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Ethan D Good
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Ethan D Good
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(page 40 of 176)
""The Principle or Accommodation" chapter caught me by surprise. It explains clearly how the Primitive Church was almost immediately structured around the regional structure of the Roman Empire, as major cities were major social hubs. Thus bishops in a "metropolis" were also given the titles "Metropolitan" as head of the city, and "Patriarch" as head of the diocese/province. Hence, elevating Constantinople later..." — Jul 30, 2026 05:59PM
""The Principle or Accommodation" chapter caught me by surprise. It explains clearly how the Primitive Church was almost immediately structured around the regional structure of the Roman Empire, as major cities were major social hubs. Thus bishops in a "metropolis" were also given the titles "Metropolitan" as head of the city, and "Patriarch" as head of the diocese/province. Hence, elevating Constantinople later..." — Jul 30, 2026 05:59PM
Ethan D Good
is currently reading
progress:
(page 81 of 242)
"This assessment of Eastern religions like Hinduism, with all of their meditative practices, available to all to partake in regardless of anyone's personal religious views or lack there of, poses a legitimate theological question for Christians: with the proven effects of these practices, along with the testimonies of many to its effectiveness, what is behind this spiritual practice?
This book's clear answer: Demons." — Jul 13, 2026 05:33PM
"This assessment of Eastern religions like Hinduism, with all of their meditative practices, available to all to partake in regardless of anyone's personal religious views or lack there of, poses a legitimate theological question for Christians: with the proven effects of these practices, along with the testimonies of many to its effectiveness, what is behind this spiritual practice?
This book's clear answer: Demons." — Jul 13, 2026 05:33PM
“If we ourselves do not learn humility, God will not stop humbling us,” were words that Fr. Thaddeus often repeated during the last years of his earthly life when he recounted how he had tried to avoid his obediences and the cross that he had been given by the Lord. Or, as the old Byzantine saying goes: If it is the king that is persecuting you, run; if it is God Who is persecuting you, sit down!”
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
“All the Holy Fathers lived a good life, a quiet life. All of them say that the perfection of the Christian life is in extreme humility. This means that patient long-suffering is what we most need in this life. We must bear everything patiently and forgive all. If we have good thoughts and desires, these thoughts will give us peace and joy even in this life, and even more so in eternity. Then we will see that there is no death, that the Lord has vanquished death, and that He has given us eternal life!”
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
“Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like. If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts and can have neither peace nor tranquility.”
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
“The battle with thoughts—which Br. Tomislav had experienced and whose mystical depths he had touched even as a young child—began in earnest when he became a monk. He began to understand, based on his own experience, that being a Christian meant waging a constant and merciless battle against evil and death in one’s own heart, a battle with no front lines or cease-fires, in which the enemy neither sleeps nor tires.”
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
“He understood that Grace could only be preserved by constant vigilance over the heart and mind and by prayer: “If you wish to preserve this gift of Grace, you must pray to God all the time in order to block oppressive and dark thoughts from your mind and thus preserve the peace and joy which you feel when you are illumined by Grace.”
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
― Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
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