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Orthodox Priests make peace in the Ukraine

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Sat, 25/01/2014 - 10:07pm

It is amazing what Orthodox Clergy get up to these days! There have been violent clashes between police and protesters in Kiev, Ukraine this week. All of this, however, was temporarily brought to an end when the Kiev-Caves Lavra Fr. Gabriel, Fr. Melchisedek, and Fr. Ephraim stood on Grushevsky Street in Kiev, getting in between the protestors and the Ukrainian special police force “Berkut.” The priests braved bullets and walked into no-man’s land between pro-European Union integration protesters and President Viktor Yanukovych’s riot police.

Russian Roulette for Women

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Sat, 27/04/2013 - 8:11am

The Government has announced that it is to subsidise abortion drug RU486. I am very concerned about the dangers for women, especially young women who are looking for a “cheap way out” of a problem. There are serious question marks over the health impacts on women of this drug. Let’s look at why this is. Abortion Drugs: Russian Roulette In 2010, a Melbourne woman tragically died from infection after taking RU486.

Evidence for Creation now banned from UK religious education classes

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Fri, 27/07/2012 - 2:36pm

When I was an Anglican priest I once asked my Anglican Bishop if I could invite someone to our parish to speak about creation from the Christian and biblical perspective. To my amazement he refused to grant permission and told me that I “should be more open-minded!” Alas, the government in the United Kingdom is following along the same path, perhaps even with the blessing of the Bishops of the Church of England?

The “Orthodox Option” for Anglicans

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Fri, 09/03/2012 - 6:28am

To Members of the Anglican Church who are unhappy at the degradation of their Communion, if you are looking for a faithful Church, we present “the Orthodox Option” for your consideration.  

Can we believe in the resurrection of Jesus?

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Sat, 23/04/2011 - 12:40pm

From the very beginning Christianity claimed that Jesus was raised from the dead. Not in the sense of the internal mental and spiritual states of His followers a few days after His crucifixion, but about something that had happened in the real, public world.

How to Encounter God

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Wed, 29/09/2010 - 7:27am

When someone’s spiritual practices runs beyond the measure of grace that they have been given, a void is created in their soul. Either it will lead them to sin, or it will make them perverse, proud, hard, and unmerciful. Let’s learn some more about how to encounter God.  

The Truth of Orthodoxy by Nikolai A. Berdyaev

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 15/04/2010 - 10:34pm

The Truth of Orthodoxy is a theological essay by Nikolai Berdyaev (1874–1948) about what makes Orthodoxy different from all other Christian Churches. In beautiful and nuanced language, Berdyaev examines the revelation of the Holy Spirit throughout Orthodox history, the holy mysteries in the interactions between the material and spiritual, and the liturgical means of teaching people about salvation and the life after death. In this excerpt, we learn why the Orthodox Church has changed so little over the centuries.  

How to Experience God

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 15/10/2009 - 4:56pm

The knowledge of God, generally spoken of in a very experiential manner, is an absolute foundation in Orthodox theology. Nothing replaces it — no dogmatic formula, no Creed, not even Scripture — though Orthodoxy would see none of these things as separate from the knowledge of God. But the questions I have received are very apt. In a culture that is awash in “experience,” what do the Orthodox mean when we speak of such things and what do we mean by such knowledge of God? 

Reflections on Evangelical Worship—by an Evangelical

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Thu, 15/10/2009 - 1:49pm

As a convert to Orthodoxy from Anglicanism, as I read the following reflections by Monte Wilson, I realised that I had “been there and done that” for a large part of my life. Reading this article helped me realise how thankful I am that God let me to Orthodox worship. Thanks be to God for everything! - Fr. Geoff   Narcissism Goes to Church: Encountering Evangelical Worship Have you attended any modern evangelical worship services lately? Question: Is “Evangelical Worship” an oxymoron? No? Well, let’s walk through one, shall we?

Palliative Care is “The Way to Go”

Submitted by Fr. Geoff Harvey on Sun, 06/09/2009 - 6:53am

One of my sisters, Penelope Anne — or Penny for short — has just died at the relatively young age of 61. She had been battling a very aggressive cancer for three and a half years. After two lots of chemotherapy, both of which almost killed her, she decided not to have any more. The doctors didn’t expect her to reach her 60th birthday. When she did, the whole extended family joined her to celebrate.

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