DOCSLIB.ORG

NEW HORIZONS Strange Times

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
NEW HORIZONS Strange Times NEW HORIZONS in the ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 7 At Last, a Visit to 21 Graham’s Cheer Up! JULY 2021 South Sudan Life and Ministry of Jack // by David P. Nakhla Miller // by Al Tricarico Ministry in Strange Times by Mark E. Richline // 3 VOLUME 42, NUMBER 6 New Horizons CONTENTS in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church Editor: Danny E. Olinger Managing Editor: Judith M. Dinsmore FEATURES Editorial Assistant: Diane L. Olinger Proofreader: Sarah Pederson 3 Ministry in Strange Times Cover Designer: Christopher Tobias By Mark E. Richline Editorial Board: The Committee on Christian Education’s Subcommittee on Serial Publications 5 A Mission Letter from Karamoja © 2021 by The Committee on Christian Education of By H. James Folkerts The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved. 7 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are At Last, a Visit to South Sudan from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing By David P. Nakhla ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (We use the 2011 revision.) Articles previously published may be slightly edited. DEPARTMENTS New Horizons (ISSN: 0199-3518) is published monthly except for a combined issue, usually August- 10 September, by the Committee on Christian Education Foreign Missions of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton The Story of Ruslan Road, Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539; tel. 215- 830-0900; fax 215-830-0350. 12 Christian Education Letters to the editor are welcome. They should deal with an issue the magazine has recently addressed. Review: VanDrunen’s Politics after Christendom Their language should be temperate, and they may not charge anyone with an offense. They should be brief, • Favorite Psalms and Hymns and they may be condensed by the editor. • Out of the Mouth … Send inquiries, letters to the editor, and other corres- 14 pondence to the editor at [email protected]. Home Missions Send address changes to [email protected]. Allow Year One in Thousand Oaks, California • Church- six weeks for address changes. The digital edition (PDF, ePub, mobi) and an archive of Planting in “Cereal City” previous issues are available at www.opc.org. 16 Views expressed by our writers are not necessarily Stewardship those of the editors or official positions of the 2022 Proposed Foreign Missions Budget Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Copies are distributed free to members and friends 17 of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Nonmembers Prayer Calendar are asked to donate $20.00 for an annual subscription 19 (USD $30.00 if sent to addresses in Canada; $40.00 News, Views, & Reviews elsewhere abroad). A free email PDF subscription is also available. Requests for a subscription should be sent to [email protected] or the address below. Periodicals postage is paid at Willow Grove, PA, and at additional mailing offices.Postmaster: Send address changes to New Horizons in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Road, Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539. Redeemer OPC in Danville, Pennsylvania, installed Joshua L. McKamy as associate pastor on May 14, pictured here with his wife, Kristen, and their children Micah (9), Zoey (7), Kalia (5), and Avia (1). Rev. Zach Siggins preached the sermon, Rev. Stephen Payson gave the charge to the congregation, and Rev. John Van Meerbeke gave the charge to the incoming pastor. “It was a joyful evening to reflect on many years of God’s wonderful grace and providence to bring us to Redeemer,” said McKamy. 2 / NEW HORIZONS / JULY 2021 MINISTRY IN STRANGE TIMES MARK E. RICHLINE // Our family had only been back in Mon- tevideo from our brief furlough for about a month. We had just started enjoying worship again with our church family at Iglesia Presbiteriana Salvos por Gracia. Two new visitors came to our ser- vice the second Sunday we were back. Our new audio and video equipment was in place to transmit our closed to all but citizens and residents. contact as much as possible.) We know services better than ever. Our congre- Our congregation of just twenty- that nothing can ever replace personal gation had embraced the session’s 2021 two people is being affected by COVID corporate worship: raising our hearts vision for the church. We were ready to -19 more than before. One of our mem- as one to pray, lifting our voices as one begin meeting for worship twice every bers nearly died and is now undergoing to praise God, and listening as one to Lord’s Day. A church barbecue was intense physical therapy to regain the his Word proclaimed. And to spur one scheduled, and a marriage conference use of his legs and feet. Another of our another on to love and good deeds, we was being planned as an evangelistic members was shaken when her aunt must be meeting together. Yet meeting outreach to couples. died from the virus, and now she and online is still meeting. Building one an- And then, in April 2021, we had to her family have tested positive. A good other up with a Bible verse or a link to do a complete one-eighty turn, closing friend of one of our members just died a Reformed sermon is still building one our doors and moving all our church ac- from the virus. One family came down another up. tivities back online. with symptoms but now appears to be Pastoring Online and In-Person doing well. A husband and wife in our Resurgence of COVID-19 in congregation are grieving the death of Being back online has required me Uruguay their former pastor from COVID. I to become a “digital