(Note: This is part three in a series written as a draft for a chapter I’m contributing to the forthcoming Volume 2 of Turning East: Contemporary Philosophers and the Ancient Christian Faith (SVS Press). In part one (here), I talk about my early upbringing that set the stage for my interest in philosophy and in … Continue reading On trying to be an Orthodox philosopher (part 3 of 3) →

(Note: This is part two in a series written as a draft for a chapter I'm contributing to the forthcoming Volume 2 of Turning East: Contemporary Philosophers and the Ancient Christian Faith (SVS Press). In part one (here), I talk about my early upbringing that set the stage for my interest in philosophy and in … Continue reading On trying to be an Orthodox Philosopher (Part 2 of 3) →

(Note: This is part two in a series written as a draft for a chapter I'm contributing to the forthcoming Volume 2 of Turning East: Contemporary Philosophers and the Ancient Christian Faith (SVS Press). In this post, I talk about my early upbringing that set the stage for my interest in philosophy and in Orthodoxy. … Continue reading On trying to be an Orthodox Philosopher (Part 1 of 3) →

Like many others, encountering the radiant love of the Elder Zosima in Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov was a formative early event in my being drawn to the Orthodox Church. Similarly revelatory was my first exposure to the great 7th century Saint Isaac of Syria, whose feast day is today, January 28. Like the fictional elder, Saint … Continue reading The Elder Zosima and St Isaac the Syrian →

(This is the third and final installment of a paper in progress on "Orthodox panentheism". Part 1 is here, and part 2 is here.) 4. In the previous post, I laid out some of the prima facie evidence that the picture of the God-world relation we find in the Eastern church fathers especially warrants the … Continue reading On Orthodox Panentheism, Part 3: St Gregory Palamas and his Platonic Inheritance →

(This is the second in a series of posts where I’ll be going through a paper in progress on “Orthodox panentheism.” In this post, I discuss the concept of “panentheism” in general and why I think it’s a concept worth applying to the Orthodox view. Part 1 is here.) 3.  As I explained last time, … Continue reading On Orthodox Panentheism, Part 2: Preliminary Evidence and the Primary Problem →

(This is the first in a series of posts where I'll be going through a paper in progress on "Orthodox panentheism." In this post, I discuss the concept of "panentheism" in general and why I think it's a concept worth applying to the Orthodox view. Part 2 is here.) 1. “Panentheism”, in its broadest sense, … Continue reading On Orthodox Panentheism, Part 1: Why ‘Panentheism’? →

Today we celebrate the Three Holy Hierarchs,  three late 4th century eastern bishops who were enormously influential on the development of Christian theology: St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory the Theologian. Among other ways that they've impacted my view of things, thinking through the implications of their understandings of property and … Continue reading Anti-Capitalism and the Three Holy Hierarchs →

What role does Scripture and its interpretation play in the Church? How do we conceive of its authority? How does that authority relate to Tradition and other sources of knowledge? In what sense is the Bible the Word of God, and how does it relate to God the Word?  These are Very Big questions, ones … Continue reading Authority and Concentricity: Some Rough Thoughts on Scripture, Tradition, and Incarnation →