The REAL Conspiracy – and how we took it bait, line, and sinker

And here is the original video: Listen to find out which of the many conspiracies is occupying space in Fr. Anthony’s fool head.  Without it, the other problems (e.g. injustice, riots, elections, presidential narcissism) would have been handled as normal rather than extra-ordinary problems.  We should have seen it coming.  From Fr. Anthony’s YouTube Livestream.  […]

Gaslighting or Conspiracy? The role of the Pastor in Crazy Times

Join Fr. Anthony as he talks with Fr. Gregory Jensen, PhD, to get some advice on the role of the pastor in crazy times.  It’s a difficult conversation, but it’s important for us to have trusted friends in our lives who will tell us things we don’t want to hear.  Fr. Gregory is wise, experienced, […]

Pluralism, Polarization, and Discernment; the Challenge and Promise of Diversity

One of the challenges of our present spiritual situation is that our society has settled for something less than truth. This affects the quality of our opinions, policies, and judgments and undermines our ability to live and spread the Gospel. An indicator of the seriousness of this is our growing inability to listen to, learn […]

Homily: The Gospel and the Crisis of Institutional Legitimacy

In this homily on Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), Fr. Anthony continues on the theme of authenticity, noting how the Gospel IS the response to chaos and the lack of reliable institutions.  [Yes, he preached on the same Gospel last week; then he was on the revised lectionary at Christ the Savior Antiochian […]

Homily – Politics, Polarization, and the Cross

In this homily, Fr. Anthony explains the meaning of the Cross for us today in the light of 1 Corinthians 6:12 (“All things are lawful for me…”), Philippians 2:6 (“[Christ Jesus] did not consider it robbery”), 1 Corinthians 10:33 (“…so that some might be saved.”), and the Transfiguration.  Enjoy the show! Check out this episode!

Parish Politics Threaten Evangelism (A Parable on Ukraine)

It was a long Summer.  It all started when I got an e-mail from someone asking if he could come to Liturgy.  He also asked about membership and taking Communion.  I did my usual thing, underscoring that everyone was welcome to experience God and fellowship here, and explaining what I would do to help him […]

The (mis)use of religion in the Ukrainian conflict

Here are the notes from the talk I gave at the Foreign Policy Research Institute on 07 November 2017 at the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  They asked me to talk about the effect of religion on the conflict in Ukraine for their 21st Annual Templeton Lecture on Religion and World Affairs.  It is a […]

Learn History so as not to repeat the worst parts – a review of Red Famine

This is the 100th commemoration of the October Revolution in Russia.  You may remember an old TV game show “Name that Tune”.  The premise was that only a handful of notes can bring to mind entire melodies.  Contestants would bid on how few notes it would take for them to “name that tune”.  We know that […]

The Good-Idea Fairy has Run Amok

Full disclosure: I am a retired CW-3 (Military Intelligence, USAR).  I spent most of my time post-9/11 providing intelligence support to warfighters in Afghanistan.  It was important work.  However, colleagues and friends would be quick to point out that I got hit pretty hard by the good idea fairy myself, most notably in being part of a […]

The Illiberal Demand for Kosher and Halal Bacon

The Joy of BaconWith just a few days left before Pascha, the dominant logismoi distracting me from proper prayer (and analysis) is … bacon.  I love it.  I especially love the really fatty kind that just melts in your mouth.  The best of the best is fried salo, a sort of bacon cut so that it […]