pastor.” I am re- As our Uruguayan friends like to have received a flood of prayer requests minded of Paul’s profound love for the put it, “the coronavirus here se complica for friends or relatives of our members gospel that drove his ministry: todo.” The situation has become much who have tested positive. For though I am free from all, I have more serious over the past few months. Moving back online was a difficult made myself a servant to all, that I Positive cases have increased dramati- decision as our leadership had to weigh might win more of them . To the cally. Hospital ICUs are filled to over- the society’s heightened sensitivity to weak I became weak, that I might flowing, and a number of doctors have COVID-19—along with our congre- win the weak. I have become all died from the virus even as the overall gation’s growing nervousness—against things to all people, that by all means death rate continues to rise. Schools the obvious damage affecting our com- I might save some. I do it all for the have gone back to virtual classes. munion as one body of Christ. (Most sake of the gospel, that I may share Churches have reverted to online ac- of our families must take the bus to with them in its blessings. (1 Cor. tivities. The Uruguayan borders remain church and want to avoid close personal 9:19, 22–23) NEW HORIZONS / JULY 2021 / 3 To a pandemic-weary congrega- suicide, believers blessing one another, visit to our church, he already wanted tion, I have made myself a digitally and how to view the Apocrypha. to become a member! I keep this group diligent shepherd. There are numerous Shepherding people online also updated with church news and devo- challenges to face. For one, I do not like requires me to keep a pastoral eye on tionals as well as PowerPoint presen- interacting online. I am more of a people our various WhatsApp groups. While tations that they can review if desired person than a tech person. I only start- encouraging members to participate, I before each class. ed using a smartphone because my kids also remain aware as to how they par- Our monthly men’s book study bought one for me. Now I find myself ticipate. At times, we all leave messages started at the beginning of 2020 and being the one not only motivating my- without realizing how we sound. Other then was forced to move online because self but also motivating others to put times posted music or messages may of COVID-19. Despite that, most of aside their personal preferences and, contain teaching that’s not in line with our men attend and, at times, bring instead of withdrawing from all inter- our church’s doctrine. At such times, friends. We now meet twice monthly action, engage others online and pre- our ruling elder and I intervene, try- to review a chapter of A. W. Pink’s The serve the unity of our church. ing to make the most of these oppor- Attributes of God. Thankfully, those who Then there are the technical dif- tunities to instruct and encourage our take turns leading are unhindered by ficulties: being unable to hear others, members. the online challenges. wondering whether they hear you, Now that our Reformed seminary having to repeat yourself, losing con- classes are online, the Romans study nections, hearing your own voice echo, has been my best-attended class yet, etc. Last Sunday, just as I was warming with nine students. Though the diffi- up and getting excited in my sermon, culties of online instruction are always my son had to interrupt me because palpable, we have grown comfortable the video for our YouTube channel had interacting with one another. Once I stopped recording. How exactly was I master Zoom’s breakout rooms, I will supposed to pick up where I had left be able to make the class more inter- off with the same passion? esting! I am still working out details Yet, for the time being, I am happy for teaching a homiletics course online to be a pastor who must communicate next semester.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Short History of the Western Rite Vicariate
    A Short History of the Western Rite Vicariate Benjamin Joseph Andersen, B.Phil, M.Div. HE Western Rite Vicariate of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America was founded in 1958 by Metropolitan Antony Bashir (1896–1966) with the Right Reverend Alex- T ander Turner (1906–1971), and the Very Reverend Paul W. S. Schneirla. The Western Rite Vicariate (WRV) oversees parishes and missions within the Archdiocese that worship according to traditional West- ern Christian liturgical forms, derived either from the Latin-speaking Churches of the first millenium, or from certain later (post-schismatic) usages which are not contrary to the Orthodox Faith. The purpose of the WRV, as originally conceived in 1958, is threefold. First, the WRV serves an ecumeni- cal purpose. The ideal of true ecumenism, according to an Orthodox understanding, promotes “all efforts for the reunion of Christendom, without departing from the ancient foundation of our One Orthodox Church.”1 Second, the WRV serves a missionary and evangelistic purpose. There are a great many non-Orthodox Christians who are “attracted by our Orthodox Faith, but could not find a congenial home in the spiritual world of Eastern Christendom.”2 Third, the WRV exists to be witness to Orthodox Christians themselves to the universality of the Or- thodox Catholic Faith – a Faith which is not narrowly Byzantine, Hellenistic, or Slavic (as is sometimes assumed by non-Orthodox and Orthodox alike) but is the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for all men, in all places, at all times. In the words of Father Paul Schneirla, “the Western Rite restores the nor- mal cultural balance in the Church.
