Christians. For many people, the word itself immediately sounds negative. It sounds like deprivation. It sounds like religious rule keeping. It sounds like giving up food in order to prove devotion to God. And for Christians…

There are few Christian doctrines that have produced more fear, confusion, caricature, and bad theology than the doctrine of hell. For some Christians, hell is imagined as an underground torture chamber where God sends sinners to suffer forever because they broke His rules. For others, the entire concept is dismissed…

Why Penal Substitution Does Not Fit Orthodox Theology Why did Jesus have to die? For many Christians, especially those formed within evangelical or Reformed traditions, the answer seems obvious. Humanity sinned. God is perfectly just. Sin deserves punishment. Because God cannot simply overlook sin, someone must receive that punishment. We…

For the last year, I have used AI-generated semi-cartoonish images with many of my Facebook posts. The images were never intended to replace the message. They were intended to help people stop scrolling long enough to encounter it. I write every word of the text myself. The theology is mine.…