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Justification of the Old Believer Church. -St. Arseny Uralsky
Read more: Justification of the Old Believer Church. -St. Arseny UralskyIntroduction The Holy Church of Christ has many commandments for raising us from death to life, and all of them are obligatory for our fulfillment. Each one is but a step in that ascent which leads mortals to eternal life. And this life-giving ladder presents itself to every believer in as many steps as there…
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In Defense of the Old Believer Hierarchy.
Read more: In Defense of the Old Believer Hierarchy.By Viktor Buzhinsky The title is deliberately borrowed from Fyodor Yefimovich Melnikov [1], as this topic remains relevant to this day, and the Old Believer hierarchy indeed needs to be defended. But, as strange as it may sound, it must primarily be defended from… the Old Believers themselves. This has been the case throughout the…
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Old Belief and the Great Schism: An Experience of Sobornost under the “Kingdom of Caesar”
Read more: Old Belief and the Great Schism: An Experience of Sobornost under the “Kingdom of Caesar”By George Neminuschy Foreword In this article, we shall attempt to uncover and articulate a direct link between the original attribute of Christ’s Church—its catholicity, or sobornost—and that which is referred to as communal life when speaking of Old Belief. We will not engage in an “apologia for Old Belief,” nor will we offer criticism…
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A Word on Sobornost
Read more: A Word on SobornostBy Archpriest Andrey Marchenko “And grant us with one mouth and one heart to glorify and hymn Thy most honorable and majestic Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (from the rite of the Divine Liturgy). One of the most precious gifts bestowed upon the Church is sobornost—conciliarity or spiritual unity….
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On the Fight Against Sinful Viruses and More
Read more: On the Fight Against Sinful Viruses and More(A sermon by Fr. Vasily Andronikov) The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?(Psalm 26:1) Lately, the whole world has been confronted with a new trial — the struggle against a strange and unprecedented disease! From nearly every…
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A Homily by Archdeacon Alexander Govorov on Healing from Illnesses
Read more: A Homily by Archdeacon Alexander Govorov on Healing from IllnessesWe have now come to a very important and intriguing topic: the miracles of Christ. These miracles should not be a cause of doubt for anyone, for they were performed by the Lord Himself. And they were many. As the Apostle John the Theologian says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the…
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What should a Christian do if their loved one is gravely ill and near death?
Read more: What should a Christian do if their loved one is gravely ill and near death?Earthly life is given to us to prepare for eternal life, to learn to love God and our neighbor. A Christian must both live and die “to the glory of God,” as the apostle Paul writes (Romans 14:8). Until their final days, a Christian should remain united with Christ—not merely by being a “good person,”…
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Clothing and Spirituality
Read more: Clothing and SpiritualityB.P. Kutuzov “The Lord is King, He is clothed with beauty…” (Ps. 92:1). “Thou coverest Thyself with light as with a garment…” (Ps. 103:2). Why Clothing Is Needed Clothing is appearance—it is the outward look, external representation, external information about a thing, its visible self-expression. It is what we see. The Creator fashioned a beautiful…
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The Tradition of Church-Financial Relations: Biblical Origins and Contemporary Realities
Read more: The Tradition of Church-Financial Relations: Biblical Origins and Contemporary RealitiesIn the world around us today, unfortunately, much is determined by money or at least heavily influenced by it. Awareness of this fact prompts various church figures to seek out explanations for the current order of things—sometimes quite extravagant or even cynical (I refer to the statements of Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev of the Russian Orthodox…
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The Clothing of a Christian
Read more: The Clothing of a ChristianIn everyday life, a Christian outwardly differs little from the average person. Worship, however, is another matter entirely. Among Orthodox Old Believers, there is a pious ancient custom of wearing special clothing for prayer in church. In essence, this is the attire that was commonly worn in everyday life in ancient Rus’: a kaftan or Russian kosovorotka —worn untucked…