    [Show full text]
  • Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries
    Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Monasteries Atlas of Whether used as a scholarly introduction into Eastern Christian monasticism or researcher’s directory or a travel guide, Alexei Krindatch brings together a fascinating collection of articles, facts, and statistics to comprehensively describe Orthodox Christian Monasteries in the United States. The careful examina- Atlas of American Orthodox tion of the key features of Orthodox monasteries provides solid academic frame for this book. With enticing verbal and photographic renderings, twenty-three Orthodox monastic communities scattered throughout the United States are brought to life for the reader. This is an essential book for anyone seeking to sample, explore or just better understand Orthodox Christian monastic life. Christian Monasteries Scott Thumma, Ph.D. Director Hartford Institute for Religion Research A truly delightful insight into Orthodox monasticism in the United States. The chapters on the history and tradition of Orthodox monasticism are carefully written to provide the reader with a solid theological understanding. They are then followed by a very human and personal description of the individual US Orthodox monasteries. A good resource for scholars, but also an excellent ‘tour guide’ for those seeking a more personal and intimate experience of monasticism. Thomas Gaunt, S.J., Ph.D. Executive Director Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) This is a fascinating and comprehensive guide to a small but important sector of American religious life. Whether you want to know about the history and theology of Orthodox monasticism or you just want to know what to expect if you visit, the stories, maps, and directories here are invaluable.
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography-For-Cheer-Up.Pdf
    BIBLIOGRAPHY “‘Belief in Belief’ Held Theology for LSD Use.” (13 March 1970), 10. Online: https://www.newspapers.com/image/154889085. “1963: ‘Self-Help for Learned Societies’ Pamphlet.” The Secret History of the Scientific Journal: No. 1 (November). Online: https://arts.st- andrews.ac.uk/philosophicaltransactions/tag/self-help/. “A Cancer Patient offers Encouragement to Cancer Victims.” 30 August (1992), 239. Online: https://www.newspapers.com/image/178039814. “A History of San Francisco State.” (2009), 12. Online: http://http://www.sfsu.edu/~100years/history/long.htm#1950. “About 40 Conversions at Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey.” The Presbyterian Guardian January (1973): 3. “About Serge: Our History.” Serge: Grace at the Fray (2018), Online: https://serge.org/about/history. Adams, Jay E. Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling: The Jay Adams Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970. ———. “Letter to Jack Miller Commending Evangelism and the Local Church.” The C. John Miller Manuscript Collection, PCA Historical Center, St. Louis, MO (1979). ———. Biblical Sonship: An Evaluation of the Sonship Discipleship Course. Woodruff, SC: Timeless Texts, 1999. ———. “Email Exchange concerning Critique of Jack Miller and Biblical Sonship,” C. John Miller Oral History Interview Collection, Archives and Special Collections at the Library at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC, email exchange dated 24–28 April 2015. Aitken, Jonathan. John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013. Akin, Daniel L. A Theology for the Church. Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2014. “Albert N. Martin.” Banner of Truth (no date), Online: https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/a-n-martin/. 442 Aldrich, Joseph C.
