Library: Orthodoxy Link Page

Websites and Collections

General

• Gleanings from the Holy Fathers (from April 8, 2009 via archive.org): "Gleanings" is a great collection of quotes from the church fathers on just about everything; it is probably the largest collection of patrisitc quotes ever assembled in one place. Something has happened to the current version of this website—it is majorly broken and most of the quotes are removed—so I've provided a link to an older version.

Books

• An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (from April 25, 2009 via archive.org): by St. John of Damascus; this is the entire text of St. John's catechism. It is very different from modern introductions to Orthodoxy: it's far better, more complete, and less misleading. It is hosted on the same site as "Gleanings" and, as I noted above, something has happened to the current version of this website; therefore, I've provided a link to an older version.
• Stromata, Book III: by Clement of Alexandria. This is an English translation of Book III which is not available in the Ante-Nicene Fathers (ANF) set because the translators were offended by the writer's words. Notably, he condemns both sex and abstinence if they do not flow from [right] faith in God and, in his examination of Nicolaus' offer to let anyone else "marry" his wife, he demonstrates that the problem with sexual sins is not in the physical acts, but in the lust behind them. This really turns the whole modern discussion on sexual morality, from either side, on its head and helps clarify the Church's position.

Parishes Near Me

• Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Church: in Morrisville, North Carolina, USA. This is the parish I typically attend at the present time.
• All Saints Orthodox Church: in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. I go here from time to time, especially if Holy Transfiguration is not having a service for a weekday feast.
• St. Barbara Orthodox Church: in Durham, North Carolina, USA.
• Holy Trinity Orthodox Church: in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.

Parishes Abroad

• Holy Theophany Orthodox Church: in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. This is the parish where I first attended after learning about the institutional Orthodox Church: I was baptized, chrismated, and spent a number of years worshipping here and still visit from time to time.

Institutional Church Organizations

• Orthodox Church in America
• Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Individual Pages and Essays

• The Cup of Christ: by St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. This is a short meditation on what it really means to follow Christ and drink from the same cup He did. Modern man is continually inventing ways to avoid suffering, but suffering is crucial to the Christian life; there can be no salvation without the acceptance of pain.
• Freedom and way of existence in Orthodoxy: by Fr. Constantine Strategopoulos. This is quite a lengthy essay and certainly not an easy read, but Fr. Constantine really "takes the axe" to many of the most scared idols modern man has set up: social systems, legal systems, moral systems (whether of the right or left), and religious systems.

Blog Posts

Pithless Thoughts

Pithless Thoughts is a veritable treasure trove of posts on Orthodox life, often from a humorous perspective. Everything is easy to read and accessible, yet well-written and rich. It is the first blog (out of two) on Orthodoxy that I've ever found to have consistently great value from a theological perspective. Because it is filled with so much great material, I decided to pick out just a few of the best posts, if that is even possible. They are, in no particular order:

• Martyrdom Across the Centuries: by Steve Robinson (a.k.a. "s-p"). "Martyrdom" is a humorous look at how our pride and self-esteem manifest in the context of the Internet.
• Demolition, Canons, and Spiritual Direction: by Steve Robinson (a.k.a. "s-p"). This post is a great introduction to the proper understanding of the canons of the institutional Orthodox Church, and "the Law" in general.
• Work and Priesthood: by Steve Robinson (a.k.a. "s-p"). This is a very personal yet very Orthodox view of the priesthood of all believers.

Elsewhere on the Web

• The Life of the World Revisited: Christmas—Not Material Enough: by Adreea Bălan. This is a great example of an essay by someone who is not just regurgitating Church fathers, but seems to speak from a deep understanding of Orthodoxy.
• But Jesus Wasn't Born Dec. 25 – was He?: by John Eidsmoe and Ben DuPré; reposted by John Sanidopoulos. This article, which is more directly about Christmas, briefly surveys some of the evidence—from the Bible, the Church fathers, the Romans, and more—to show that, despite what a few voices in modern scholarship (and a lot of their zealous followers) might claim, there is a lot of weight behind the belief that Christ was born on December 25.