If I recall correctly, Owen is married but has no children of his own. Perhaps if he had children of his own, he would have less time to pontificate on certain Orthodox subjects.
It is precisely those of us with young families who cannot afford to indulge in what I call "Ivory Tower Orthodoxy." This is a substandard practice of Orthodoxy more concerned with academic discussions than with changing lives.
The CULTURAL practices of singing praise music, meeting for small group bible studies and the other things evangelicals do are greatly beneficial to young families with children. Some of these young families lack a deep background in biblical knowledge and need more than lectures on what is or isn't kosher when it comes to the challenging religion that is Eastern Orthodoxy.
We all can't be monks and oblates. Some of us have to live and work in the world.
Doing so requires a certain ongoing level of encouragement that some of our parishes aren't good at providing.
I will pray for the Ochlophobist, but it will take me a while to get over my anger towards him and how unjust he seems to be with his criticisms.
I will have to be angry and sin not. My anger will have to be righteous anger directed against the small mindedness of what I read over the weekend.
It is opinions like the ones Owen White voiced that tempt me at times to return to Anglicanism, and specifically the Anglican Province of North America. I know I should never do this, and that I should stick with Eastern Orthodoxy for life, but such opinions don't help.
Saint Columba and Saint Silouan pray for this wretched sinner.
Columba Silouan