    [Show full text]
  • NEWSLETTER May, 2013
    + = = p^fkqp=mbqbo=^ka=m^ri=loqelalu=`ero`e NEWSLETTER May, 2013 Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church A Parish of the Orthodox Church in America Archpriest John Udics, Rector Deacon Mark Bohush 305 Main Road, Herkimer, New York, 13350 Parish Web Page: www.cnyorthodoxchurch.org CHRIST IS RISEN! ХРИСТОС ВОСКРЕСЕ! ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church Newsletter, May 2013 Parish Contact Information Clergy: Archpriest John Udics, Rector: (315) 866-3272 – [email protected] Deacon Mark Bohush – [email protected] Council President and Cemetery Director: John Ciko: (315) 866-5825 – [email protected] Council Secretary: Subdeacon Demetrios Richards (315) 865-5382 – [email protected] Sisterhood President: Rebecca Hawranick: (315) 822-6517 – [email protected] Birthdays in May 3 – Olga Hubiak 15 – Helen Gachowski 5 – Eva Ignafol 16 – Natalie Ptasznik 5 – Samantha Kinzey 26 – Samuel Kinzey 6 – Sandra Brelinsky 27 – John Kowansky 12 – Melissa Leigh 30 – Nancy Richards 13 – Susan Moore 31 – Anastasia Hawranick Memory Eternal 2 - Helen Nanoski 15 - Edmund Mamrosch Sr (1994) 2 - Paul Nadiak (1975) 16 - Panos Jarosz (1981) 2 - Anna Corman (2001) 16 - Mary Boguski (1983) 2 - Helen Nawoski (2004) 22 - Anne Williams (1988) 4 - Leon Lepkowski (1985) 24 - Kazmir Karpowich (1978) 7 - Harry Homyk Jr (1988) 24 - John Mezick (1988) 7 - William Steckler (2007) 24 - Metro Hrynda (1995) 9 - Harry Palyga (1976) 24 - Nicholas Tynda (1996) 9 - Frank Prawlocki 28 - Walter Alexczuk (1995) 11 - Catherine Foley (2002) 29 - Anna and Wasil
    [Show full text]
  • Redeeming the Life of the Mind
    Redeeming the Life of the Mind Redeeming the Life of the Mind Essays in Honor of Vern Poythress Edited by John M. Frame, Wayne Grudem, and John J. Hughes Foreword by J. I. Packer ® WHEATON, ILLINOIS Redeeming the Life of the Mind: Essays in Honor of Vern Poythress Copyright © 2017 by John M. Frame, Wayne Grudem, and John J. Hughes Published by Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America. Cover design: Jordan Singer First printing 2017 Printed in the United States of America Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For other Scripture versions cited, please see the appendix. All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the authors. Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-5303-5 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-5306-6 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-5304-2 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-5305-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Poythress, Vern S., honouree. | Frame, John M., 1939– editor. Title: Redeeming the life of the mind: essays in honor of Vern Poythress / edited by John M. Frame, Wayne Grudem, and John J.
    [Show full text]
  • POCKET CHURCH HISTORY for ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS
    A POCKET CHURCH HISTORY for ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS Fr. Aidan Keller © 1994-2002 ST. HILARION PRESS ISBN 0-923864-08-3 Fourth Printing, Revised—2002 KABANTSCHUK PRINTING r r ^ ^ IC XC NI KA .. AD . AM rr In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. GOD INCARNATES; THE CHURCH FOUNDED OME 2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ directly intervened in human history. Although He S is God (together with the Father and the Holy Spirit), He became a man—or, as we often put it, He became incarnate —enfleshed. Mankind, at its very beginning in Adam and Eve, had fallen away from Divine life by embracing sin, and had fallen under the power of death. But the Lord Jesus, by His incarnation, death upon the Cross, and subsequent resurrection from death on the third day, destroyed the power death had over men. By His teaching and His whole saving work, Christ reconciled to God a humanity that had grown distant from God1 and had become ensnared in sins.2 He abolished the authority the Devil had acquired over men3 and He renewed and re-created both mankind and His whole universe.4 Bridging the abyss separating man and God, by means of the union of man and God in His own Person, Christ our Saviour opened the way to eternal, joyful life after death for all who would accept it.5 Not all the people of Judea, the Hebrews, God’s chosen people (Deut 7:6; Is 44:1), were ready to hear this news, and so our Lord spoke to them mostly in parables and figures.
