One of the quickest ways to misunderstand Orthodox Christianity is to watch an Orthodox Christian do something without first asking what that Orthodox Christian believes he is doing. You walk into an Orthodox Church and see someone bow before an Icon. You see someone kiss the Cross. You hear someone…

If someone taught you that the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church split on July 16, 1054, they suggested something convenient, memorable, and deeply misleading. Something tragically important certainly happened that day. Cardinal Humbert entered Hagia Sophia in Constantinople during the Divine Liturgy and placed a bull of excommunication…

One of the questions I hear with surprising regularity goes something like this: “Father Don, I visited an Orthodox Church with my family. They wouldn’t let me receive Communion because I’m not Orthodox. People kissed the priest’s hand. They called him ‘Father.’ They prayed before icons and honored the saints.…

Every generation has its defining theological challenge. In the fourth century, the Church defended the divinity of Christ against Arianism. In the eighth century, she defended the holy icons against iconoclasm. Today, one of the greatest challenges confronting Christians is the attempt to reinterpret the Scriptures through the lens of…

One of the statements Jesus makes that often gets overlooked is found near the end of what we call the Olivet Discourse. It is a simple sentence, only a few words, but hidden within it is one of the clearest declarations of Christ’s divinity and one of the greatest sources…

One of the most common responses I hear whenever the subject of yoga comes up is this: “Father Don, what’s the big deal? It’s just stretching.” At first glance, that sounds reasonable. After all, stretching is good for the body. Exercise is good for the body. Maintaining flexibility, mobility, and…

One of the great tragedies of modern Christianity is that we have forgotten what the word mystery actually means. When most people hear the word mystery, they immediately think of a puzzle. A riddle. A crime to be investigated. A problem that exists solely so that one day it can…

The Orthodox Practice Everyone Talks About—But Few Understand Walk into an Orthodox church long enough and you’ll eventually hear someone mention confession. For many people exploring Orthodoxy, confession is one of those practices that creates a strange mixture of attraction and anxiety. On one hand, they’re fascinated by it. In…