    [Show full text]
  • December 2005
    The Parish of St. Edmund, King and Martyr (Waterloo, Ontario) The Anglican atholic hurch of anada (A member of the "orldwide Traditional Anglican Communion) #PDATE December 7, 2005 - St. Ambrose January Schedule January 1 Sunday The Octave Day of Christmas / The Circumcision of Christ January ! Friday The Epiphany of Our Lord January & Sunday The First Sunday after the Epiphany January 13 Friday The Octave Day of the Epiphany / The Baptism of Our Lord January 15 Sunday The Second Sunday after the #$iphany January 22 Sunday The Third Sunday after the Epiphany January 25 Wednesday The Conversion of St. Paul January 29 Sunday The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Service Times and Location (1) 0,, Services are held in the Chapel at Luther Village on the Park - 139 Father David Bauer Drive in )aterloo. (2) On Sundays, Matins is sung at %&'&& a.m. .The Litany on the first Sunday of the month), and the Holy Eucharist is celebrated (sun2/ at %&'*& a.m. .'/ On 5eekdays - Major Holy Days - the Holy Eucharist is usually celebrated at ,'&& p.m., %&'&& a.m. on Saturday. Notes and Comments can have the feelin2s 5ithout the fact. Even when suppressed, ho5ever, the 1) Dr. (udzisze5ski continues his kno5,ed2e of guilt always produces certain examination of the cultura, slide of the objective needs, 5hich make their own demand for satisfaction irrespective of the mid-90s - The Revenge of Conscience - state of the feelin2s. These needs include the fourth of six parts - this page. confession, atonement, reconci,iation, and justification. 2) "or Robert's Ramblings - Matobo II - the second of two parts - see page 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Reflections on Luther (The Last Medieval Protestant)
    Reflections on Luther (The Last Medieval Protestant) A Critique of our Culture of Pietism In this essay, I first review some of the themes of the J-Curve book related to Luther, then look at how Luther’s theological vision created Pietism, the beating heart of our Protestant churches, and how that is impacting the church today. Luther’s Rediscovery of Faith-Only To fully appreciate Luther’s insights on justification by faith, it’s immensely helpful to link it to Luther’s discover of Total Depravity, not just in Scripture, but in his own experience. When Luther looked inward at his own obedience, he kept finding more and more sin. His Flesh—like ours—was bottomless. Overcome with self-preoccupation, he realized “we are bent in and curved in upon ourselves.”1 If we are frozen in our sin, if our Will is completely captured by our Flesh, then God must act from the outside. If salvation depended on Luther’s doing, then confessing all his sin was critical. Luther describes the angst he experienced: I often repeated my confession and zealously performed my required penance. And yet my conscience would never give me assurance, but I was always doubting and said, “You did not perform that correctly. You were not contrite enough. You left that out of your confession.”2 Luther rediscovered that God accepts us not because we are good (by our love), but because Jesus is good (by our faith). Neither are we justified by a mixture of faith and love. We are justified by faith alone.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Reviews & Short Notices
    MJT 16 (2005) 165-243 BOOK REVIEWS & SHORT NOTICES Thomas Asbridge, The First Crusade, A New History: The Roots of Conflict between Christianity and Islam (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004). Pp. xvi + 408. ISBN 0-19-517823-8. $35.00. Few things are more disputed or discussed today than the swirl of issues surrounding the relationship between Islam and the West. Note carefully that I say “the West” and not “the Christian religion.” Christendom, or the domination of the Christian religion in all of society’s institutions, including the state, no longer exists, as it did during the time of the Crusades when West versus East meant Christendom versus Islam. While much of Islam may view the current Iraq War and even the September 11, 2001, attacks as part of the historic battle of Christian versus Muslim, and while there are elements of that classic warfare present in the current struggles, we must never identify the actions of the American (or any other) government with those of the Christian church. While we may rightly lament the secularization of the state and other societal institutions, we should not confuse secularization with the question of the institutional separation of the church and the state. There are confessional Christians nowadays who see the institutional separation of the two as a Western, or even more, an American historical oddity that has proven to be a bane rather than a blessing, contributing signally to the irreligiousness and immorality of the West, which suffers, frankly, from the separation of God and state, not simply church and state as institutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Repair and Restoration of Juneau Historic Site
    Total Project Snapshot Report 2011 Legislature TPS Report 56264v2 Agency: Commerce, Community and Economic Development Grants to Named Recipients (AS 37.05.316) Grant Recipient: ROSSIA, Inc. Federal Tax ID: 71-0879791 Project Title: Project Type: Maintenance and Repairs ROSSIA, Inc. - Repair and Restoration of Juneau Historic Site State Funding Requested: $50,000 House District: Juneau Areawide (3-4) One-Time Need Brief Project Description: Repair and restoration of historic structure Saint Nicholas church in downtown Juneau. Currently used as a church and a major tourist destination and local landmark. Funding Plan: Total Project Cost: $372,500 Funding Already Secured: ($10,000) FY2012 State Funding Request: ($50,000) Project Deficit: $312,500 Funding Details: $10,000 National Parks Save America's Treasures 2012 $25,000 Rasmuson Foundation 2012 $5,000 Friends of St. Nicholas Church 2012 Detailed Project Description and Justification: ROSSIA, Inc. was founded in 2002 by Native corporation leaders, Orthodox clergy, government officials, architects, and historians who recognized the importance of preserving the cultural heritage associated with the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska. ROSSIA, Inc. collaborates with local communities, encouraging and supporting their efforts to preserve the historic churches and along with it, a prominent part of Alaska’s history. Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church was built in 1893. Architecturally, the building is a beautiful example of the Russian American architecture and the unique octagon plan of St. Nicholas is the last of Alaska’s orthodox churches of this shape. It is toured by approximately 6,000 tourists each summer. The church is one of the most visited historic sites in Juneau and has been placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
    [Show full text]
  • Ruth--A Loving Life--Paul-Miller.Pdf
    How do you love with no love in return? How do you love when no one notices or cares? Best-selling author Paul Miller tackles these tough questions at the heart of our struggle to love head-on. Drawing from the book of Ruth, A Loving Life offers the help we need to embrace relationship, endure rejection, cultivate community, and reach out to even the most unlovable around us as we discover the power to live a loving life. “ The most honest, timely, and helpful book I’ve ever read about the costly and exhausting demands of loving well. At the same time, it’s the most encouraging presentation of God’s love for us in Jesus I’ve fed on in years.” SCOTTY SMITH, Teacher in Residence, West End Community Church, Nashville, Tennessee “ I was sure that Paul Miller’s A Praying Life had to be his greatest, but A Loving Life is better.” D. CLAIR DAVIS, Emeritus Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary “ Every once in a great while one reads a book that is so profound, so fresh, and so life changing that you can’t get it out of your mind or your heart. A Loving Life is that kind of book.” STEVE BROWN, Host, Key Life radio program “Paul Miller not only brilliantly explains the story of Ruth, but also shows how hesed love can transform us and our relationships. I highly recommend this book.” TREMPER LONGMAN III, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College PAUL E. MILLER is the best-selling author of A Praying Life and executive director of seeJesus, a ministry that creates and conducts interactive discipleship seminars throughout the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded from Brill.Com09/27/2021 05:18:16AM Via Free Access 48 S.C
    LITHUANIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES 18 2013 ISSN 1392-2343 PP. 47–65 WHATEVER KIND OF PAGAN THE BEARER MIGHT BE, THE LETTER IS VALID. A SKETCH OF CATHOLIC- ORTHODOX RELATIONS IN THE LATE-MEDIAEVAL GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA S.C. Rowell ABSTRACT This article examines relationships between Catholic and Orthodox Christians in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It stresses the robust policies of Catholic and Orthodox prelates and nobles towards one another and especially to- wards the Unionist Ruthenians, who sought to maintain their liturgical and hierarchical identity while recognising the primacy of the bishop of Rome. By contrast in personal situations Catholics and Orthodox were willing to cooperate on practical matters (usually concerning family property or community business). In Vilnius victories over national enemies (Tatar or Muscovite) were celebrated in monumental architecture by both communities. Evidence from consistory courts in Lutsk and Gniezno, and ecclesiastical emoluments in the Diocese of Vilnius reveal cooperation between both communities at a family and parish level could exist. There may be conflicting views of relations between Catholic and Orthodox subjects of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the first century or so after the baptism of pagan Lithuanians in the Roman rite. These views of apartheid, opposition and mutual imitation are confused further by the existence of the Unionists, whom neither Orthodox nor Latin-rite Catholics much loved. Since the Reformation and Counter-Reformation maintaining officially sharp distinctions be- tween all three groups in the battle to establish self-evident purity of belief prejudges how we might imagine mediaeval inter-confessional relations to have functioned and makes multi-confessional Vilnius in the seventeenth century appear more curious than it is.
    [Show full text]